Message from the Principal

The weather has certainly kept us on our toes this year – with an interesting mix of warm and cold days.  It certainly feels a little cooler as I write this month’s newsletter.  Although it is nice to have a little bit of snow on the ground!   On behalf of Queen Victoria’s staff I would like to welcome everyone in the school community to the New Year.  It is hard to believe that is already 2010!  I hope that everyone had a relaxing and safe holiday.

December was a busy and rewarding month for students and staff alike at the school.  The annual Christmas Concert was its usual success with each class contributing in its own manner.  I would like to thank all of the students and staff for their hard work preparing for the December 9^th program.  In spite of the rather terrible weather on the morning of the concert it turned out to be a great success.  The concert ended with the Grade 3 and 6 classes putting on a successful play and choir.  A special thanks to the families and community for supporting our students on the evening of the performance.

Students were involved in a number of other activities during December.  A Movie Night was held on Thursday, December 3^rd with a great student turnout.  Thank you to Mrs. Nielsen for supervising this successful night.  Ms. McFaul organized a Scholastic Book Fair between December 9^th and 14^th.  Thank you to Ms. McFaul for organizing the book fair and thank you to everyone who supported the book fair.  All proceeds raised in the book fair are used to purchase new books for the library. 

The Junior Volleyball team has been selected and has begun its practices (thank you to Mr. Arnold for again coaching the volleyball team).  A choir consisting of Grade 5 and 6 students practiced and performed at the town of Lindsay’s Olympic Celebration.  The choir did an excellent job and represented Queen Victoria well!  Thank you to Mrs. Tompkins and Ms. Dickson for organizing and supervising the choir.  All of our students had the opportunity to watch the Olympic Torch arrive in Lindsay.  It was an exciting opportunity for everyone involved!  On the last Friday prior to the holiday students gathered in the gym for Christmas Carols with a special appearance by a “Grandma” who looked suspiciously like Ms. Hein.  Finally, on the Friday afternoon a staff-student floor hockey was held with many students from Grade 1 to Grade 6 participating.  Santa told me that the staff won...but the Grade 6 students are already talking about the year-end baseball game!

Thank you also all of our families who participated in selling and purchasing tickets for our Parent Council’s “Christmas Dinner in a Basket” and “Crayola Basket.”  The draw was held during the Praise Assembly on Thursday, December 17^th.  The winner of the Christmas Basket was Todd Tamlin and the winner of the Crayola Basket (the student who sold the winning ticket) was Mitchell Burgess.   

Finally, thank you to the Parent Council for putting together the “Christmas Dinner in a Basket” and Crayola Gift Basket.  Your efforts in fundraising to support the students of Queen Victoria are greatly appreciated.  Mrs. Gowan, Mrs. Rines, Mrs. MacDonald and Mr. Denyer put a great deal of effort into creating the basket, creating and tracking the tickets, and, finally, counting the money.  Lastly, thank you to Mrs. Webster (our school secretary) who was instrumental in helping keep the Christmas Basket fundraiser organized and on track.  We could not have done it without you!  

Thank you to the nearly half of our parents who have signed up for the e-mailed version of this newsletter!  If you are interested in receiving the e-mailed version of the newsletter (rather than the paper version – which helps the environment) please complete give your e-mail address to myself or Mrs Webster in the office and we will see that your name is added to the list.

Darin Parish

Principal

Parent Council News

No Parent Council meeting was scheduled for December.

Our next Parent Council meeting will be on Tuesday, January 12th at 6:00 p.m..  As always, all parents are welcome to attend our meetings.

Hot Lunches Are Back

Thank you to Mrs. Webster for organizing 2 Hot Lunches in December.  A pita hot lunch and a pizza hot lunch were organized for the last 2 Fridays before the holidays.

Mrs. Webster will again be organizing a pita hot lunch for Friday, January 15^th and a pizza hot lunch for Friday, January 22^nd.  If you are interested in your child(ren) receiving the hot lunch, please fill out the forms when they come home and return to the school by the date required. 

A few things to note:

— Hot Lunch money will not be refunded if your child is absent for any reason (when possible the hot lunch will be kept in the school fridge until the day’s end for parents to pick up – any hot lunches not picked up by the day’s end will be disposed of)

— Hot Lunch money should always be sent to your child’s homeroom teacher (and not the office).

