827 9th Line, Innisfil, ON L9S 1A6

Phone (705) 436-3600 Fax: (705) 436-1878

goodfellowps.com
Charlotte Swift
Principal
DECEMBER
2014

John Legere
Superintendent of Schools
(705) 734-6363; ext. 11318

Donna Armstrong
SCDSB Trustee
(705) 431-9982

Allison Beecroft
Vice-Principal

GOODFELLOW P.S. IS IN THE CENTRAL WEATHER ZONE

SAFE ARRIVAL WILL NOT RUN ON
CANCELLED BUS DAYS

Principals Message
Thank you to the many parents and guardians who joined us for
our student-led conferences in November. These are important
opportunities for you to learn more about how your child is
progressing. If you did not get a chance to meet with your childs
teacher it is not too late. Please call your childs teacher and make
an appointment. Our Provincial Report Card will be distributed to
students in February which will provide marks and further information about how to be supportive of your childrens learning.
We would like to thank our many volunteers, staff and School
Council who helped run our Sweater Weather Get Together on
December 6th. We are truly fortunate to have such a great community that supports our special events.
As we approach this festive season, we would like to wish you and
your family a wonderful, safe and joyous holiday and Happy New
Year. I hope 2015 will be a year of tremendous progress and
success for you and your family.
Charlotte Swift,
Allsion Beecroft
& Goodfellow staff

Upcoming Events/Dates At a Glance:

(Please see the back page for a comprehensive list)

Swimming: Grade 3 : 12:30

Gator Wear Sales
Sweater weather Get together
Snow Valley

Dec. 2
Dec. 5 &6
Sat. Dec. 6
Jan. 21

Character Assembly

Dec. 18

Last day of Classes

Dec. 19

Christmas Break
Welcome Back

Dec. 22Jan. 5
Jan. 5

Last day of school is Friday,

December 19th, 2014.
Students return on Monday,
January 5th, 2015.

Christmas Assemblies
Goodfellows halls and classrooms are
humming with students
humming what, you ask?

*** Christmas Carols ***

Come join us during the last week of school
to help kick off the holiday season with a
variety of performances
Wednesday, December 17 Kindergarten
Concert in their classrooms.
Thursday, December 18 - Kindergarten
Concert
Thursday, December 18 Character
Assembly

DRESS FOR THE WEATHER

PARENTS TAKE NOTE
Kids are using the Internet for the following reasons:
Instant messaging, games, email, surfing, school work,
Facebook and Twitter

Risks associated with such use:

25% of Canadian Youth have been invited to meet face to
face
Exposure to inappropriate material
Cyber bullying and privacy invasion
What Parents Can Do?
Explain the importance of understanding that all information
posted is public
Children should be able to name and talk about all people
who are a part of their buddy lists
Use parental controls
Work with your children to understand that you cant always
believe what you read online
Discuss the reality that posted photos can remain online
forever, can be accessed by anyone and are easily
modified.
Move computers to high traffic areas in the home and
provide supervision while your children are online.
Advise children not to fill out personal profiles
Forbid unmonitored chat rooms
Help children to understand about online predators
Teach your children to understand that if someone says
something inappropriate/uncomfortable to BLOCK them and
follow the process of STOP/BLOCK/SAVE/PRINT
Contact schools and local police as needed
Maintain an open dialogue with your children

The Ontario College of Teachers what do

they do?
Visit the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) website at http://www.oct.ca/ for tools and resources
specifically designed for parents. Search the
online registry to learn more about your child's
teacher and qualifications, read the e-newsletter
for parents and much more.

We are now into the coldest months of the year

and therefore it is
important to ensure that
children are dressed for the weather.
In the winter we follow the Canadian Pediatric
Society guidelines: Students remain inside if
the temperature falls below 25 C or if the
wind chill factor is 28 or colder.
Please help us encourage the students to
dress warmly by ensuring that they leave home
with a hat, mitts (gloves) and a jacket that will
fasten. We expect our students to do up their
jackets when going outside. We also expect the
primary and junior students to wear mittens
and a hat. If they are playing in the snow we
also expect them to wear snow pants.
If you are looking for lost mittens, etc. please
feel free to check out our LOST & FOUND.

PLEASE PUT YOUR CHILDS NAME ON ALL

ARTICLES OF CLOTHING.

Bullying is a serious issue in our

society.
Immediate help is available from the
Kids Help Phone
1-800-668-6868 or
www.kidshelpphone.ca.
At Goodfellow, all of our teachers are
trained to help. Call your childs teacher
and make an
appointment to discuss any issues you may have. More
information on bullying can be found at
www.canadiansafeschools.ca, or
www.bullying.org.

While we do have the Eat Well program at Goodfellow, we have noticed a growing
number of students coming to the office at second break looking for more food. If
it is possible, could you please send your student(s) with extra food to cover the
second break.

