DONALD COUSENS P.S.

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

For upcoming events and dates please visit our website at http://donaldcousens.ps.yrdsb.ca/

A Message From Administration Congratulations to our Boys and Girls Intermediate Volleyball teams as they represented our school very well at our recent Area tournaments. Best wishes to our Junior Volleyball team as they prepare to compete at the upcoming Area event. Thank you for joining us at Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews. We had a fantastic turnout, and our students benefit from the partnership we have together. As part of our learning focus, students and staff are working on improving how our students communicate their thinking with enough clarity, depth and evidence for others to understand. You can help by asking your children about what they are learning each day. We are continuing to grow and change at DCPS. A few recent changes include saying goodbye to one of our caretakers. Mr. McGinty will be joining a new school after the holidays. We also welcome our new Junior French teacher, Ms. Marcus-Jones. Ms. Marcus-Jones has taken over for Ms. Cragg, who is currently enjoying her retirement. A huge congratulations to Mr. Demacio, who has been appointed Vice-Principal at Legacy Public School in Markham. We thank Mr. Demacio for all of the wonderful contributions he has made at DCPS and wish him much success in his new career as an administrator. As the holidays draw closer, on behalf of the DCPS staff, we would like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season. We’ll see everyone back to school on January 6, 2014! Ms. Tracey Cox Ms. Robin Cockburn Principal Vice‐Principal

Principal: Tracey Cox Vice Principal: Robin Cockburn

EOAA: Anne Beare Office Assistant: Louisa Lee

Phone: 905-202-8120 Fax: 905-202-8121

Superintendent: Dan Wu Trustee: Allan Tam

Our morning entry bell rings

at 8:05 a.m. Students are expected

to be here at school for our entry

bell.

Inside this Issue School Information Library News Kindergarten Registration French Immersion Registration Toy and Clothing Drive Winter Concert Information Character Awards

Snow Day / Bus Cancellation

Message from our Trustee

DCPS WINTER CONCERT

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 18, 2013

6:30 PM

Our Winter Concert "Where in the World" will take place Wednesday December 18 in the

gymnasium. We will have a "dress-rehearsal" after lunch beginning at 1:10 pm for the whole

school to watch, as well as any parents who are unable to come to the evening performance. The

evening performance will begin at 6:30 pm. Not all classes will be participating in this concert, but

we would like to encourage everyone to come out and support all of our performers. We will have

concert band performances, recorder ensembles, class choirs, a kindergarten performance

(Monday/ Wednesday group), Junior/Intermediate Choir and Primary Choir performing music from

around the world. Come follow our journey and enjoy the talents of our wonderful students!

WINTER CLOTHING AND TOY DRIVE

Donald Cousens Public School will be working with the York Region Police and their

Holiday Heroes campaign to support the children from our community who are in

need. This year we will be running a Winter Clothing and Toy Drive that will run from

Wednesday, December 4th until Monday, December 16th.

Winter Clothing Drive

The Student Council Team will be collecting winter clothing items such as

mittens, gloves, hats, or scarves. Please note: all clothing items must be new.

The Social Justice Committee will be collecting new toys or monetary donations to purchase toys for

the toy drive. If you are able to contribute, we thank you for your generosity toward one of our

drives. DCPS Social Justice Committee and the Student Council Team

Kindergarten Registration is to commence January 17, 2014

DCPS will have full day Kindergarten in September 2014 Kindergarten registration will commence on January 17, 2014 for the 2014-15 school year. Registration

forms are available on YRDSB’s website: www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. Children who turn four or five years old

during 2014, live within the school boundary and whose parents are public school tax supporters will be

eligible to register for kindergarten. A kindergarten information session for parents is being planned for

this spring. For more information please visit the YRDSB website or contact your local school.

