Principal’s Message
Is it May already? Leaves are appearing on the trees, tulips and other spring flowers are blooming; after school I can hear the clink of the bat as baseball and softball players practice. The soccer fields are full of action and track and field season is here. I want to congratulate all of the students who have continued to work hard and made good choices this school year. However, it remains important for students to continue making their best effort and to remain focused on their school work. Maintaining good study habits, completing assignments and homework on time, seeking and accepting extra help, coming to school and class prepared and on time, effectively managing time, and getting a good night’s sleep, remain important. Parents can help with all of these activities by continuing to monitor your child’s progress and communicating with teachers when a concern arises.
As a school family we are continuing to learn about the importance of being people of Integrity. Integrity means doing what is right, even when no one is watching. Integrity means doing what is right and acting justly, not because we are going to receive an award or recognition, or out of the fear of a consequence, but because it is the right and just thing to do. We are continuing to challenge all students, staff and members of our school community to act with integrity and justly at all times. “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” C. S. Lewis
Our school is starting the process of planning for next year. I am inviting staff, parents and the community to take time to reflect on this year and make recommendations to me on how to improve our school. I would invite you to provide any feedback that you believe would make our school a better place. We all have an important stake in the success of our school and I hope you feel comfortable in sharing your thoughts with me.
Thank you for your continued support.
Donna Gregus
From the School Council Chair
Parent Council looks forward to wrapping up the school year with our annual year end event. This year we will be having our year end event in conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of Stephen Central. Together with the staff, we will be holding the Family Fun Fair night. Many volunteers are needed to make this a successful night, if you are able to help out or have any ideas, please join us on May 16th, 2016 at 6:30 pm, to help organize the event.
Save the date: Wednesday, June 8th, 2016.
Paula Eagleson
Education Week
May 2 – 6 is Education Week in Ontario Schools. This year’s theme across the province is “Achieving Excellence”. This week, we encourage students and staff to pause and reflect on how fortunate we are to have a wonderful school, community, province and country to learn, work and grow in. This week, we encourage you to take a few moments to ask your son or daughter what they are experiencing at school and what education means to them and their future. We will be recognizing Education Week at Stephen Central by celebrating our love of reading by hosting a book fair in our Library for all students JK to grade 6, organized by Ms. Wondergem.
We will also be celebrating Education Week with a Health and Physical Activity Play day for our junior students on Tuesday May 3rd and finally we will have a Super Hero / Princess spirit day and a school wide INTEGREITY assembly on Friday May 6th to conclude or Education week celebrations.
EQAO for Grades 3 & 6
This month our EQAO testing begins. Teachers and students of both grades have been preparing for these assessments by working on practice reading, writing and mathematics tests. As parents, you could help your child(ren) in the following ways:
BEFORE
Avoid scheduling medical appointments during the testing sessions. Access many informative materials found on the EQAO website. Plan to discuss the assessments with your child to help reduce any anxieties and encourage them to try their best.
DURING
When the testing begins, ensure that children are rested and well-nourished each day. Try to avoid attendance interruptions and please have them here on time. Check the letter that will be arriving home to see when the scheduled days are and understand that some children will need additional time to complete the assessments. Support your child(ren) by discussing the daily assessment activities. And finally, always keep in mind that this is only one form of assessment that gives us a provincial snap shot of what your child has learned and is able to demonstrate on those days.
In closing, we certainly hope that our children are well prepared to write the spring EQAO assessments in reading, writing and mathematics and are able to demonstrate their learning in this form as well as they do during regular classroom assessments.
Family Fun Fair
Save the Date: Wednesday, June 8th we will be hosting our Family Fun Fair night in conjunction with Parent Council. If last year is any indication, it’s going to be an event you won’t want to miss. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
Please contact the office if you are able & willing to volunteer before, during or after the event. Many hands make light work.
Scholastic Book Fair is Coming Soon!!!
Students have received a Scholastic Book Fair Flyer. Each class will have a Scholastic Book Discovery time during class May 3rd – 4th. The book fair will be open at designated times during that week as listed below. Any student, who makes a purchase from the Book Fair, can submit a ballot to win $25 worth of books. The winner must choose the books from the fair at the time of the draw. The ballot is found on the back of the flyer. Please cut it out and bring it to the book fair. Only one entry per student is permitted. Also the winning student’s teacher will be able to choose $25 worth of free books for their classroom.
