ENGLEWOOD  SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER

                                                                 Nov. 21, 2007                                                                                                        Day 2/ Number 5

 

    Dates to Remember:             November  27 Home & School  (7 pm)

       28             Confederation Centre Play (all grades)

December    5 Christmas Celebration (l:15 p.m./7:00 p.m)

       13             Report Cards

       21             Last Day of Classes 2007

January      7               First Day of Classes, 2008

 

    Welcome:  The staff and students of Englewood would like to welcome Travis Christie and Roberta Larter to our staff.  Mr. Christie will be taking a .   25 position and will be working with our Grade 2 students and Ms. Larter has taken a 3 hour Educational Assistant position with us.

 

    Scholastic Book Fair:  Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped in so many ways during the Book Fair and to all who supported it by              purchasing books.  It was a great success and exceeded last year’s sales.  Great job!!

 

    Bus Information: We are asking that parents ensure their children are on time getting to their designated bus stops each morning.  It only takes 3             or 4 students being late at their bus stops for a bus to be behind schedule.  With winter conditions just around the corner, please remind your           children to be certain that both the school bus and oncoming traffic come to a complete stop before they cross the road. We thank you for             your anticipated cooperation in this very important matter.

 

        Designated Drop Off Forms:  Grades l-5 students should receive a designated drop off form.  Please make sure these are filled out and                 returned  to homeroom teachers.  Parents should be discussing with their child(ren) where they are expected to go if there is early school            closure due to weather, furnace problems, power outage, etc. On any particular day, if the weather is uncertain the morning before school starts,          parents should be reinforcing with their child(ren) where they should go that day if school closes early.

     School Cancellations:  Attached, please find a copy of the Notice to Parents re School Cancellations, on behalf of the Eastern School District.  It     is  important  important to keep this in an accessible place in your home.  Englewood School is part of the Bluefield Family of Schools.

P

Christmas Play:  The Confederation Centre of the Arts will be holding its annual Christmas performance again this year.  They will be presenting the play, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and have indicated that it will be enjoyed by students at all grade levels.  Englewood students and staff will be travelling to the play on Wednesday, November 28^th.  The buses will be leaving Englewood at 8:50 a.m. in order to be in Charlottetown for the performance at 9:45 a.m.  The buses will return to the school around the noon hour.  The performance will cost $6, transportation costs will be covered by the school.  A permission slip has been sent with your child(ren), please sign and return it, with monies, by Monday, Nov. 26.

 Peanut-Free Policy:  Englewood School is now a Peanut-Free environment.  In October we were expecting a family with severe peanut allergies.  Due to problems with the sale of their home, they have been postponed - but they are still trying to make the move to our community.  There is one child at the Victoria Kindergarten who requires a peanut-free environment and he will be with us in September.  For this reason, we will be continuing the Peanut-Free Environment at Englewood.  Staff feels that it would be taking a step backwards to reverse the policy until next September.  We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.

 

“Tell Them From Me”:  The Eastern School District has been promoting a tool called “Tell Them From Me” (TTFM).  It is an anonymous survey system that can be issued to staff, students, and parents.  Individualized questions can be created by schools in order to collect information on such things as student engagement, student wellness, and many other aspects of the learning community.  Last year Englewood used this survey at both the student and teacher level with great success.  This year we have been accepted as part of a pilot project to also include a survey to the parents of our communities.

The survey for students In grades 1-4 is done with paper and pencil, and students in grades 5-9 use an on-line version of the survey.  All families at Englewood School will be given an opportunity to complete the parent survey.  More information will be coming home in the near future  either through e-mail or in letter form.

 

Home & School/Parent Volunteers:  The staff and students at Englewood School wish to express our appreciation for the terrific job you are doing with our food program.  There are many hours of behind-the-scenes work being done to make sure that food orders are sorted and recorded correctly, food coupons are prepared for sale,  fruit and vegetables are cut up for trays, and hot lunches are prepared and delivered to students three times a week.  That is a tall order!!  Thank you for making the daily humdrum of preparing and packing lunches a little less tedious for our parents and students. If you see someone who helps out with any of these tasks, please say  “Thanks”.

 

Food Coupons:  A reminder to parents and students that coupons should be purchased in bulk once a month.  The Hot Lunch Program provided by Home & School is a wonderful service that benefits both parents and students. Students trying to purchase tickets every day is causing a great deal of extra work for the Home and School Executive and the school office.  It is the Home & School’s wish that tickets be purchased the first Monday of each month, please.  Following is a  list of menu items that are available from now until Christmas - this should help determine how many tokens you will need.  The next ticket day is Monday, December 3  from 8:00-9:00 am. in the foyer area.  Tickets are $20 for l0 coupons or $40 for 20 coupons.

