Woodlands School Council

Hello Everyone,

Please note that the November 26th Council Meeting has been changed from November 26th to November 19th, 2012. 

We alook forward to seeing you then and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Important dates for November 2012

Wednesday Nov. 14 - Secondary Mid term Report Cards

                                 - Grade 8 Dental Screening  8.20 - 11.20  am

Thursday Nov. 15   - University Pathways Presentation,  Period 1, 8.20 am

                                - College Pathways, Period 2, 9.38 am

                                - Elementary Parent Interviews  4.00 pm

Friday Nov. 16       - Elementary PD Day/Parent Interviews

Monday Nov. 19   - School Council Meeting 7.00 pm

                              - Transition to University and College

Wednesday Nov. 21 - Parents Info Night (Grade 8 and ELP) 7.00 pm

Thursday Nov. 22 - Post Secondary Pathways Fair

Friday Nov. 23     - Course Selection Assemblies (Period 1 & 2)

The Woodlands School Council

Hello Everyone,

Please note that the November 26th Council Meeting has been changed from November 26th to November 19th, 2012. 

We alook forward to seeing you then and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Important dates for November 2012

Wednesday Nov. 14 - Secondary Mid term Report Cards

                                 - Grade 8 Dental Screening  8.20 - 11.20  am

Thursday Nov. 15   - University Pathways Presentation,  Period 1, 8.20 am

                                - College Pathways, Period 2, 9.38 am

                                - Elementary Parent Interviews  4.00 pm

Friday Nov. 16       - Elementary PD Day/Parent Interviews

Monday Nov. 19   - School Council Meeting 7.00 pm

                              - Transition to University and College

Wednesday Nov. 21 - Parents Info Night (Grade 8 and ELP) 7.00 pm

Thursday Nov. 22 - Post Secondary Pathways Fair

Friday Nov. 23     - Course Selection Assemblies (Period 1 & 2)

The Woodlands School Council

Woodlands Newsletter, October 2012

Hello everyone ...
 
We've had a great start to the 2012-2013 year at the Woodlands school.
 
Thanks to all the parents who signed up for the council mailing list at registration
as well as at the first council meeting on September 24th. 

The meeting and presentation were a great success with over 30 parents and students in attendance. The presentation was on Orientation & Study Skills and
Time  Management for grades 7 to 12. Our presenters were Janet Rogers (Department Head- Special Education) and Graham Samuels (Elementary Counsellor and ISSP teacher).
                                      
We encourage parents to try and come to as many meetings as possible. as we have organised some great presentations for the year that will benefit both parents and students.  Please see the attached list of council meetings and topics for the 2012-2013 school year. Meetings are generally held upstairs in the school library, so do try and join us.
 
If you are interested in getting actively involved with the council please contact us through the website or talk to us when you come for a meeting.

 Activities and Volunteering for Students
The Woodlands offers many opportunities for students to participate in clubs and organizations and the beginning of the year is a great time to explore all the options. Do encourage your student to participate, as more and more universities and colleges want to know what activities students are involved in while in high school as well as community activities and volunteering.

Counting on You
If you have a grade 9 or grade 10 student that is struggling with Math or Literacy, the school has a program Counting on You, that you should look into.

The Counting On You Literacy afterschool program for Grades 7-10 has already started.  The scheduled course dates are as follows:
• Grade 9/10 Literacy Course Wednesday September 19th to Wednesday January 30, 2013
• Grade 9/10 Numeracy Course-  Thursday September 20th to Thursday January 31, 2013
The class times are from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m..

Information on The Woodlands programs/teachers websites etc.

Elementary:  http://schools.peelschools.org/1380/Pages/default.aspx

Secondary: http://schools.peelschools.org/sec/woodlands/Pages/default.aspx

Useful information

Drive Safe Canada Competition – Something for you and your student to do/consider. Please see last page below.

Mississauga Library News  is now available on line at -  http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/librarynews

Dates to keep in mind

Peel Holy Days & Holidays Calendar Poster
The calendar Peel Holy Days and holidays calendar can be accessed through the following link: http://inet.peelschools.org/departments/comm/documents/MultifaithCalendarDraft.pdf

Fri, Oct 19 
Family Studies Trip @ 9:00 am
Commencement @ 7:00 pm

Mon, Oct 22
School Council Meeting @ 7:00 pm – Cyber Bullying & Internet Safety
Our presenters will be The Peel Police and members of School Staff.

