St. Andrews Junior High News

Oodles of news from Mr. Howard in this monthly newsletter….

Holiday Spirit

It’s that busy but magical time of year again — a time for sparkling lights and festive treats as we celebrate the holidays with family and friends.

It’s also a good time to reflect on and give thanks for our own good fortune and to think of those less fortunate.

Thank you for supporting the efforts of St. Andrew’s staff and students in bringing in items for Operation Christmas Child. In addition, the Holiday Hampers food drive has been tremendously successful due to everyone’s care and generosity. These gifts are bound to put smiles on some faces and food in some tummies.

Thank you to the leader of our Outreach Programs, Ms. Fair, for her dedication and organization of these important community sharing experiences. The support of families in need has been an ongoing tradition at St. Andrew’s. Your donations are greatly appreciated and will go a long way to making someone else’s holiday a little nicer.

It’s also a good time to remember those who help make our own little corner of the world a happier place.

Thank you to:

The staff at St. Andrew’s — for all that you do, every day, to make our school a good place for kids.

The many volunteers — who give so much of their personal time to support our staff and help our students.

Our students — who are truly exemplary models of the St. Andrew’s educational philosophy.

Our parents – Thank you parents of St. Andrew’s students – you’ve done an outstanding job bringing up your children!

And to the Parent Council — thank you Leslie Routhier, our Chair, Giselle Bloch, our Vice-Chair, the many council reps, and committee chairs. We are such a highly regarded educational institution; much of that is due to your ongoing support and dedication.

First Term Reports

On Friday, November 27, 2009, you received your child’s first term report card. In addition, many of you joined us for parent-teacher interviews on Dec. 3rd and/or Dec. 4th. If you have not already done so, please sign the 3rd page of the report card and return it in the same envelope in which it came to your child’s classroom teacher. Thank you to all of the teachers for their tremendous preparation and to the parents for all of their positive feedback. It was truly a successful first term.

Holiday Happenings

Autumn Concert

On November 26th, many of our strings and band students performed for families and friends as part of our traditional Autumn concert. Led by our spectacular Music team of Mr. Corbett and Ms. Wong, St. Andrew’s students (and a couple of special guest performers, Ms. Dubeau and Ms. Coughlan) performed some beautiful numbers in the Holiday spirit. There is an abundance of talent at St. Andrew’s and it was most definitely on display throughout the evening. The Marching Band certainly shook things up with some inspiring numbers and actions that really got the audience’s attention. There were many staff who attended the evening as audience members, videographers, performers, supervisors etc. Thank you for your continued support of the tremendous music program at St. Andrew’s.

As it was my first opportunity to be a part of this yearly musical celebration, it was certainly a magical, memorable performance.

And when the holidays are over

…and we’re all back in school — please encourage your children to keep those wonderful new (and valuable) items at home where they will be safe. It is important to remember that all electronic devices must be powered off when students step onto school property…even more reason to leave them at home where they can be enjoyed.

Staff is not able to follow up on all incidents of lost/misplaced/broken electronic devices, games and/or toys.

Spirit Week

During the week of November 23-27, St. Andrew’s staff and students participated in spirit week. Through the tremendous organization and advertising of our student council (under the leadership of Ms. Stella and Ms. Assaad), both staff and students dressed up and participated in activities that brought enthusiasm and energy into the building. From pajama day to wacky hat and hair day to the great tradition of St. Andrew’s Day, spirit was definitely alive and well at St. Andrew’s. Thanks to Ms. Coughlan for her magical hands in providing some of our teachers with great new looks and hair styles.

Other Items

School Yard Hygiene

Please help us keep our schoolyard clean and attractive. Encourage your children, as we do on a daily basis, to pick up all garbage. Remind your friends and neighbours of the importance of “scooping” whenever they’re out walking their dogs—particularly on or near our school grounds and depositing the excrement in their own green boxes at home and not in our school garbage cans.

In addition, please remember that dogs are not permitted on the school grounds during the school day or directly before/after school. For the safety of all, please be sure to have your pet on a leash at all times and under your watchful eye. Thank you!

Vandalism

Please continue to be on the look out for unwanted guests around our school property. On evenings, weekends, and during holidays, report security concerns and acts of vandalism to our school board security. The phone number is 416-395-4620. Please be extra diligent over the holiday season as many community members or non-community members will be frequenting our school grounds . Thank you.

Allergies in the Lunchroom

Parents, please remember that there are many St. Andrew’s students with life threatening allergies to nuts. All nut products must be left at home in order to create a nut-free environment for these children. Please refrain from sending any food or snacks that may contain traces of nuts (ex. Oh Henry Chocolate bars, Nutella etc.). The students with these very sensitive allergies thank you for your understanding.

Parent Council

The commitment to the community and to the staff and students of the school is second to none. Thank you for your insight, comments and suggestions.

Please note: Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 18, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m. in the library.

