MISSION Captain Michael VandenBos P.S.

STATEMENT
OUR SCHOOL
Flying High for Excellence
COMMUNITY
WILL CREATE A
SAFE AND
MOTIVATING
LEARNING
NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2010
ENVIRONMENT
THAT EMPOWERS
STUDENTS TO
BECOME
SUCCESSFUL The first five weeks of the New Year have gone by very quickly. This has been a very
LEARNERS AND strange winter so far; cold days, warm days, rainy days but not too many snow days! We
TO ACQUIRE THE are hoping that we will get some snow to cover the icy patches on our field. Not having any
SKILLS NEEDED snow makes travelling much easier but our students have been wishing for snow and they
TO BECOME cannot wait to have a chance to enjoy it! As we have experienced some really cold days,
RESPONSIBLE our students, for the most part, were dressed for the weather. All students are expected to
CITIZENS OF go outside for some fresh air at recess and at noon. It is always a good idea to send extra
TOMORROW pants, socks, and mitts as well. Please remember to label everything! Fewer clothes would
3121 Country Lane
end up in our lost and found box if a name could be found on the piece of clothing. We have
Whitby, Ontario many lost items that need to find their home. If you have a moment, please drop by and
L1P 1N3 check our lost and found areas, you might be able to find a few of your treasures!
Safe Arrival Line January went by very quickly; students and staff are actively involved with the second
4pm to 8am term’s activities. Here are some examples of the types of activities being offered: Philan-
905-665-2001 thropy Club, Tutoring Club, Ski Club, Folk Dance Club, Intermediate Boys & Girls Basketball
Team, etc., and of course our primary musical! We cannot wait to see our little stars on the
Monique de Villers stage! Parents get ready to be amazed! See you soon!
Principal

Chris vanderMeer STUDENT

Vice Principal
ARRIVAL IN
Monica Porteous THE
Carolyn Copithorne While it’s still a long way off, we would like to remind
Admin. Assistants
MORNING
you of the Winter Break dates. Students will be dis-
Please remember that stu-
missed on Friday, March 12 at their regular time (2:50).
John Bowyer dents should not arrive at school
Superintendent Schools are closed for the Winter Break from March 15 earlier than 8:05 am unless re-
905-666-5500 through March 19. Students return to school on March quired to do so for a practice. We
22. Please note that this year students are attending do not have outside supervisors
Anne-Marie Laginski in the morning and students are
Admin Officer class on the Friday prior to the March Break.
not typically allowed inside until
905-666-5500 the 8:15 am bell rings. Thank you
for your cooperation.
John Dolstra As well, we have noticed that
905-668-9595
some students are habitually
Christine Winters late. It would be appreciated if
905-430-6050
students could be on time for
Trustees
school on a regular basis.
FEBRUARY 2010 Page 2

SPACE AVAILABLE!
Schoolhouse Playcare offers an exciting
before and after school programme for chil-
dren aged 6-12 years. Our qualified staff
provide a safe and stimulating learning en-
vironment where your child can participate
in activities such as arts & crafts, science
experiments, building/construction and
physical activity. A variety of nutritional
snacks are also provided. We are located at
Captain Michael VandenBos P.S. and are
open from 6:45 -8:15 am and 2:50-6:30 pm.
Please contact Brandy at
905-665-0342 for more information.
SKI CLUB
We have had an excellent time at Ski
Club this year! Skyloft Ski Club compli-
mented our students on their good behav-
iour on the hills–great job skiers and
snowboarders! We are very proud of you!
Because of the cancelled night on January
29, we will be having our final night at Skyloft on Feb. 22.
ICE SKATING
On Friday, March 12, 2010, Grade 1-8 students will be go-
ing ice skating at Iroquois Park Arena in the afternoon. The cost
will be $3. Every student who is skating must wear a helmet
this year. Hockey, ski or bicycle helmets are acceptable. Watch
for the permission form which will be coming home soon. If you
have extra skates which another student could borrow for the afternoon, please
let your child’s teacher know. Parents are welcome to meet us at the arena to
help tie skates etc. Buses will be leaving the school shortly after afternoon atten-
dance. The children will be skating from 1-2 then returning to school until regular
dismissal at 2:50 to begin the March Break holiday. If your child will not be at
school that afternoon, please be sure to inform his/her teacher in advance.