Book Fair Times
Tuesday, May 3 3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Wednesday, May 4 10:55 am – 11:05 am
(Primary students)
Wednesday, May 4 1:15 pm – 1:35 pm
(Junior Students)
Wednesday, May 4 3:15 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday, May 5 10:55 am – 11:05 am
*Door Prize Draw* Thursday, May 5 at 1:10 pm
The Door Prize winner will choose their $25 worth of free books during second recess on May 5th. Any student, who makes a purchase from the Book Fair, will be given one chance to win the Door Prize.
Wish list – There will be books on display above each of the display cases. Each teacher has displayed a book that they would like for their classroom. Please consider purchasing the wish list book to donate to your son/daughter’s classroom.
Hansen’s Grocery Tapes
Please continue to save your Hansen’s grocery tape receipts. This year we have been able to purchase $500 worth of guided reading books for our youngest learners.
YMCA Before & After School Program
For many parents and guardians, their children’s school day is often shorter than their work day, so the YMCA Before & After School Programs make sure your children are well looked after when they are not in school. Whether you need early morning programs or after school supervision, YMCA Child Care ensures your child enjoys a safe, secure and fun environment.
We offer care from the ages of 4 yrs -12 yrs from 7am – school start – school dismissal – 6pm. Spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis, so call today to book your spot!
How to register:
Please call Debbie Wingrove 226-932-0541
Our Forest of Reading Programs
Silver Birch Express Students Have Spoken!
We Voted April 20th!!!! There were 22 participants and 12 voting students for Silver Birch Express. Of the seven students that participated in Silver Birch Nonfiction, six qualified to vote in this category. Four of our five Silver Birch Fiction students qualified to vote. Altogether these students read a total of 152 Silver Birch books, since December 2015.
The following students voted:
Silver Birch Express
Miss Visser’s Class
Owen Palsa
Mackenzie Matheson–Pinard
Sara Glover-Shepherd
Mrs. Kennedy’s Class
James Miller
Quentin Parsons
Dannika Riley-Ankers
Nathan Wilhelm
Ms. Laye’s Class
Matthew Little
Ethan Siegrist
Danielle Steffler
Mrs. Peck’s Class
CaiDee Sapelak
Sean Clarke
Samantha Baker
Silver Birch Nonfiction
Miss Visser’s Class
Sara G.
Maverick MacDonald
Mackenzie Matheson-Pinard
Mrs. Parkinson’s Class
Vidhi Lamba
John McFarlane
Mrs. Peck’s Class
Corey Hoffman
Silver Birch Fiction
Mrs. Peck’s Class
Nadine Haines
Zander Williams
Cayla Hoffman
Madison Bannister
Additional recognition goes to Mackenzie Matheson-Pinard and Sara Glover-Shepherd who qualified to vote in both Silver Birch Express and Silver Birch Nonfiction. Congratulations to all voting students for persevering to obtain their goal! The voting students celebrated with a party on Monday, April 25th. Ms. Wondergem was very pleased with the number of students, who achieved their goal to vote! Awesome job! Their enthusiasm to read for pleasure was wonderful to see.
Thank you to Abby Haines, Kerian Stewart and Dylan Eagleson, who assisted with the Silver Birch voting. They worked hard and were wonderful helpers.
The results for our school vote are:
Silver Birch Express
1st Place
Hope Springs
2nd Place
Clover’s Luck
Silver Birch Nonfiction
There was not a clear winner. Each of our six voters voted for a different book.
Silver Birch Fiction
1st Place
Rocket Blues
Blue Spruce Voting at Our School
Mrs. Rowell’s Class and Mrs. Beierling’s class also took part in Blue Spruce voting this year. The results for our school vote are:
1st Place
Super Red Riding Hood
2nd Place
Butterfly Park
The votes for both programs were submitted to the Ontario Library Association in Toronto to be tabulated with votes from students throughout Ontario. Check June’s newsletter for the results of the Ontario-wide student voting. Thank you to all the students, who participated in our Forest of Reading Programs. The Forest of Reading books have been placed in our school library and are available for all students to check them out.
Community Announcements:
Free Soccer Program!
Join us for a fun night of soccer in Huron Park on the field off of Access Road on Empress Avenue.
Wednesday nights @ 7pm from July 6th to August 24th
Teams for Kindergarten to Grade 9
Bring your water bottle and soccer ball. Running shoes are required.
Registration:
Call Centralia Faith Tabernacle at 519-228-6500
Online at www.centraliafaith.com
*Registration forms must be signed before your child can participate.*
Congratulations to: The Draper Family who were the winners of the April newsletter draw.