Senator Gibson News

December 2019

Senator Gibson

4944 John Street,

Beamsville, L0R 1B6

P (905) 563-7431

senatorgibson.dsbn.org

Principal

Ms. P. Spero

Vice Principal

Mrs. A. Woodland

Important Dates

December 2 Food and Gift

Donations for Family

Baskets Begin

December 6 Kindergarten

Christmas Market 3-5pm

December 9 Last day for

Family Basket Donations

December 6, 13, 20 Pizza

December 12 Mistletoe

Market

December 14 Choir @

Fairview Mall 12:30pm

December 18 Christmas

Concert 1pm, 6:15pm

December 5, 19 Sundaes

December 20 Sweater Day

Next SAC Meeting:

January 28@ 6:00 p.m.

Dear Senator Gibson Families, It’s hard to believe that December is here already! Cold weather is upon us. Extra mittens and hats are always a good idea! Please speak to your child about bringing appropriate winter wear for outdoor fitness break.

Communication between home and school is a large part of how we ensure students are successful. As a staff, we value the ability to work together with parents and families to ensure we are doing what is best for students. With the use of Our School Messenger program, we hope you feel better connected to our school than ever before. We are doing our best to communicate with parents via email, phone calls, newsletters, agenda’s etc. We are always pleased to receive your questions, comments, and suggestions. We will continue to strive to work proactively with you to resolve all issues in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and understanding. We would like to thank you for attending our parent-teacher conferences. These conferences are a wonderful opportunity for you to learn about what your child is doing at school as well as for us to learn more about your child. The Progress Report is an important indicator as to how your child is doing in each subject area. Please remember to take some time to set and review goals with your child(ren) and talk about all the great things that are happening at school. Your continued support is greatly appreciated!

December will be a busy month with lots of extra-curricular activities for our students to enjoy… some of which include Choir, Volleyball, Basketball, Robotics, Mad Science, Me to We, Family Baskets, Mistletoe Market and Kindergarten Outdoor Market Place.

On behalf of the staff at Senator Gibson, we would like to wish all of our students and their families a wonderful, relaxing, safe winter break. We look forward to seeing everyone back on January 6, 2020!

Sincerely, Ms. P. Spero & Mrs. A. Phillips

The Votes Are In!

At the November 26 Board Meeting, Trustees voted for the name of the new school based on three finalists. The naming committee narrowed down the 187 suggestions submitted by students and community members to 3. The name is West Niagara Secondary School! Keep your thinking caps on though. We will need students’ creative ideas for the new mascot – the mascot competition will be held in the new year.

School Advisory Council Corner

MISTLETOE MARKET! Our SAC members have been busy organizing our 5th Mistletoe Market to be held on December 12! Students will have an opportunity to purchase items for their pet, mom/grandma/caregiver, dad/grandpa/, brother/sister. There will be a maximum limit of 5 gift purchases per student. All items will be priced at $1 or $2. A list will be sent home with students prior to the 12th so that parents can pre-determine, with their child, who they will be buying for.

Thank you to our SAC for organizing this for our students!

Is your child working on Dreambox at home? Here are a few tips: • For students in Grades 1-5: If your child is stopping to talk to someone or perhaps going away from the computer to visit the washroom, be sure that he/she pauses the game he/she is playing. If the game is not paused, the program determines that your child required that much think time to solve the problem and will adjust the programming to a lower level as a result. • Time on Dreambox does not count unless a game is completed. Be sure that your child doesn’t bounce from game to game but completely finishes one before moving onto another. Login : 42cv/senatorgp Remember… It’s okay for students to struggle a little bit with lessons☺

School Advisory Council

We look forward to our next SAC meeting on Jan. 28, 2020. @6pm. All are welcome to attend and babysitting will be available.

Holiday Concert This year our holiday concert is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18. One concert at 1pm and a repeat concert at 6:15pm. We hope you can join us.

The DSBN Academy is a Grade 6 to Grade 12 public school designed to support and empower students to be the first in their family to graduate from college or university.

The faculty and student body are committed to excellence and the belief that, with hard work, they can achieve their dreams. Come learn how our unique program prepares students to succeed at college and university and how your child can benefit from the opportunities offered at DSBN Academy. All families are invited to attend a parent information session in your community. Please see below for dates, times and locations.

Parent Information Session Time

December 10, 2019 Senator Gibson, Beamsville 6:00 - 7:00pm

January 20, 2020 Open House at DSBN Academy 6:00 - 7:30pm

Admission Requirements:

DSBN Academy recruits and enrolls students from all 12 municipalities within the Niagara Region. Eligible applicants must meet the following requirements, both at the time of application as well as at enrollment:

• Student must be entering Grades 6, 7 or 8 in September. • Student would be the first in their family to graduate from a college or university program. If a sibling of the student has attended

a post-secondary institution but the parent(s)/guardian(s) have not, the student is still considered a First Generation Student. • Student must be achieving current grade level expectations or just below. • Student has demonstrated the potential for achieving "good" or "excellent" learning skills, particularly initiative, independent

work and responsibility. • Student must be willing to attend a school location that may be out of his/her community. • Student understands that there is a mandatory after-school program which includes enrichment opportunities and academic

supports. • Families must understand that it is a single track pathway beginning in grade 9 (Academic Level Only). • Families understand that there is a parent engagement requirement of 15 hours each year.

