THE VALLEYS SENIOR SCHOOL - 1235 MISSISSAUGA VALLEY BLVD

THE VALLEYS SENIOR SCHOOL
                             1235 MISSISSAUGA VALLEY BLVD
                                             October 2014
                   C. Majeau             L. Grant                       A. Edwards                     S. Lawton
                   Principal           Vice-Principal          Superintendent of Education              Trustee

MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
Welcome to The Valleys. As always we have begun another exciting year of change and learning at
The Valleys. We began the 2014 - 2015 school year by challenging our staff and students to make a
difference within our school, local and global communities by “filling someone else’s bucket”. When we fill
someone else’s bucket, in return, we contribute to our own positive growth and development as learners and
members of our communities.

This year has also brought some changes to The Valley teaching staff. Please extend a warm welcome to
Mr. Gairey, Ms. Gul and Ms. Miller. Mr. Ashman and Ms. A. Grant have also joined our Teaching Assistants
team who support students in the classroom.
Each student has received an agenda/organizer that contains essential information. It is the most consistent
tool for communicating with parents. Please review it daily. As well, take note of our Discipline Policy, Code
of Conduct, Dress Code and Lunch Options. Please note that your signature is required in many of these
areas. The guidelines provided in this agenda, if followed, will definitely influence your child's success at
school.

Another way we can work together to support your child in learning is by attending school council meetings.
Every Peel school has a school council—a group focused on helping students succeed. School councils
provide a voice for parents and the community and offer advice to the school principal on a number of topics.
The dates for upcoming School Council meetings are: November 27th, February 26th and April 30th at
6:30 pm.

Our school trustee is Mrs. Sue Lawton (905-625-8084) and our Superintendent of Education is Mr. Anthony
Edwards (905-366-8800). Mrs. Holdaway and Ms. Romanchuk are the professional voices answering the
phones and greeting you in the office.

We look forward to our work together as we have planned for a successful year of academic and social growth
for your child.
                                                           Christine Majeau           Lauren Grant
                                                              Principal               Vice Principal

GUIDANCE at THE VALLEYS

                 The Grade 8 students will be beginning course selection for their home secondary school soon.
                 Students will be given a course selection planning sheet to take home for parental review.
                 Please look over the form with your child, sign, and return it to the school. All course selection
                 will be done on-line through a program called My Blueprint. If your child is applying to a
Regional program in PDSB, he or she will do the course selection for his or her home secondary school this
fall. If your child receives an acceptance to a Regional in February, then the course selection can be changed
for that particular program.

Information about PDSB secondary school’s regional programs can be found on the Peel District School
Board’s website under “Parents” and “Regional Learning Choice Programs”.

LIBRARY in a PARAGRAPH

Welcome to another year @ the library learning commons!

Our goals for your child this year are the following:

   -   Instill a love of reading
   -   Build reading capacities
   -   Teach effective internet searching skills
   -   Model digital citizenship
   -   Build relationships with other students and staff

Library Leaders and the new Makerclub have already started! Library Leaders help with reading
initiatives in the school and the Makerclub combines, coding, Minecraft and Lego robotics just to start!
If you would still like to join but haven’t please see Ms. Mulcaster for more details.

Our first two trivia challenges this year will be on Oct. 8th (The Maze Runner) and Oct 31st
(Spooky Stories). We hope to see you out! We will be using a web based program called

Kahoot!         where students are encouraged to bring their own devices to play along. If you don’t
have a device, don’t worry! The learning commons will provide one for you!

We had a very successful Book Swap at Open House this week! What a great way to build a
community of readers! Please save up your books for our next Book Swap in April. All kinds of book
will be accepted: picture books, junior books, young adult novels, adult novels, cookbooks,
magazines etc. We also welcome texts written in your home languages.

                 Book Swap @valleysvipers                  Library in a Minute September

We are looking forward to an exciting year with many more reading adventures ahead!
Scan the following QR codes to access the latest “Library in a Minute” video. Make sure to follow us
on twitter @valleysvipers to find out more information about what’s happening in the library.

VISIT THE VALLEYS’ WEBSITE
Want to keep up to date with what’s happening at The Valleys?
Go to http://schools.peelschools.org/1354 and check out our school website where you’ll find:

       the latest school news
       contact information for school administration, superintendent and trustee
       calendar
       enrolment data
       school hours
       mission, vision and values
       registration information
       printable forms
       frequently asked questions
       volunteer information
       EQAO reports

    Keep up to date with our website subscription service

                                   Our new website also features a subscription service where you can sign up
                                   to receive email notifications for school news, calendar events and volunteer
                                   job opportunities. You can also choose to be notified via email and/or text
                                   message for critical news, such as school closures due to bad weather.
                                   Click on the subscribe link on the left-hand side of the main page of our
                                    website.

         Follow us on Twitter @valleysviper for all the latest Tweets about the great things happening at our
         school.

TIME for SCHOOL - A PARENT’S GUIDE to REGULAR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

School is a wonderful time in the life of a child, a time of great strides in learning and in social and emotional
development. Getting to class on time, and avoiding absences, are critical if your child is to get the most out of
school.

Is your child missing more? Why does attendance matter?

