Welcome

The staff would like to welcome all our students, parents and guardians back for another school year. A special welcome is extended to the students and parents of of our Kindergarten classes and to those who are joining us from other schools for the first time! We hope you all have an enjoyable and successful year here with us. We believe that the education of your child is important and we want to work with you toward that goal!

We invite you to watch for our monthly newsletter on the first Monday of each month. In addition a calendar of events will be sent home either the last day of the month or the first day of the month. Our website has this information on it too, and can be accessed at http://www.edu.pe.ca/lmmontgomery/

Upcoming Events

Bussing

We are still working on bus routes, and it may be a day or two until exact pick up and drop off times are finalized. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this matter. The drivers have put many hours into trying to make the routes as acceptable as possible.

We are asking parents to pick up students for special events such as birthdays, sleep-overs, etc..

Please check with the school before making new babysitting arrangements to see if there is room for your child to travel on another bus. 

Please remember that unless your child has a note saying that you are picking them up on a particular day, or this is a previous arrangement that the office is aware of, he/she will be sent home on their regular bus.

Lunch Program

You can check out the lunch schedule on our school's web page (Just click on the link - Special Lunch Days Calendar) - http://www.edu.pe.ca/lmmontgomery/schedule/schedule.htm

General Information

The School Office is open at 8:00 a.m. each morning for you to call when your children are unable to attend school.

If you are calling the school to make a change in regard to picking up students at the end of the day, it would be much appreciated if you could call prior to 2:00 p.m. as the end of the day can be a very hectic time in the office.

Home and School News

The executive for the 2010-11 school year is as follows:
Co-Chairs - Roma Misener, Karen Trainor
Lesley Whitlock - Treasurer
Valerie Herring MacBeath - Secretary

Thank You

School Supply Fee

At this time a few student supply fees for this year are still outstanding. We would ask you to send the fee to the School within the next week. The fee for students in Grades 1 - 5 is $35. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this.

Volunteers Wanted

Do you have a talent you want to share? A few hours you want to fill? A desire to help out at your child’s school?

We are looking for parents, guardians, grandparents who are interested in running activities for our students after school. Can you play chess? Do you like to knit? Do you like Drama? If you have a talent you would like to share, please contact the office.

District Policies on Volunteers and Identification for September

In September, a number of new policies will go in to effect in schools across the District. The above mentioned policies are being put into practice to ensure the safety of our students. The safety and education of our students is very important to us here at LM

Beginning in September, all staff must wear identification, and all parents, visitors and volunteers must stop at the office to sign in and obtain identification if proceeding to the classroom area. In addition, all volunteers who are working directly with children, must have a Criminal check completed. We will have letters in the office to assist with this process. These policies are available for your viewing on the Eastern School District website.

We want to thank all the parents who have been following our policy of checking in to the office, and waiting in the lobby for the children. Your child’s education is very important to us here, and in addition to keeping them safe, we do want to minimize disruptions to teaching time. 

Library News

We are looking for volunteers to help out in the library. If this is something you would enjoy, please contact the office, or Ms. Jollimore in the library. In keeping with the District’s new policy on volunteers, you will need to have a valid criminal check - information on this is available in the office.

Phys Ed News

Gym Wear

It is important that students are always prepared for physical education class by wearing the proper footwear. Sneakers are to be worn by all students and "Crocs" are not acceptable for safety purposes. Grade 1-3 levels are not expected to change for PE class. Grade 4-6 levels are responsible for bringing a change of clothes. Changing rooms are provided outside the gym for students use.

No Child Without

MedicAlert’s No Child Without Program is at Our School.

The No Child Without program offers a free MedicAlert membership to students who attend our school and are between the ages of 4 up to their 14th birthday. If your child has a medical condition, allergy or is required to take medication on a regular basis then you should consider a MedicAlert membership through this program.

The advantages of having MedicAlert:

It is your child’s voice in an emergency, MedicAlert membership;

It gives emergency first responders immediate access to your child’s medical information on their MedicAlert bracelet or necklet

It enables first responders to quickly obtain up to date medical information by means of the child’s Electronic Health Record through the 24 Hour Emergency Hotline.

It communicates with the parent or emergency contact upon activation of the Hotline

It allows free updates of the child’s medical record as needed

MedicAlert identification can alert school staff, friends, coaches and others about your child’s medical condition should an emergency occur.

For further information come to the office for a brochure or visit www.nochildwithout.ca. To register your child you will need a No Child Without brochure from the office.

If your child is already part of the No Child Without program and there have been changes to their medical condition, medications or emergency contact information, call MedicAlert at 1-866-679-3220 Ext 1 to update your child’s file.

Eastern School District Scent Policy

Reminder to parents that L. M. Montgomery is a scent free building, as is all of the Eastern School District. Parents, please do not wear after shave or perfume when visiting the school. Students are asked not to wear perfume and to wear unscented deodorant. We have a number of students and staff who are highly sensitive to strong scents. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this matter.

Safety

Parents will notice that in the interest of safety, a sign identifies a bus lane near the school parking lot. We suggest that all parents driving their children to school enter the top driveway and let their children out at the sidewalk to walk to the student entrance.

