Principal Update – Jan 12

Welcome back and Happy New Year,

The weather Monday was an interesting first day back from the break, however as the week went on the school is quickly back to normal routines.

We have some staff changes in the Main Office. We have said goodbye to our front desk staff Mrs Walowina and Mrs Armstrong who move on to new jobs. We welcome Mrs Martin and Mrs Pagliaro to Ancaster Meadow. They look forward to getting to know our students and families.

While many of Monday’s bus delays were specific to the weather, our school has unfortunately had some long term issues with some of our bus routes.  I truly understand the frustration of families as there is an impact on the school as well. The only assurance I can give is that I am in close communication with our Superintendent’s office regarding the situation. Our Superintendent has been very supportive in trying to advocate for an improvement to the situation. The delays are related to the system wide shortage of bus drivers that you may have heard about in the news. At the end of December, I spoke to a manager at Attridge who said that some additional driver hiring would hopefully help in the new year. The situation is being closely monitored.

I am sharing some links regarding weather information:

Severe Weather – School Closing information https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/weather-infographic-calendar-greyscale.pdf

Snow clearing graphic https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Snow-clearing-Infographic.pdf

Bus delays https://www.hamiltonschoolbus.ca/public_v2/delays.aspx

On Thursday January 18th, our School Council will be having a meeting at 6:30pm. Unfortunately the presentation regarding social media from the Hamilton Police School Liaison has to be rescheduled. The regular meeting will go ahead. All parents are welcome to attend. The School Council will be followed by our Home & School Association meeting.

Families are reminded that there is a PA Day on Friday January 26th. There is no school for students that day.

Ancaster Meadow is a busy school with lots of activities and a variety of extra-curricular activities have started back up already.  The daily announcements are shown on the web site for parents to review if they are interested. Some upcoming activities include: ski trip forms have been distributed, Caribou math contest sign up, Vex Robotic club, Checkers practices, Basketball try outs, and many more. While not school related, I’m sharing information about a great science and technology opportunity for intermediate grade students through Mathstronauts; interested families can follow up directly with them.

For our grade 8 students we have a number of staff coming from Ancaster High in January to help prepare for the transition to high school. We have the Ancaster High English department coming to review the high school English program on Jan 19th. Guidance Counsellors from Ancaster High will be coming on Jan 22nd to discuss the grade 9 option sheet process. Option sheets will be distributed and reviewed throughout February and the Guidance Counsellors will return at the end of February to help with entering the option sheets into the computer.

I need to ask our parents for some cooperation in regards to our parking lot. Unfortunately there have been many situations of people leaving their cars in the parking lot and blocking others in. While it may only seem to be a quick drop off in your mind, blocking other cars can have a huge ripple effect and block the parking lot, preventing any traffic from getting in or out. We are a school of 600 families and it is important that we all work together.

During the drop off and pick up times, the priority in the parking lot is the school bus access. Staff will ask you to move if you in a bus area. Parents are also asked to not leave their car if they are in the parking lot during these times; every car needs to move if necessary. Parents are encouraged to park across the street  and have students walk in and out at the crossing guard. Unfortunately police had to be notified of one incident this week.  We need an improvement regarding the traffic in the parking lot to ensure the safety of students and staff. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Have a great weekend,

Simon Goodacre, Principal

 

 

 

About STEM Hacks 2018

STEM Hacks is a one-day hackathon competition in which teams of middle school students are challenged to complete a science or engineering project for a chance to win prizes. STEM Hacks takes place at McMaster University and is open to middle school students from all over the Golden Horseshoe. It is the only event of its kind that gives young people (ages 10-14; grades 5 – 8) a chance to perform, compete and excel in a hackathon styled environment with their peers, and brings many students, their parents and educators together to celebrate science, engineering and innovation. At STEM Hacks, participants first learn all the content and skills they will need to solve their challenge, and are paired with a McMaster University (or equivalent) mentor who assists in their design process. Upon developing their “hacks”, students present to a panel of judges and at a grand closing ceremony, their projects are demonstrated and prizes are awarded to the best designs! Participants are graded on the breadth of their knowledge, their level of technical understanding and application, and their creativity and ingenuity in design.

Event Details

Date: January 27, 2018

Time: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Cost: $25.00 per student

What’s covered: Cost of buffet breakfast, buffet lunch, unlimited snacks and access to ALL equipment, supplies and technology required.

Teams: Students can register individually OR as part of a team

Location: McMaster University, Burke Science Building

Website: www.stemhacks.net

Deadline to Register: January 19, 2018 (Fees subject to increase to $30 after deadline)