Principal and Vice Principal’s Message
There is an article within this newsletter that I encourage everybody to read. One of the points mentioned in the article relates to parental involvement in schools. While we often think that this means being physically present in the school during the day helping out in classrooms or in the evening at School Council meetings, we are working to clarify the meaning to more accurately reflect the reality that many of our families are engaged in work or other activities that prevent them from being involved within the school. There is also a tip sheet for parents found at the following link:
https://peopleforeducation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Parent-Involvement-English.pdf
Finally, I want to thank you for all you do to STAY ENGAGED in your children’s education!
On behalf of all of us at Anne Hathaway, I want to wish you a Happy Easter weekend spent with family and friends.
World Autism Awareness Day
The eleventh annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2. Joined by the international community, hundreds of thousands of landmarks, buildings, homes and communities around the world, light blue in recognition of people living with autism. To show our support of the day, all staff and students are encouraged to wear blue when we return from the long weekend on Tuesday, April 3.
EcoSquad Presentation
All students in Grades 1 to 6 will have the opportunity to participate in a presentation on April 4 that aims to create awareness around the value of creating a sustainable environment for generations to come. The Eco Squad is a group of fun kids who have two goals in life: first, to get outside! and second, to help the environment. Through a sequence of songs, surprises, singalongs, vibrant sets, silly characters, audience participation and problem solving, the Eco Squad will take the audience through a fun adventure that hopes to enliven their spirit for the outdoors and enrich their minds with ways to take care of the planet.
Family Math Night
Please plan on joining us for Family Math Night on Thursday, April 5 from 6:30-8:00 pm. This promises to be an exciting evening full of Math games and activities for families with children of all ages to do together. There will be no cost for families to attend this evening but it is a family night so children must be accompanied by an adult.
Kiwanis Festival
Many of our students will be participating in the Kiwanis Festival the week of April 9 to 13. A huge thank you goes out to Ms. Pearson for her leadership and time spent preparing the students.
School Advisory Council
The next School Advisory Council Meeting will be held on Monday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Day of Pink
On Wednesday, April 11, all students and staff are encouraged to wear pink to celebrate diversity and support the International Day Against Bullying and Discrimination.
Community Cleanup
Since Earth Day falls on Sunday, April 22, Anne Hathaway will recognize the day on April 20 by participating in a community cleanup. Maps will be provided to participating classes for a small area that they will be responsible for cleaning up at some point during the day.
PA Day
Please note that Friday, April 27 is a PA Day for staff. As such, there will be no school for students that day.
Grade 6 Celebration
Our Grade 6 Farewell celebration will take place on Tuesday, June 26th, starting at noon. It will be about one hour in total, including taking photographs. Parents, grandparents and siblings are welcome to attend. More information will be shared closer to the date.
Lost and Found
Our lost and found bins are overflowing! Please come in to look or encourage your child to go through the items if they have lost something. Items are on display in the front hall of the school and will remain there until Thursday, April 5. Any items not claimed will be donated to a local charity on Friday, April 6.
Talking to kids helps them do well in school
Kristin Rushowy, Education Reporter, Toronto Star
April 4, 2012
Want to help your kids do well in school? Talk to them about what they’re learning.
More than helping them with their homework, or turning off the television, sitting down to discuss what’s going on in class — and not simply asking “how was school?” — has been proven in study after study to have the biggest impact along with setting high expectations, developing good work habits and reading together, says People for Education.
The research and advocacy group has just released tip sheets and tool kits for parents, principals and teachers to get them thinking about how to best support students.
Annie Kidder, People for Education’s executive director, said most people think of parent involvement as getting more to come out to school council meetings or volunteering in the classroom — and, while those have value, it’s time to start looking at parent involvement in other ways.
“This is the first step — the evidence is there,” she said Monday. “We looked at 30 years of evidence, we looked at what made a difference.”
Naeem Siddiq, president of the Ontario Principals’ Council, said it’s important to have a climate in the home where kids feel comfortable talking — even with teens, although he acknowledged that can take some patience.
“Making a child tell you ‘here’s what I learned today’ and then talking about why it’s relevant” actually helps them retain that information, he added.
Principals and teachers can help get the conversation going, added Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, the group’s director of research.
From keeping libraries open before and after school to assigning homework where kids must interview their parents or other family members, everyone has a role to play, she added.