St. Andrews Junior High News

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

Happy New Year!

We hope your holiday was restful and filled with good times with friends and family. Here’s hoping that 2010 brings peace, health, and prosperity to you all…

And now it’s January—a time to dream new dreams and work hard to make them come true!

It’s term two—typically the most productive of the three terms.

Term two report cards go home on February 26th. Parent-teacher meetings to discuss progress (if necessary) take place on March 4th (evening) and 5th (morning) (the 5th being a P.A. Day for students).

Congratulations!

The holiday celebration back on December 17/09 was a tremendous success. There are so many people to thank for all of their hard work including Mr. Corbett, Ms. Wong, the many teachers who helped prepare holiday celebrations from the various religions, all of the students who actively and willingly participated in these celebrations and the terrific St. Andrew’s custodial staff who helped prepare the cafeteria. It was a truly magical celebration of music, drama, personal readings and song.

Holiday Cleanup

A special thank you to Mr. Pageot and his amazing custodial staff for the wonderful cleaning job during the holidays. Our hallway floors sparkled and classroom corners were dust free when we all returned on Monday, January 4th.

We’re encouraging students and visitors to do their part in helping to keep the school clean. Parents please remind your children to clean up after themselves in the cafeteria and hallways and to remove as much snow as possible from their boots when they enter the building so that the floors remain safe.

Winter Dress

The true Canadian winter has reared its cold, snowy self this year (boy has it been frigid lately). It’s important for all students to be prepared for outdoor recess every day by dressing appropriately for cold weather (It’s also a good idea to have some “back up” items for those times when mitts, socks, and pants may get wet).

Unless it is extremely cold or rainy, students are expected to be outdoors prior to entry time and during lunch recess break (times may be shortened depending on weather). Outdoor time provides much needed fresh air, exercise, and a break from the academic demands of the school day. It is a necessary part of the school day.

Conditions warranting indoor recesses

1. Rain, thunderstorms, lightning, hail, extreme winds and extreme cold.
2. Cold weather: When temperature and/or wind-chill factor indicates -28C or lower children will remain indoors due to risk of frostnip and frostbite.

   When temperature and/or wind-chill factor indicates –20 to –28C, recesses may be shortened to 10 minutes and lunch recess to 20 minutes depending on local conditions. Children will be monitored closely for signs of frostnip, frostbite or difficulty breathing.

Illness

The winter flu bug has really taken its toll on many students, staff and families of the St. Andrew’s community. As a result, we are very concerned for those individuals who have not yet been hit by the bug. Fortunately, we are not facing anything close to the H1N1 virus that hit the school so hard back in the fall.

Generally speaking, a student who is unable to go outside for lunch recess due to illness should, more than likely, still be at home until all symptoms have disappeared (individual situations may present a different approach). The ability for a child to rest and get better will be to his/her benefit and avoid the spreading of germs to others in the class/school. In extenuating circumstances, where a child must be at school but should not be outdoors at recess, a written note is required. Please remind your child to regularly wash his/her hands as a general day-to-day practice and use the hand sanitizer dispensers that are spread throughout the school.

Punctuality — It’s a good thing!

The beginning of a new calendar year is a good time to remind our families that the school entry bell rings at 8:50 a.m., 12:38 p.m. (lunch one) and 1:29 p.m. (lunch two). To avoid being late, children should be on school property and close to the front doors at that time. Students who arrive after the first note of O Canada are considered late for homeroom although they should report directly to their homeroom teacher. If a student is later than 9:01, they must report to the office for an “admit” slip to period one. Your co-operation in this matter will help to promote good life-long habits for your children, a good positive start to the school day for everyone, and a lot less work for the office staff who spend a great deal of time in the morning addressing our students who arrive late.

Grade 8/9 Secondary Information Evenings for Parents

High school is a big step in a student’s school life. For many elementary school students and their parents, it can seem like a big and scary place. TDSB staff can help ease any anxieties and show all of the exciting possibilities the transition has to offer. In high school, students have the opportunity to explore a variety of different programs and courses, participate in a wide-range of extracurricular activities, develop life-long friendships, and prepare for post-secondary life.

From November through to January, TDSB secondary schools across the city are hosting parent information evenings to help grade 8 and 9 students and parents make informed decisions about high school. Discover a wealth of information about our secondary schools, including programs, special characteristics, and diploma requirements. To find out when your neighbourhood school is offering an information night, visit www.tdsb.on.ca where you can also view a short movie about some of the great program opportunities available in TDSB secondary schools.

