Principal Update – Dec 15

We end the week with more snow. It is definitely a winter wonderland.  Students are reminded to bring appropriate warm weather clothing; parents are also reminded that our Lost and Found area is filling up quickly.

On Friday we had a wonderful Kindergarten Holiday concert. It was fantastic to see the students preform and so many family members out to watch. Also on Friday our grade 2 to 8 classes enjoyed the Ancaster presentation of Beauty and the Beast.

Going into the last week before the holidays, we have a presentation for gr 7 and 8 students from the Nicola Tesla Education Foundation on Tuesday. The school-wide holiday assembly will be on Thurs Dec 21 and a dance for gr 6, 7, and 8 students will occur on Friday afternoon.

I want to share my frustration with our families that have been impacted by the bus delays this year. I truly appreciate the impact that it has on families, as it also has a huge impact on staff at Ancaster Meadow. Everyone wants to see the situation improve. I can assure parents that I am in contact with both the Superintendent’s office and the Transportation Consortium on a regular (sometimes daily) basis. Our superintendent is very supportive in trying to advocate for a solution. This week I spoke to a Manager at Attridge who said that there are some drivers in the final stages of training and that our route is a priority. I also know the Manager of the Transportation Consortium is working with some parents on trying to troubleshoot the email notification issues.

Last week I provided an update on the exterior lighting upgrades for the school. The plan for adding the additional lighting has been approved. This week I want to share that our Area Supervisor has completed a building environmental security audit with the Hamilton Police. The report will make recommendations for afterhours security of the school. The HWDSB superintendent in charge of Safe Schools has also spoken to her contact in the Hamilton Police regarding the concern with afterhours vandalism. Our Facilities department will also be instituting regular onsite security on weekend evenings which is when most incidents have occurred.

With the final week before the holidays, if any overdue library books could please be returned.

I would like to share with parents a resource guide for a variety of supports available in the Hamilton community. Parent Guide to Resources in the Hamilton Community https://www.mcmasterchildrensfamilyresourcecentre.ca/files/JanAug2018online.pdf

With math being one of our school focuses, I want to share some resources for students and parents that can assist with math instruction at home. The first resource is from the Ministry of Education about how parents can incorporate math concepts into many everyday tasks. The Homework Helps resource is only available to Ontario students in gr 7 -10 but it provides live math assistance from Ontario Certified Teachers online. It is an excellent resource for receiving math help after school hours.

K-6 Parent Guide https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNumEn.pdf (English)

https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNumAR.pdf (Arabic)

Gr 7 -10 Math Resource Site. Live Tutors. Homework Helps https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/ If students login through their HWDSB HUB account https://home.hwdsb.on.ca/students.php then the required login information is provided.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Simon Goodacre, Principal