NEWSLETTER. May Inspiring our students to recognize their diverse talents. Principal s Messsage PD DAY, MAY 13. Office News

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1 NEWSLETTER May 2016 Inspiring our students to recognize their diverse talents Queen Elizabeth Senior Public School 60 South Service Road Mississauga, Ontario L5G 2R9 Phone Ms Anne Muller, Principal Ms Annie Vaisar, Acting Vice Principal Mr. K.A. Edwards, Superintendent Mrs. J. McDougald, Trustee Website: Work together to achieve more Upcoming Dates: May PIMTA Strings Festival QE Arts 5 AGO trip QE Arts Gr.7 s Principal s Messsage The month of April has flown by at Queen Elizabeth besides classroom projects and assignments, students have been involved in many clubs, events and intramural sports activities. During Education Week students watched a wonderful musical performance by The Sultans of String, heard a guest speaker from Skills Canada and we enjoyed welcoming many parents into our school during our drop-in last Wednesday morning. Music Festivals, an ice hockey tournament, chess tournament, yearbook planning, grad rep meetings for graduation planning and Grade 6 orientations all added to the excitement! May will be just as busy as we prepare for Camp QE and the Montreal- Ottawa overnight trip over and above all the other extra-curricular activities of the month: clubs, flag football and dodgeball tournaments, cross country meet, talent show try-outs, soccer, Festival of Reading at the Powerade Centre, Grade 8 orientations at secondary schools and practicing for spring concerts and dance showcases. There are so many opportunities for students to become involved no matter what their interests are! A huge thank-you to the many staff members who have been providing extracurricular activities and experiences for our students throughout the year! Sincerely, Anne Muller Principal 10 Infinitis performance QE Arts 11 Immunization Clinic 12 Dodgeball Tournament 13 PD Day Montreal/Ottawa trip Camp QE 24 School Council Mtg. 6:30 pm 26 Forest of Reading Festival 27 Student Recognition Assemblies 31 AGO trip QE Arts Gr.8 s PD DAY, MAY 13 On Friday, May 13, QE staff will be involved in sessions devoted to numeracy, School Success Planning and self-directed professional learning. There will be no classes for students that day. Office News Thank you to our office announcers Kaya and Whitney and office helpers Anastasia and Zoe. Great job!

2 YEARBOOK SALES The end of the year is almost here! Remember the school year by purchasing a yearbook. Preorders for the yearbook will take place in homeroom from May 2 to May 6. The cost is $7. Yearbooks will be distributed at the end of June. There is no guarantee that additional yearbooks will be available at the time of distribution. FOREST OF READING On May 26th the Forest of Readers will be travelling to the Powerade Centre to celebrate a great year of reading and fun! Students will be able to hear from authors and meet other Forest of Readers! Our Red Maple and Silver Birch readers have worked so hard to read their assigned books and placed their votes for the author and book they thought was most deserving! We are excited to find out who the winner is for Silver Birch and Red Maple this year! I would like to thank Ms. Concepcion, Mrs. Khan, Mrs. DaSilva-Lee, Ms. Grant and Ms. Giordano for taking their lunches to conference, meet with the students and make this experience a great one! We are looking forward to having another successful year next year and can't wait to start reading again! Ms Mastrodicasa Teacher/Librarian GRADUATION Attention Grade 7 Parents Following tradition at Queen Elizabeth Senior Public School, the Grade 7 parents organize the Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony at Cawthra Park Secondary School on Monday, June 27, This tradition allows the Grade 8 graduates and their families to enjoy their evening. We are in great need of Grade 7 parent volunteers to make this event happen. Volunteers are needed for 1) Set up and decoration 2) Hosting and clean up at the end of the evening. Please respond to: qeschoolcouncil@gmail.com Remember to make the subject line Gr.8 graduation volunteer Attention Grade 8 Parents Graduation is just around the corner. The School Council is busy planning the special event. Traditionally, the grade 8 parents are asked to donate and drop off cases of pop, juice and/or water. In lieu of this tradition, we are asking each graduate to contribute $5.00 by June 3, Payment can be given to their home form teacher. The council will purchase and transport the drinks to the venue site. We thank you in advance for helping to make the Grade 8 Graduation a celebration to remember.

