Eye of the Cyclone - Schools - School District 68

Eye of the CycloneCilaire Elementary School25 Cilaire Drive Telephone: 758-7941Nanaimo BC V9S 3C9 Fax: 751-8840School website:http://schools.sd68.bc.ca/cilaPrincipal: Mr. M. IrelandSecretary: Mrs. D. Ludvigson September 8, 2009PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGEWelcome back to Cilaire! The staff of Cilaire are excitedand looking forward to another wonderful year with youand your children. I would like to welcome all the newstudents and families to Cilaire.As we start the new year we do have a number ofchanges at Cilaire. As many of you are aware, Mrs.Westmacott retired and Mrs. McCuish took anassignment at Cinnabar Valley – we wish them well.New to the Cilaire staff this year are: Mrs. Carlson, whocomes to us from Uplands and Pauline Haarer, will beteaching grade 5/6 with me; Mrs. Fowler, who has beenon leave, will be our new librarian and will teach in thegrade 1/2 class; Mrs. Jubenville, the new grade 7 bandteacher; and Mrs. Henoch, a new EA. As well, we willhave a new teacher (tba) that will be teaching one day aweek in Mr. Hird’s class. Welcome to Cilaire!I look forward to another great year and working togetherwith you and the whole community. Your involvement inyour child’s daily school experiences are vital. Be sureto take the time to chat with your child each day abouthis/her classroom activities, provide a regular homeworkand reading time, and check their planners forinformation from school. Working together, we will workto provide the best possible education for your children.To save paper and to get information to you in a timelyfashion, I would like to continue to send out newslettersand some other notices electronically via email. If youwould like to sign up for this option, please indicate thison the tear-off slip at the end of this newsletter. Pleasenote that if you received your newsletters, etcelectronically last year, you will continue to receive themin this format unless you contact us to change thisoption.Once again, on behalf of the entire team at Cilaire,welcome back!Mr. Mike IrelandPrincipalCLASS PLACEMENTAll of us – parents, teachers, and principals – want to getstudents settled into their permanent classes as soon aspossible. The ideal situation would be if we could knowon the first day of school what class your child will beassigned and what teacher he or she will have.Unfortunately, that is often not possible.It takes us several days after school starts to knowexactly how many students we will have enrolled thisyear. Some families may have moved away during thesummer, and other families are on waiting lists hopingthat their children can be enrolled at our school.The task of placing students in classrooms has beenmade more complicated by Bill 33, which sets out classsize limits. Not only must our school meet class sizelimit guidelines, our school district as a whole must alsomeet class size averages. For example, while ourschool can have no more than 22 students in aKindergarten class, across the district the average sizeof Kindergarten classes can be no more than 19students. It is a complicated process to make sure thatacross all 31 elementary schools in our district we havenot exceeded the class size averages. Sometimes thatprocess requires schools to make changes to their classassignments during September.While it is our sincere hope that we can establishpermanent classes as quickly as possible, and that wewill not have to do any further reorganization after thefirst few days, unfortunately, this is not always the case.Thank in advance for your understanding as we work todo what is best for all.The placement of new students who arrive during thecourse of the year will be further complicated as part ofthe changes to the consultation process required toassign children to a particular classroom. Theconsultation may occur over a two day period in order to

