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Council Executive
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Leslie Segal
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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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DR. TINA DANIELS - Wednesday, April 25th (that's tomorrow!) @ 7pm
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Come and hear what Dr. Daniels, a recognized leader in bullying research in Canada and Associate Professor at Carleton University, has to say about our school and what issues or potential issues she has been able to identify after talking to our JK-grade 4 students all day. This will also be a great forum to hear from other CVES parents and what issues they may be experiencing, and will help you continue the discussion at home with your child, whether he or she has been bullied, displays bullying behaviour or has witnessed bullying.
Dr. Daniels presentation is entitled: "Building a Safe and Caring School Community: What We Need to Know About Bullying" and is suitable for parents of children of ALL ages and will cover topics such as:
- Recognizing bullying
- Encouraging bystanders to speak up
- Helping children to deal with meanness and bullying, and
- How to foster a positive environment in our school.
Childcare is provided for all Castor Valley families but you must register to guarantee a childcare spot.
To register, please email castorvalleycouncil@gmail.com and include the number of adults attending and the number and ages of children needing childcare. If you make a last minute decision to attend and haven't registered, please do come, but we'll need to know if you're bringing kids!
This is a free information session - sponsored by CVES Council - and available to ALL parents in the community, not just CVES families, so please feel free to forward this email to friends at other schools.
Hope to see you there!
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USED BOOK SALE - amazing results!
| A big thank you to our school community for making our Annual Used Book Sale a success, and a huge thank you to our coordinator, Marg Clunie. Thanks to everyone who donated books (we received a fantastic assortment), our wonderful parent volunteers, our amazing custodian Mr. Jeff (who helped with set-up and clean-up), and all our shoppers (parents, teachers, staff and students).
Teachers were encouraged to visit during sale set-up to find books for their classrooms and our librarian Mrs. Atkins found many books to help complete various collections in the library. She calculated that to purchase these books new, the school would have spent over $1,200! This event allowed us to raise over $950 for our school, enabled you to recycle your books, and helped encourage literacy among our readers young and old!
Thank you also to CVES parent Elli Kapsalis for picking up the leftover books to be sold at the Big/Little Book Sale for the Live and Learn Resource Centre in Metcalfe. The Big/Little Book Sale will be held on Saturday June 2nd in the Agricultural Hall of the Metcalfe Fairgrounds. The Live and Learn Centre is a non-profit organization, and the book sale is its main fundraiser.
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FAMILY VOLLEYBALL NIGHT!
| On Friday, April 20th, CVES families converged on our gym for family volleyball night, and from all accounts it was a huge hit and 2 courts were full almost the entire time between 4pm and 8pm!
This was a free event put on by CVES council, and we hope to make this a regular event next year!
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TALENTFEST!
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Auditions have been held and we have an amazing line-up of talented students! Shows will be held during the evenings of May 9th and 10th. We are still looking for someone to give our student photographers advice and tips. If you are interested in helping out in any way, please email Karen Warren!
** a Scholastic Book fair will be held in the library from 4-6pm on both show nights **
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OUR CVES UKULELE LEGACY!
| From Chantal LeBlanc, the Ukulele lady!
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank CVES Council for this year's purchase of a class set of 28 ukuleles for the students of Castor Valley. Through this major purchase, as well as other great arts support initiatives such as the Talentfest showcase taken on by dynamic parent council members and school staff, you have demonstrated not only that the performing arts and especially music are still very important in our school, but that we are also innovative and creative when faced with changes and new challenges with regard to music education and how it's being delivered to our elementary students. The ukulele is currently enjoying a revival and is sweeping Canada as the favourite new music literacy teaching tool. (See this Toronto Star article from January 27, 2011, and note: students pictured are using the same instrument models we purchased for our school).
Once our new ukuleles arrived in January, we have seen amazing changes take place in the students and having the ukuleles for the entire group has made a huge difference to their overall experience. I'd like to share with you how our ukulele project started for me and how we've been able to use the instruments at CVES, so far.... please click on this link to Chantal's blog for the rest of this great article!
Chantal has been a CVES parent for 8 years - and unfortunately she'll be leaving the CVES community at the end of this year. She and the rest of the school would love to find someone to fill her shoes - someone who knows how to play the ukulele and would like to volunteer their time to come in and teach our students! It would be a relatively small time commitment - if this could be you or you know of someone, please let us know!
