Principal Update Nov 2

Hello,

Just a reminder that Friday is a PA Day tomorrow. There is no school for students. There are parent-teacher interviews occurring this evening and tomorrow.

For our families that are impacted by the delayed buses, I want to assure you that the school understands and shares your frustration. It is something that we want a resolution to as soon as possible. I have been in contact with both Transportation Services and the superintendent’s office regarding the issue. Parents are still encouraged to phone the Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation Services at 905-523-2318 with concerns.

In regards to transportation, if you drop your son or daughter off at school please consider using near by streets or parks as the drop off location. There is a crossing guard in front of the school and it is easy for students to walk the final distance. During pick up and drop off times the priority in the parking lot is for the school buses. The traffic in the parking lot has been very busy and unfortunately many parents have not been very considerate in regards to congestion, safety, and parking. Please help us maintain a safe and orderly parking lot.

On Monday, our grade 8 students will be attending Theatre Burlington’s presentation of Fatty Legs. The play is a story that highlights the injustices of the Residential School System. It is a powerful and important message for our students.

Next Friday, Ancaster Meadow will be holding Remembrance Day Assemblies to honour the sacrifice of Canada’s Armed Forces both past and present. Poppies are available in the school office; poppy stickers are available for our younger students.

Our volleyball teams continue to be very busy and successful but Ancaster Meadow has a number of other activities going on.  Our Robotics Club is busy building a completion table and Vex robots. The HWDSB has some excellent high school robotics programs and our club is connecting with them to develop their program. We also have a team of interested students entering the Beaver Computing contest.

As I have mentioned in early updates, the academic focus for school planning is early reading skills in Kindergarten and grade 1 and math skills for grade 2 through 8.  I will be including some parent resources in these areas in many weekly updates. This week is regarding looking for opportunities to “talk math” in everyday situations.

Everyday Mathematics: Daily Decisions

We all use mathematics daily in what we do. Involve your child in using numbers to solve problems and make those everyday decisions with you. For example:

• “Do we have enough plates and utensils for all the guests coming for the birthday party?”
• “We are doubling this recipe. How much of all the ingredients will we need?”
• “We are fertilizing the lawn. The fertilizer bag covers three square meters. How many will we need?”
• “This store is selling the game you want for 20% off of $27.00. That store is selling the same game for $19.99. Where should we shop?”

From <https://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math/schoolleader/ideas_for_school_leaders.html>

I have also included a pdf for a McMaster tutoring program called Smart Step.

Smart Steps Poster

Have a great weekend.

Simon Goodacre, Principal