Fri, Oct 26
Hallowe’en Dance @ 3:00 pm

Wed, Nov 7
Secondary Term 1 Ends
Take Our Kids to Work Day
Elementary Progress Reports

Thank you,

Shaila Shankardass
Woodlands Secondary School Chair

Just Drive Canada Contest, sponsored by Allstate Insurance

The Just Drive Canada contest has launched, and we are pleased to announce that Much Music VJ Phoebe Dykstra has signed on as a contest judge!

The Just Drive Canada contest is a national, bilingual, multi-media contest designed to get students involved in the distracted driving conversation. We want students to think about the risks and consequences of the practice, as well as to provide solutions to instill safe driving habits that will last a lifetime.

The contest details are as follows:

WHO:    High school students aged 13 or older across Canada

WHAT:     Submit a photo/poster, song/audio clip, or video of a solution to distracted driving and get others to vote on their entry for a chance to win cash prizes for themselves and their school

WHERE: www.justdrivecanada.ca

WHEN:     Entries will be accepted from now to November 2, 2012. Public voting runs from November 2 to December 14, 2012. Winners will be announced in January 2013.

WHY: A recent study found that while 97 per cent of teens know the risks of texting and driving, 43 per cent admit to doing it anyway. Additionally, 75 per cent of these teens say texting and driving is a common occurrence amongst their friends

To support this initiative, we ask you to consider the following:
• Hang campaign posters in your school.
• Ask teachers to talk about this initiative with students, perhaps even consider including it as a class project.
• Announce the contest in your next school newsletter, on your website, or include it as part of a community service initiative.
There are some great cash prizes that will be awarded to winning schools and students, which include:

 
Video category:

•         $1500 to first place student or group, with $1000 to school of first place student or group.
•         $1000 to runner up student or group, with $500 to school of runner up student or group.
Song/audio category:

•         $1000 to first place student or group, with $500 to school of first place student or group.
•         $500 to runner up student or group, with $250 to school of runner up student or group.

Picture/poster category:

•         $500 to first place student or group, with $250 to school of first place student or group.
•         $250 to runner up student or group, with $125 to school of runner up student or group.

An additional $2500 “School Spirit” prize will be awarded to the school with the highest rate and quality of engagement in the contest. This will be determined, in part, by the number of entries and votes in proportion to the number of students attending the school.
Who knows, maybe one of your students will come up with an original idea like Rode Dog.
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@justdrivecanada.ca.  You can also visit www.justdrivecanada.ca for more information and to obtain a copy of the full contest rules.
Also be sure to join in on the conversation at www.twitter.com/justdrivecanada and www.facebook.com/justdrivecanada.

We also invite you and your students to take our distracted driving survey found at www.justdrivecanada.ca for a chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card.

Karen Benner
Manager, Public Relations
Allstate Insurance Company of Canada

The Woodlands School Council Newsletter Volume 1 - 2012-2013

The Woodlands School Council would like to extend a warm welcome to the parents, guardians and families of all new and returning students.

The council plays an important role in student success - we maintain a strong partnership between the school and family and help you become actively involved in the education of your children.

The council works towards encouraging involvement through engaging workshops and seminars while addressing the needs of the community. Meetings are generally held in the library on Monday evenings, starting at 7.00 pm.

For the 2012 - 2013 academic year our meetings and presentations will be as follows:

• September 24th - Orientation & Study Skills and Time Management (gr. 7 - 12)
• October 22nd - Cyber Bullying/Internet Safety/Social Networking (gr. 7 - 12)
• November 19th - Transition to Colleges and Universities (gr. 9 - 12)
• January 14th - TBA
• February 25th - Financial Planning for University and How to be a debt free Graduate (gr. 9 - 12)
• March 25th - TBA (gr. 7 - 12)
• April 22nd  - Education Week (gr. 7 - 12)
• May 27th   - Pot Luck Dinner Meeting and Council Elections for 2013-2014 (gr. 7 - 12)

Ongoing information will be provided throughout the year via email so please ensure we have your current email by signing up at http://woodlandscouncil.com/contact.
Parents / Guardians who register will have an opportunity to receive a token of appreciation for signing up.

For more information on the School Council, please go to our website at: 
http://woodlandscouncil.com or contact one of our executive members:
Shaila Shankardass   shaila.shankardass@woodlandscouncil.com

Thank you,
The Woodlands School Council

The Woodlands School Council Newsletter Volume 1 - 2012-2013

The Woodlands School Council would like to extend a warm welcome to the parents, guardians and families of all new and returning students.

The council plays an important role in student success - we maintain a strong partnership between the school and family and help you become actively involved in the education of your children.