French Immersion Information Sessions and Registrations

Information sessions for the French Immersion (FI) program will take place at Sam Chapman PS on January 16, 2014 at 7 p.m. FI registration will begin January 17, 2014. In order to streamline the registration process, parents or guardians of Senior Kindergarten students entering Grade 1 in 2014, and wishing to enroll in the FI Program, can visit or call the school office and request an Office Index Card - short version. The Office Index Card must be signed by the principal of the home school. Parents or guardians then take this form, along with one piece of identification showing their address to Sam Chapman PS to register between January 17 and February 14, 2014. This eliminates the need to provide duplicate enrollment information or to pre-register. YRDSB’s FI Accommodation Plan provides long-term consistency and equity of access to all students in York Region and will

enable YRDSB to continue to offer the FI program to all who wish to enroll. The FI program will be offered in Dual Track or

Single Track settings, in a variety of configurations. In order to meet community needs and optimize available space in our

schools, a community's Grade 1-8 FI program may be provided over more than one school during the course of a student's FI

education. This will allow flexibility in addressing community needs and the opportunity to use existing space in schools. More

information is available on the Board’s website: www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. Please note: Some of the FI accommodation plans will

require facility modifications or the development of new schools and will require short-term transition plans that might

include overflow while we work toward the long-term vision. Overflow refers to situations in which the Board directs students

to attend a school other than their community school or optional program for a specific period of time, as defined in Policy

#108.

arts@baythorn Would your child enjoy learning the Ontario curriculum through the Arts?

If so, the York Region District School Board offers an Elementary integrated Arts program at Baythorn Public School. Students currently in grades four and five may apply for the arts@baythorn program, where they will have the opportunity to explore the disciplines of Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, and Music while meeting the expectations of the Ontario Curriculum for grades five, six, seven, and eight. To learn more about the arts@baythorn program, students and their families are invited to attend an information evening at Baythorn Public School on Thursday, January 16, 2014 @ 6:30 p.m. Applications will be on line via the school website and available after January 16, 2014. www.baythorn.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca Please call us at Baythorn Public School (905) 889-7992, if you require

further information.

Jacqueline Linton Jennifer Rosenberg

Principal Vice-Principal

Character Matters for November:

HONESTY

What is Character Education?

Character education is a deliberate effort to cultivate positive personal attributes and civility among students. It is a whole-school effort to create a community in which positive attitudes, values and behaviours are fostered. These qualities are promoted explicitly, modeled, taught, expected, celebrated, and continuously practiced in every day actions. In short, character education is the promotion of universally desirable qualities such as respect, responsibility, honesty and integrity.

The Character Trait for December

Empathy

We strive to sense and appreciate the

emotions of others, to "stand in their

shoes." We demonstrate appreciation

of and concern for their feelings. We

try to understand issues from their

perspectives even though we may not

agree with them personally.

With the holiday season fast approaching, the library is pleased to be bringing back book dedications for

the whole month of December! Dedicating a library book to a staff member is a great way to support

the school and help us continue to build our library collection. This is how it works…

From now until Tuesday, December 17th, students are invited to come to the library to select a brand

new book to dedicate to a staff member. Once a book has been selected, we will help the student write

a message (pasted into the front cover of the book), and wrap it up for the staff member to open. On

the day before the holiday break, our library “elves” deliver the dedicated books to their recipients, who

open the books and enjoy them over the holiday. After the holiday, the books will be returned to the

library for others to enjoy, and the wonderful dedication will remain on the inside!

It costs $5 to dedicate a soft cover book, and $10 to dedicate a hardcover book.

All proceeds go toward purchasing new books and library resources.

gallery Featured Artists Featured Artists

Braeden JK Darragh Alec Gr. 5 Burbidge

Ivy SK Darragh Evan Gr. 5 Burbidge

Meilly Gr. 1 Briggs Lavan Gr. 5 Burbidge

Daniel Gr. 1 Moon Akilesh Gr. 5 Cherbel

Leyla Gr. 1 Moon Bobo Gr. 5 Cherbel

Liya Gr. 2 Moon Camron Gr. 5 Tzogas

Jasnoor Gr. 2 Vardakas Anika Gr. 5 Tzogas

Hanna Gr. 3 Cianferro Sharany Gr. 7 Russell

Amber Gr. 3 Currie Thanuka Gr. 7 Russell

Casey Gr. 4 Ahmad Kris Gr. 8 Russell

Ivy Gr. 4 Ahmad Marisa Gr. 8 Russell

Alice Gr. 4 Saxton Preet Gr. 8 Russell

George Gr. 4 Saxton Tanya Gr. 8 Russell

Harleen Gr. 4 Welikala

FOOD BITES December 2013

A Guide to Fats

Once upon a time, our ancestors ate without much thought about fat. Then times changed and it was considered that fats