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GRADE 8 GRADUATION REQUEST
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The planning committee for the Grade 8 graduation party is asking the parent community to consider making a contribution toward prizes and swag bags, which would be acknowledged on the event's blog page: www.castorvalleygradparty2012.tumblr.com.
Suggested items include gift cards or product(s) from your business, employer, or companies that you do business with. If you'd like to include something in the swag bags, the quantity required is 58. If you are asking a business for a donation, please contact Karen Huibers first so we can track who has already been approached.
Cash donations would also be appreciated to help defray the costs of the event. Grade 8 students will be fundraising, but are restricted from holding fundraisers at Castor Valley as it is not a school-sanctioned event.
Thanks!
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ONTARIO STUDENT TRUSTEE ASSOCIATION - 2012 SURVEYS
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On Monday, April 16, 2012, the third annual Ontario Student Survey was launched by the Ontario Student Trustees' Association. Last year, over 2,500 parents and 7,000 students responded to the Student/Parent Survey. This year, by popular demand, teachers and principals can participate too!
(for parents of children in grades 4 - 12)
OSTA-AECO has partnered with Student Vote, ScholarshipsCanada.com, People for Education, the Ontario Teachers' Federation, the Ontario Principals' Council, the Ontario Public School Boards' Association and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association to ask students, parents, and educators the same ten questions about school and education.
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FUN NIGHT - join in on the fun!!
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Only 7 weeks until the big day:
Castor Valley Family Fun Night 2012!
Tuesday June 12th
the fun begins at 5:30pm and doesn't stop until 8pm!
Games for young and old with an opportunity to win great prizes!
Have supper at Castor Canteen
Enjoy face painting, temporary tattoos and treats from the bake table
Back by popular demand ... the Gift Basket Draw!
(class reps will be in contact soon for donations)
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR SOME SPECIAL GUESTS MINGLING
WITH THE CROWD!!
PRE-ORDER FORMS for CANTEEN and GAME TICKETS will be sent out mid-May
All proceeds to support Castor Valley Elementary School Council supported initiatives. If you have any questions, suggestions, are interested in helping out, or taking the lead any of the various aspects of Fun Night, please contact our Fun Night coordinators, Jodie Wallace or Alison Quesnel.
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A THANK YOU FROM THE LIBRARY!
| From Coreen Atkins-Sheldrick, our librarian:
Thank you so very much to the members of School Council for all your hard work with fundraising, and for granting the Library's ad hoc request for funding to purchase new books in an effort to continue to refresh our Library's collection.
On Friday, the 30th of March, I spent 4+ hours at Chapters and Librarie du Centre, purchasing books. I also spent an additional hour, again at Librarie du Centre on April 16th, picking up additional books (180 books on all). Included in these purchases was an additional set of "Hunger Games" books in English as well as a set in French (plus 2 Movie guides in French). These books were out in the student population as fast as they could be processed!
In addition, we were able to select an additional 131 books from the donations for the Spring Books sale (retail value $ 1214.00 if we had to purchase them outright). These donations allowed us to fill-in several of our collections (Magic Tree House, Animal Ark, Geronimo Stilton, Bailey School Kids, etc.).
A display of the new books had been set up in the Library, but has since been taken down as the books are being processed and have gone into circulation. Processing of all these new books is still ongoing, and as they have been added to the system, they are being made available for the students and Staff (and disappearing very quickly).
Please take some time to check out the new books for yourselves and THANK YOU so very much for your fundraising efforts.
Sincerely, Coreen Atkins-Sheldrick Lib. Tech. CVES 19 Apr 2012
P.S. Spring Scholastic Book Fair will be in the CVES Library the week of May 8-11 (Education Week). The Fair will also be open during the evenings of the Talent Fest (prior to shows) as well as the morning ONLY of the Friday (11th). Flyers will be sent home with students the Friday prior to the Fair. Interact will be available for this fair and our goal is $3800.00 in sales (which will mean a book credit of $2280.00 for our school library). |
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BIKE HELMET SAFETY!
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Spring is here! Don't forget to make sure helmets fit properly!
