THE VALLEYS SENIOR SCHOOL
1235 MISSISSAUGA VALLEY BLVD
June 2013
G. Clarke
Principal
C. Majeau
Vice-Principal
A. Edwards
Superintendent of Education
S. Lawton
Trustee
LIBRARY IN A PARAGRAPH by Ms. Mulcaster
Thank you to everyone for reading and using the library this year!
We had a blast at our Forest of Reading Celebration on May 24th
with authors Janet Wilson, Wesley King and Allan Stratton. Over
200 students participated in this program and voted on their
favourite book. It is our hope that we will have the entire school
participate next year.
Allan Stratton author of “The Grave Robber’s Apprentice”
The library’s goals for next year are to:
- Promote a love of reading within the school
- Build students’ reading capacities by challenging them to read different genres
- Teach students how to effectively research and find information on the internet citing
their sources
- Teach students how to use all technology responsibly and ethically
From the library team at The Valleys, we wish you many wonderful reads this summer!
BLUEJAYS BASEBALL GAME
On May 28th, over 170 students attended the Toronto Blue Jays baseball
game at the Rogers Centre. Although the Jays lost the game, everyone
enjoyed themselves under the dome. LOTS of food was consumed and the
time spent with friends more than made up for the wet weather. Many
thanks to Ms. Rider, Ms. Strickland, Ms. Jeffers, Ms. Solomon, Ms. Gruhl,
Ms. Cunningham, Ms. Mulcaster and Mr. Romas for attending the game.
Go Jays Go!
GAUSS MATH CONTEST
Congratulations to all students who participated in The Gauss Mathematics Contest.
This contest encourages the pursuit of mathematical excellence as an enjoyable extracurricular activity.
The top five scorers in Grade 7 were: (/150 pts.)
5th place Oviya S. of 7D with a score of 120
4th place Dhruv M. of 7C with a score of 123
3rd place Milad R. of 7C with a score of 124
2nd place Kartik S. of 7B with a score of 128
1st place Mandy A. of 7D with a score of 130
The top five scorers in Grade 8 were:
5th place Yusef K. of 8F with a score of 102
4th place Mehwish S. of 8C with a score of 105
3rd place Kshiti P. of 8C with a score of 114
2nd place Alvin H. of 8D with a score of 115
1st place Ram U. of 8D with a score of 122
BATTLES IN THE TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Grade 7 students attended a presentation on the tropical rainforest by a visiting
scientist, during the week of April 16 – 19. The presentation included exploring the
tropical rainforest ecosystem, experimenting with adaptations of rainforest plants,
building a rainforest food web and considering the impact of species extinction. The
titles of students’ workstations were Ecology in Southeast Asia, Entomology in Costa
Rica, Engineering in Africa, Chemistry in Brazil and Botany in Ecuador. Students
became scientists through fun and investigative activities which addressed
expectations in their science unit “Interactions in the Environment.”
FAREWELL! by Mrs. Zubrickas & Mrs. Fernandes
The Valleys would like to thank the following, longest serving members of the We Club: Saira A.,
Arrthika N., Annabel J., Shafaq B., Mehwish S., Anushree J. We would also like to recognize Lin J.,
Batul K., Sharvari M., Ravia H. and Misbah N. As members of the We Club for three years, they were
dedicated to the cause of social justice and made a real difference in the lives of many in Canada and
abroad. Their contributions to the We Club remind us of the words of H. W. Longfellow in “A Psalm of
Life”:
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time
They have, indeed, left an imprint that we hope will be an inspiration for years to come. Thank you
again and best of luck in your new schools. May you blaze new trails wherever you go and leave your
mark for others to follow.
THE VALLEYS PUBLISHED POETS
The poems of the following students have been chosen for publication:
6A
6B
6C
Muhammad A., Molham A., Enass A., Aubteen A., Ahmad A., David C.,
Tia B., Lein C., Selena C.,
Fasih B., Kevin D.,
Priyanka J., Jamie L.,
Dharitri D., Lucia Y
Kelvin H., Rabiah K.,
Brandon N., Gail P.,
Elizabeth L.
Shamithra S., Habiba Z.
GRADE 6 ZOO TRIP
Yes ! We saw them! The grade six students did see the visiting pandas on our trip to the
Toronto Zoo at the end of May. They also saw many other interesting species during their
guided tour around the zoo. The purpose of the field trip was to study vertebrate animals,
but we also saw butterflies hatching, translucent jelly fish, and tropical vegetation in full
bloom. So much to see and learn in one short day! A return trip to the Toronto Zoo would
be a great outing during the summer vacation.