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/parents/infonight

Peanuts in the school

Periodically, it is very important that we remind students and families of the importance of a peanut- free environment at St. Andrew’s. Although we realize that it is difficult to find things for your children to eat that don’t have traces of peanut products, we do ask that you are diligent in this matter to assist us in making St. Andrew’s safe for all anaphylactic students. There are too many students that attend the school with this life-threatening allergy to peanuts and peanut products. We want to protect them any way that we can. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

School Sports Teams

There is plenty to cheer about at St. Andrew’s these days. The school sports teams are in full swing with a number of the teams involved in league play beginning in January.

The junior and senior boys’ basketball teams have taken flight in January under the coaching expertise of Mr. Baluyot & Mr. Williamson (Junior) and Mr. Johnson (Senior). The boys have been working hard to hone their skills and play like a team in hopes of having a successful season. There are definitely some energetic and big bodies that have been working the coaches hard during practices. The teams are looking to make some real noise during the upcoming season – good luck boys!

The junior and senior girls’ volleyball teams also hit the courts in January. With Coach Johnston and Coach Taylor (Junior) along with Coach Lau and Coach Sun (Senior) on board to pass along their expertise, the students are sure to have a successful experience. Volleyball is all about communication, so St. Andrew’s students should have no problem displaying their talents and support for one another throughout the season. We know you will represent St. Andrew’s with pride. Good luck girls.

The grade 7/8 Hockey team has started a new school tradition with the first ever hockey team taking to the ice to begin their run to the city finals. The talented group of intermediate students will continue to grow as a team with the playoffs prevalent in their minds. Under the guidance of Mr. Howard and Mr. Johnson, St. Andrew’s 7/8 students will look to match their in-class success on the ice. The season/tradition kicked off with a bang upon return from the holidays with two wins over Hodgson and Northlea. Good luck the rest of the way!

To all of our student athletes, good luck in the New Year. We will be cheering for you and know that you will represent St. Andrew’s well.

Important Safety Reminder

During the winter months, the traffic and safety on Fenn Avenue in front of the school is in its most critical state. It is a very narrow street meaning that any parked cars in front of the school make passage along the street dangerous. It is also a nerve wracking experience for students to exit and enter the family car safely. This presents a serious safety issue for our staff, students, and community members. Please be sure, even when in a hurry, that you refrain from parking your vehicle in these designated areas and use adjacent side streets or the back parking lot pick-up and drop-off loop to meet your child.

After Six Information Session / Open House

The pictures in this section represent only a small portion of the amazing presentations that were on display on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at our St. Andrew’s Open House and After Six information night.

Our evening began in the cafeteria with a packed house listening and learning about the transition to Junior High. Our grade six students and their families were absolutely mesmerized by the information, especially from four of our current grade seven student speakers. It took a lot of guts to speak in front of so many people so a huge thank you to Olivia T., Eric C., Edward Y. and Henry Y…you did amazingly!

Following our grade six information session, our current grade seven, eight and nine students along with our visiting grade six students, had an opportunity to walk around the school to get a first hand look at the incredible displays and presentations. Students were experimenting in the Science lab, playing various cooperative games in the gym, learning to eat healthy in Family Studies, playing with robots in D & T, viewing comic strips and pamphlets in the computer lab to name but a few. It was a magical evening for our current students and one that left our future students chomping at the bit for next September to arrive.

The teachers did a marvelous job preparing for the evening by either leaving displays available for viewing in their classroom or attending the evening and putting on demonstrations or presentations. Many students supported the teachers by coming to school for the evening to engage in the various activities throughout the school for our current and visiting students and families to see.

What makes St. Andrew’s so special is the ability of everyone to come together when it matters most to put an evening that is breathtaking and leaves lasting memories for all who attended. A very special thank you to Ms. Coughlan, Head of Student Services, for her vision, her tireless efforts and her tremendous organization. The evening would not have been such a success without your leadership.

Just around the corner in 2010

• Jan. 18 – Parent Council Meeting @ 7:00 p.m. in the library
• Jan. 20 – Grade 9 Graduation Photos (a.m.)
• Jan. 25-29 – Grade 9 Exams – 9:00-10:30 a.m. (for most students)
• Feb. 1
  • Semester 2 Begins
  • Optional Course change over
  • Early Dismissal for students
• Feb. 3 – Parent Council Pizza Lunch #2
• Feb. 4 – Student Activity Day #2
• Feb. 8-16 – St. Andrew’s Book Fair (Front Foyer)
• Feb. 11 – Parent Council Valentine’s Day Bake Sale
• Feb. 15 – Family Day – school closed
• Feb. 25 – Senior Band Music Night
• Feb. 26 – Term 2 Reports Home
• Mar. 4 – Parent-Teacher Interviews (if necessary) – evening
• Mar. 5 – Parent-Teacher Interviews (if necessary) – morning