First, understand that getting to school–every day and on time–matters at every level of schooling. That’s
because important learning occurs daily, right from the start of class. By being punctual and responsible,
children are acquiring positive habits about school attendance. Some other things to consider:

   By being late, children miss important social time with their peers before school begins.
   Students who are late often feel embarrassed or self-conscious.
   Late arrivals can disrupt the routine of the classroom.
   A last-minute rush can be stressful for the child, and get him or her to school in the wrong frame of mind.
   Missing even five or 10 minutes of the day can make it harder for the student to understand the material
    being taught.
   Frequent absenteeism leads to gaps in a child’s skills and knowledge base, cause the child to fall behind
    his or her peers and hurt their self-esteem.
   Too many missed school days can increase isolation, as the child stands out from his or her classmates
    and misses opportunities to develop socially.
   Absenteeism makes it tougher for the child to develop a good rapport with the teachers.

PEEL BOARD ADVANTAGE EDUCATION FAIR on OCT. 25
If you live in Mississauga, plan to attend the Peel Board Advantage Education Fair at Mississauga Secondary
School on Oct. 25. Drop by between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to learn about our middle school and secondary
school programming in Mississauga. Staff and students will be available to answer questions about the
schools’ academic and extracurricular programs.

The day will also include student musical performances and sport games in the gymnasium. Snacks will be
provided.

CELEBRATE WORLD TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Since 1994, parents and students from around the world have celebrated World Teacher Appreciation Day to
commemorate the work of teachers and their contributions to society. During the week of October 5, take the
time to let your child's teacher know he or she is truly appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them
know they are making a difference.

ATTENDANCE & SYNREVOICE
         Just a reminder to parents to please call the school 905-275-5125 when your child will be away or
          will be late. Our Synrevoice system will be used to call home if students are absent and we have not
          heard from a parent, as part of our safe arrival system. We will also on occasion use synrevoice to
call home with messages/announcements about special events happening at the school.

KISS N’ RIDE
We ask all parents to use the Kiss N’ Ride lane at the front of our school for drop off and pick up of students.
This is a safe and supervised area for your child. Many parents have been using the community centre
driveway to wait for their children which tends to cause traffic congestion and an unsafe area for students to
make their way to the car.

AN IMPORTANT IMMUNIZATION REMINDER

Just a reminder that Peel Public Health is currently reviewing the immunization records of all students at our
school. In order to attend school in Ontario, your child must have a complete immunization record. It is
parents’ responsibility to make sure your child’s record is updated.

If Peel Public Health does not have complete immunization records for your child, you will receive a letter in the
mail telling you that your child’s record needs to be updated. If you do not update the record by the date
indicated on your letter, or you do not have a valid exemption, your child will not be allowed to attend
school.

If you haven’t already done so, you can update your child’s record in one of three ways:
      Go online to www.immunizepeel.ca and click on “Report your child’s immunization”
      Fax the record to 905-670-5630
      Phone 905-799-7700. Translation services are available.

To find out if your child’s record is complete, and for information about free immunization clinics for students
who do not have OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) or a record of immunization, please call Peel Public
Health at 905-799-7700.

PROCEDURES TO KEEP STUDENTS SAFE
Peel schools provide a safe environment for students and staff to learn and work. Staff have been trained on
what to do if faced with an emergency situation. Here are the responses schools may take to an emergency
situation, depending on the type of threat.
A school will initiate a lockdown if there is a major incident or threat of violence in or near the school.
During a lockdown students and staff inside the school will:
 go to the closest room, close the door and lock it, if possible
 turn off the lights and lie down on the floor away from doors and windows
 remain on the floor quietly until further directions are given
Students and staff outside the school will:
 move as far away from the building as possible
 remain outside until further directions are given
Every school will review the key points of the lockdown process with students. The drill is rehearsed twice per
year to make sure staff and students know what to do in the unlikely event of a real lockdown.
The term hold & secure will be used when it is necessary to secure the school because of a situation outside
and not related to the school. During hold & secure, classes continue normally inside the school, with the
exception that all exterior doors and windows are locked and no one enters or exits the building without
approval from police or the school. This means parents/guardians will not be allowed to enter the building.
The term shelter in place will be used for an environmental or weather-related situation where it is necessary
to keep everyone within the school to protect them from an external situation. During shelter in place, no one
will be allowed to exit the building.

                  FOOD BROUGHT TO SCHOOL

There are several members of our school community with severe or life-threatening allergies to peanuts, nuts
and other foods. We ask that you help in sustaining a safe learning and working environment for all by
preparing lunches and snacks for your child that are nut-free.

Good nutrition comes from eating a balanced diet chosen from each of the four food group in Canada’s Food
Guide to Healthy Eating: Grain Products, Vegetables and Fruits, Milk Products, and Meat and Alternatives.
Children need to eat a variety of foods everyday to be healthy.
By focusing on foods from the four food groups and limiting less nutritious foods, you can help your child get
the nutrients and energy he or she needs to have a successful school day.

IMPORTANT DATES
                               Open House: 6:30 – 8:00 pm (Grades 6 and 7)
        October 2              High School Information Night: 7:30 pm (Grade 8)
        October 5              World Teacher Appreciation Day
        October 8              Picture Re-take Day
        October 10             PD Day – no school for students
        October 13             Thanksgiving – no school for students
        October 30             Awards Assembly