ensure that the school staff has carefully and fullyconsidered the most appropriate class placement.STAFF FOR 2008-09Mr. Mike IrelandPrincipalMrs. Darlene Ludvigson SecretaryMr. Al DrexhageClassroom TeacherMr. Mike SilvertonClassroom TeacherMrs. Lorraine Carlson Classroom TeacherMrs. Deirdre GlarosClassroom TeacherMr. Ken HirdClassroom TeacherMr. Ken GilliesClassroom TeacherMrs. Diane JensenClassroom TeacherMrs. Ronda WilliamsClassroom TeacherMrs. Maureen Hancock Learning SupportTeacher and Lead LiteracyMrs. Cathy FowlerLibrarian/ClassroomTeacherMrs. Lonnie ModdleMusicMrs. Barb JubenvilleGrade 7 BandMrs. Louise SchulzCounsellorMs. Wendy deGraffSpeech/LanguageMrs. Karen LewisEducational AssistantMs. Capri KosterEducational AssistantMs. Trish NessmanEducational AssistantMs. Saralee StremelEducational AssistantMrs. Barbara Henoch Educational AssistantMs. Laura Langstaff Aboriginal Educational AssistantH1N1 FLU INFORMATIONAs you are aware the possibility of H1N1 Flu pandemichas dominated the news recently. Influenza, or the "flu,"is a common respiratory disease caused by a virus.Every year, the flu virus causes outbreaks in fall andwinter. This is because each year, the flu virus changesa little so the protection, or immunity, our bodies havebuilt up against previous viruses is not as effective.Flu pandemics happen when a new kind of influenzavirus, that is able to spread easily from person to personappears, and spreads quickly around the world. Sincepeople have no protection against the new virus, it willlikely cause more illnesses and a larger number ofdeaths than the seasonal flu.We have been assured by the health authority that withprecautions, the risk of acquiring the H1N1 flu can belessened and the effects of it minimized. Later thisweek, the school will be sending home with your child, apackage of information that will explain precautions, etcthat you will need to follow, as well answer many of thequestions that may have. If you do become ill, you canfind out further information by dialing 811 (HealthLinkBC).PRO-D DAYOur first Professional Development Day is on Monday,September 28 th . The staff at Cilaire will be staying at theschool and doing sessions focusing on AcceleratedReader, computer, and writing. September 28 th is a daystudents are not in attendance.PHOTO DAYIndividual photographs for Cilaire students will be takenon September 24 th , beginning at 9:00 am. Moreinformation and order forms will be sent home closer tothat date.OPEN HOUSEWe invite each and every parent to the Open Housewhich will be held on Thursday, September 24 th at 6:30pm. This is an opportunity for everyone to come andmeet all their children’s teachers. It is a marvelousopportunity for parents, children, and staff to meet eachother.Please remember, this is an evening for generaldiscussion, it is not an evening to discuss individualchildren. If you have any specific questions about yourchild, please do not hesitate to make an appointmentwith the teacher for a mutually convenient time.SCHOOL GOALSThis year at Cilaire we have chosen two main areaswhere we would like to focus our attention: Literacy(Making Connections), and Social Responsibility(Healthy Schools).Goal #1: Asking Good Questions – To increase students’ability to ‘ask good questions’ while they are reading andto ‘make inferences’ during and after reading to increasetheir understanding (comprehension) in what they readin all curricular areas.Goal #2: Healthy Schools - To continue to develop anunderstanding of the many benefits of a healthy lifestyle(i.e. nutrition, physical activity, sleep, etc.)STUDENT FORMSDuring the first couple of weeks, students will comehome with a number of important forms to be filled outand returned to the school. The student informationform is used to update all of our information which isrequired by the Ministry of Education. In addition, wecollect information related to parental permission,volunteer drivers, and medical information. Thegathering of medical information is vital if there are anymedic-alert or medical administration needs which theschool will need to address. Please complete and returnthese forms immediately. Additional forms requestingfurther information will be distributed upon the medicalcondition being dealt with.CONTACTING THE SCHOOLThroughout the year, if problems or concerns arise, or ifyou have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to