Immunizations for Grade 7 students:

Hepatitus B & Meningococcal
Conjugate ACWY (Men-C-ACWY)
vaccines are publicly funded for all grade 7 students. The
Hep B vaccine is a two dose series and the Men-C-ACWY
is one dose. A consent form has been sent home to have
completed and brought to school the day of immunization.
Immunizations for Grade 8 Girls
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will be offered to
all grade 8 girls. The HPV vaccine series is publicly funded
for grade 8 girls and is given in three doses throughout the
school year. A consent form has been sent home to have
completed and brought to school the day of immunization.
Your childs Immunization Record!
It is required by law to keep an up-to-date immunization
record on file for every student who attends elementary or
secondary school in Simcoe County and the District of
Muskoka.
Your doctors office does not send immunization information
directly to our health unit. Therefore parents need to
contact the health unit each time students receive a vaccine
from their doctor. If a students immunization information or
proof of a valid exemption is missing, the health unit will
mail a notice requesting the immunization information or
validity.
Please call Your Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or
1-877-721-7520. Parents can now provide updated
immunization information to the health unit online:
www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/immsonline
For more information visit the immunization page on the
health units website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org or
call the above phone numbers for more information.

Flu Season is upon us! Dont forget your flu shot!

This year, it's easier than ever to get the flu shot
for you and your family. Flu clinics are available
by appointment, with our online booking system:
https://clinicreservation.com/clinics/1/inline

Head Lice Screening

Now that students are back at
school and the weather is becoming
colder we will begin to have occurrences of head lice among some of
the students. Please check your son
or daughters head at least once
each week and notify the school if you find any
lice. Though there arent any medical problems
associated with having head lice it is a nuisance
and quickly spreads from one child to the next.
We send students home if head lice has been
found and ask parents to treat their child(ren)s
hair and physically pull the nits out prior to returning to school.

INCLEMENT WEATHER
INFORMATION

Winter driving conditions can be

challenging in Simcoe County and
severe inclement weather sometimes
requires the cancellation of school bus runs. Decisions to
cancel school bus runs are based on information from a
number of sources around 6:00 a.m. that morning.
To limit bus cancellations if weather conditions warrant, the

Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium

(SCSTC) has developed Inclement Weather Zones. These
four new zone areas have been determined
with consideration to weather patterns,
school catchment areas, routes that cross
over catchment areas and special needs
transportation.
Notification of bus

cancellations will continue to be made

via

http://www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca
website and media announcements.

your

schools

**Reminder: Safe Arrival does not run on Inclement Weather Days when busses are cancelled.**
Supervision Prior to School
Supervision on our playground does not begin prior to
9:05 AM.
If your child(ren) are arriving
at school earlier than 9:05 AM, they
will not be supervised.
Please ensure that they do not leave
home so early that they will arrive before 9:05 AM.
As well, there is no after school supervision. Students
must leave the school property once the 3:40 PM bell
rings.

Indoor Shoes
We are teaching students to respect our school by doing
their part to maintain a clean and organized school. We are
insisting that students pick up their shoes and other items
at the end of the day to make it easier for our custodians to
clean. Please help us by ensuring
that your child has a pair of indoor shoes that can always be
kept at school. Students are not
allowed to wear their outdoor
boots/shoes in their classroom.
As well, if there is an emergency it is essential that your child
(ren) be wearing footwear.
Thank you for supporting our school!

French Immersion and Extended

French info nights and registration info
The Simcoe County District School Board
(SCDSB) offers French Immersion (FI) and Extended French as a Second Language (EFSL) at
select schools throughout the county. FI begins
in Grade 1 and EFSL begins in Grade 5. These
programs give students a bilingual education and
the opportunity to become fluent in another language.
Information sessions will be held in January for
parents of Kindergarten and Grade 4 students. A
letter will be sent home to those parents with
more details. Information session dates are posted online at www.scdsb.on.ca under Programs,
French as a Second Language.
To apply for these programs, you must complete
the online application form in January at
www.scdsb.on.ca under Programs, French as a
Second Language. The FI application form will
be available from 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19,
until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. The
EFSL application form will be available from 9
a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, until 9 p.m. on
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015.
While every effort will be made to accommodate
all FI applications, available space and staffing
will determine how many students can be registered in the program. Applications will be processed in the order they are received electronically.
EFSL is an open access program. This means
that any student starting Grade 5 in September
2015 will be eligible for the EFSL program, and
all online applications will be processed.
Parents who do not have Internet access at home,
or who require other assistance accessing the
online application, should contact the school.

New website provides math help for parents

and students

The Ministry of Education has launched

Mathies (www.mathies.ca), a new website designed to help parents support
their children in math. The site includes
activities, learning tools and games for
students in Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Getting your news from the source
For parents, its important to get accurate information about
whats going on at your school and school board. Please feel free
to call the school at any time if you have questions or concerns.
Here is our school website: http://www.goodfellowps.com
There are also some helpful links on the SCDSB website that
may be of interest:

For information on the dates for the holiday break, P.A.