Head injuries are the number one cause of serious injury and death to kids on bicycles. A head injury can permanently change the way a child walks, talks, plays, and thinks, and because even a low speed fall can cause a serious head injury, in Ontario, it is mandatory (Highway Traffic Act) for anyone under the age of 18 to wear a certified helmet while riding a bicycle.
Why Wear a Bicycle Helmet?
- Wearing a bicycle helmet has been shown to reduce serious head injuries by 85
- 39% of deaths from cycling injuries occur in children under the age of 15.
- Even a low speed fall on a bicycle path can cause a serious head injury!
Making Sure the Helmet Fits:
- When you place your helmet on your head, it should sit low. The brim of the helmet should be about two fingers width (1-2 cm) above the eyebrows.
- The helmet should not be tilted forwards or backwards.
- The chinstraps should go over both ears in the shape of a V. The ear should be in the middle of the V. The chinstrap should be secure around the chin, with room for one finger to fit between the strap and the chin.
- Hats, or anything else that changes how the helmet fits on the head should not be worn under a helmet.
Don't forget to also wear a helmet when skateboarding, scootering, or while in-line skating!
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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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LOCAL/COMMUNITY REGISTRATION EVENTS
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Register online at
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SUMMER DRAMA CAMP in Metcalfe - Registration Open Back by popular demand, Just Kiddin' Theatre's one week camps give kids a terrific introduction to performance from creation through to applause! For kids age 9 and up who would like to sample theatre without the big commitment (or those who just can't get enough!)
Camps run July 16-20, July 23-27, and July 30-August 3. Maximum 16 participants per week. Visit www.justkiddintheatre.com for information and registration. ************************************************************************************************************************
PLAY RINGETTE - HAVE FUN! Metcalfe & District Ringette Association Registration for 2012-2013: May 12th,10-1pm, Osgoode Community Center June 16th, 9:30-12pm, Greely Community Center - Hall B We welcome 4 to 18 year olds to this fast and fun ice sport. Not old enough to play hockey? Come out and learn to skate, boys and girls age 4 to 6 welcome into our Bunny program!! Kids in ringette have amazing skating skills...be one of them! www.mdra.ca ************************************************************************************************************************
Metcalfe Soccer
Saturday, April 28th from 12pm til 2pmSide door of St. Catherine Catholic School (next door to Metcalfe Public), 8th Line Rd Metcalfe, (turn south at the Royal Bank on Victoria St. in Metcalfe). ************************************************************************************************************************
The Ottawa Children's Choir is holding auditions for its 2012-2013 season on Saturday, April 28th and Saturday, May 26th, 2012 from 9am to 12 noon at the McNabb Community Centre. The Choir accepts children ages 8-15 (as of September 1st, 2012). To schedule a 15 minute audition, you can email or call (613) 233-4440, and you can find out more information on their webpage. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS & PRESENTATIONS
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Teens & Technology Information Session
presented in collaboration with the Ottawa Police Service
Monday, April 30th 2012, from 7pm - 9pm
Hillcrest High School (1900 Dauphin Rd, Ottawa)
No registration required
For more information check out the event poster
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Parenting the Pampered Generation with Dr. Maggie Mamen Tuesday, May 1st 2012 @ 7pm Library at Glebe Collegiate Institute (Basement) Glebe School Council would like to invite parents to a special parent information session by award-winning clinical psychologist, Dr. Maggie Mamen, on Parenting the Pampered Generation. This presentation addresses important issues of how to pamper without spoiling, and how we can encourage our children to develop resilience, independence, and healthy lifestyle choices. Seating is limited!
Registration: To reserve your seat, please email:
Lynn Cavanagh at dlc@rogers.com
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Nurturing Critical Thinkers
with Professor Garfield Gini-Newman
Tuesday, May 8th 2012, from 7pm - 9pm
Sir Robert Borden High School (131 Greenbank Road, Ottawa)
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Seating will be on a first-come first-served basis.
In an increasingly complex world it is becoming more important than ever that our children are taught the 3 C's as well as the 3 R's. The 3 C's refer to creative, critical and collaborative thinking. Nurturing children's capacity for effective problem solving is one of the most important ways both teachers and parents can help ensure success in school and beyond. Professor Garfield Gini-Newman will explore some of the key findings in brain research that shed light on learning and will share practical tips parents can use to work with their children to help them become good critical thinkers.
