"Sharing Our Stories, Shaping Our Dreams"

For June 2011 – Volume 10Stanley Mills P.S. Ms Patrice Ward – Principal286 Sunny Meadow Blvd. Ms April Zeleny – Vice-PrincipalBrampton, ON Mrs. Leanne Hope-Godfrey – Office ManagerL6R 3C3 Mrs. Mary Bayaborda – Office Assistant(905) 789-0925 website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1487

Theme of the Month: All of our S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. QUALITIES!

Here at Stanley Mills, every staff member is committed to creating the best possible environment to enhance student well-being and achievement. As our 6th year as a learning community nears its close, I want to thank all of its members for their parts in making it such a success.

To the grade five students who will be our 5th “graduating class” I extend heartiest congratulations and thanks. You are a wonderful group of learners and leaders to send forth proudly to middle school and ever-expanding challenges and opportunities. Please continue to share your stories and shape your dreams like the stars that you are. Wherever you go, make sure that starlight streams and stardust spills! In this way you will fulfil our dreams for you.

For those of our students returning to Stanley Mills following your summer vacation, please have a safe, happy, and active summer. To any who might be moving to new schools, I trust that you will take with you not only much knowledge and skill but also happy memories as a foundation for adjusting to your new learning environment. To all of our students, I remind you even in the summertime to seek learning everywhere--aim high and reach for the sky!

In speaking of stellar achievement, I must pay tribute to our wonderful staff and thank them for creating and supporting all kinds of rich opportunities for learning, both within and beyond the classroom. Our office managers, Mrs. Godfrey and Mrs. Bayaborda, whose voices you hear on the 'phone and whose smiles greet you in our office, are always welcoming and helpful to children and adults alike. Mr. LaPlante, our Head Custodian, and his crew work tirelessly to keep our hallways gleaming and our school an inviting place in which to teach and learn.

As you know, our staff of dedicated teachers and teaching assistants provide an array of activities and means to enhance students' school experiences. Highlights of these include: assemblies and monthly themes, awards, the House system and points, choir, intramural sports, book fairs, guest speakers and interactive presentations, concerts, musicals, the Terry Fox Walk, Move-a-thon, Education Week, Kilometre Club, Guitar Club, Entertainment Club, Sign-Language Club, special events, excursions, and spirit days! It is very much a credit to our staff and students that these activities are so enthusiastically supported. They help to make Stanley Mills an exciting place in which to work and play!

We richly value our partnership with you, the family members of the children whose best interests we share. The overwhelmingly positive feedback that you provide in many ways, including by means of the “Your Voice Counts” survey administered this year, indicates that you value it, as well. We have reviewed your input and are incorporating it into our School Success planning.

Our base of volunteers continues to strengthen, and a group of parents and grandparents show dedication in supporting our students and our school, particularly in the running of our milk program. Their efforts are highly valued and appreciated, and make a big difference in the daily lives of children.

Our small and dedicated School Council, under the leadership of Mrs. Karen Sewpersaud, has worked hard to create a strong voice on behalf of our community and enhance relationships between home and school. I know that they would agree that excellent participation levels and enthusiasm at our special events indicate that our community recognizes the value and importance of working together on behalf of students. We encourage you to attend School Council meetings as one more way of supporting our school.

I am delighted to be looking ahead to another outstanding school year alongside our wonderful Vice-Principal, Ms April Zeleny, whom I am honoured to call my colleague and my friend. She and I both sincerely appreciate the ongoing leadership and support of our Superintendent of Education, Dr. Judy Massey, and our P.D.S.B. trustee, Ms Harinder Malhi.

If there is late-breaking information to share, such as any “Comings and Goings”, we will publish a short year-end edition of "The Stanley Mills Messenger." Meanwhile, on behalf of all of our staff, I extend thanks for your ongoing support of our school and our best wishes for a safe and happy summer.