Days and March Break, see the School Year Calendars page
here: http://www.scdsb.on.ca/Schools/Pages/School-YearCalendars.aspx

For media releases and event information, visit the

News section at: http://www.scdsb.on.ca/About%20Us/Pages/
News.aspx?y=2013

For information on Capital Planning topics such as Accommodation Reviews, Attendance Area Reviews, and Facility
Partnerships, visit:
http://www.scdsb.on.ca/Board/Capital-Planning/Pages/CapitalPlanning.aspx

Through our newly-launched blog, Sharing Simcoe

(http://sharingsimcoe.com/), we share stories of some of the
amazing people involved in our schools. The blog features stories
and tips from our own in-house experts, and experts we work
with in the community.
For school bus transportation information, visit the Simcoe
County Student Transportation Consortiums website at: http://
main.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca/. And remember to bookmark
the school bus information page at: http://
simcoecountyschoolbus.ca/ for bus delay and cancellation up-

Q. What's a good holiday tip?

A. Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until
all the birds have gone south for the winter.

Q. What Christmas carol is a favourite of parents?

.Circle

Kindergarten Registration
starts soon
Do you (or someone you know)
have a child who was born in
2011? If so, its almost time to
register them for Kindergarten in
the SCDSB! Beginning on January 26, 2015, Simcoe Countys
public schools will be registering children for Kindergarten for
the 2015-16 school year. Required registration documents
include birthdate documentation,
proof of address and record of
immunization. For more information, visit www.scdsb.on.ca/
kindergarten.

Christmas Riddles:
Q. What goes in a chimney red and
comes out of it black?

A. Santa Claus.
Q. What's white and red and goes
up and down and up and down?

A. Santa Claus in an elevator!

Q. How do you scare a snowman?
A. You get a hairdryer!
Q. Why was Santa's helper depressed?

of Learning Parent Academy Free workshops to help you boost your

childs success
As a parent/guardian, you were your
childs first teacher and you are still his or
her most important teacher. Your involvement in your childs education has an impact on success. Register to attend workshops throughout the year designed to help
you support your childs learning and development.
Sessions include:
Successful transitions how parents
can guide their children to achieve their
full potential
Make the difference in math with a
growth mindset
Math 101 - all parents can support their
children in math
Resilience: Nine things kids need from
their families, schools, and communities
Find workshop dates, times, descriptions
and register online at www.scdsb.on.ca/
circleoflearning.
The Circle of Learning Parent Academy is
hosted by the Simcoe County District
School Boards Parent Involvement Committee and made possible with the support
of the Ministry of Education through a
Parents Reaching Out Grant.

Need a last minute holiday gift idea?

GIVE THE GIFT OF READING!
Order a magazine subscription for someone special
this holiday season!
Simply go to www.QSP.ca and start shopping.
Use the Account Finder to find our Group Online ID to support our school and children.
Remember, you can order a magazine for anyone who lives in Canada. Its cheaper than wrapping and mailing a gift and it lasts all year long!
Many magazines purchased through our recent fundraiser will begin to arrive in the next several weeks, but some
subscriptions due to publishing schedules may take longer to start. If you have questions, please contact QSP Customer Service at
1-800-667-253
100% Satisfaction Guarantee!

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR MAGAZINE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN!

EQAO strategic plan survey welcomes feedback from educators,

students and parents
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is the organization
that measures student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to Ontario Curriculum expectations. They are developing a new Strategic Plan that will guide the agencys efforts for the next five years. To help
EQAO understand how the agencys work can be most valuable in the years
ahead, the organization is asking parents, students, teachers, administrators,
trustees, school board employees, and members of the public to complete the
following survey: http://eqao.fluidsurveys.com/s/EQAOStrategicPlan/.

Provide input on proposed 2015-16

school year calendar
The Simcoe County District School Board
(SCDSB) invites public school communities to submit input regarding the proposed
school year calendar for next school year
(Sept. 2015 to June 2016). Input can be
provided by visiting www.scdsb.on.ca,
then clicking the link on the School Year
Calendars page under the Schools menu.
All stakeholders including staff, school
council members, parents/guardians, students and members of the school community are invited to provide input. Feedback
is invited until Jan. 9, 2015 to ensure the
SCDSB meets school year calendar development timelines set by the Ministry of
Education.

Important Upcoming Dates

Swimming (Gr 3)

Dec 2

Swimming (Gr 3)

Dec 4

Gator Wear Sales

Sweater Weather Get Together

Dec 5 & 6
Dec 6

Kindergartens in class
concert

Dec 17

Kindergartens concert

Dec 18

Christmas Break
Welcome Back

Dec. 23Jan. 3
Jan. 6