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Members with Portfolio
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Class Rep Coordinators
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COUNCIL WEBSITE
| | Check out our Council website for up to date info on school events, news, calendars, fundraising, forms, parent resources and much much more! www.castorvalley.ca |
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CLASS REPS
| Thanks to everyone who volunteered to be a class rep this year! A complete list of class reps and their emails can be found on our Council website here.
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NUT FREE SCHOOL!
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Due to the large number of students that have nut allergies, Castor Valley continues to be a nut free school. We ask families not to include nut items in snacks - this is for the safety of our anaphylactic children. Should you be unsure as to the contents of a food item, please do not send it. If you'd like more information on the government of Ontario's anaphylaxis policy, please click here and you can read about our new request regarding soy-based *nut* butters here.
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NEW NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES
| The Ontario Ministry of Education's new School Food and Beverage Policy came into effect on September 1st, 2011. For information on this new policy, please visit www.ontario.ca/healthyschools and for a great resource for nutritious lunches and snacks, visit www.eatrightontario.ca.
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POP TABS
| We continue to collect pop tabs this year. The tabs are recycled for cash and the proceeds sent to Ontario March of Dimes to provide a wheel chair for someone in need. We are working towards the goal of a 3rd wheelchair by June!!
Please send your tabs in with your child (there is a collection can in each homeroom class). To date, Mme LaCharity's class and Ms. Reeb's class are in the lead!
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USED BOOK SALE
| The CVESC used book sale will be held on Friday, April 13th for one day (and only during the day). Flyers were sent home via backpacks, and you can read more about it here.
We will be looking for volunteers to help out - both to set up on Thursday, April 12th and for the actual sale on the 13th.
You can donate your used books (kids books and adult fiction - NO adult non-fiction!) by dropping them off in the school foyer.
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TALENTFEST!
| Mark your calendars for May 9th and 10th for
Auditions will be held after school on Monday, March 26th and
Thursday, March 29th. If you have any questions or are interested in helping out in any way, please email Karen Warren!
** a Scholastic Book fair will be held in the library on both show nights **
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LOOKING FOR LITERACY VOLUNTEERS!
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There are still slots available for reading with students in the early literacy program. This only takes up an hour of your time a week (or more, or less as you wish!) and makes such a difference for these kids at an important stage of their learning development.
If you haven't been able to make it in yet, and would like more info, please contact me. If you have been coming in, you've seen how easy and how rewarding it is... please tell your friends! Aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. are welcome, too!
Next time you are in the school, don't forget to sign up for some reading times.
Thanks!!
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* LITERACY AT HOME * - RESOURCES
| The *Literacy at Home* parent information evening held on Monday, February 27th was once again, very well received, and chock full of great resources and ideas for parents of children in Junior Kindergarten through grade 3 who are learning to read in French and English!
A big thank you to our teacher presenters, Ms. Reed and Mme LaCharity, and to our babysitters who kept kids entertained in the gym!
Below are a few of the french reading resources handed out that evening:
Pronunciation Help
Text-to-speech
NaturalSoft software - free version available for download
French Language Games
Pepit
Du plaisir a lire
Pomme et Marina - Language games for grade 1
TFO
Online Audio Books
Tumblebooks - free via the Ottawa Public Library
The Professor Garfield Toon Book Reader
Boowa et Kwala - choose "Histoires"
miniTFO - click the cloud, then the door, then on the books
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FAMILY VOLLEYBALL NIGHT!
| The gym has been booked Friday, April 20th for a CVES family volleyball night! Information will be circulating around soon as to the specific times.
This fun event will be free, and if there are enough families interested, this may become a regular event next year!
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INTERMEDIATE STOCK MARKET CHALLENGE!
| For three days from March 6-8th, intermediate students gathered in the gym to learn about the stock market and then participated in a stock market simulation. Brokerage firms prepared their offices and bought and sold stocks each round. Teams created company names, slogans, costumes and jingles and were able to earn bonus money for various tasks. Students all learned very valuable life-long lessons in banking, stocks and credit cards as well as skills such as co-operation, communication and critical thinking to name a few. Most importantly they had a wonderful time!