Patrice WardPrincipal

Our Spring Musical: “CREATURE COMFORTS”

On May 5th, Stanley Mills presented its third musical written, directed, and accompanied by Principal Patrice Ward. “Creature Comforts” tells the story of a community pet shop rescued from going out of business by the efforts of two animal-loving children. Our production starred 5A students Eeshaan and Luvleen, respectively, as Noah and Cara Francis; Roha of class 4D as Mrs. Francis; Joshua of class 4A as Mr. Francis; Abdulhaady of class 4C as Mr. Petworth; and Priyanka of 5B as Mrs. Petworth. The “pets” on stage were portrayed by Kareena (3/4), Tarnjeet (3/4), Neha (4B), Bryanna (5B), Aleesha (4A), Supreet (4B), Harpreet (5A), Allen, (5A), Harman (5D), Monica (5D), Rachel (5C), and Yasmin (3/4).

Cast members performed several songs, with solos and duets in “Creature Comforts” and “Strut Your Stuff.” Other musical numbers were magnificently presented by students of all ages in our school as follows:

“Puppy Love”: 1B and 5B

“The Cats’ Meow”: 5D

“Rodents Rock”: 4A and 4D

“Hooked on Fish”: KA2 /KP2 and 2A

“A Bird’s Eye View”: 1A and 3 / 4

“Reptiles Are Not Low-Life Scum”: 3A and 3B

“Pet Shop” and “Animals Are People, Too!”: Cast members and the Stanley Mills Choir, under the direction of Mrs. Morgan.

The production was a success as a result of the efforts of many individuals working as a team. Our choir showed enthusiasm for learning and performing their songs and did a great job of memorizing challenging lyrics. Our outstanding cast deserves kudos for their dedication in memorizing lines, attending many hours of rehearsals, and bringing their characters to life. Our student stage crew of Ivraj and Arjot, both from 5D, brought a high level of commitment to helping wherever necessary and ensuring that curtains opened and closed at the right times.

We are deeply grateful to the overwhelming number of staff members who gave generously of their time and talent to design and build sets, make and find props, coach actors, maximize musicianship, oversee light

and sound, greet guests, supervise students, make costumes, and print and collect tickets, all to support the cause of helping our students shine. The acknowledgments would be far too long to list in their entirety, so to our wonderful, giving, dedicated staff, we say THANK YOU—you rock!

Finally, to the members of our audience who showed your respectful and sincere appreciation for all aspects of our production, please accept our grateful thanks.

HIGHLIGHTS of our MAY ASSEMBLY

On the afternoon of May 6th, we had the pleasure of having our grade 1 and grade 2 classes celebrate the S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. theme of Excellence. Student hosts Naina and Hinthuja did a great job of introducing this new theme.

Ms Ward and Ms Zeleny started the assembly with the presentation of the S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. awards to students who demonstrated their nurturing ways throughout the month of April. Congratulations to the award recipients, whose names and are below.

1A Bhamby Khushi1B Gill Khushdeep1C Decker Ramanan1D Seehra Balraj2A Calbert Jade2B Bursey Oankaar2C Hernandez Jaiden2D Singh Kiran3A Williams Shajanthini3B Salter Jasreen3C Gill Harleen3D Smallfield Jasleen

3 / 4 Phillips James4A Quinlan Prabhleen4B Tulk Natheeshan4C Zolis Manvir4D Ghosh Roha5A Galea Allen5B Stockden Manpreet5C Royer Manbeer5D Dutkiewicz Simran

Next, Ms Ward made a special presentation to recognize the excellence of many staff members who played an integral part of our highly successful musical, “Creature Comforts,” and really enhanced the opportunity for our students to shine!

Two of our grade 1 students, Riya and Jason, read the story “The Dot” as we enjoyed the illustrations on a slideshow presentation. This book reinforced that we all have different strengths and can show excellence in different ways!