Dates of Significance for February February 14/Valentine’s Day:celebrated

Black History Month/During February, the
February contributions of blacks throughout history,
4 ........ Gr 8 Parent Night 7pm @ Wilson as well as their struggles against
4 ........ Gr 8 Parent Night 7pm @Sinclair colonialism and racism, are officially
12....... PA Day recognized and celebrated.
14....... Valentine’s Day Feb. 3/Setsunbun-sai (Shinto):Also
known as the Bean-throwing Festival, this is
15....... Family Day Holiday
a day for family. In Japan, beans are thrown
17....... Popcorn Day
into each room of the house, and then out
18....... SCC Meeting
through the doors leading outside. It is
19....... Red & White Day
believed that this ushers out evil spirits and
19....... Intermediate Dance in good fortune.
22....... Ski Club Feb. 14/Lunar New Year (in China, Korea,
23....... Pizza Lunch Vietnam):The first day after the new moon
24....... Kdgn Pizza Lunch is a religious and cultural festival celebrated
March by Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans of
10....... Report Cards Go Home Buddhist background as New Year's Day.
12....... Skating This is a time of family gatherings and
15-19 ~ March Break feasts, and Chinese tradition dictates that
26....... Hat Day everyone’s birthday should be celebrated
31....... Family Fitness Night on this day.
on February 14, is a time to display love
and affection. People send cards, candy, or
flowers as valentines to their sweethearts,
friends, and family.
February 17/Ash Wednesday
(Catholic):This is the first day of Lent in the
Catholic calendar. Lent is a time of
repentance and fasting from certain foods
and from frivolity.
February 26th/Mawlid al-Nabiy(Islam):
Mawlid al-Nabiy means “Birth of the
Prophet,” and marks the birth of the Prophet
Muhammad. Observances of the day occur
both in the mosque–where Muslims pray
and listen to chants about the prophet, and
at home–where there is music and feasting.
February 28th/Purim:Purim is one of the
most joyous holidays in the Jewish
Calendar. Celebrating this day involves
reading the Megillah (that is, the scroll of
Esther), festive celebrations, and the giving
of gifts to friends and to poor people.
FEBRUARY 2010 Page 3

The Canadian Parents for French meetings have been scheduled for the new year. All meetings will
be held in room 1019 of the Education Centre and will run from 7pm to 9pm. Wed. February 17th ~ Wed.
April 21st ~ Wed. May 12th

INDOOR SHOES JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN

Students have been reminded that they must have indoor shoes AND SENIOR KINDERGARTEN
to wear in the classroom. This ensures that the classrooms remain REGISTRATION
as clean and as comfortable as possible, especially during the wet Registration began on January 12.
season. Parents should call the school to reg-
Student co-operation is greatly appreciated. Please make sure
ister their child for JK & SK. To attend
that your child has a pair of indoor shoes at school. Merci!
JK, a child must be four (4) years old
by December 31, 2010 (born in
TIPS FOR PARENTS (Grades 4 to 6) 2006), and to begin SK, a child must
In these grades, children do such things as reading fiction and be five (5) years old by December,
non-fiction materials, writing paragraphs using compound and com-
plex sentences, and adding and subtracting decimal numbers. You
31, 2008 (born in 2005). Students
could encourage children to continue to develop these skills in many currently enrolled in Junior Kinder-
ways. For example, you could ask them to: garten will be automatically placed
♦ choose an article in the newspaper, read it, and summarize it in a in Senior Kindergarten for Septem-
few sentences; ber.
♦ visit the library and choose two storybooks or novels on the same
topic by different authors, read the books, identify the main char-
acters, list the major events in sequence, and describe ways in School Spirit Day Dates for 2009-2010
which the two books are similar and different; Feb. 19 Red & White Day
♦ write a letter to one of the characters in the books they have read;
Mar. 26 Hat Day
♦ devise and carry out a plan for reorganizing grocery shelves;
♦ choose a recipe, write out the list of ingredients, and rewrite the Apr. 9 Crazy Hair
quantities so that the recipe is doubled; Apr. 23 Green, Blue, and Brown
♦ measure the perimeter and calculate the area of objects in the May 7 Beach/Hawaiian Shirt
house; make a grocery list, estimate the cost of each item, and
May 28 Squadron Colour Day
calculate the total cost and the amount of change they would get
back from $50 June 18 Sunglasses Day

►Printer Toner Cartridges ~ inkjet, bubble jet., laser

►Canadian Tire $ ~ needed to purchase items for the school

►Campbells Labels ~ from soups, vegetables ~ Campbell products

►Plastic Hangers ~ needed for our lost & found items

The above items support the students of Captain VandenBos

►Old Eye Glasses ~ frames, lenses for the Lion’s Club

►Old Cell Phones ~ any old cell phones go to the Denise House

►Pop Tabs ~ to go towards the purchase of wheelchairs

 Thank you to all the staff, students and parents of Captain Michael
VandenBos who helped make our Silent Auction fund raiser a success on
December 4th. We raised close to $2,800. This money will go to our
adopted village in Kenya. These acts of kindness not only help provide a
better life for the children and their families in Kenya, but I firmly
believe that my students' hearts grow each time they give of
themselves to others. I am very proud of the efforts of the O
Ambassadors in 5S and 5G. Thank you also to the following parents who
assisted in supervising the auction, phoning parents, and overall
assistance with the organization for this event. It really does take a
village. Mrs Churchill, Mrs Burcar, Mrs Carson, Mrs Barton, Mrs Kerr,
Mrs Dyer, Mrs Chow, Mrs Brassor, Mrs Kalogerakis, Mrs Wright.
Special thanks to Joanna Jenkins who stayed all evening supervising,
tallying the money and who organized the prize book by numbering and
recording winners with contact numbers.
The Oambassador's hard work at VandenBos has not gone unnoticed
over the past two years. We will be receiving a gift from Free the
Children. On March 24 our school will have a guest inspirational speaker
from "Me To We". This speech is geared towards grades 4-8. We look
forward to hearing how being grateful and kind to others does make a
difference.
Our next fundraiser will begin after March Break. Thank you and
continue to lead with your hearts.
Sincerely, Julie Sinclair