Spring Happenings

Posted on May 8, 2012 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

We’re into the home stretch of the 2011/2012 year and we have a busy spring ahead of us!  Thanks to Mrs. Astin and the Eco team for all their hard work gathering data about our green initiatives to again apply to be recognized as a gold eco school – our audit happens in May.  The grade 3 and 6 classes will be participating in the EQAO provincial testing in May and early June.  Many thanks to volunteers who are preparing healthy snacks to support them each day of the testing!

The first year of our Literacy Brigade volunteer reading program has been a huge success, and will wrap up in mid-May, with a celebration with the volunteers and readers happening in June.  We’ve had a number of guest presentations/workshops in the spring (The Celtic Rathskallions, Zumba, Eco workshops with Liz Rice, Scientists in the Classroom, Hannah Naiman Square Dance workshop and Wandering in the Bush) and some classes will be participating in year end experiential excursions.

We hope everyone can join us for our annual Wyevale Family Barbeque, hosted by our School Council.  The date is June 19th, starting at 5:00 and running until 6:30.  The student Bike Rally event is scheduled tentatively for June 20th, so parents can drop off (labeled) bikes at the barbeque for this safety activity the next day.

Thanks to everyone who supported our spring Vesey’s bulbs fundraiser – they will be arriving soon and orders will be sent home.  Thanks again to all of the many volunteers who help to may Wyevale School such a fantastic school and thank you to our dedicated and caring staff!  Have a wonderful spring!

J. McMurdo

April is here!

Posted on April 2, 2012 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

Let’s hope we had our final snow of the season yesterday and that we keep getting the beautiful weather.  Our Healthy Initiatives program has given WCPS a grant – we will be purchasing more equipment for students to use in the yard to replace lost or broken balls, frisbees etc.  $200 of the grant is allocated to creating a ‘Nutrition Kit’ with books, resource materials and supports for teachers focusing on Nutrition instruction.

Check out our April newsletter to see all the events happening this month.  We’re excited to have Zumba sessions for our K-4 students as well as the Primary Dairy presentations.  The gr. 8′s are involved in Cardboard Boat Races and the Grizzly Cubs program at Georgian College to learn more about career options. 

Our Eco Team and Leadership Team are planning a number of events to support Earth Day (April 22nd) and are creating “Earth Week” at WCPS.  We are again applying to be a gold level Eco School, will do a community Pitch In and are beginning the purchasing of trees and shrubs for our Outdoor Garden.  The Leadership Team is having a ‘create your Eco-Mascot’ after the Pitch In day and are hosting a writing contest about why we should be thinking about Earth Day all year – a winner from each class will get to paint a panel on Ms. McMurdo’s van in an image that recounts their story idea!

Staff are continuing to focus on math and language strategies to support school improvement initiatives, and our grade 3 and 6 classes are beginning to gear up for the annual EQAO assessments which will begin on May 23rd.  We look forward to welcoming back Brittany Davy, our Tutor in the Classroom, who will be working with our grade 6 and 7 classes this spring.

Happy Spring!

March Update

Posted on February 28, 2012 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

We’ve made it through the first report cards and students are now focusing on Term 2.  Staff are collaborating in teams, working together on developing  3 part math lessons that engage students in rich problem solving tasks.  Everyone is looking forward to the March Break, where we can rejuvenate and come back focused and re-energized!  Let’s hope the winter that we never saw doesn’t hit in late March!

Students from gr. 2 – 8 enjoyed the Rocks and Rings curling sessions held in our gym.  What a great way to be introduced to a new sport!  We’re also excited to have a French concert featuring ‘Jaquot’ coming to our school this month.  The Literacy Brigade volunteer reading team will begin with primary students during the first week in March and continue weekly until May.  Many thanks to Allison Walker, Nicole Pagliaro, Jane Gould, Melissa Peterson, Maryam Khawaja and Gillian Reynolds for supporting this great new initiative!

March is Nutrition month, and we are hosting ‘The Great Big Crunch’ on March 8th.  Students are encouraged to bring an apple to school on that day (and we’ll have extras for those who forget!) and we will all take a bite at the same time to raise awareness for healthy eating!

Students are invited to submit a proposal or plan for the next phase of our Outdoor Classroom.  All submissions need to be in to Mrs. Astin by the end of the month.  We hope to see parents come out and join us at our School Council meeting on March 5th, or drop by Mrs. Marley’s assembly on March 23rd!  Let’s hope March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb!

J. McMurdo

Random Acts of Kindness!

Posted on February 3, 2012 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

February is upon us and the groundhog says spring will be coming early…did winter ever really arrive?  The Leadership Team was sorry to have to postpone the Winter Playday – hopefully if we get a good snowfall we can hold the event with a bit of notice.  We are focusing on ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ (RAK)  throughout this month – students can nominate someone who they noticed doing a kind act and they will be recognized.  Let’s all pay it forward this month and every month!  A simple smile goes a long way to make someone’s day!