3 MONTREAL / OTTAWA TRIP With nearly a hundred students attending, both our grade sevens and eights will be embarking on an overnight trip to Montreal and Ottawa from May We will be visiting Parliament Hill, the Canadian Aviation Museum, the Canadian War Museum and the National Art Gallery. In addition, we will be visiting a biodome and our students will also take part in a space camp at the Cosmodrome, among other attractions. We are looking forward to a wonderful excursion ahead for our students. Mr. Gazdar CAMP QE As an extension to the regular program and as an alternative to the 4 day over-night Montreal and Ottawa excursion, Queen Elizabeth Sr. P.S. is planning a four day 'Camp QE' for our grade 7 and 8 students. These activities will take place from May 17th May 20 th, Over the four days, students will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities all taking place at the school. These activities include special guest presentations and workshops such as Australian rules football done by Ausie X coaches, hip hop dance workshops provded by the Living Arts Centre and Let s talk Science workshops facilitated by undergrad science students from the University of Toronto. There will also be activities planned and taught by our own Queen Elizabeth teachers including sports, visual arts and design and build experiences. It's going to be an exciting week! QE ICE HOCKEY Congratulations to the QE Ice Hockey Team. They competed in the annual Deb McDonald 3 on 3 hockey tournament at Iceland rinks on April 29th. The team finished with a 2-2 record, resulting in a 5th place finish out of 12 teams. Their only 2 losses came at the hands of the teams that finished 1st and 2nd overall. A big thank you to Mr. Reynolds and Mrs. Amson for their time and energy in coaching and organizing the team. Mr. Coolen

4 CHESS TOURNAMENT AT THE CENTRAL BOARD OFFICE On Thursday April 28th, Queen Elizabeth had a history-making day at the Annual Peel Chess Tournament at the Peel Board s main office. Congratulations to Surya in 7C who placed third overall for all grade seven students in Peel, and the highest a QE student has ever placed. In addition, QE had its best ever showing with 34 collective wins for our school. Our queens and kings who engaged in tête à tête combat were: Elias S. in 7A, Youcef, Hamza and Surya from 7C, Morgan, Stephanie and Hayden in 7F, and Carter from 7G. Well done to all on the team! Mr. Gazdar

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7 Peel schools honour police officers during Police Appreciation Week The Peel District School Board will pay tribute to police officers by holding Police Appreciation Week from May 15 to 21, Peel students and staff will show their appreciation for the tremendous job being done by police to protect schools, homes and communities. Police Appreciation Week coincides with National Police Week. National Police Week pays tribute to the work of police officers across Canada. "The Peel board appreciates the dedication and commitment of police officers who work to keep our schools and communities safe," says Janet McDougald, Peel board chair. "Police Appreciation Week is our way of thanking officers who dedicate themselves to protecting our community. It's also a way to give these officers the special recognition they deserve." During this week, students, staff and parents in schools throughout Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga will honour the work of police officers and thank them for enhancing public safety and security.

8 May 1 to 7 is Emergency Preparedness Week What is Emergency Preparedness Week? The first full week of May of each year is Emergency Preparedness (EP) Week. This year, we will celebrate EP week May 1 to May 7. EP Week is a nation-wide initiative to increase awareness about individual and family preparedness, emphasizing how the public can reduce the risks and consequences of an emergency by being better prepared. During this week, we promote, educate and bring about awareness concerning emergency management planning and personal preparedness. What is the purpose? The purpose of EP Week is to educate students, parents and the community about the importance of being prepared in the case of an emergency. Keep your child safe around train tracks Trains are often closer and are moving faster than most motorists and pedestrians perceive. That's why all members of a family should be are aware of the importance of rail safety. Safety steps for children Playing on railway tracks and bridges is dangerous. Find safe, supervised and open areas (e.g., neighbourhood parks) in which to have fun. The only way to safely cross a rail track is to use designated railway crossings. If you must cross railway tracks, for example on your way to and from school, stop, look and listen before crossing. It is against the law to trespass on railway property. Safety steps for adults Be prepared to stop at a highway/ railway crossing. Listen for warning bells and whistles of an approaching train. Turn off, or turn down distracting fans, heaters, music/ radios. Obey the signals. Never attempt to drive under a gate as it is closing or around a closed gate. If the gate begins to close while you re underneath, keep moving ahead until you clear the crossing. If a police officer or a member of the train crew is directing traffic at the crossing, obey their directions. If your vehicle stalls on the tracks, get out quickly and away from the vehicle and tracks. Move in the direction that the train is approaching from to avoid being hit by debris. Your vehicle will be swept forward by the momentum of the train.