Visitors/Parents

All visitors, including parents are required to report to the office when entering the school, unless they are proceeding to the gym for a function, or to the classroom for a scheduled meeting with the teacher. We ask that you wait in the front lobby when picking up your child during the day. This will alleviate congestion and confusion in the hallways. It is very distracting for our students to have people waiting in the hallways while they are engaged in classroom activities. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Ink Cartridge Collection

We are continuing our collection of used printer cartridges. We will be participating in the recycling project at Staples. The monies raised from this project will be used to purchase ink cartridges for our own printers here in the school. If you work in an office that discards their empty cartridges, or you have some at home you are not recycling you can donate them to this cause. You can drop them off at Staples or here at the school. Thanks to those of you who have already dropped cartridges off at Staples.

Medication

The Eastern School District has a policy regarding the administration of medication. Teachers are not permitted to give students medication without specific written instructions from your physician. Forms for your physician to sign are available at the office.

Helpful Websites

The following are some websites that you may find helpful for use at home.

As mentioned in a previous newsletter the Department of Education has purchased a group license for Netrekker. This search engine has a wealth of information for students that has already been screened for appropriate content. You can access it from home by going to the following URL and using the log in information provided.
www.nettrekker.ca
login - lmmontgomery
password - 123

http://www.plcmc.org/bookhive/ This website contains recommendations on children’s books, along with short reviews. It may be helpful when looking for summer reading material

http://www.fieldtripearth.org/index.xml This website contains information on a variety of animals that can be used for research projects or just for students interested in this topic.

http://www.funbrain.com/ This site is filled with games and activities that re-enforce skills in language arts and math.

http://www.kidsreads.com/ This site has information and activities about a variety of books.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/ This is the home page for Merriam Webster dictionary. It can be used as an on-line support for homework, or it also contains games and information to encourage students to increase their vocabulary.

http://pbskids.org/readingrainbow/ This is the sister web site to the TV show. It has games and information on a variety of books.

http://www.coolmath-games.com/ A selection of math games to strengthen students skills.

Community Events

Parents of Allergic Children Together (PACT)

PACT is a group for parents and caregivers of children with life-threatening allergies or anaphylaxis. We offer support through monthly meetings, video and print resources. If you have a child with life-threatening allergies, we can help.

E-mail Shellee Mann at pactpei@gmail.com for more information.

Literacy Bits

Establishing a Homework Routine

Homework is meant to develop independence and to reinforce skills that are being taught in the classroom.

* Provide an uncluttered area that is free of as many distractions as possible.

* Make sure that the tools needed are within easy reach, e.g., a dictionary, erasers, sharp pencils.

* Work out a regular time for homework that works for your child and your family’s schedule.

* Be supportive with the understanding that assigned homework should be work that your child can do independently.

* If needed, consider incentives for completing homework within a certain time.

* Contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible if there are homework issues.

Healthy Eating Tips from the PEI Healthy Eating Alliance
Packing a Litterless Lunch

Take a moment to consider the amount of waste you may pack in you and your child(ren)s lunch. Have you ever thought about where this waste ends up? Non reusable plastic wraps, packages, bags and bottles greatly increase the amount of waste at home, at school, at work and in our communities.

Did you know that the average school-aged child with a disposable lunch generates 30 kilograms of waste per year? (http://green.cbc.ca/)

Packing a "litterless" lunch is one easy way we can significantly reduce this amount of waste. To prepare a litterless lunch you need to use reusable containers, bottles and/or food products that have little or no packaging. Taking a litterless lunch is often less expensive and healthier too! Pre-packaged food and drinks tend to be more processed and therefore can be higher in fat, sugar, salt and calories and generally lower in vitamins, minerals and fibre than less processed foods.

Foods such as vegetables and fruit are very healthy and require little or no packaging. Some even come in their own packaging such as oranges and bananas. Including one vegetable and one fruit in you and your child(ren)s lunch is important. Choose reusable containers when sending cut up vegetables and fruit.

Here are 10 ways to create a healthy litterless lunch:

1. Use insulated reusable lunch bags, cloth bags or lunch boxes.

2. Include a refillable drink or water bottle. Children should be encouraged to drink water as much as possible. Not only is water the best choice for staying hydrated, juice pouches and juice boxes are often thrown in the garbage rather than recycled and contain a lot of sugar. If sending juice, pour 100% fruit juice into a small reusable drink container.

3. Buy in bulk. Cut down on packaging and food waste by purchasing bulk items and portion into small reusable containers. For example, purchase larger containers of yogurt and canned fruit and portion into smaller reusable containers, and purchase cheese in larger package and cut into smaller pieces rather than individually wrapped cheese strings.

4. Limit use of all paper and plastic wrap as well as tin foil. Sandwiches and many other foods can be wrapped in large cloth napkins, or sealed in reusable containers.

5. Provide a cloth napkin instead of a paper napkin.

6. Involve children when preparing lunch. A child is more likely to eat, and not waste, a lunch they helped pack.

7. Recycle. Teach children about recycling and where to put their proper containers.

8. Plan ahead. Try to have lunch planned for the school week and pack lunches the night before so that you are not rushed in the morning.

9. Provide reusable utensils. If you are worried about losing pieces from your own cutlery set, pick up individual cutlery just for lunches.

10. Buy local foods. Buying local reduces greenhouse emissions released during transportation. Local food tends to be fresher, uses less packaging and has fewer preservatives. Buying foods grown and produced in your area also helps support PEI farmers!