are bad and low fat was the way to go. Now again as we gain more knowledge and information, we know that fats are

essential to our health and well-being, and not all fats are created equal. Let’s take a closer look at the types of fats and

the best cooking uses of different kinds of fats.

Benefits of fat Some fat in our diets is vital. Fats are nutrients that give us energy. They help us absorb fat-soluble

vitamins A, D, E and K. They are important for growth development and cell functions and some cannot be made by our

body processes. They also assist in the proper functioning of our brains and nerves and maintain healthy skin and other

tissues.

Types of fat Fats are made up of fatty acid molecules containing carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. The more hydrogen than

carbon a fat has, the more saturated it is.

Unsaturated fats: are liquid at room temperature and considered the “good fats”.

Monounsaturated fats – come from seeds, nuts such as avocado, olive, peanut and canola oils.

Polyunsaturated fats – come from vegetables, seeds or nuts such as corn, safflower, sunflower and sesame oils.

Saturated fats: are mainly animal fats and are solid at room temperature. These include butter, cheese, whole milk, egg

yolks and fatty meats. Some plant fats are also in this category including coconut and palm oils. Once thought to be the

“bad fat” and to be avoided, there is now evidence that shows that not all saturated fats are bad and eating the right ones

can actually make you healthy. For example, ghee (clarified butter) and coconut oil have many health benefits and have a

higher smoking point.

Trans fats: are produced when liquid oil is made into a solid fat through a process called hydrogenation. This process

makes oils more stable and less likely to spoil. These would include margarine and shortening. Trans fats should be

avoided altogether as they are known to cause major health problems such as heart diseases to cancer. Trans fats are

often found in baked goods, fried foods, snack foods and pre-mixed products (such as cake mix, pancake mix, chocolate

drink mix).

Cooking with fats There are many different types of oils and fats to choose from when cooking. Choose oils for your

cooking based on taste, texture and smoke point. The smoke point of an oil or fat is the temperature at which it gives off

smoke when heated. A fat starts to break down when it exceeds the smoke point and is not good for consumption.

Some fats are better choices for different types of cooking.

Type of cooking Best choices High heat cooking Light olive oil (light in colour and taste not calorie content), Canola oil, Coconut oil, Peanut oil,

Avocado oil, Grapeseed oil, Sesame oil, Sunflower oil, Palm oil Sautéing Extra virgin olive oil, Safflower oil, Ghee, Baking Butter, Extra virgin coconut oil, Canola oil, Almond oil, Grapeseed oil, Palm oil Dressings/dips Extra virgin olive oil, Avocado oil, Flaxseed oil, Wheat-germ oil, Grapeseed oil, Hemp oil Did you know? Kid’s Kitchen serves hot lunches at your school. Leave the lunches to us! Take a break from making

lunches and place your orders with Kid’s Kitchen today. Lunches are delivered fresh and hot to children at the school at

lunch time. Allergies? No problem, we take care of it all. For more information visit www.kidskitchen.ca or call us at

905-944-0210.

Social Justice Club Supports the Philippines

The Social Justice Club raised money for the Philippines during the Parent-Teacher interviews. On the

night of November 14th

we raised a total of $189.15! The money that we raised will go to the typhoon

affected regions through Canadian Medical Assistance Teams (CMAT). Thank you to all of the DCPS

families for donating! By: Seethaa and Sara on behalf of the Social Justice Club

Parent Engagement

KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE PRESENTATION

Grade 8 and High School Students

Markham District High School

January 20, 2014

MDHS School Council would like to invite all parents and guardians to make a

note on their 2014 calendar for January 20th. Please join us at 7 p.m. in the

school Learning Commons (Library) for an information night courtesy of the York

Region Police. Topics to be discussed include drugs and the new terminologies,

sexting and warning signs. This presentation is open to all parents of high school

age students and is a “must see" for all parents/guardians of grade 8 students.