IXL Math
This year, students have been using the IXL Math program to supplement their classroom
learning. This on line program allows students to review, practice or enhance their math
skills. Each student has their own username and password, which will remain active until
September, allowing them to use IXL Math over the summer months. If they say they are
bored or have nothing to do during the summer, suggest ten minutes on IXL Math. It will
provide some "brain exercise", improve skills and provide a confident start to grade seven in
the fall. Parents can try it too!
FUN TIMES
The last week of the school year will be providing the grade six students of The
Valleys with some fun times as a reward for their hard work this year, particularly
during the Grade Six EQAO Assessment in early June. The all day picnic will take
place on Wednesday, June 26th. On the Thursday, the grade sixes will have a free fun
swim, in the afternoon, at the community centre pool. Students at The Valleys are very fortunate to
have so much parkland and amazing recreational facilities adjacent to the school.
SCHOOL WEBSITE
In an effort to communicate with our parents we have been working to keep our website up to
date, especially our calendar of events. We have been posting newsletters and school
council updates. If you would like to sign up for an alert for any updates to our website
please go to http://schools.peelschools.org/1354 and click on the subscribe link on the left
hand column. You will receive an email anytime we update something on our website.
GEOQUERY WEBSITE - http://businfo.stopr.ca
This website also allows parents to login and find their child’s transportation information by following
these instructions:
 type in the website address: businfo.stopr.ca
 click “student login”
 enter your child’s OEN number, street/house number, school and grade
 click “login”
This will automatically display the child’s transportation information, if they are eligible.
This capability for “student login” will be available for parents starting the second last week of August
until the end of June each year. This feature will be locked down during the summer for route planning
purposes. Additional features of this website are, School Information, Which School Do I Attend and
Transportation Eligibility and Delays and Cancellations
STOPR Website
The STOPR website is - www.stopr.ca. The items available in this website, include the following:
 “About Us” – background information on Student Transportation of Peel Region
 “Policies and Procedures” – STOPR procedures and Peel Transportation Policies
 “FAQ” – frequently asked questions in regards to student transportation
 “School Forms” – the forms that go with the STOPR procedures
 “Operators” – a list of all the school bus operators in Peel Region and their telephone numbers
 “Links” – Ministry of Transportation links ie: booster seat legislation
 “Contact Us” – STOPR contact telephone numbers by area
 “Inclement Weather” – updates on a daily basis for inclement weather cancellations
 “Which School Do I Attend” – a direct link to our Geoquery website
 “Am I Eligible for Transportation” – a direct link to our Geoquery website
 “Your Child’s Busing Information” - a direct link to the student login on our Geoquery website
 Dufferin-Peel CDSB and Peel DSB logos – click one of these logos and it takes you directly to
the school board home website page
Transportation Eligibility Policy:
The Peel DSB Transportation Eligibility Policy:
Kindergarten
1.0 km
Grades 5 & 6
Grades 1 – 4
1.6 km
Grades 7 & 8
2.0 km
3.2 km
Secondary
4.8 km
SUMMER ACTIVITIES THAT BOOST LEARNING
Follow the news – As a family, choose an important news event to follow for
a day or two. Ask each person to find as much information on the topic as
possible – read newspapers, listen to the radio and watch TV news. Then talk
about what everyone learned.
Pro and con: what do you think? – Make a family game of discussing a
special issue. For example, "Teenagers should be allowed to vote," or "There
should never be any homework." Ask your children to think of all the reasons
they can to support their views. Then ask them to think of reasons opposing
their views. Which views are most convincing? For variety, assign family
members to teams and have them prepare their arguments pro and con.
Stretch, run, walk – Ask your child to do at least one kind of exercise every day. For example, run or
walk briskly for 10 minutes. Walk, when possible, instead of driving, for any distance less than a mile.
Have your child make a week-long exercise plan. Try to think of a modest reward for sticking to the
plan and exercise with your child.
Let your voice be heard – Promote good citizenship. Help your child write a letter to the editor of the
local newspaper about an issue affecting children – for example, suggest that a bike path be built near
the school or that a city event be planned for youngsters. Children are citizens, and their ideas are
worth hearing.
MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
Another eventful school year draws to a close where field trips, special events, sports teams, clubs,
talent show, guest speakers, math and science contests continued to engage our students. There has
been something for everyone. It has been through the tremendous dedication of our teachers who
have volunteered their time to offer such great extracurricular activities and we thank them for doing
this.
It is with some sadness that we say goodbye and happy retirement to our Principal, Gaye Clarke.
Although she has only been with us for a short year, she has made a positive impact on the school
and the students. She has been an educator for 44 years, 24 years in Peel, and has dedicated her life
to the education of students and to the development of staff. Her quick wit, love of reading and
baseball will be greatly missed. We wish her well on her retirement as she plans to travel and become
an even better chef.
We wish all of our students, families and staff a very safe and happy summer.
C. Majeau
Christine Majeau
Vice-Principal