Mr. Mitchell would like to thank Lin Dickson and her team at Innovative Projects in Education for coming to Castor Valley and teaching our students some very important real world lessons.
A huge thanks to the 11 parent volunteers who donated their time and worked the transaction tables
CVES Council was pleased to fund the $3,000 required to run the event, which is held every second year.
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FUN NIGHT - come and help out!
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Tuesday June 12th is FUN NIGHT!!! Our coordinators, Jodie and Alison, are looking for individuals to help coordinate various aspects of the evening such as:
Primary Games (JK to grade 3)
Junior Games (grades 4 and up)
Set-up and/or Clean-up
Student and Adult Volunteer Coordination
Refreshments
Bake Sale
Face Painting
Basket Draw or Silent Auction
Marketing the Event
If you have any questions, suggestions, are interested in helping out, or taking the lead on one of the various aspects of Fun Night suggested above, please contact Jodie Wallace or Alison Quesnel.
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CDN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE AT STANLEY'S OLD MAPLE LANE FARM!
| Grade 2 student, Aidan, and his family are joining the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life being held at Stanley's Old Maple Lane Farm on May 4th of this year. Aidan is going to try and do the walk with his family all night long and is hoping other CVES families will help support this important cause!
There are several ways to participate:
- You can join Aidan's team - the Ultimate Night Fighters - and walk!
- You can create your own team and walk!
- You can sponsor Aidan, his team, or any of the other teams listed on the Relay for Life website at the Edwards (South Ottawa) site.
- You can donate items to be sold in a garage sale - all proceeds going to the Relay for Life - to be held the last weekend of April. You can contact the Clarmo family for more details.
- You can go to the Clarmo family's garage sale and purchase something to support the Relay. The garage sale will be held the last weekend in April at 361 Castor Street in Russell.
For more information and to sponsor a team, you can visit the event web address here.
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GREELY BADMINGTON CLUB!
| | You can find the Greely Badminton Club having fun at CVES on Mondays 7-8pm and Tuesdays 7:30-9pm! Everyone is welcome - this is a new club for all ages and skill levels. For further details, please email gbc@bell.net. |
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LES AMBASSADEURS
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On February 29th, 10 of Castor Valley's Ambassadeurs and M. Boudreau traveled by bus to Montreal with other OCDSB students to experience Free the Children's 'We Day' . There were many speakers with inspiring messages and singers to pump up the crowd and everyone came back energized!
The Ambassadeurs have raised enough money from a variety of fundraisers including the pancake breakfast, the Christmas dance in December and candygrams on Valentine's Day to send many boxes of books to a school in Zimbabwe. Now the Ambassadeurs are focusing on finishing Free the Children's Adopt a Village project in Sierra Leone and hope to raise $1600 by the end of the year to complete this project.
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BABYSITTERS NEEDED
| School Council is always looking for student volunteers who have completed their babysitting course to help with childcare at our upcoming Castor Connections' and Council events. Duties will include supervising and playing games with children in the school gym, with at least 2 parents helping out. If interested, please contact Jen Danby McDonald. Permission forms will be required and will be made available in the office prior to each event or can also be emailed.
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ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
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- We continue to offer on-line discounts through our website on QSP magazines - they make great gifts! When you order your QSP magazines, please make sure you use our code: 10727.
- Need labels? Don't forget you can order Mabel's Labels directly through school council. By clicking on the Mabel's Labels widget on our website (in the right column), we automatically receive a portion of your purchase. Thanks!
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CAR SAFETY REMINDER!
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Did you know?
- Car crashes are the #1 cause of death for children in Canada
- 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly, and/or used incorrectly
Infants: Use a properly installed rear-facing car seat until they are a minimum of 20 pounds and one year of age. Keeping your child rear-facing until they reach the weight/height limits of their seat is safest. When tightened properly, you should be able to fit no more than 2 fingers between the straps and your child's chest.
Toddlers: Use a properly installed forward-facing car seat until they are a minimum of 40 pounds. Don't forget to use the tether strap when installed.When tightened properly, you should be able to fit no more than 2 fingers between the straps and your child's chest.