ECO CLUB UPDATE

The Eco Club has students from Grades 1 – 8. It is a club that is trying to take

care of the Earth. So far, we have done the following things:

1) We had a Waste Free Challenge. We had to bring boomerang snacks and lunches. We found that there was less garbage than regular weeks.

2) LOL – Lights Off Lunch. We remind students to turn off their lights during snack and lunch time. 3) We have been measuring the amount of garbage. 4) We have been looking at how well the classes sort their garbage.

We are doing these things because we want to help take care of the Earth. We want our school to have a

very small amount of garbage to throw away. We want to encourage the school to put the garbage in the

right bins. We also want to turn the lights off at snack and lunch time to save energy.

The December Eco Theme is “Reduce Your Footprint”.

This is what we are doing in the Eco Club and we are having fun!

By: Aaron Grant, Rayana, Jasnoor, Michael, Aditya and Diana (Grades 1 – 3 Eco Club members).

As 2013 draws to a close, I hope everyone has had a wonderful school year so far. As

a trustee, I am always very proud to hear about the great things happening in our schools, thanks to the hard

work of our students, staff and community members.

With the school year well underway I hope you have had an opportunity to get involved with the school community. There are many different ways to get involved. Our great schools become even better when everyone in the school community – families, students, staff and community partners – feels welcome and engaged in the school. We will begin 2014 with a renewed Mission, Vision and Values statement. They are being updated to better reflect the school communities we serve, and the changes we have seen in education over the past decade. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their views. As we enter the winter months, on behalf of the trustees and staff of the York Region District School Board, I would like to wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season, and a wonderful start to the new year. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Eastern Christmas to families who are celebrating these faith days during the holiday season. Allan Tam, Trustee Markham Area 3 (Wards 4 & 5)

Message From Our Trustee Allan Tam

Emergency Clothing With the wet and cold weather upon us, it would be helpful if your child brought some extra pieces of clothing that could be kept at school, in case they are needed.

Snow Day—School Bus Cancellation Notice

To ensure the safety of students, school bus service may be cancelled from time to time due to

inclement weather, extreme temperatures and/or poor road conditions. In these cases, parents a

and students should develop alternate care and/or transportation arrangements. Cancellation decisions are made by

6:00 a.m. to allow time to communicate this message to bus drivers. Cancellation decisions will only be made after

thorough consultation with the Safety Officers of school bus companies servicing York Region and are based on

several factors including precipitation, air temperature, road conditions and weather forecast. Please note the

following;

A decision to cancel school bus service is region‐wide meaning all school buses, vans & taxis will not operate.

School bus routes may be cancelled when severe weather is not affecting all municipalities in York. Both the YRDSB and YCDSB operate many regional educational programs. Students attending these

programs are transported over large attendance areas encompassing several municipal boundaries. This

limits the ability to cancel bus service using a municipality or zone methodology.

Unless otherwise stated, schools will remain open and parents can make arrangements to transport their children to and from school even if school bus service is cancelled. If buses are cancelled in the morning, they will not operate in the afternoon.

Parents, students and school staff are asked to visit the school website or access the following radio and television stations after 6:00 a.m. to receive bus cancellation information:

RADIO 590 AM / 640 AM / 680 AM / 860 AM / 1010 AM / 1050 AM / 1540 AM / 1580 AM and 88.5 FM / 89.9 FM /

92.5 FM / 93.1 FM / 94.9 FM / 95.9 FM / 97.3 FM / 98.1 FM / 99.1 FM / 99.9 FM / 101.1FM / 102.1 FM / 104.5 FM /

100.7 FM / 107.1 FM TELEVISION CITY TV CTV Barrie CFTO TV CP24 GLOBAL NEWS