We then had the opportunity to see excellence in action and to honour South Asian Heritage month! Jothi introduced this important celebration, and then three different groups of dancers shared Punjabi, Tamil, and Bhangra dancing, respectively. Thanks to Mrs. Bhamby, Mrs. Seehra, Mrs. Ghosh, and Mrs. Gill who worked with our dancers and organized the presentation. The dances were a wonderful way to enjoy and celebrate South Asian culture.

Mothers play a vital role in nurturing their children to be their very best. With Mothers’ Day on the horizon, Ms Hernandez’s class shared a very special multi-media presentation honouring the devotion and hard work of mothers and reminding us to appreciate all that they do! It was wonderful to see pictures of her students with their mothers.In June, Stanley Mills will be having a special Canada Day celebration. Ms Norris shared some important details about the Canada Day T-Shirt contest. Previous winning artists Jasneet and Zoejoy shared their designs. They encouraged students to submit a design in hopes that it would be chosen for the t-shirts shortly available to be purchased and worn for our “Stanley Mills Celebrates Canada” parade.

Ms Phillips presented The Stanley Mills Spirit Trophy to Ms Smallfield’s grade three class

for outstanding participation in our April Spirit Day, which was Storybook Character Day. Students were interested to hear a House Points update and see who was in the lead, but unfortunately time just didn’t allow that. Ms Henry and Captain Housepoints (a.k.a. Mr. Robson) made sure that word was sent over the announcements that Jupiter was in the lead.

Thanks to all of those who contributed to such a successful gathering, and to the parents and guests who took the time to show their support by joining us for the afternoon’s celebrations.

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION TEA

At Stanley Mills we value our volunteers, and we're going to show them how much! On Thursday, June 2nd, from 10:20 - 11:00 a.m., staff will be hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Tea in our staffroom. Our special guests will be treated to goodies AND good cheer!

Invitations to this social event have gone out, and we hope we've included everyone who has actively contributed to school life this year. If we've missed you, please give us a call at 905 789-0925. We'd truly love to have you join us.ARE YOU MOVING?

If you are moving out of the Stanley Mills area this summer, please contact Mrs. Godfrey or Mrs. Bayaborda at 905 789-0925. This information is necessary to us in planning for next year.

REPORT CARDS and CLASS PLACEMENT FOR FALL

Report cards will be sent home on Thursday, June 30th, the last day of the school year.

Please be sure to note your child's class placement for next year, as this information will assist students in knowing where to line up on the first day back to school: Tuesday, September 6th.

HENNA DAY and SAMOSA DAY – Friday, June 3 rd

Our celebrations of South Asian Heritage Month will culminate in some special events during the week of May 30th to June 3rd. We will feature some special music during our Drop Everything and Listen times and hope to present some bilingual picture books during Drop Everything and Read. Another highlight will be Samosa Day and Henna Day to be enjoyed on Friday, June 3rd . Please watch for a letter about this exciting Stanley Mills tradition coming home soon.

JUNE ASSEMBLY

Combined with our June S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. assembly, we will be holding our Spring Recognition Assembly on Friday, June 3rd in the morning. Our Spirit Day theme is “Summer Fun: Sunglasses Day.” On this occasion, we will be recognizing our S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. award recipients for the May theme of Excellence, as well as each class's star students for the past term for outstanding achievement in Academics, Athletics, the Arts, Citizenship, Effort, and, where applicable, French. We will also honour students for some extra-curricular activities and other contributions. GRADE 5 GRADUATION – Tues., June 28 th

On May 26th, a letter went home with grade five students outlining the arrangements being made to celebrate the achievements of our 5th graduating class. The letter is meant to ensure that families clearly understand the exciting components of the occasion, as well as the details and recommendations that are important to know ahead of time. If you are the parent or guardian of a grade five student and did not receive this letter, please contact your child's teacher to request one. Meanwhile, please remember that a maximum of 4 adult family members per household are invited to the graduation ceremony, which is to be held on Tuesday, June 28th at 8:45 a.m.