Older Children: Children can't legally sit in a booster until they are 40 lbs, but even when they hit 40 lbs they don't have to be switched. The purpose of a booster seat is to position the seat belt properly on the child. The shoulder belt should go across the chest bone and the middle of the shoulder, NOT across the neck. If the seat belt is not positioned properly AT ALL TIMES, then your child isn't protected.
In Ontario you must use a booster seat until your child is 8 years old, or weighs 80 pounds, or is 4'9" tall.However, even if your child has reached one of these milestones the most important consideration is whether they actually fit in a seat belt without a booster. A child can safely move to using the seat belt if they pass the 5-step test (in addition to meeting one of the legal requirements): - The child can sit all the way back against the back of the vehicle seat.
- Knees bend comfortably over the edge of the vehicle seat without slouching.
- The lap portion of the seat belt fits snugly across the top of the thighs and doesn't ride up on the stomach.
- The shoulder belt goes across the chest bone and the middle of the shoulder, NOT across the neck and never behind the back.
- The child can sit properly for the entire trip.
Please note that your child may pass this test in one vehicle but not in another. Before taking your child out of the booster seat, make sure the seat belt fits them properly without it. Children under 13 are safest in the back seat. Booster seats protect against injury 3.5 times more than the seat belt alone! For more information, please visit these sites: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-childsafety-car-time-stages-1083.htm
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UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS FOR OTTAWA PARENTS
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Parenting your Teen Through Turbulent Times
A special Drug and Alcohol Awareness Panel
If you're concerned about the issues affecting our local area youth (why teens may start using drugs, different stages of use, how it can affect the family, how to know when drug use has become a problem), St Francis Xavier High School in Riverside South is providing an opportunity for parents to hear from experts on ways in which they can deal with these challenges and the resources available to assist them should substance abuse become a problem. Read more in their flyer
Admission is free and parents in neighbouring communities are also invited to attend, including parents of elementary teenage children
March 27th, 7pm-9pm
St. Francis Xavier High School (3740 Spratt Road in Riverside South) in the gymnasium
To register for this event, click here
************************************************************************************************************************ Body Image: How to Help Not Harm
Knoxdale Public School proudly presents this free interactive presentation by Dr. Katherine Henderson, Clinical Director at CHEO's Eating Disorders Clinic. This presentation will help parents learn more about the information constantly bombarding our kids and some of the myths and stereotypes regarding their bodies. You will learn how to respond to the many questions and concerns that our children have surrounding body image issues.
Tuesday April 3rd 2012 at 7pm
Knoxdale Public School Library (170 Greenbank Road) If you would like more information please email cmhaskins@sympatico.ca
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Raising Resilient Children: Ways to Foster a Positive Environment at Home and at School
Henry Larsen Elementary School Proudly Presents award winning psychologist and best selling author Dr. Maggie Mamen.
With the increasingly complex world we live in, it is becoming harder for parents to find a workable balance between keeping children safe and over-protecting them. This presentation explores important lessons we need to teach our children to enable them to develop some skills that are likely to increase their resilience to the pressures in their lives, and that will be helpful in the development of healthy relationships as they grow up.
Dr. Maggie Mamen is a dynamic and engaging speaker who has written several books, including the best-seller called "The Pampered Child Syndrome," "Who's in Charge ? A Guide to Family Management," and a DVD called "Parent Power! Lost and Found."
Wednesday April 4, 2012
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Location: Henry Larsen Elementary School (1750 Sunview Drive, Gloucester, ON K1C 5B3)
Pre-registration is required as there is limited seating:
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An Information Evening on IPRCsPresented by Lamar Mason (OCASC) With Q&A afterwards 815 St. Laurent Blvd.
