Dundas Central School News Sept 2009

73 Melville Street
Dundas, Ontario L9H 2A2 B. Morlog, Principal
Phone (905) 627-3521 Fax (905) 627-3522 J. George, Vice-Principal
Education is “Central”

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK “Good things happening at Central!”

Welcome

On behalf of the staff at Dundas Central School, we welcome back our students and families in our community. In particular, we
cordially welcome our new members to our school. We hope everyone had a wonderful summer with family and friends (despite the
“different” weather).

We would like to introduce our new staff for this year. Mrs. Swartz joins us from Gordon Price School to teach grade 6 and Science
for grades 6, 7 and 8. Mrs. Pipe who taught at Franklin Road School will teach Senior Kindergarten and junior resource programs.
Ms. George is our new full time vice principal and she has served as a Curriculum Consultant for the past few years. We know our
new staff members are eager to be part of our school and that our community will welcome them and make them feel comfortable.

Our custodial staff has worked hard around the school to clean, strip & wax floors and improve the appearance of the classrooms and
halls. Our gym floor was supposed to be stripped and we hope this will be accomplished later this year. The Board has invested in
our school with improvements to plant (building) whereby the soffits, fascia and eves troughs in the older section for the school have
been replaced. We have received approval from the Ministry and Board to replace the windows in this part of the school which will
take place over the next two months. Also, by mid September, we should have three new outdoor basketball nets on the west side of
the property.

Our staff is extremely excited about the coming year. We look forward in continuing to provide a well rounded program for our
students. We encourage them to “get involved” in their education and take advantage of all the opportunities and extra curricular
activities the school provides. We will attempt to provide sound instruction of the traditional “3 R’s” …Reading, Writing and
Arithmetic. The other “3 R’s” …Respect, Responsibility and Results” will also be emphasized along with Character Education.
A caring, committed staff and a supportive school community will provide a nurturing yet challenging environment that will permit
your child to grow and mature physically, academically, socially and emotionally.

Parents can assist us with their positive support and partnership. You are an integral part of the success of your child. The family is
instrumental in encouraging and demonstrating the importance of education, the love of learning, developing character education,
good values, sound communication and social skills along with a strong work ethic. School makes a significant impact in your
child’s development but you must also be cognizant that we have your children for what amounts to one day per week. The home
and school must work together to demonstrate a positive, supportive and united front to provide the best for our children. Our second
school motto reflects that balance in life… “Work hard, play hard” Good luck Cougars!

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and think critically…
intelligence plus character – that is the true goal of education” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)

Nutrition Breaks

This year we will again offer two nutrition breaks. The first is 10:52 a.m. to 11:32 a.m., while the second break will run from 12:56
a.m. until 1:36 p.m. At each break, students will go outside for 20 minutes and eat their lunch in their classrooms for the other 20
minutes. Half of the school eats while the other group is outside and then exchange half way through the break. Intramurals, school
teams and activities are also run during these breaks.

Some students may wish to go home for lunch during this time. As you can imagine it is extremely difficult to supervise who leaves
the property so we need your assistance. We request that all students remain on school property during the first break.
Please complete the Nutrition Break Plan in the agenda and forward this form to your child’s teacher. On that form, you are indicating
whether your child will remain at school or go home / leave the school during the second break. You must notify the school in writing
for any exception to this routine. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Our kindergarten classes will eat in their own rooms this year. We plan to have a staff member dedicated to these rooms along with
assistance from parent volunteers and senior student supervisors. The kindergarten staff will be forwarding correspondence home to
explain the situation and seek volunteers.
School Organization

Our school’s enrolment is approximately what we predicted and submitted last spring. However, we must submit our enrolment
statistics this week and depending on our numbers there may be a possibility of a re-adjustment of classes and staffing by the end of
September. If this occurs, we could be re-organizing the school. This could result in different teaching assignments for staff, changes
in class compositions and an entirely new timetable. Hopefully, this will not happen to Central. We’ll keep you informed as the process
unfolds.

Forms

At this time of year, you receive numerous forms that must be completed and returned to school. These forms contain essential
information and it is imperative that our home room teachers receive them as soon as possible. Enclosed is a list of forms sent home.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

- Nutrition Break Student Plan - Emergency / Arrival Check Information

- Early Dismissal - Student Trips / Walking
- Internet Consent - Release of Personal Information
- $4.00 for the Student Agenda - Authorization for Administration of Oral
- Operating Procedures Prescription Medication (where necessary)
- Code of Conduct on School Related Vehicles

The emergency contact information is important in times of need. Please inform us of any changes (addresses, telephone
numbers, emergency contacts and custodial situations) during the school year.

Other Information

We have a number of students who have nut allergies, some severe enough to require epi-pens. We are requesting that you avoid
sending nut / peanut products to school. Similarly, our senior students need to be cognizant of people’s sensitivity and allergic
reactions to scents and fragrances.