Spelling Bee Competition

Mrs. Bhamby’s grade one class had a “Spelling Bee Competition” on May 18th. The students participated and memorized 270 words from the primary and junior stage word lists. The students had one month to prepare for this challenging competition. Mrs. Bhamby awarded prizes to the winners of the first category: Sahajbir, Ghufran, and Jatan. The winners of the second category was Ghufran. Ms Ward presented certificates to all the participants and winners.

School Hours and School Calendar for 2011– 2012

We are pleased to confirm that the school hours for Stanley Mills remain unchanged for next year. School entry is at 8:15, with the day beginning at 8:20 and ending at 2:40.

Ministry of Education provides guidance on fees for learning materials and activities

This spring, the Ministry of Education released a guideline for schools on fees for learning materials and activities. The guideline is meant to clarify information in the Education Act by outlining the types of fees schools are able to pass along to families.

All Peel District School Board schools are reviewing current practices and working towards meeting the expectations in the guideline. The Peel board is developing a policy on fees and it is expected to be approved in fall 2011. Schools will fully implement the policy by September 2012.

Here is what you need to know: Schools cannot charge for materials or activities that are required as part of the core curriculum of the regular day school

program like workbooks and textbooks.

Schools can charge for enhanced or optional programs, activities and materials like field trips, special presentations, agendas and yearbooks.

Schools will confer with the school council when setting fees for program enhancements and will communicate with parents about the fees. Fees will be itemized and any fee parents are asked to pay will be used only for its intended purpose.

We will continue to strongly encourage the use of agendas or another type of communication book because we feel it is an excellent way to share information between school and home and to help students organize their work. However, it will not be mandatory for agendas to be purchased.

Teachers will continue to ask families to provide basic school supplies for their children’s personal use like a pencil case with pencil crayons and pencils. Continuing with our current practice, if a student does not have these supplies, we will ensure the student has what he or she needs to complete school activities and assignments.

It continues to be important to us that students not miss out on opportunities because of situations beyond their family’s control. We will continue to encourage and welcome families to come to us if financial support is necessary to ensure their child can benefit from enhancements to the regular school program. A child will never miss an opportunity because of financial reasons. We will ensure any communication and the support provided is kept confidential.

We know program enhancements are part of what makes the school experience memorable and fun for students. We look forward to working with our families and staff to make sure we are able to meet the needs of all of our students.

Summer activities that boost learningKindergarten to grade 4

Sorting and stacking – Teach classification skills with dinnerware. Ask your child to match and stack dishes of similar sizes and shapes. Also have your child sort flatware – forks with forks, spoons with spoons. This is like recognizing the shapes of letters and numbers.

Comic strip writing – Use comic strips to help with writing. Cut the segments of a comic strip apart and ask your child to arrange them in order. Then ask your child to fill in the words of the characters (orally or in writing).

Float and sink – Encourage hypothesizing (guessing). Use several objects – soap, a dry sock, a bottle of shampoo, a wet sponge, an empty bottle. Ask your child which objects will float when dropped into water in a sink or bathtub. Then drop the objects in the water, one by one, to see what happens.

Grades 5 to 8

Follow the news – As a family, choose an important news event to follow for a day or two. Ask each person to find as much information on the topic as possible – read newspapers, listen to the radio and watch TV news. Then talk about what everyone learned.

Pro and con: what do you think? – Make a family game of discussing a special issue. For example, "Teenagers should be allowed to vote," or "There should never be any homework." Ask your children to think of all the reasons they can to support their views. Then ask them to think of reasons opposing their views. Which views are most convincing? For variety, assign family members to teams and have them prepare their arguments pro and con.

Stretch, run, walk – Ask your child to do at least one kind of exercise every day. For example, run or walk briskly for 10 minutes. Walk, when possible, instead of driving, for any distance less than a mile. Have your child make a week-long exercise plan. Try to think of a modest reward for sticking to the plan and exercise with your child. Let your voice be heard – Promote good citizenship. Help your child write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper about an issue affecting children – for example, suggest that a bike path be built near the school or that a city event be planned for youngsters. Children are citizens, and their ideas are worth hearing.