Thursday, April 5th 2012 7 - 9:30 pm
at Rideau High School Library
ALL PARENTS WELCOME Elementary or High School An IPRC document that accurately identifies your child's strengths and needs is an invaluable aid in determining what measures should be put in place for your child's education. If you have a child with Special Education needs and want to better understand your role in helping your child to reach his/her potential, come to this session Questions? Contact: ocasc.seac@ocasc.ca *IPRC - Identification and Placement Review Committee ************************************************************************************************************************
CHEO Connects in partnership with OCDSB (Session Five):
Monday April 16th 2012 - 7pm Adult High School - 300 Rochester St @ Gladstone
Questions about what to expect from puberty? Wondering how to connect with your child during this important transitional period? These are just some of the topics that will be explored during this informative session for parents of children 9 - 13 years old. The session will include discussion of potential issues of mental health and the different aspects of a child's life that are affected at this age, such as anxiety, self-esteem and bullying. As well as, there will be a general discussion on emotional intelligence.
Parents will also learn about healthy living - a problem that is facing many pre-teens - from lack of physical activity, nutrition and personal hygiene to body image issues.
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Parenting Teens
Thursday, May 10th 2012, from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm
Rideau High School (815 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, Ontario)
Information session presented by Rideau High School presents with Mr. Richard Voss of CHEO.
For more information please see the event poster
The session will include a Community Fair with information booths from community groups such as the Somali Parents Association who will be on hand to give information on their Homework Club. Light refreshments will be served.
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IMPORTANT PARENT RESOURCES
| Ever wonder how and where Council receives all our information?! We are regularly updated on information, events and initiatives put forth by various education-related associations, as well as by our school board, and we think it's important that these resources are shared with you! In each monthly newsletter we are highlighting one of these associations, explaining what they do and how they support parents. All the information shared here will also be available on our website under the *resources* tab. This month, we are highlighting:
OCASC is an umbrella organization for school councils and parents to share information and facilitate communication within the communities of the OCDSB in order to enhance the education of all its students. OCASC represents its membership to the OCDSB, government and the wider community. All OCDSB school councils are entitled to membership in OCASC.
What does OCASC do? OCASC has recently categorized its services to school councils in three divisions: (a) sharing information; (b) facilitating communication; and (c) representing its membership. At OCASC meetings, the ever-popular "Chalk-It-Up" sessions provide an opportunity for school councils to share experiences, problems and solutions, best practices, and contact information for further communication. Meetings also provide an opportunity for school councils to stay informed about current board activities and to provide input to board committees through OCASC's representatives on the many OCDSB committees. OCASC committee representatives participate fully in OCDSB committee meetings, presenting the views and voice of school councils. OCASC also represents schools councils, as a collective, to board staff and trustees on many issues on an ongoing basis. A CVESC representative attends the monthly OCASC meetings and reports back at our OUR monthly council meetings. We consider OCASC a valuable source of information and support! For more information, please visit their website!
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Other organizations we like are:
Canadian Parents for French (highlighted in our October newsletter)
Ottawa Carleton District School Board (highlighted in our January newsletter)
OCDSB - Parental Involvement Committee (highlighted in our November newsletter)
People for Education (highlighted in our February newsletter)
If you know of an organization that has helped you support your child's learning, please let us know!
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CVESC BUSINESS DIRECTORY
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Thank you to the CVES family businesses who have supported CVESC by being part of our Business Directory. You can find the complete Business Directory here (with a new design!) with contact information and links to their websites. Please support our community!
Avon - Heather Wyche
Emerald Home Improvements - John Dagenais
Millenium Roofing Inc - Earl & Christina Brazeau
La Pierre Law Office - Michelle La Pierre
Mortgage Alliance - Windy McCarty
Oriana Financial - Susanna Penning
Produce Depot - Danny Docksteader
Shaklee - Melanie Bennett
VSP Printing - Jane Desrosiers
Wilson Law Partners LLP - Andrew Wilson
If you own a family or home-based business and would like to be included in our directory ($25 per year), please contact Jen Danby-McDonald (or phone 613-821-7967). Funds raised go towards supporting School Council initiatives.
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The CVES Council newsletter is sent out mid-month from September to June. If you have any items you would like to have included in our next newsletter, please send them by April 15th to castorvalleycouncil@gmail.com.
THANKS!
We hope you found this newsletter helpful and relevant :)
Sincerely, Communication Coordinators
Castor Valley Elementary School Council |
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