Winter Weather

The colder weather appears to have arrived for good. Please remember to ensure that your child comes dressed for the weather. Many students are coming to school with inappropriate winter clothing and although they say they are not cold, we find out days later that they are sick and may be infecting others in the school. We would like to keep our staff and students as healthy as possible by limiting the amount of illness brought into the building. One way of accomplishing this is by students dressing appropriately to go outside (this includes a hat, gloves, proper outdoor boots, and a proper winter coat). Students are not permitted in the school until the following entry bells have rung: 8:50, 12:38 and 1:29.

In addition to the weather getting colder, the soft, powdery snow is bound to start coming and going and is very enticing for many of our students who engage in rougher than usual play. Please discuss with your child the importance of safe behavior out in the schoolyard (ex. no tackling, throwing snow, aggressive play or play fighting). As a staff, we will be diligent in following winter safety rules and will provide appropriate consequences as necessary.

Thank you in advance for your support.

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Help reduce the amount of paper we are using. Please consider, where possible, receiving St. Andrew’s news electronically. We have done such a great job as a community in that we have been able to really reduce the number of hard copies we send home. Let’s see if we can completely eliminate paper, where possible. Just click the Subscribe tab at the top of this page and enter your email address

REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE

Principal’s Message

The festive season is upon us. Walking in the community during the day and leaving late some evenings after dark (no worries, it’s part of the job!), has enabled me to see so many homes already decorated beautifully in anticipation of the holiday season. What a spectacular sight!

It has been a terrific first term. I can’t begin to thank each and every one of you (students, staff and parents) enough for your commitment to educating the whole child. I personally want to thank everyone for making my first year at St. Andrew’s so enjoyable. This school family of ours is one with a warm heart, a helping hand and a kind voice. I am thrilled to brag to my colleagues about how lucky I am to be working in such a positive, enriching and supportive environment.

Whatever your holiday celebration might look like, all of us at St. Andrew’s wish you and your family the best for the holidays and the New Year.

From the Guidance Program & Services Department

Cyber Safety

One quarter of young Canadian Internet users (25%) say that someone has e-mailed them material that said hateful things about others.

The Internet is a powerful tool in which our children are often better versed than we adults. They are often on-line, away from any adult supervision. In fact, 50% say they are on-line alone most of the time and only 16% say they talk to their parents about what they do on-line. Cyberbullying includes the use of email, cell phones, text messages, and Internet sites to threaten, harass, embarrass, socially exclude, or damage reputations and friendships. The anonymity of on-line communications means that children may do things on-line that they would never do face to face. Unfortunately, for the victim of cyberbullying, there is no refuge from the harassment, not even in one’s own home. Children need to be made aware that on-line bullying may be considered a criminal act.

Children and youth can cyberbully each other through

• e-mails and instant messaging
• text or digital imaging messages sent on cell phones
• web pages, web logs, or online diaries (blogs)
• chat rooms or discussion groups

Some tips for parents

• Keep your home computer in an easily viewable place so that you can learn what your children are doing on-line.
• Encourage your children to come to you if they feel uncomfortable or threatened when on-line.
• Talk to your children about responsible Internet use. Emphasize that they are not to give out personal information such as their phone number, on-line name, or email address.
• Explain that cyberbullying is harmful and unacceptable behavior. Outline your expectations for responsible online behavior and make it clear that there will be consequences for inappropriate behavior. Consider creating, with your children’s input, an on-line agreement or contract for computer use.

If your child is being cyberbullied

• Save any harassing messages or photos so they can be forwarded to police and/or your Internet Service Provider.
• Contact your child’s school if the cyberbullying is occurring with another student.

For more information, visit www.cyberbullying.ca or www.media-awareness.ca.

How should my child begin his/her research

Google is not the best way for kids to start their research. It is suggested that we direct our kids to a library site that is specific to each school in the TDSB. It is free and can be accessed on your home computer.

To access the elementary TDSB School Library Website at home, go to this website:
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/libraries/links.asp?schoolNo=1442

The following resources can be accessed from home with a special Login and Password (case sensitive). Our students can also access these resources directly from the school Library computers. They are available free to all TDSB students, staff and families.

Research Resources

Resource	Login	Password
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia	torondsb2	toro1264
Encylopaedia Universalis (Fr.)	torondsb1 Site Code login is the same as Login	toro5196
Student Research Guide	–	tdsbresearch

Dates to Remember

• Dec. 17
  • Grade 8 Skating Trip (a.m.)
  • Locker Cleanout
• Dec. 18
  • Holiday Assembly (p.m.)
  • Last day of school before the holidays
• Jan. 4 – First day of school after the holidays
• Jan. 11 – Early Dismissal (staff meeting)
• Jan. 13
  • After Grade 6 Parent Information Evening
  • St. Andrew’s Open House
• Jan. 14 – Activity Day #1
• Jan. 18 – Parent Council Meeting
• Jan. 20 – Grade 9 Grad Photos
• Jan. 21
  • MS Readathon Gr. 7
  • Assembly (per. 1)