contact the school promptly. The telephone number is758-7941.If, at any time, you wish to make an appointment to meetwith any of the teachers please contact the schoolsecretary, Mrs. Ludvigson, who will arrange a meetingtime that is mutually convenient for both you and theteacher.STUDENT EXPECTATIONS/BEHAVIOURDuring the first few weeks of a new school term, it is veryimportant for students to review and to understand whatwill be the expected behaviour both in the classroom andon the playground. Throughout the year the followingwill be emphasized so that a safe and non-threateningenvironment can be maintained.Students are expected to:• Act in a safe and responsible manner,recognizing and respecting the rights of othersas well as their own.• Develop the use of self-discipline.• Be courteous at all times; and• Achieve to the best of their ability.LUNCH HOUR EXPECTATIONSStudents are encouraged to go home for lunchwhenever possible, particularly if they are within walkingdistance of the school. However, it is understood andappreciated that many students will need to remain atschool over the lunch period. Pupils eating lunch atschool must adhere to the classroom lunchexpectations and are not able to leave the schoolgrounds during the noon hour without permissionfrom their teacher(s) and written parentalpermission. We strongly urge parents to not givepermission for their child(ren) to go to the mall or TimHorton’s.Expectations for pupils remaining at school over thelunch break requires everyone’s understanding. Thefollowing is basically the system that will be used andwith cooperation from all, can be effective. Pupils will:• play outdoors from 12:00 noon until 12:45 p.m.Mondays – Thursdays and 11:30 a.m. until12:15 p.m. on Fridays• eat their lunch after the play period• remain in their respective seats to eat theirlunch. This is a good habit to develop as itusually reflects the positive pattern set at homefor the eating of meals.• Speak only at a normal conversational level ofvoice should they wish to talk to a neighbour intheir immediate seating area.Consequences for failure to meet these expectations willbe implemented. Parents will be informed ofinappropriate behaviour. The consequences will beescalated to where a student may lose the privilege ofremaining at school for lunch for a period of time.SCHOOL HANDBOOKThe current school parent/pupil handbook (for grades 1– 4) has been included in the student day planners.Basic school policies, procedures and programs areoutlined in these introductory pages. For grades 5 – 7we will be sending this home as a separate booklet.Please note, the Cilaire School Code of Conduct isprovided in the student handbook. Please be sure toreview this with your child, we will be going over it inclass also. Thank you. We hope that this format willserve as a useful reference for use throughout theschool year.STUDENT SAFETYIf your child rides a bicycle to school, please review therules of the road with him/her and ensure he/she has abike lock. Bicycle helmets are mandatory for all riders.It is a good idea to have your child’s name on thehelmet. Also, students walking to and from school mustuse designated sidewalks and crosswalks. For studentscrossing Brechin Road, School District 68 has hired Mrs.Bernier as a crossing guard. Please ensure yourchild(ren) follow her instructions at all times.STUDENT PROPERTYTo assist the school with the return of any studentproperty, should the need arise, it would be greatlyappreciated if all school items and articles of clothingsuch as jackets, hats and gym strip were labeled withyour child’s name. Please check the Lost and Foundperiodically for lost items. Thank you.CARE OF SCHOOL PROPERTYStudents are issued with several textbooks, supplies,equipment, etc., throughout the school year. It is thepupil’s responsibility to take care of any item that is onloan to him/her. A school has a very limited budget forthe replacement of materials and resources. Pupils wholose, deliberately deface or destroy school property willbe expected to replace the same.CELL PHONES & OTHER ELECTRONICDEVICESAs technology continues to advance, we are seeingstudents at schools with cell phones, gameboys, IPods,etc. If your child has any of these at school, pleaseremind him/her that they are to be turned off and inhis/her backpack throughout the school day.Also, the school will not be responsible for loss ordamage to these items so care needs to be taken withputting them away securely. If a student needs to usethe phone during the day, the student phone is available