9 The safety of our students is our top priority Throughout the school year, incidents in our school communities happen. Our staff take precautions to emphasize streetproofing skills with your child. However, we feel that it is important that you take an opportunity to review safety procedures with your child. Peel Police have provided the following safety guidelines if your child encounters a stranger: Tell your children to never go anywhere with a stranger, not to talk to strangers and never take anything from them. You also have to teach them what a "safe stranger" is in case they need help. A safe stranger includes a police officer, a cashier, a fire fighter, etc. Remind your child to never walk alone always walk with a group. Develop a "what if" game for the kids to get them thinking of how they would respond if they felt threatened or afraid. Know who your children play with and where they go. This includes keeping a list of their friend's addresses and phone numbers. Remind your children not to take short cuts through parks, ravines, or other secluded areas. Your child's body is private. Tell your child that no one may touch the area their bathing suit covers. If someone does or tries to touch them, they should advise you immediately. Teach your children to talk to you immediately when someone does anything that makes them feel strange or uncomfortable. Listen when your children are trying to tell you about something that bothers them and provide them with support and understanding. Tips for riding the bus: Take a seat as quickly as possible, put belongings under the seat and stay seated. Never stick anything out of the window, including part of your body. Refrain from eating on the bus. If a choking incident occurs, the driver may not be able to help immediately. Wait until the school bus stops before standing up to exit the vehicle. Tips for exiting the bus: When getting off the bus, take two large steps away from bus. If you have to walk in front of the bus, do so at least three metres (10 giant steps) away from the bus. The driver must be able to see students exiting the bus and will give a signal when it is safe to cross. If more than one student is crossing in front of the bus at the same time, they should cross in single file. Children must never reach for something that is under the bus without the driver s permission. Let the driver know that something is under the bus or wait until the bus moves out of the way. Tips for walking to school: Help your child establish a safe, direct route to school. Avoid potential safety hazards such as train tracks, busy intersections, and reinforce what safety precautions to follow. Stay on sidewalks whenever possible. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road and walk facing traffic. Cross streets at intersections and at crosswalks and learn to look to the left, the right, and the left again before proceeding. Wait until traffic comes to a stop before crossing. Make sure drivers see you before you cross. Don't assume the driver will stop for you.

10 On the road again: How to keep your cyclist safe Here are some tips you can review with your child to ensure bike season gets off to a great start: The right fit children should be able to straddle the bike with both feet on the ground a bike that is too big or too small can be a safety hazard the helmet should fit if it's too loose, it could fall off, if it's too tight, it's uncomfortable Get noticed a young child's bike should be equipped with a bell and reflector older riders should have a light and/or reflectors Follow the rules no riding on busy streets no riding at night stop for all STOP signs Actions that cause injuries driveway ride out not stopping and looking both ways before entering the street running the stop sign turning without warning cycling in the dark following the leader one child goes through a stop sign or misses a parked car but the second cyclist doesn't Register today for Adult ESL or LINC classes Do you know an adult that is interested in improving their English language skills for work, study or daily life? Through the Continuing & Adult Education department, the Peel District School Board offers a wide variety of English language classes that help parents experience success in Canadian English in both listening/speaking and reading/writing. Courses are designed for a range of basic, intermediate and advanced English (Levels 1 to 7) as well as the more experienced learner needing to prepare for an IELTS exam. Classes are ongoing - Register anytime. All learners that complete a session will earn a certificate of learning from the Peel District School Board. Classes operate from six locations in Brampton and Mississauga with three specially designed adult centres at: Bramalea - Adult Education Centre - 25 Kings Cross Road, Unit 3 Brampton - Adult Education Centre - # Hurontario Street Mississauga - Adult Education Centre Elm Drive West, Room 117 To learn more or to register, call

11 Celebrating Faith and Culture May 2016 DATE CELEBRATION FAITH AND CULTURE May Yansa'altt Aboriginal Spirituality May 1 (J) Easter or Pascha Christianity May 1 Beltane Wicca May 1 12 th Day of Ridvan Bahá'í May 2 (J) Easter Monday Christianity Eve of May 3 to 4 Isra and Mi raj Islam Sunset of May 4 to 5 Yom HaShoah Judaism May 5 Ascension in Christianity Christianity May 9 Akshaya-tritiya Jainsim May 14 Sakyamuni Buddha s Birthday Buddhism May 15 Pentecost Christianity May 16 the month of 'Azamat Bahá'í May 21 Wesak Day/Buddha Day Buddhism May 21 Nisfu Sha ban Islam Eve of May 22 to 23 Declaration of the Báb Bahá'í May 23 Victoria Day Canada May 24 Zarathosht-no-Diso Zoroastrianism May 28 Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh Bahá'í