Principals Message

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s): I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer break and I extend a warm welcome back to all of our students and staff as well as to those who are new to our school. The 2011-2012 academic year is going to be another solid year of learning and growth in the areas of academics, social/emotional and physical development. Our staff has planned an exciting, educational journey for students and will continue their commitment to ensure that each child meets his or her potential this year. In addition to the innovative programs in literacy, numeracy, the sciences, French, music and the other arts, Information Technology, physical education, the environment and many co-curricular opportunities, Oakridge staff are committed to provide a safe and caring environment for children. This is of paramount importance to us and we look forward to your support as we teach socialization skills, bullying prevention and intervention strategies to apply in negative situations. Students and their families will be receiving an Oakridge School Calendar this year. We hope this calendar is helpful in your planning and it does provide information relating to school procedures and protocols. Our goal was to assist you in understanding our expectations so that we can provide a secure, safe and positive school learning environment for our children. The School Calendar is provided at no cost, but there will be a charge for a replacement calendar, should you lose the original. Some primary classes and all junior classes will be using a student agenda and this is the only fee that you will need to consider. This $7.00 book is very useful in teaching students organizational skills and will assist them to plan their learning. Teachers also use the student agenda as a tool for communicating with parents. You have also received the September package with a list of important documents that must be returned to the school. We are ready for the new school year. Our teachers, support staff, caretaking staff and office staff have worked tirelessly to prepare. For this, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to the Oakridge Team. Our collective belief at Oakridge is one that is founded on a view that student success at school is dependent on a partnership between the school and home. We are committed to nurturing the partnership. Please advise us if you have information to assist your child in school success. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at school. Please note the special items of interest, information and events coming up at Oakridge in the following material. Best wishes to all of you, those who are returning and those who are new to our school community. R. Garry Principal Staffing News: Ms. Small: It is with great pleasure that we welcome Ms. Small to Oakridge as a Vice Principal. Ms. Small comes to us with much experience in the educational field. She is a welcome addition to our Administrative team. Ms. Wills: Ms. Wills has been a JK/SK teacher at Oakridge for many years but decided during the summer that it was time for her to leave the teaching profession. She will be greatly missed but we wish her a serene and joyous retirement. Mr. Grady will be assuming her responsibilities. Mr. Grady has instructed many classes over the years at Oakridge and we welcome him now as a permanent member of our staff. Mr. Gibson: Mr. Gibson taught at Oakridge for a few years but last year he taught grade 2/3 in portable 6. He has been reassigned to another school and we will miss his involvement in our school life. We wish him the best. We have several new staff members joining Oakridge Junior P.S. We welcome Ms. Zaman to our morning JK/SK class in room 107. Mr. Grady will be the JK/SK teacher in room 116. Ms. Thompson will be instructing our grade 1/2 class in room 104. Mr. Roberts will be the grade 3 teacher in room 202. Ms. Hashimoto will be our grade 3/4 teacher in portable 4 and Ms. Field will be teaching grade 4 in portable 6. Mr. Tiller will be joining our grade 5 team in room 110. All these educators come to us with experience, commitment to student learning and a passion for teaching our children. We welcome them all as wonderful additions to our teaching team of wonderful professionals. IMPORTANT! Parent(s)/Guardians: Your previous years index card is being sent home today with each student. Review the information very carefully and verify that we have your correct/up-dated information and make any necessary changes. Please return to your childs teacher tomorrow. We look forward to an exciting year of fun and learning at our school. Please note the special dates that are coming up and the important information below! Term 1, Issue 1
Principal Rita Garry Vice-Principals Rod Zimmerman Janine Small Superintendant Nadira Persaud Trustee Elizabeth Moyer Oakridge Jr. P.S. 110 Byng Avenue Scarborough, ON M1L 3P1 Telephone 416-396-6505 Fax 416-396-6507

Happenings at Oakridge:
School Advisory Council Meeting: Thursday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. The School Advisory Council acts in consultation with administration and staff to determine how best to support student learning. Your input is valued and important as we work together to provide the best learning environment for our children. We are also in need of a School Council Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and other executive members that will be determined at this first meeting. Please join us at this meeting!