— Hot Lunch money should be placed in separate and clearly marked envelopes/ziplock bags.  Please do not combine siblings’ orders together.

— Please provide the exact amount of money as teachers will not be able to make change.

School Fundraising and Technology Purchases

As reported last month, a number of technology purchases/installations took place in December.  Two SmartBoards have been installed and a third is to be installed in Ms. Wotten’s class in January.  Additional technology is likely to be purchased/installed in the next month depending on the amount of fundraising monies available.  As this occurs I will keep you informed via newsletters. 

  The money used for these technology purchases has come from the School Fundraising (rather than the Parent Council’s Fundraising).  These purchases will use the majority of the money in our school’s fundraising account.

Queen Victoria now has 5 SmartBoards, 3 data projectors and 3 document cameras.  

Christmas Concert

Amazing!  Queen Victoria’s Christmas Concert was impressive, as always!  Rather than having a Primary portion and a Junior portion, staff decided this year to create a performance on an individual class basis (with some classes joining together). 

Mrs. Gignac’s Junior and Mrs. McMullen’s Senior Kindergarten students looked great with their deer tails and did a wonderful job on the stage!  Ms. Wotten’s Grade 1’s and Mrs. Lautenschlager’s Grade 4’s worked together to create their own Olympic version of the “12 Days of Christmas.”  The Olympic theme was definitely a hit.  Mrs. Ferguson’s and Mrs. McReelis’ Grade 1’s performed “A Snowman for Mrs. McKay.”  Ms. Hein’s Grade 5’s performed a short play about Santa always forgetting his boots – hopefully Santa did not forget his boots this Christmas!  Finally, Mrs. Nielsen’s Grade 3’s and Mr. Arnold’s Grade 6’s teamed up to perform in “40 Winks Til Christmas.”  All of the actors and choir did an outstanding job!  

Thank you to Mr. Whalen who accompanied the JK and SK’s and also the Grade 1’s and 4’s on guitar.  Thank you also to Mrs. Winterbottom, Mrs. Grof, Mrs. Thurston and Mrs. Bowman who returned on the night of the Christmas Concert and were invaluable in making the concert happen!  Ms. Jordan (a student teacher in Mrs. Nielsen’s class) and Mrs. Tompkins did a wonderful job looking after the sound system.  A big thank you also to Ms. Dickson for helping organize students and keeping everything running smoothly!      

A large overall thank you to all of the staff who donated their time and energy to helping make the Christmas Concert such a success.  Finally, thank you to Mr. Daynes and Mr. Evans for their patience in setting up and taking down chairs and the stage!  Without all of your efforts the concert could not have been held!

Olympic Choir Performance

Queen Victoria was fortunate in being able to provide 14 (from Grade 5 and 6) students for a choir that participated in the town of Lindsay’s Olympic Celebration held on Wednesday, December 16^th.  Led by Terri Johnson (the wife of Queen Victoria’s former trustee and our current MPP – Rick Johnson), our students joined with another local school to provide musical accompaniment for the celebrations taking place prior to the Torch’s arrival.   

Students participating in the choir were: Keianna Clifton, Cassidy Dickinson, Patience Fleming, Hannah Reeds, Ashley Bacon, Denise Bennett, Ryley Bowins, Marissa Currell, Alyssa Denyer, Kendall Jones-McGowan, Janelle Lane, Emily McKinnon, Kaitlyn Meek, and Jessica Smith.  Terri Johnson, the “lead” singer, is pictured to the left in the above picture.     

Olympic Torch Arrival

On Wednesday, December 16^th, our students received a once in a lifetime opportunity when they were able to personally watch the Olympic Torch arrive in Lindsay.  Students in SK to Grade 2 walked out to Queen Street and were within feet of the Olympic Torch as it was run by.  Students in Grade 3 to Grade 6 walked to downtown Lindsay and took part in the town’s celebrations. 

With a little perspective (given my age!) and writing this a few days after the Torch’s arrival, I realize (and I hope everyone else does too) what an incredible opportunity our students had in being able to see the Torch.  To think that this flame has travelled all the way from Olympia, Greece and will travel about 46 000 km before completing its journey in Vancouver in February is rather extraordinary.