For more information check out the event poster.
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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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with Monique Howat
Thursday, May 10th 2012 @ 7pm
Mutchmor PS Gynmasium
Glebe area public schools (First Ave, Glashan, Hopewell, Mutchmor, and Corpus Christi) are offering a parent talk with Monique Howat, Adult and Youth Motivator, who will speak about positive approaches to parenting and how creative consequences help parents and children. You will gather strategies and tools
from this popular workshop on confidence, motivation, and parent empowerment.
Tickets are free, but should be accessed ahead of time at any of the school offices. For more information, please see their poster or visit our website: www.mutchmorps.ocdsb.ca. |
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A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF COUNCIL (in case you didn't know!)
| Did you know that the CVESC:
- has 29 voting members and approximately another 15 non-voting members
- on average, has about 20 people attend its monthly meetings, including our principal and a teacher representative, and also has special attendees like our school trustee, Mark Fischer, our music teacher and our librarian, etc.
- maintains an email database for school-wide emails, and that these emails are sent by Council, often at the request of the school administration
- sets up and runs the alternative lunch and milk programs with the help of our student lunch monitors. Every day a parent volunteer comes to the school to distribute milk into class coolers
- sends out THIS newsletter in hopes of keeping you up to speed on what's happening at CVES!
- organizes many school events such as Christmas Shopping Day, the Used Book Sale, TalentFest and Fun Night, and coordinates fundraisers like MacMillans, Entertainments Books, Senators Tickets, Samko Toy Sale and QSP magazines
- uses monies raised to fund many items and activities that are no longer in school budgets. This year, we committed to funding over $11,000 in ad hoc requests! These included the Intermediate Stock Market Challenge, replacing phys. ed equipment, library book replenishment, Mathletes, the purchase of Ukuleles for our music program, purchasing listening centres and leveled readers for Grades 1-3, purchasing outdoor play toys and funding field trips. And don't forget the $90,000 we raised last year to replace our Primary and Junior play structures!
- coordinated tulip planting in the Fall, and now the tulips planted by the 4 participating classes are blooming all over the school yards!
- runs the Early Literacy Program which is made up of parent volunteers who come in to help our primary students read in both French and English
- covers the cost of the classroom teacher & staff resource fund
- helps coordinate the Playground Activity Leaders in Schools (PALS) program
- introduced the Roots of Empathy Program to our school this year
- puts on various parent information sessions throughout the year, including Literacy at Home, Internet Safety, Bullying Awareness and Grade Transitions. These are funded by the Parents Reaching Out Grant that Council has applied for (and has been awarded!) the last 3 years!
CVESC is a committed group of parents who strive to create a positive learning environment. You probably know someone who's on School Council or who volunteers at the school, and we're always thrilled to welcome new parents - either as Council members or to help out in another way. There are many ways to contribute - while some people are able to commit to a larger role, others come to a few meetings and help out when they can, doing things they enjoy. We know everyone is busy and appreciate each and every volunteer hour! If you are interested in joining Council or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact anyone you know on Council, or you can contact me! Remember, CVESC meetings are open to EVERYONE and are usually held on the 2nd Thursday of the month (except December & March) in the library - we'd love to see you at our next meeting on May 17th! Another reason for volunteering! Parent volunteers offer a huge resource and support base for the school community while showing their kids the importance of participating in the larger community. By volunteering, you are able to interact with teachers, administrators, and other parents on a regular basis, and you gain a firsthand understanding of your child's daily activities, which in turn helps you feel connected to the school - important when your child is bussed and you don't have many opportunities to interact with teachers and other parents. Helping out at the school is a great way to meet, learn from and share with other parents - it's a great way to network and feel connected and it's also a great way to show your kids that you take an interest in their education, while sending the positive message that you consider school a worthwhile cause. It's never too late to join up or volunteer :) Thanks! Leslie Segal Council Chair |
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IMPORTANT PARENT RESOURCES
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Organizations and Associations that our School Council receives information from:
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)
OCASC - Ottawa Carleton Association of School Councils (highlighted in our March 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 May 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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