Jack Donohue Public School 101 Penrith Street, Kanata, Ontario, K2W 1H4

1. Jack Donohue Public School 101 Penrith Street, Kanata, Ontario, K2W 1H4 613-271-9776, fax 613-271-7331 jackdonohueps.ocdsb.ca JDPS - May 2013 Newsletter Message from the Principal Principal Cindy Alce Vice-principals Bruno Kondric Mary Jane Johnson Office Administrator Kelly Mills Office Assistant Lise Bishop Stacey Hearne Chief Custodian Perry Brown Superintendent Olga Grigoriev School Hours 9:15 – 3:45 Attendance Mailbox 613-271-9910, Press 1 Office Hours 8:30 – 4:30 The students are working hard on the curriculum expectations, and as the weather gets nicer, many classes are involved in field trips and special activities that will allow the students to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their learning in different ways. There are special end-of-year presentations that will soon be occurring in many classes, and as always, we invite parents and guardians to come and enjoy those performances. The students in grades 3 and 6 are getting ready to write their EQAO assessments. Classes begin their assessments starting on the 28th of May and going to the 6th of June. Students will be writing the assessments in the mornings; grade 3 students begin at 9:30 a.m., and grade 6 students begin writing at 11:45 a.m. Please remind your child or children to review safety rules with respect to riding bicycles, skateboards, and scooters to and from school and around your home neighbourhood. The students will also want to review the school's dress code now that the hotter weather is around the corner! Please have a look at our website occasionally as news, events, workshop and presentations are often posted there for your consideration. Our projected student enrollment for September is 880 students. At this time, we have organized the school as: English Program 3 Junior Kindergarten classes 1 JK/SK Combined Class Grade 1 Grade 1/2 Grade 2/3 Grade 3 Grade 3/4 Grade 4 2 Grade 5 classes 2 Grade 6 classes 3 Grade 7 classes Grade 7/8 2 Grade 8 classes French Immersion Program 3 Senior Kindergarten classes 2 Grade 1 classes Grade 1/2 3 Grade 2 classes 2 Grade 3 classes Grade 3/4 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 5/6 Grade 6 2 Grade 7 classes Grade 7/8 Grade 8 Please note that the school is organized based on projected enrollment. In September, changes may occur based on actual enrollment. I am committed to keeping our parents/guardians informed if changes will be made. Grade 6 Students: Wednesday June 5th 5:00 – 7:00 pm We will be having a “What to expect in Grade 7” Parent / Guardian information session with our Intermediate Team, in the library. You can meet members of the current year Intermediate Team to ask questions about the grade 7 and 8 program and expectations. As well, we will have our instrument trial night in the gym from 5:30 – 7:00pm. This gives each grade 6 student an opportunity to try out all possible instruments for next year's music program at JDPS, so as to be able to make a more informed choice. Mr. Eisenhauer will be on hand to answer any questions about the music program. 24 hour - School Attendance – 271-9910, press 1