Thank you to Ms. McReelis for bringing her husband’s Olympic Torch to the school and allowing our student’s to see it.  It was quite cool!        

Food Drive and Toy Drive

Queen Victoria demonstrated a great deal of Compassion in December (our monthly Character Trait) through its support of the Food Drive and Toy Drive.  Our goal was for each student to bring in a food item – with the goal close to being met!  As well, the Toy Barrel had a number of items in it when the Kinsmen Club came to pick it up.  Your generosity speaks volumes about our students, parents and community!

December Praise Assembly - Compassion

Our December Praise Assembly took place on Thursday, December 17^th.  Compassion was our theme for the month.  We celebrated the accomplishments of our praise certificate winners (noted below) and also the efforts of the soccer team (who received their certificates for being on the team).

December’s Praise Certificate winners were: Aaron Clifton, Ryley Bowins, Keianna Clifton, Hannah Reeds, Madison McNaney, Dylan Head, Harold Lee, Kallie Falkner, Riley Hall, Cameron Welsh, Tyler Welsh, Dean MacInnis, Jeremey Reeds, Ethan Big Canoe, Paula Smitheram, Liam Van Houdt,  and Jessica Smith.     

Our next Praise Assembly takes place on Friday, January 29^th at about 2:10 p.m.. In this assembly we will celebrate the successes of our students, with a particular focus on Self-Control.  Parents, as always, are welcome to attend. 

Scholastic Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair was a success!  Ms. McFaul’s efforts resulted in a significant amount of profit (the school does not receive this as money, rather this amount is given to buy books).  We do not have an exact total at this time, but I will indicate this in next month’s newsletter.  All of this profit is used to purchase new books from Scholastic for the school library.  The Book Fair took place between December 9^th and 14^th – thank you to the parents and students who purchased many, many books!

Special thanks to Ms. McFaul for organizing the Book Fair – the students definitely enjoyed the book browsing and buying! 

 Food Drive and Staff-Student Floor Hockey Game

Our Staff-Student Floor Hockey Game took place on the last Friday before the holiday.  The student team consisted of two (or more) students from each classroom. 

As in most staff-student games, the students were very competitive (they love to win!).  Students who participated in the game showed a great deal of respect and represented the school very well.  Students in the crowd were extremely well-behaved and overall did an excellent job.

While the students did not win, many of the Grade 6’s were quick to comment on their desire to play in the year’s end baseball game.  Mr. Arnold is already warming up his arm and getting out his rosin bag. 

Bus Cancellations

The information below refers to bus cancellations in the event of poor weather (e.g., heavy snow or icy conditions).  The school is normally open even buses are cancelled.  

Every attempt will be made to have the decision made by 6:15 a.m.

In the event of school bus service cancellation, the following notifications are sent out and parents can access any of these for the information:

BOB FM - 91.9 FM

CBC - 98.7 FM

Country 105 - 105.1 FM

EZ Rock - 105.9 FM

The Wolf - 101.5 FM

For TLDSB schools:

www.tldsb.on.ca/index.cfm

Pick Up and Drop Off Routines

Please remember that there is a “No Parking” area in front of the school in the parking lot and on the south side of John Street.  In order to ensure the safety of our students and to avoid traffic congestion, we ask that you do not park in these areas.  As well, you are reminded that parents picking up students at the end of the day in cars are asked to park on the North Side of John Street. 

Parents needing to come on the yard at morning recess (9:45) or lunch hour are reminded to check in at the office first and then speak with a staff member on yard duty before approaching the children on the yard.  This process is in place to ensure the safety of all our children.

City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library – January Events

Lindsay Library

Storytime

Wednesdays at 2 pm & Thursdays at 11 am

                        Begins January 14, 15

                        Age 3 – 5 years

                        Advance registration required.

                        Family Storytime

Fridays at 10:30 am

Begins January 16

Everyone welcome

Read to the Dogs

Saturdays from 10 am to 12 noon

January 17

Art Creations 101

Thursday, January 15 at 6:30 pm

Age 7 years and up

Advance registration required.

Science Fun with Dee

Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 pm

Age 7 years and up.

Advance registration required.

For information or to register please call the Lindsay Library at 324-9411 ext. 332.

Search the Library Catalogue at www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca\library