Dates to Remember
Meet the Teacher Night
Home and School Meeting
School Council Meeting
QSP Magazine Sales
Photo Days
Please be advised that all
- Thurs. Sept. 24 (5 to 7 pm) - barbeque doors will be kept locked
- Gr. 7 St. Donat Information Mtg. (7 pm) -library
during school hours with the
- Tues. Sept. 15 (7 pm) - staff room exception of the front doors
- everyone is welcome (office doors). This will ensure
- Tues. Sept. 29 (7 pm) - staff room
that all visitors to the building
- more information will be forwarded later this month will have a chance to check
into the office and we should
Assembly : Thurs. Sept. 24 (12:20 pm)
be aware of who is on the
October 14 &15 premises.

Student Agendas
Popcorn and Yogurt sales will
Each student from grades one to eight will receive an agenda for start the week of Sept 14th.
their use. We believe organizational skills and communication are
Popcorn will be sold Mondays,
valuable tools in your child’s education. Students will be
requested to bring the agendas in all classes and then bring Wednesdays and Fridays. Bags of
them home each night. You should expect to see it every night salt and vinegar, dill and
so your child and you can “keep on top of” assignments, due
butter salt are $2, caramel is
dates and tests. Periodically, the teacher or you may jot down a
note to each other. Teachers may also communicate with you $2.50.
with notes, phone calls, interviews and of course the report card.
We are requesting $4.00 to offset the costs for the agendas.
This will be collected by the home room teacher. This is a good
investment in your child’s education. Make sure your child uses Yogurt will be sold on Tuesdays
the “week at a glance” and “month at a glance” pages. and Thursdays for a cost of $2.
Points of Emphasis
At our “kick off” assembly on Tuesday we discussed areas that we wish to address or emphasize with our students. The topics
outlined were:

The Value of Education - reasons why it is so important

- the competitive world of today
- encouraging students to take advantage of opportunities provided

Duties of a Pupil - give a good effort learning what is taught, completing assignments and writing tests
- make good decisions
- attend classes on time with the learning materials and assignments
- be polite, respectful and courteous to everyone in the school
- obey teacher directions and school rules
- be clean and practice good health habits
- respect school property and the property of others

Social Skills - improvements in social skills with students and staff

- handling conflict in constructive methods
- reducing incidents of bullying and physical aggression

We could certainly use your assistance and your support in addressing these areas with your children. Thanks for your cooperation.

Volunteers Needed
Every year our school benefits tremendously from the kind support provided by volunteers. This year is no exception in
that our students need your help to reach their potential. If you have an hour that you could contribute weekly (short or
long term) to work with individual students or to provide classroom support, please contact Mrs. Venus.

Terry Fox Run

Dundas Central's annual Terry Fox Run will be held Friday, October 2nd. Over the past five years, because of your
generosity, Dundas Central's students have raised about $6200.00 for cancer research. We hope to convey to our
students over the next few weeks the inspiration of Terry Fox's dream and the power of acting on one's dreams to make
this world a better place. Junior and Intermediate students will be running around the Dundas Driving Park while
Primary Students run around our school. If you would like to volunteer to supervise this event, please contact your
child's homeroom teacher.

IO U T I N E S Home & School News

Kick off the school year by sticking to
a morning routine
Get your child off to a great start this school year by
creating a “morning routine.” Part of the “morning
routine” starts the night before. Each night, have your
child:
Pack his/her backpack with everything they need for
the next day.
Check to make sure he/she has completed all of their
assignments.
Prepare his/her lunch, whether it’s making a
sandwich or getting out his/her lunch money.
Lay out his/her outfit so they don’t have to waste time
in the morning deciding what to wear.
Go to sleep at a regular time—every night.
In the morning, he/she should:
Have a regular “wake up” time.
Follow his/her own “getting ready” routine—shower, brush teeth, get
dressed, etc.
Leave time for breakfast. Kids who eat breakfast are better prepared to learn
when they get to school.
I hope everyone had a good summer, and a warm welcome (back) to
Dundas Central! All ready for another exciting school year?
Our first H&S event will be the Meet the Teacher BBQ on
Thursday, September 24th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
A portion of the proceeds comes back to the school. If you can lend 30
minutes of your time in setup-cleanup, or selling tickets, please contact
me.
Our first and major fundraiser for the school year will be the QSP
Magazine Subscriptions which kicks off on September 24th with a
special assembly for our students. Please let me know if you can help
out.
Our first H&S meeting is on Tuesday, September 15th from 7:00 -
8:30pm. Childcare will be available.
Get plugged into school issues and events. Make new acquaintances
and difference. Support your child through this association and enhance
their educational experience.
Hope to see you there!
Michelle Chin, President
Dundas Central Home & School
Email: mcmcmcmc@gmail.com
Tel: 905.627.8267

School Website: http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/centraldundas/