in the office area. If a parent needs to contact a studentin an emergency, please call the office. Thank you foryour support.STUDENT DAY PLANNERS/ALTERNATIVESTeachers continue to stress the importance of preparingfor today’s world by teaching the skills of organizationand time management. The student journal/planner isan effective tool in realizing these goals as it encouragesinteraction and communication between the child, theparent and the teacher.Students in grades 1 to 4 will use a planner to arrange,organize and co-ordinate all their assignments andcorrespondence between home and the school, whilestudents in grades 5 to 7 will be encouraged to use analternate of their choice.These Planners can be very useful in the areas such as:• goal setting – home and school (long and shortterm)• planning for future events• keeping track of homework• communication between home and studentsStudents can make good use of their Planners by beingresponsible for:• having them at school on their desk or table,every day• recording their homework• recording their long and short range goals• recording “coming events” remindersParents can help by:• reviewing the Planner with your child(ren) (thereare other useful parts of the book – times tables,calendars, math and spelling information, tips,etc.)• looking at the daily entries and initializing thePlanner• writing a comment to the teacher if neededAt school, teachers will assist by:• reviewing the Planner with the class - talkingto students about goal setting• checking the Planners regularly -allowing a few minutes at the end of the day forstudents to complete their Planners.DRESS CODE REMINDERThe school is a place to work and learn and as suchstudents are expected to dress in a manner that isconducive to this expectation. At school we rely on thegood sense of students and their parents rather than astrict code as to what is suitable to wear to school.• Hats are not worn in the building.• Beach wear or clothes that are revealing (lowcut tops, spaghetti straps, muscle T-shirts, haltertops, bare midriffs and backs are notacceptable).• Items of clothing that display offensivegraphics/writing are not appropriate for school.• Clothing needs to be suitable for the season (i.e.warm tops in winter).• Tops must meet bottomsThe appearance of any young person is primarily theresponsibility of that individual and his/her parents. Weexpect students to maintain the type of appearance thatis not distracting to teachers or other students to thedetriment of the educational process of the school.When a student’s appearance is felt to be detrimental,the parent/guardian will be contacted and asked to bringappropriate clothing for the student. If the problempersists, a parent/administrator conference may berequired.We would appreciate parental support for this policy byhelping your child(ren) make appropriate choices forclothing worn to school. Thank you for your cooperation.LATESTo promote responsibility and a value for education, wewill be enforcing a stricter policy in regards to late arrivalat school. When students are late, they often missinformation given first thing in the morning, basicdirections on a task, and disrupt the learningenvironment of the rest of the class. Sometimesstudents are late due to medical, dental or otherappointments, these are the exceptions and weunderstand they will occur. Outlined below is the policyin regards to all other lates, please review it carefullywith your child(ren).“It is a matter of common courtesy to arrive for classesat the proper time and students are encouraged todevelop lifelong habits of promptness.Students who arrive late often disrupt the operation ofthe classroom by requiring the attention of their teachersor classmates to assist them in getting started on theirassignments or to re-teach all or part of a lesson.To encourage and promote responsibility, students whoare late for school will be asked to make up missed timeon Friday afternoons for 15 mins. of silent reading.Chronic cases will be documented with a letter homeand contact with the family to come up with a plan toreduce the number of lates.”Thank you in advance for your support with helping usdevelop responsible student citizens at CilaireElementary School.

