February 2024 Newsletter

Principal Message

As we wrap up Term 1, please note that Report Cards will be coming home on February 20th and will capture the learning from September to February.

Our staff has spent the first term assessing and evaluating our students and focussed on both Math Monitoring and Literacy Monitoring. For Math Monitoring, we have focussed on additive thinking across all grades and staff have tracked students using Alex Lawson's continuum of Numeracy Development to not only track student thinking, but also pinpoint next steps in learning along the continuum.

In Literacy, we have been tracking students reading levels, using a phonics based approach to learning to read. Staff use multiple assessment tools including phonological awareness surveys, PM benchmarks and Benchmark Assessment Systems to pinpoint reading levels and next steps for each student in their classroom to inform next steps for teaching.

Should you have any questions about your child's progress in Math and Literacy, or any other subject, please don't hesitate to reach out to our staff who can share your child's progress in more detail, as needed. We will continue to monitor students who are not at grade level and provide tier 2 interventions in the classroom, and possibly tier 3 interventions outside of the classroom, when required. Should an intervention outside the classroom be necessary, we would always work with parents and inform them of our plans of support. Throughout term one, we are very proud of our students and their consistent high overall acheivement in our classrooms.

Please take the time to read all about everything happening in our school this month. Have a Fantastic February!

Mr. G. Donaldson

Principal

John T. Tuck P.S.

Graduation - Save the Date

We are planning on a Graduation Celebreation for our students on Wednesday, June 26th – Please reserve the evening! We will begin with a ceremony at 7:00 pm in the large gym at John T Tuck, followed by a dance for the students only in the Small Gym. In planning for this event, please keep in mind that this event is designed to celebrate your child's elementary school years. It is not a formal occasion requiring fancy attire such as tuxedos, elaborate dresses, and limousines. A pair of dress pants, a collared shirt and dress shoes would suffice (a tie is optional). For those who choose to wear a dress, something simple is perfect. When choosing a dress (and shoes), please remember that students must be able to confidently walk across the stage, up and down the stairs, stand and sit with ease, and be comfortable at the dance. Final planning of the evening will take place later in the spring. If you have any questions, please talk to Mr. Ridge or Mr. Donaldson at the school.

Student Sign Out

When signing out your child, we ask that you first communicate with your child's homeroom teacher and have them ready to leave at the beginning or end of break time, rather than interrupting class time. Times to pick up children that do not interrupt the learning of others to call into the classroom would be 11:00am, 11:40am, 1:20pm and 2:00pm. If you are not able to notify the teacher in advance, please do not call the school office before arriving at the school for us to get your child out of class. We will call the student down once you have arrived in order to maximize learning time. It is mandatory that all parents come into the office to sign students out – due to safety concerns, we are not able to send your child out to you while you wait in the car. Thank you for your understanding as we keep our kids safe and learning!

Winter Walk Day

National Winter Walk to School Day is February 7th. Please consider leaving the car at home and enjoying a cool walk to school on February 2nd! Winter Walking Tips:

Keep hands and head covered to prevent heat loss.
On really cold days wear a scarf over your face and mouth.
Wear warm, waterproof boots.
Wear a warm coat that deflects the wind.
Wool clothing helps to retain the heat.
Wear clothing or carry knapsacks with reflective material – it’s important to be seen.

If possible, change wet clothes at school – tuck an extra pair of socks and mitts into knapsacks. It's Winter! Don't hibernate... walk to school and celebrate!

Intermediate Badminton

Mrs. Mayo and Mr. Geddes would like to recognize and congratulate the Senior Badminton Team for their regular season performance, finishing with a 3-1 record and placing 2nd in their pool. The team will be advancing to the first round of playoffs this week. Good luck to you all. The following students are on the team this year: Sam K, Laz B, Bennett T, Jackson L, Aniken D, Dylan W, Simon H, Juliet W, Luna E, Taylor S, Alyssa O, Brooke O, Prisha K and Emmeilne J.

Bus Driver Shortages

Halton Student Transportation Services (HSTS) is currently experiencing a shortage of bus drivers, which may result in potential bus delays or cancellations in the coming weeks. At this time, we ask that you regularly check the HSTS website for updates and plan alternative transportation arrangements accordingly. We understand the importance of reliable transportation. HSTS are actively working to address the shortage and we appreciate your understanding.

Kindergarten Registration

For children born in 2019 or 2020, we will be accepting registrations for September 2024. Parents are reminded to register at their existing home school. To determine your home school, please visit the HDSB School Locator. JK/SK Kindergarten registration application began in January for the 2024-25 school year. Our hours for registration are 8:30am to 4pm. To register for Fall 2024, Junior Kindergarten children must be 4 years old by December 31, 2024, and Senior Kindergarten children must be 5 years old by December 31, 2024. Please ensure that your child is registered as soon as possible so that we can be staffed appropriately for the new year. If you have neighbours who have school-aged children, we ask that you let them know of these timelines to help us prepare our staffing for the following year. Families are invited to learn more about Kindergarten in the Halton District School Board, the Kindergarten Program, play-based learning, community resources in Halton and before and after school care through the Kindergarten webpage on hdsb.ca. When you are ready to register, you can contact our School Office at 905-637-3881 or by emailing our Registration secretary, Mrs. Mistry at mistrym@hdsb.ca.

Anaphylaxis protocol

We wanted to share this reminder message about the HDSB commitment to creating and sustaining an allergen reduced environment. To that end, our Anaphylaxis Protocol directs:

Refrain from bringing in food items to the school/classroom that “may contain” allergens, (e.g., peanuts, tree nuts, etc.)
Baked goods should not be brought in as they may contain allergens as a result of cross contamination from other products
When buying food products to bring into the school the food ingredient labels must be read.
When ordering food from a commercial source, request a list of ingredients.
Do not bring in food items where the commercial source cannot guarantee that the food is allergen free (e.g., peanuts, tree nuts, etc.)

Indigenous Rights and Education Update

For your awareness, HDSB has an Indigenous Rights and Education department to support Indigenous students and families attending any school within the Halton District School Board. The Indigenous Rights and Education team supports system wide learning and understanding of how to work towards:

Building staff capacity to understand and respect Indigenous Rights (UNDRIP) and responding to the education calls to action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commision (TRC).
Building staff capacity with identifying and interrupting anti-Indigenous racism Co-planning and co-teaching of appropriate content using inclusive pedagogies
Supporting for student harm-reduction through learning about anti-colonial practices
Supporting for the improved student success of Indigenous students, responding to the disproportionate graduation rates
Providing on-going professional learning on factual history, truths, and the impacts of colonialism
Supporting staff with the FIrst Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies curriculum and resources

Please don’t hesitate to reach out should you wish to be connected with the Indigenous Rights and Education team, or please feel free to contact Gabriela Echeverria (echeverriag@hdsb.ca) and/or Tammy Hardwick (hardwickt@hdsb.ca) directly.

Days of Significance this Month

Our newsletter will now include all days of significance listed in our HDSB calendar at the bottom of each month's issue. We encourage families to share your traditions and celebrations with your child's classroom teacher, fostering a rich tapestry of learning, celebration and understanding.

1 - Imbolc

1 - Beginning of Black History Month

3 - Setsubun

10-12 - Losar (Tibetan New Year)

10 - Lunar New Year

14 - Ash Wednesday (1st Day of Lent)

14 - Vasant Panchami

15 - Nirvana Day

19 - Family Day

19 - Isra’a and Miraj

22 - Human Trafficking Awareness Day

24 - Māgha Pūjā Day