Principal’s Message

December 2012

Principal's Message

Dear Parents: Welcome to December at Port Weller Public School. The anticipation for the upcoming holidays along with a much needed break to spend time with friends and family always makes this a special time of year. As our thoughts turn to the coming weeks and the upcoming break, I wanted to take this opportunity to advise you of an administrative change at the school. As you may know, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario has directed its members to participate in job action at the DSBN. As a result, both Mr. Enns and Ms. Young are needed in their building on a full-time basis. In the interim, I will serve as Port Weller's Principal. Prior to coming to Port Weller, I spent many years as a Principal at the DSBN. We have many exciting activities planned throughout the month, and I look forward to getting to know you and your children over the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at the school at 905-934-3322. Sincerely, Pat Davis Acting Principal

Time for our annual Winter Wonderland !

We will be holding our annual Winter Wonderland activities for the students on Dec. 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a fun day for your children to shop for the family, buy some treats and play some games. Parents are more than welcome to stop by and purchase tickets for our raffle table, treat table or any of the other fun activities. Port Weller cook books are still available for sale for $10 each. These make a great gift! Please see Mrs. Munn in the office if you would like to purchase one.

Peter Pan Trip

We are excited for our "whole school" Peter Pan Trip on Friday, December 14. Busses will depart the school at 9:45 a.m. and return from the Scotiabank Convention Centre at 1:05 p.m.

Information Evening for Grade 4 and 1 French Immersion Programs

Information Evenings are scheduled for families interested in the Grade 4 French Immersion Program at Dalewood Public School on Thursday, December 6th starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Learning Commons and the Grade 1 French Immersion Program at Sheridan Park Public School on Wednesday, December 12 from 6:30-7:30 in the gym. If you wish to find out more details about the French Immersion programs, please attend these this Information Evenings.

The French Immersion program offers an excellent opportunity for students to study in Canada's two official languages and we encourage students and parents to carefully consider this program option for their child.

"The ability to communicate in French is a valuable skill, because French is one of Canada's two official languages and because it is a language used widely around the world. Research confirms that knowledge of a second language strengthens firstlanguage skills and that the ability to speak two or more languages generally enhances reasoning and problem solving skills, as well as creative-thinking skills. Learning a second language not only strengthens students' ability to communicate, but also develops their capacity to understand and respect other cultures. In this way, second-language learning prepares students to participate more effectively in the workplace and in the global economy, and provides them with a distinct advantage in a number of careers, both in Canada and internationally." (pg 3 of the E.F./F.I. Curriculum Document (C.D.) 2001)

DSBN Grade 8 Open Houses

During the week of January 14-17, DSBN high schools will be opening their doors to students and their families across Niagara. The "Your Future is Here" open houses are for Grade 8 students and their families interested in learning more about high school and the supports DSBN schools have in place to help students become successful. For more information, please visit .

High school open houses taking place in St. Catharines include: Eden High School January 14, 2013 7:00 ? 9:00 p.m. Governor Simcoe January 16, 2013 6:30 ? 8:30 p.m. Laura Secord January 15, 2013 6:30 ? 9:00 p.m. Sir Winston Churchill January 14, 2013 6:30 ? 8:30 p.m. St. Catharines Collegiate January 16, 2013 6:00 ? 8:00 p.m.

DreamBox

Together with the DSBN, Port Weller Public School has purchased DreamBox Learning's Math Program, an online, Intelligent Adaptive LearningTM program that helps all students achieve better, faster math proficiency. Your student can access DreamBox Learning from any computer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using this link: or by clicking the DreamBox logo on our staff/classes Web site. There is a parent guide posted right underneath this link with tips for parents.

DreamBox is an online program -- there's no software to download! All you need is a highspeed Internet connection and Adobe Flash. Adobe Flash is free and is included with many

2 The Treasure Chest: A Monthly Publication from Port Weller Public School

Internet browsers. You may also review your student's academic progress by setting up a DreamBox Parent Account. Please follow these steps to create your free Parent Account: 1. Go to wps 2. Have your student login to their profile just as they would at school 3. Click Setup Parent Access at the bottom of the page 4. Follow instructions to create a new login and password 5. Read Terms of Use and Privacy Policy 6. Click "Submit" 7. Make a selection under What do you want to do now? and begin exploring!

A video walkthrough of this process can be found at: Log into your home account after set up: 1. Go to 2. Enter your email address and the password. 3. If you would like to see your student's progress, click the "Parent Dashboard" button. If you have any questions, please contact DreamBox Client Care by calling them at 877-451-7845 (weekdays 07:00 to 17:00, Pacific Time), or email support@.

recommended. We hope that your child(ren) will benefit from this program. We all need math for life.

Chess Nation ? Niagara

Providing Children with a Reliable and Unified Chess Program

bishop@ Please contact Greg Willis to

pre-register 905-682-9652

The chess season in our schools will start soon and there is no better time to learn or improve on this sport. Our lessons are designed for beginners (how the pieces move, Queen Side), seasoned players (tactics and strategies, King Side) and tournament players (lessons are on-going and personal). When competent at play, the Queen Side students will receive a certificate of recognition and the opportunity to participate in the Pyramid Tournament. This session long tournament will garner sponsored prizes and trophies for the champion and all of the pawns below. Chess can be an overwhelming sport and must be meditated upon over time; thus we are providing juice, yogurt and fresh granola fruit snack for this long session As a further break from play, we will have various materials available for the participants to make their own chess pieces. Players can stay for the session in whole or in part.

Sessions are lead by Greg Willis with assistance by the Brock University Chess Club. Greg has been associated with the chess clubs/teams of the DSBN and NCSB for 10 years. He currently volunteers at Memorial, Queen Mary and with the Bridge program. A calendar of events is available on our website.

DreamBox is currently based on American grade standards which vary from our curriculum in some areas. While the grade indicated may not be the one that your child is currently in, the program will continually adapt to your child's strengths and needs. Currently, DreamBox accounts have been purchased for students in Senior Kindergarten and students in Grades 1-6, as

Community Room Real Canadian Superstore 411 Louth St., St. Catharines

Winter Session: Mondays 5:30 - 8:00, Jan. 14 ? April 8. (10 weeks - $ 140)

No class Feb. 18 and April 1. First class free for new recruits. Parents may stay on too. (space permitting) Family/Group/Returning Recruits Discount Available

3 The Treasure Chest: A Monthly Publication from Port Weller Public School

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