April, 2017
School News
MATH - MODERN LEARNING - MENTAL HEALTH
At Blue Willow P.S., we continue our commitment to the three York Region District School Board foci: Math, Modern Learning and Mental Health.
MATHEMATICS
Math Inquiry and Problem Solving through Games and Puzzles
We are dedicated to best practices at Blue Willow Public School. As partners in education, we are building student knowledge and capacity of foundational math concepts through critical thinking, games, and puzzles. Ask your child about MATH and encourage your child to share some strategies at home!
MENTAL HEALTH
Restorative Rooms
Healthy relationships affect healthy learning environments. Our Growth Mindset and Restorative approach to challenges, influence our behaviours and build resiliency when facing adversity. The restorative approach to problem solving supports our children with every aspect of learning and growing. At Blue Willow, we continue to support students to independently solve social conflicts using positive restorative skills and strategies in the library every Monday and Thursday during recess.
PLAY Program
Every Wednesday at recess, our Intermediate PLAY Leaders engage various Primary classes (K-3) in safe and fun play in the gym. This has been a very exciting opportunity for all our students and we have received positive feedback from our students and staff.
YRDSB Survey for Parents/Guardians
We will be inviting parents/guardians to participate in a survey May 1-19, 2017. This survey provides an important opportunity for parent/guardian voice. Results will be used to guide planning to support student achievement and well-being.
You may complete the survey online or on paper. The online survey will be available in English. Paper surveys will be available from the school office in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Hebrew, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Sri Lankan Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese.
We value your input and encourage you to complete the survey. The information you provide will be anonymous, considered confidential and kept in strict accordance with all relevant legislation.
Information about how to access the online survey will be sent home with students at the end of April. Please contact the office at (905) 851-0043, if you have any questions.
MODERN LEARNING
As Modern Learners, we value collaborative learning environments where deep, authentic and relevant learning prepare our students to be future ready. Blue Willow continues to collaborate with various community partners to further develop Modern Learning and Mental Health strategies.
ECO ASSEMBLY
The Eco Team led an engaging and impactful ECO Assembly on March 31, 2017. During the assembly, our students reminded us of our responsibilities as agents of change. They presented the values of the First Nations peoples and how they cared for Mother Earth, they created drama and dance pieces that highlighted the interconnectivity of life on earth, and they engaged the audience with recycling brought to life!
At Blue Willow, ECO mindfulness includes: - bringing a water bottle for our water-filling stations
- packing food items in reusable containers
- powering down technology and turning off lights when not in use, and
- using the appropriate bin to reduce waste and cross-contamination.
We continue to improve our ECO practices and we strongly encourage our community to join us in our pledge for change.
HEALTHY SMOOTHIES
As part of our HEALTHY SCHOOLS initiative and in collaboration with our community partners META Centre (http://www.metacentre.ca) and York Region Food for Learning (foodforlearning.com), META centre volunteers continue to prepare Healthy Smoothies for students to taste and trial. This initiative strives to build awareness of healthy food choices to fuel a healthy body and mind. Each class have had the opportunity to try a healthy green smoothie, and complete a survey to rate the smoothie.
Here are the results of the first round of taste-testing:
Healthy Schools Team
Together with York Public Health and Food for Learning, our Healthy Schools Team have stocked EVERY classroom with healthy fruits and vegetables to support student success! Students now have access to healthy snacks at any time of the day!
We encourage parents and guardians to include more fruits and veggies in every meal, in order to ensure every child meets the five to six serving recommendation each day.
YORK REGION POLICE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
Our Community partner, Officer Toni, continues to engage with our staff and students on building a healthy sense of belonging and well-being for everyone. Grade 4 and 5 classes will soon participate in a presentation about the use of Social Media. Our Grade 6 classes continue to participate in the Values, Influences and Peers (VIP) Program. The Intermediate classes reviewed their VIP program strategies, and extended their understanding of the dangers of gangs and violence. During these sessions, students review proactive strategies on how to build and maintain healthy relationships through positive choices.
Parents as Partners
One of the ways parents and guardians can support healthy routines and fulfill learning potential is to encourage their child(ren) to begin the day on time. Families are strongly encouraged to support their children to arrive to school prior to the start of our school day.
THE LEARNING BEGINS AT 8:25 a.m.
APRIL 2017 Calendar
Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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3
Day 3
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4
OFFICER TONI
- USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA (Gr.4&5)
Day 4
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5
Day 5
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6
Mental Health Myth Busting Workshop
(Gr.7)
Day 1
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7
Day 2
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10
Day 3
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11
Day 4
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12
DAY OF PINK ASSEMBLY
Day 5
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13
Day 1
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14
GOOD FRIDAY
NO SCHOOL |
17
EASTER MONDAY
NO SCHOOL |
18
Day 2
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19
Day 3
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20
Day 4
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21
Day 5
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24
Grade 8 Females HPV
PUBLIC HEALTH
Grade 7s Hepatitis B
Day 1
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25
Gr.7 Junior Achievement Program
Day 2
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26
Gr.8 Junior Achievement Program
Day 3
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27
Day 4
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28
RETRO DAY - School Spirit Day
Day 5
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Community News
NEW COMMUNICATION ROLLOUT
Please note that we will be sending May and June Newsletters through the EDSBY platform, as well as our School Blog.
Upcoming School Council Meeting
Monday, May 8, 2017 in our Library from 6:30-8:30 p.m. All Welcome!
Parking Reminders:
When parking in school and Board parking lots, please ensure you are parked in an appropriate designated parking space and obeying any parking signage. Failure to do so may result in a parking ticket. Our schools are busy locations, and the safety of all our students is paramount.
Here are some tips to help you:
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LIGHT IT UP BLUE for WORLD AUTISM MONTH
Join Autism Ontario, York Region on April 2nd for World Autism Awareness Day at Sky Zone Vaughan! Free fresh scones from Cobbs Bakery and awesome raffles and prizes to be won! Support the cause and make a donation :)
All families are welcome to join us, as we raise the flag to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day and bring awareness to your communities.
Monday April 3rd – City of Vaughan – 9:00am - 2141 Major MacKenzie Dr. West
LATE SCHOOL BUS REPORT
As the season changes, both weather and traffic tend to be unpredictable throughout the school day. Parents and guardians are encouraged to stay informed of Bus Arrival times by checking your child(ren)'s bus status under Late Bus report on www.schoolbuscity.com.
Board News
What is Autism? Workshop