DOORSTo ensure safe movement within our school, and toavoid congestion at any one door, we have assignedspecific doors for entrance and exit for all students.Your help in following this plan is greatly appreciated:Before School:• Self-Managers may come in through the frontdoor to go to their classrooms – each classroomteacher will let their class know what days andtimes they may come in early. It is alsoimportant to note that self-managers may comein to read, work on class projects, or get caughtup on homework, but it is not intended to be asocial gathering place.Morning Bell, Recess Bell, Lunch Bell:• Mr. Silverton, Mr. Drexhage, and Mrs.Carlson/Mr. Ireland’s classes – line up by theoutside stairs and enter via the outside staircase• Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Jensen, and Mr. Gillies’classes – line up under the small covered patioand come up via the far stairwell• Mrs. Glaros and Mr. Hird’s classes – line upunder the large covered patio and come up thegym stairwellAll Dismissal times:• students on the upper floor are to dismiss via theoutside stairwell only• students on the main floor are to dismiss via theexterior door by the Kindergarten room orthrough either bottom floor doors*** Please note, we have asked that students do notdismiss through the front door at any time. This door isused for parents, other individuals coming in formeetings, deliveries, and other guests – students exitingthrough here can cause a congestion that we would liketo avoid.BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS TO HELP STUDENTSSUCCEEDVICTORIA - Families across the province are gettingready for Sept 8 th , when B.C.'s students and teachershead back to school. Here are some tips to help familieswith the start of the school year:Start your children on their school-day routine before thefirst day. Consider having them shift to their schoolbedtime and wake-up routine the week before schoolbegins.Developing good study habits early plays a factor instudent achievement. Parents can help their childrenstudy by:Primary Students• Let your children see you read, and set asidetime each day for family reading.• Get your children excited about reading bytaking turns reading pages or acting out thecharacters.• Ask your children to read to you while youprepare a meal.• Talk to your children about what they read. Askthem questions that require them to readbetween the lines and think about what they'vejust read for better comprehension.• Help your children get a library card and takeweekly trips to the library.Intermediate Students• Establish a daily homework routine. Set up anarea away from distractions such as thetelevision and the Internet, with adequatesupplies and lighting.• When it is time for your children to dohomework, it will reinforce strong study habits todo yours: balance your chequebook, pay yourbills, or immerse yourself in a book. Help yourchildren identify difficult and easy homeworktasks and get them to tackle the difficult itemsfirst.• Be available to answer questions and offerassistance, but never do a child's homework forthem.• Ask your children questions and have themexplain what they have just read.• Encourage your children to write stories andpoetry.Parents play an active role in the school year by keepingstudents safe and healthy. Some ways to achieve thisare:• Give your children's minds the fuel they need -make sure they eat breakfast.• Make it easy. Keep nutritional snacks, such ascut-up fruit and vegetables, cheese sticks, lowfatyogurt and butter-free popcorn, on hand.• Schedule regular medical and dental checkups.• Ensure that backpacks are no more than 10 to20 per cent of the student's bodyweight and thatstudents use both shoulder straps.• Make sure your children know safe routes to andfrom school.

DATES TO REMEMBERSeptember 8September 16September 18September 24September 24September 25September 28October 16October 14October 12October 19 - 22October 23October 27October 31November 6November 10November 11November 18 (???)November 19December 2 or 7December 4December 9December 15December 18December 18First Day of SchoolPAC Mtg. – 3:00 pm – LibrarySchool wide Westwood Lake Run & PicnicOpen House – 6:30 – 7:30 pmPhoto DayTerry Fox RunPro-d Day – students not in attendance1:30 pm – Fine Arts Performance – Norman FootePAC Mtg. – 3:00 pm – LibraryThanksgiving – schools closedParent /Teacher Conference Week – students dismiss at 1:45 pm all weekPro-d Day – students not in attendanceSmall Schools, North Zone Cross-Country MeetHallowe’enDistrict Cross-Country MeetRemembrance Day AssemblyRemembrance Day – schools closedPAC Mtg. – 3:00 pm – LibraryReady Set Learn9:00 am – Fine Arts Performance – Axis TheatreFirst Term Reports go homePAC Mtg. – 3:00 pm – LibraryChristmas ConcertMovie Day???Last day of classesNEWSLETTER RESPONSE SLIPThe newspaper response slip will be used to draw 3 names for prizes each month. Once you have read thenewsletter, return the slip below with your son/daughter to put it in the draw box, three names will be drawn atthe month end assembly. If you have any questions or comments regarding the information in this newsletter,you may also include them below. Thank you☺Student’s Name: ____________________________Date: _________________________Division: __________ Yes, I would like to receive the Cilaire newsletter, etc via email. My email address is:_________________________________________________________________________________________Comments:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________