Is DSBN Academy a good fit

for your child? Senator

• Applicants must submit a completed application to their current school by February 9, 2018.

The French Immersion Program offered at Central Public School is open to all students in

Year 2 (Senior) Kindergarten. If you want your child to develop a high proficiency and fluency in Canada’s two official languages, French Immersion has a great deal to offer. FEATURES OF THE FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAM:

• Development of French language skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing from Grades

one to twelve;

• Designed to be a second-language program for children whose first language is NOT French;

• Current enrolment of over 2,000 elementary students;

• Certificate of French Immersion Studies awarded upon successful completion of

the elementary and secondary immersion programs;

• Opportunity to challenge the Diplôme d’études de langue française (DELF)

exam in Grade 12 ;

• Promotes understanding of different cultures;

• Provides additional opportunities for employment using French as the working language;

• Increased ability to communicate and interact with confidence in French.

Registration will open January 6, 2020. For more information about French Immersion in the District School Board of Niagara visit

www.dsbn.org/fi or speak to your school principal. A Parent Information evening will be held on January 9 at Central Public School from 6pm.

MILK ORDERS January milk is available Dec. 2. online at School Cash Net. The link can be found on our school website at senatorgibson.dsbn.org

On Saturday, November 9th, nine members from the Me to We group met Mrs. Dick and Ms. Cressey at the Southridge Shelter in St. Catharines. The donated cereal boxes from the We Scare Hunger drive were delivered and put onto the shelves at the shelter. As a group, sandwiches and juice were made and cookies were baked to serve lunch to the residents of the shelter. The residents and staff of the shelter were incredibly grateful for our donations, as well as our time. Mrs. Dick and Ms. Cressey would like to extend their sincerest appreciation to all those Me to We members who gave up time on a Saturday to volunteer and help make a difference in the lives of others.

Lego Robotics club is starting in December for grades 4 to 8. We will meet in the Learning Commons once or twice a week for now during lunch/fitness breaks. It is an exiting club to be a part of. In the new year we will continue to meet during the day and may have after school practices as we get closer to the DSBN challenge on March 4th. Only 2 teams will go to represent our school. We will highlight everyone from the club and our robotics skills at one of our community assemblies! Mrs. Orlando and Mr. Bootsma are running this club.

Clean Hands! ~ from Niagara Public Health Cleaning your hands is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs. Regular hand cleaning with soap and water, or an alcohol based hand sanitizer will reduce the risk of getting sick. Cleaning your hands should occur: · Before eating · After using the washroom · After coughing or sneezing · After blowing your nose · After playing with pets · After playing outdoors Use warm water and soap and lather and scrub for at least 15 seconds if your hands are visibly dirty. For more information, talk to your school nurse or go to www.niagararegion.ca/health.

Active travel this December Children who walk to school have higher academic performance (alertness, verbal, numeric, and reasoning

abilities) and lower levels of stress during the school day. They have higher levels of happiness, excitement and

relaxation on the journey to school. Walking to school can help children develop independent decision-making

skills, emotional bonds with peers and the natural environment, and road safety skills.

(Source: www.utoronto.ca/news/why-walking-school-better-driving-your-kids)

Inclement Weather There may be times during the school year where inclement weather or other situations could cause transportation cancellations or

school closures.

At times when student transportation has been cancelled and schools remain open, the decision of whether or not to have children in

school on that day rests with the parent or guardian.

Should you decide not to send your child to school in the event that transportation is cancelled but schools remain open, or if

your child is ill or late, please ensure that you call your child’s school to inform them of your child’s absence.

A key resource in any emergency is the DSBN Emergency Information form that you filled out at the beginning of the school year.

Please let the school know of any changes in contact information or procedures you wish to be followed throughout the school year.

Information about transportation cancellations and school closures will be available as soon as it is available through the following

channels:

Websites:

http://www.dsbn.org/inclementweather/

www.nsts.ca

Subscription Features:

DSBN Facebook or Twitter

NSTS Transportation Delay or Cancellation Alerts

Phone:

Niagara Student Transportation Services 905-346-0290 Voice Auto Attendant

Radio Stations:

CKTB (610 AM) St. Catharines

CHRE (105.7 FM) St. Catharines

WAVE (94.7 FM) Hamilton CHTZ-FM (97.7 FM) St. Catharines

CKOC (1150 AM) Hamilton 2DayFM (105.1 FM) Niagara

Falls/Fort Erie

CHML (900 AM) Hamilton K-LITE-FM (102.9 FM) Hamilton

CHAM (820 AM) Hamilton GIANT FM (91.7 FM) Welland

Y-108(107.9) Hamilton