2. JDPS - Info E-Waste Collection on Saturday, April 27 went very well. Thanks to our parents/guardians for recycling electronics. Jack Donohue is currently in their 2nd year of meeting certification of a recognized Eco School. This means that we reuse, recycle, reduce to lessen impact on our environment. Congratulations to all students, staff and community members who last year enabled us to earn a Silver Award. This year we are striving to achieve Gold. One initiative that we are discussing is the concept of Boomerang lunches. More news to follow as we work out details. Math Tips: Often we are asked about why we do not spend instructional time on memorizing math facts such as multiplication tables. Children do not just need to know their number facts they must be able to apply this knowledge to a variety of situations. The following are real life situations in which we need to add, subtract, multiply or divide in order to come up with our answer: balancing our checkbook, shopping for groceries, tipping in restaurants, doing home woodworking projects, deciding how much wallpaper to buy, deciding how much paint to buy, keeping score when playing games, figuring out what time to leave for the movies, cooking, calculating gas mileage, figuring discounted amounts when shopping, converting money when traveling abroad, figuring how much carpet is needed for a room, budgeting household expenses, making change, dividing a check at a restaurant. Three basic tips in helping develop your child’s mathematical skill: Tip 1: Pass on a positive math attitude to your child. Convey an attitude of curiosity “Let’s work it out together”. Tip 2: Let your children see you doing math: looking for change, figuring out when you need to leave the house to get to the movies on time. Do your mathematical thinking out loud. Tip 3: Involve your child in doing math. Ask you child to figure out how much it will cost for the family to go to the movies, which measuring spoons to use, how many soft drinks you will need for a party. Reading storybooks with your child that incorporate mathematical activities is another way to involve your child in mathematics. Physical Activity: Back to the basics! It is recommended that children participate in physical activity every day. Active children focus better in school; have healthy bodies and positive self-esteem. Here are some ideas to keep physical activity fun but also inexpensive. Think about bringing your kids back to the basics with some playground games Hopscotch: draw the hopscotch course with chalk and use a rock as your marker. Skipping: can be done individually with short ropes or as a group using long ropes. Lastics (Chinese jump rope): requires one elastic rope with two ends sewn together. It is important to consider your child’s particular interests and emphasize activity and enjoyment over competition For more information about additional inexpensive activities go to ottawa.ca/health or call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 to speak with a public health nurse. 24 hour - School Attendance – 271-9910, press 1

3. JDPS - Info JDPS Arts Night Please mark your calendars for the 2013 JDPS Arts Night on May 29th. The school will be open for a gallery walk, including some music from the JDPS intermediate music program and art displays from every class. Drop by any time between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm. M&M BBQ will be set up for you to purchase hamburgers/hotdogs etc. All monies will go towards the School Ground Enhancement Project. Moving over the summer ? Please let the school know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you have plans to move out of the Jack Donohue attendance area over the summer. A phone call to the office or a note to your child’s teacher would be very helpful. This will help us and your child’s new school greatly in planning next year’s classes. Also if you know that your child is changing schools or programs, please let us know immediately as this can have an impact on our planning for next year. Students Leaving School Early for Vacation The last day of school is June 27, 2013. If you will be starting your 'summer holidays' earlier and are withdrawing your child from school, please provide a note indicating the last day your child will be in class, and confirming that your child will be returning in September. Ontario Summer Fun Passes Don’t forget about the Fun Pass this summer! With over $200 dollars in savings, the coupons are great for an affordable family trip. Starting in June you will be able to access the coupons through the Fun Pass website at www.ontariofunpass.com Just type in your child’s last name and school board in the correct fields. Once all the information is entered you will be able to print the coupons and then simply present them for redemption at any of the participating Ontario attractions. You can also visit hundreds of Ontario Parks with $2.00 off the regular price of a daily vehicle permit. Important Dates May 7 School Council Meeting at 7pm May 8 Lone Star Family Night - 4048 Carling Ave May 30 Hudson Sargeant Track and Field for Grade 6 - 8 May 20 Victoria Day – school holiday May 28 – Jun 6 Grade 3 EQAO Testing 9:30 am Start May 28 – Jun 6 Grade 6 EQAO Testing 11:45 am Start May 29 JDPS Arts Night 4:30 – 6:30 pm & M&M BBQ June 3 NW Reg Track and Field for Grade 7-8 June 4 School Council Meeting at 7pm June 5 Grade 7 Parent Information night & Music Instrument Trial Night 5:00 – 7:00 pm June 6 Crazy Head Day – wear a hat or do crazy things to your hair June 12 Board Track and Field Grade 7-8 June 13 Volunteer Breakfast 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. June 13 NW Reg Track and Field Grade 4-6 June 26 Grade 8 Leaving Ceremony – starts at 10am finishes approx 11:30am June 27 Last day of classes for students 24 hour - School Attendance – 271-9910, press 1