 

Dec.   3 - 7:      Chicken Pot Pie/ Beef Pizza/ Baked Potato

Dec. 10-14:      Lasagna/Ham Pizza/Chicken Burger

Dec. 17-21:      Chicken Noodle Soup/Capt’n Sub Day/Baked Potato

 

Sum Of Money:  Recently, a significant amount of money went missing from Mr. Reardon’s office.  There was no sign of a break in so we can assume that the money was taken before Mr. Reardon’s office is locked upon his departure.  If anyone knows anything about the missing money, it would be appreciated if you contact Mr. Reardon.  We feel that we are very lucky that Englewood School is part of such a wonderful community - it has been many years since we have had an incident such as this!

 

Recycling:  A reminder to parents that used ink cartridges for printers can be dropped off at Englewood.  Staples accepts these from us as a school and we have already received one cheque for our efforts.   

Thank You:  We would like to say thank you to Ruthie’s Pub in Victoria for the generous donation that was made to our snack program.

 

Community Notes

 

Ten Thousand Villages:         Location:  Englewood School

When:        November 23 - 4:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

      November 24 - 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m

Cost:          FREE

Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their

handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.  Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed.  This income helps pay for food, education, health care and housing.  Come do some Christmas shopping - beautiful and unique ideas - and at the same time- help end poverty - support free trade!  For more information call Shelley at 675-3519.

 

Bluefield Christmas Craft Fair:  Bluefield High School is holding its annual Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday, November 24 from 9:00 a.m until 3 p.m. There are over 50 vendors with a wide variety of items including woodworking, stained glass, jewellery, flower arrangements, knitting, pottery and many yummy treats.  Admission is $2 and Children 12 and under free.  Come on out and support Bluefield and get some Christmas shopping done at the same time!

Eliot River 4^th Annual Christmas Craft Fair and Fun Day will be held on Saturday, December lst from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  There will be more than 50 vendors selling everything from Christmas crafts, wood products, jewellery, and much, much more.  As well a silent auction will be taking place, with items such as autographed posters, cottage rentals, tuxedo rentals, and lots of other great items.  Other activities include performances by our school choir, bake sale, face painting, cookie decorating and fun activities for children.  A canteen service will be available.  Admission will be $2 per person.  Children under l2 free.  Table rental is $25.  Call Cathy at 368-4270 to book.

 

Information Sessions for Parents:

What:  Information sessions that are intended to assist you in helping your child at home and school.

Who:  Sherwood Elementary Home and School and Sherwood School would like to invite you to

attend.

When:  Saturday, November 24, 2007, 9:00 am - ll:30 a.m.

 

There will be two opportunities for parents to attend sessions of your choice.  The first session starts at 9:30 a.m. and the second session will begin at l0:30 a.m.  It is extremely important that you pre-register.  Please register by Thursday, November 22.  Please register by emailing susie.dillon@pei.sympatico.ca.  Free child care will be provided and these volunteers will have activities available for the children in the gym.  Please note this when registering for the workshops.

The following is a list of presenters and topics for these sessions.

Learning Styles - Lloyd Mallard

Mental Math - Bill MacIntyre

Building Your child’s Self-Esteem - Jamie MacSwain BA BSW

Drug Awareness - Gary Clow

Internet Safety - Randy Currie

 

Positive Parenting From Two Homes:  Are you worried about the effects of separation, divorce and parenting from two homes on your children?  Do you want help managing these changes to ensure that your children do not get caught in the middle of parental conflict?  This program can help.

Positive Parenting from Two Homes is a cost-free program presented in two, three hour sessions one week apart.  Trained facilitators will give information, present videos, facilitate discussion and answer questions.  You will learn to understand your feelings, your children’s needs, and develop a business like relationship with the other parent.  You will not be asked to talk about your individual situation because the program is intended to provide general information.  Facilitators will be available during the break and at the end of the sessions for individual consultations.  Your co-parent will attend a separate session.          

Children’s Program:  This cost-free children’s program is presented over four sessions.  Trained facilitators will give information through age-related activities and discussions.  Your child will have a chance to talk with other children their own age going through similar situations. The program is not counselling, but an opportunity for children to share their experiences and to hear helpful information with the guidance of trained facilitators.  One or both parents must have already taken the “positive Parenting From Two Homes” parent education sessions for your child to be enrolled.

            Registration:  Call 368-4333 and leave your name and telephone number.  Parents living outside the Charlottetown area call toll-free l-877-203-8823.  The Parent Education Program Coordinator will return your call and complete the registration.  Programs are offered in Charlottetown, Montague, Summerside.  Confidentiality is maintained in the program.

November 22 & 29, 2007......... (Tuesday Evenings)...............Charlottetown

January 22 & 29, 2008............. (Tuesday Evenings)................Charlottetown

February 19 & 26..................... (Tuesday Evenings)................Charlottetown

(Storm date: Tuesday, March 4, 2008)

March l8 & 25......................... (Tuesday Evenings).................Charlottetown

(Storm date: Tuesday, April 1, 2008)

April 17 & 24, 2008..................(Thursday Evenings).................Summerside

April 22 & 29, 2008..................(Tuesday Evenings)...................Charlottetown

May 21 & 28, 2008...................(Wednesday Evenings).............. Montague

June 3 & 10, 2008.....................(Tuesday Evenings).................. Charlottetown