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The Oakridge Way, September 2011

Terry Fox Run: Wednesday, September 28 in the morning Our Terry Fox fundraising campaign will begin on September 12 with an assembly and end (weather permitting) with a walk/run in honour of Terry Fox on September 28 in the morning. Students are encouraged to bring in their loose change to contribute to our fundraising efforts. All money raised will support the Terry Fox Foundation and their work in finding a cure for cancer. Pizza Lunch: Orders due September 21 and Pizza lunch is September 28 Pizza forms go out on Wednesday, September 14, the forms are due back Wednesday, September 21, Pizza Lunch is on Wednesday, September 28. We do not accept late order forms and we do not sell pizza slices individually on Pizza Lunch day. To clarify: All orders must be in on Wednesday, September 21. Curriculum Night: Tuesday, September 27 beginning at 6:30 p.m. We look forward to meeting you on Curriculum Night. Involvement in your childs education is critical to school success. Please join teachers and support staff as we provide information about curriculum expectations, learning resources, special events, Character Education, our Eco School initiatives, Code of Conduct, daily routines and assessment/ evaluation procedures. Book Fair: Scholastic Book Fair begins Monday, September 26 until Friday, September 30 Please visit our library and begin the school year by purchasing reading material for your child. The fair will run during the school day and will be open in the evening during Curriculum Night. You will be supporting reading both at home and at school with a purchase.

A few notes about Oakridge:

Parent package sent home: Please check the material sent home. You need to confirm that the material on the index card is correct and inform us of any changes. You need to sign the parent permission forms sent home. As stated earlier, some classes use Student Agendas. The agendas are the only items for which we collect a fee. Please send $7.00 for each agenda ordered. Absences If your child will be absent please call the school and leave a message (416-396-6505). Circular Driveway on Newport Please note that this is actually a fire route and needs to be accessible to emergency vehicles and personnel. It is used as a drop off area for parents who drive up and let off their children. Please do so with great careremember children are walking around the cars to enter the school yard. Parents cannot park in the area and accompany students to the school yard or school building. Individuals who leave vehicles in that circular driveway may be ticketed and/or towed. There will be great attention to meeting emergency procedures in an effort to increase the safety of our students. Your cooperation is appreciated since we do all wish to make certain that our fire routes are kept clear. Thank you. Lunch Procedures We do have concerns with overcrowding. Because of high numbers of students staying for lunch, we have two lunchtime eating periods and two areas for lunch. We encourage you to have your children return home at lunchtime. This provides children with a quiet, pleasant break, a chance for parents/guardians to spend quality time with them and an opportunity to have a warm, fresh meal. Since we are a Platinum Eco-Status school, we are encouraging students and staff to bring a garbage-free lunch (label your plastic containers please) or take home all refuse. Please mark all lunch boxes with your childs name and room number! This helps with lost lunches! Anaphylaxis Please do not send any food items with peanut or nut ingredients to school with your child. Check to make sure that baked goods are not made with peanut oil, etc. Some children and staff have life-threatening allergies. Flu Please note that we are trying to encourage children to wash their hands frequently and all teachers have hand-sanitizers available. Keep your child at home if he/she seems to have any flu-like symptoms. If a child is sent to school, he/she will go out for recess. Any child too ill to go out needs to stay at home. Shoes at school Indoor shoes: In an effort to keep our school clean and safe for our students, we ask that you provide your child(ren) with extra shoes or slippers to keep and wear only in the building. Thank you for your assistance in keeping the school environment healthier. Safe footwear: Please make certain your child is wearing shoes that are safe. Toes need to be covered! Children jump, run and climb at school. Sandals or flip flops are not safe for school! Pediculosis (Lice) Please check your childrens hair frequently to determine if they have been exposed to lice. Children will be sent home so that families can treat the condition and ensure that the child is free of lice before returning to school. Mail Day All mail going home from school will be on Wednesdays; make every effort to check your childs backpack at that time and ask them if they have received any paperwork from school. Our monthly school newsletter will go home the last Wednesday of every month. The Music Program, the Study of Arts and Physical Education Solid research indicates that the study of music is closely linked to mathematics achievement and improves language study as well. We encourage our students to foster an interest in music and all the artsdrama, dance visual arts and physical education program for the many advantages provided. A study of the arts will help students develop other academic skills as well as social and life skills. We take the study of the arts and physical education very seriously and we urge you to support your childrens interest in the arts.