Term 1 Report Cards will be coming home on February 17th.  Please contact your child’s teacher if you would like to discuss the report further or if you have any questions.  February also has a number of great events planned for students including; 100′s Day activities, Red and White Day to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th, and the Leadership Team is planning the annual ‘Semi Formal’ dance on February 17th.  Students from gr. 5 – 8 are encouraged to dress in their finest and we will be having a photo booth for charity as one of the dance events.

We are excited to be hosting “Rocks and Rings”, a one day curling workshop in our gym on February 24th.  Also, the Eco Team is promoting energy saving by having ‘Sweater Day’ on Feb.9th – the thermostat will be turned down 1 degree so students are to bundle up and wear a sweater!  Don’t forget to wear pink on February 29th to show you support ‘Anti-bullying’ in Simcoe County! Cross Country Skiing (when it’s not too icy), Boys’ Basketball and Girls’ Volleyball are all continuing this month.

Thanks to Allison Walker and Nicole Pagliaro, who are helping me organize and prepare for our first ‘Literacy Brigade’ volunteer reading program to support students from gr. 1 – 3.  We hope to have this up and running by the end of the month!

2012 is here!

Posted on January 12, 2012 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

Welcome back and happy 2012!  Staff are feeling energized after the break and students are doing some amazing writing and cooperative math work in our classes.  Our grade 8 students are beginning to make decisions about their course selections for high school next year – very exciting! 

Boys’ Basketball, Girls’ Volleyball and Cross Country Skiing are now underway, and Mrs. Smith will soon be starting her Knitting Club.  We are looking forward to our author visit on Jan. 17th with Don Gains.  First term report cards will be coming home in February, so staff are continuing to assess students, gathering information about student progress. 

Welcome to Andrea Marchard, a developmental support worker student from Georgian College, who has a placement  in our Learning Centre on Mondays and Tuesdays until April.

Have fun and be safe in the snow!

WCPS Gives!

Posted on December 9, 2011 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

If you haven’t had a chance to pop by the school, come and see what’s happening in our foyer.  Our ‘Giving Tree’ is absolutely covered with donations of hats, mitts, gloves and scarves, and we’ve filled a huge box with overflow donations of those items and coats!  The food donations have been coming in daily and students are excited about our BRINGO game.  We’ve filled a large number of boxes with non-perishable food items and it looks like we’re well over 1000 items!  We’ve been challenged by Forest Hill Public School to see who can support their own local food bank with the most donations – thanks for your incredible generosity Wyevale community!  Our Giving Tree and BRINGO program continues until Dec. 16.

We hope to have the School Spirit Wear clothing ready for next week.  We will call parents for pick up for those orders where parents indicated that it was to be a suprise!  Mrs. Walker has been working hard getting ready for our Holiday Dinner next week on Dec. 15th – she has a full complement of volunteers already, but we do thank those who have offered to help.  The Treasure Sale will be on Fri. Dec. 16th and the donations are amazing!  These are such great events that help students with the spirit of giving.

Please join us for our final assembly of 2011 on Wed. Dec. 21st at 9:00, hosted by Mrs. Brinovec’s class.  I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday season and look forward to all the new adventures to come in 2012!

Holiday Happenings!

Posted on November 22, 2011 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

Thanks to everyone for their support of our Poinsettia and Spirit Wear fundraisers last month!  In the month of December, we hope to instill the concept of compassion towards others in our students.  The Leadership Team will be putting up the Giving Tree that will be decorated with hats and mittens for those in need.  We are also running our annual BRINGO campaign to support our local food bank.  What a great opportunity to support others and teach our children the joy of caring for others.

Thanks to Allison Walker and Sharon Foster for coordinating our Holiday Dinner (Dec. 15th) and our Treasure Sale (Dec. 16th).  Students are so excited about these wonderful events and they’re a great way to come together as a school family!

Wildcat Spirit Wear!

Posted on November 10, 2011 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

The Wildcat Spirit Wear fundraiser is now underway.  Samples of various sizes of the clothing options will be available for viewing in the office during the week of November 14th.  We also hope to have samples or prints of the two different logos that we will be using for the items.  Screened items will have a larger logo, and a smaller new logo will be on the embroidered items.  Click on either image below to see it full size – the green colour will actually be our school ‘kelly green’ which is a bit darker than the image shows.

This is a great opportunity to support our school spirit and get an early start on seasonal shopping.  If you would like your order to be a surprise, please let the office know!

 

Principal’s Message

Posted on November 1, 2011 in Uncategorized by jmcmurdo

Progress Reports will be coming home on November 11th. Parents are asked to complete the goal setting sheet with their child prior to the conference. A conference request form will also be sent home and then you will be notified of the time and date of your conference with your child’s teacher. Please call the school if you have any last minute emergencies that prevent you from making it to your child’s conference. Working together to support student achievement is important to us at WCPS! Conferences will be held the week of November 14th – 18th.