The council works towards encouraging involvement through engaging workshops and seminars while addressing the needs of the community. Meetings are generally held in the library on Monday evenings, starting at 7.00 pm.

For the 2012 - 2013 academic year our meetings and presentations will be as follows:
 
September 24th - Orientation & Study Skills and Time Management (gr. 7 - 12)
October 22nd - Cyber Bullying/Internet Safety/Social Networking (gr. 7 - 12)
November 26th - Transition to Colleges and Universities (gr. 9 - 12)
January 14th - TBA
February 25th - Financial Planning for University and How to be a debt free Graduate (gr. 9 - 12)
March 25th - TBA (gr. 7 - 12)
April 22nd  - Education Week (gr. 7 - 12)
May 27th   - Pot Luck Dinner Meeting and Council Elections for 2013-2014 (gr. 7 - 12)

Ongoing information will be provided throughout the year via email so please ensure we have your current email by signing up at http://woodlandscouncil.com/contact.
Parents / Guardians who register will have an opportunity to receive a token of appreciation for signing up.

For more information on the School Council, please go to our website at: 
http://woodlandscouncil.com or contact one of our executive members:
Shaila Shankardass   shaila.shankardass@woodlandscouncil.com

Thank you,
The Woodlands School Council

Annual Potluck and Council Elections

The Woodlands School Council would like to invite all parents to attend our 2nd Annual Pot Luck Dinner on Monday May 28th, from 6.30 to 8.00pm.

Please come and join us, and if everyone can bring enough food for themselves and one more person, we can have a wonderful feast and learn about each other. Tea, Juice and Water will be provided.

This will be our last meeting of the school year and the Pot Luck Dinner will be followed by the Council Executive Elections for the 2012 - 2013 school year.

If you are interested in being part of the executive or getting involved with the school council, here are some positions that we need people for every year: 2 co-chairs; 2 co-secretaries; 1 treasurer. We also need Volunteers to assist with meetings, presentations, school events and the Council Newsletter.

Other upcoming events

- There will be a book swap at the school Library on May 23rd, so if you have any books you would like to donate please send them to school with your student.

- May 30th is late start day. Classes begin at 10.20 am.

Some good news from April

Poetry Slam

The grade 8's have been working hard in their poetry unit in the recent month. On April 13th, a poetry slam was hosted by renowned slam poet David Silverberg in the school library with the theme of "Truth". Many students presented their self-written slam poems to the audience of the grade eight classes and a selected panel of judges for an opportunity to showcase and express their talent, as well as to win prizes. There was also an Open Mic at the end for students who wished to read their poems. All the poetry was read to a cheering audience that were extremely impressed by the skill, maturity and depth shown in the poems.

Emergency Medical Information

It is very important for parents to inform the school if your child has an allergy, particularly to foods. The school has a plan in place for students with know allergies. There are students in our school with life threatening allergies and as parents we all need to be aware of the Emergency Action Plan for these students.

Please take a few minutes to review with your students the meaning of a nut-free environment. It is VERY important not to take nut products to school since it is life threatening to some of our students. After all, if your child had a serious allergy, you would want others to be careful.

We are currently experiencing some technical problems with the email delivery system that are causing messages to arrive late. We are investigating the situation and expect to have it resolved within the next few days. We apologise for any inconvenience.

The Woodlands School is once again proud to present a musical show, this time its Les Miserables, the school edition. The Drama Department, and the Music Department have worked very hard for the past several months to put together this incredible musical performance, so please do come out to see the amazing talent showcased at the Woodlands School.

Les Miserables shows are Wednesday May 9th, Thursday May 10th, Friday May 11th and  Saturday May 12th. Doors open at 6.30pm and the performance begins at 7.30pm. each night. 

Cost of the tickets is as follows: 

Students:  $5.00 

Seniors:    $10.00 

Adults:      $15.00 

Tickets are available at the school - Please ask your student to get them for you, or you can get them at the door on the night of the show. Keep in mind that these shows do get sold out so the sooner you get your tickets the better. 

Free Community Meeting

Erindale Secondary School has invited Woodlands Parents to attend a a presentation on "How the Teenage Brain Works" by guest speaker Dr. Jean Clinton on May 1st, 2012.

Please contact the Erindale School Office at 905-828-7206 to reserve a seat and for mor information.

Ford Drive

On Saturday May 12, the Woodlands School and McBride Elementary School will be hosting a Ford Fundraiser together.

This will now be an annual Spring event. Please check with your student, the school website and the school council website for more information on this fundraiser. The format for the fundraiser will be similar to the one hosted by the Woodlands in the fall of 2011.