Westminster Public School

Dear Families of K-6 Students:
This is a gentle reminder that the "EVERY STUDENT COUNTS SURVEY" ends on Friday, November 30th. If you haven't already done so, please set aside time with your child(ren) to complete this online survey.

Children born in 2014 are eligible only until June 30, 2019 to participate in the Eye See...Eye Learn® program for the 2018-19 school year.

If required, Eye See...Eye Learn® will provide one pair of glasses, courtesy of our participating optometrists and corporate partners Plastic Plus and Modern Optical Canada. The frames are fashionable and are made with high quality and impact resistant polycarbonate lenses. The estimated value of the glasses is over $250.

Find a participating optometrist near you and book your child's Eye See...Eye Learn® eye exam.
Participating doctors will have Eye See...Eye Learn Doctor next to their name.

For more information in different languages,click here.

Due to an overwhelming request, our Book Fair has been extended until Wednesday, November 28th.  Sales will be offered during LUNCH RECESS ONLY, per the following schedule:

Tuesday -- Gr 1 to Gr 3s.

Our FDK students will be accompanied by staff during instructional time.

Wednesday -- Grades 4-8.

Students will need to have their money with them to make their purchases. Once finished, they will proceed outdoors for regular recess.  As with the ever-changing weather, students need to be dressed appropriately for outdoor play.

Fresh From the Farm orders will be arriving on Wednesday, November 28th, 2018. Please ensure your orders are picked up the SAME DAY between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
We want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for participating in this fundraising event and helping to support our students and local farmers. We hope you enjoy your orders!
Sincerely, WPS School Council

Our Grade 3 students will be undertaking the "Gifted Screening Activities" during the period of Nov 28th - 30th (Wednesday - Friday).
Please ensure students arrive to school on-time during this period. Any appointments that may be required, should be booked for after lunch.
Should you have any questions, please contact the Front Office.

The Grade 7s will be going to Milne Outdoor Education Centre on MONDAY, NOV 26th, 2018. Please ensure your child has a LITTER-LESS SNACK & LUNCH, and a WATER BOTTLE. It is expected that the students will be OUTDOORS ALL DAY, so please DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR THE WEATHER. The students will be departing from the school as soon as the bell goes -- PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME; they will return for regular school dismissal.

Dear Families,
Our long-awaited window replacement project will soon begin!
We will be attempting to keep disruptions to students and our community at a minimum, but we will certainly appreciate your support and patience over the next few weeks.
Construction begins at the west side (primary tarmac area) of the school on Monday, November 26th.  Equipment being used by the construction team will be fully fenced off from students. Throughout this week, the junior basketball courts will be out of bounds, and large areas of the primary tarmac will also be inaccessible.  At times, we may need to divert students to enter through a different set of doors.  We may also have to temporarily relocate teachers and students to accommodate the construction. We will continue to have full supervision of students at the morning bell and will also have supervision during construction at the end of the day.
Once the windows on the west side of the school are replaced, construction will move to the south side…

FEATURE LUNCH DAY
Thursday November 29th - Swiss Chalet
Your School Council is excited to let you know that Swiss Chalet will be offered for delivery on the Lunchbox Orders Calendar for Thursday November 29th.
The menu will feature: 2 Mini chicken sandwiches -             $10.00 Kids Quarter Chicken -white meat  - $10.25 Kids Quarter Chicken -dark meat   - $10.00 Baked Potato and Garden Salad  -   $7.00 Chicken Noodle Soup (*oz cup)   -    $4.75
All hot meals are served with a side of Chalet sauce and your choice of baked potato, rice, corn or steamed vegetables.
Orders for Swiss Chalet may be placed until Sunday, November 25th at noon.
Go online at www.lunchboxorders.com  to place your order.
With every meal purchased, a donation is made to Westminster Public School to  support student programs at school.
Thank you for your support!

Dear Families, A reminder that your child (K-6) received information lasts week about the Every Student Counts Survey.  The survey can be completed online any time between November 12th and November 30th.  The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, but the information shared will be very helpful for both school and board planning.  Students in grades 7 and 8 will be completing the survey this week at school. Please let the office know if you have any questions.

York Region District School Board is committed to creating safe, equitable and inclusive learning and working environments. As part of this commitment, the Board established a Human Rights Commissioner’s Office (HRCO).
The HRCO was created in response to a growing awareness that a space was needed within the school board environment to effectively address issues of discrimination and harassment specific to the Human Rights Code.
The HRCO is an arms-length office for Human Rights Code compliance under the Board’s Human Rights Policy.
The HRCO website provides the YRDSB community access to important information related to human rights, a confidential complaint reporting process and contact information for the office.
The website can be found at www.yrdsb.ca/hrco.

Just a REMINDER that the Parent Teacher Interview / Student Led Conference bookings will be CLOSING on Tuesday, November 20th at 3pm.  If you have not already done so, please BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT with your child(ren)'s teacher.  Should you require assistance, please contact the Front Office; we will be happy to help.

With our school board moving to full use of the EDSBY communication tool, this blog will no longer be updated after December 21st, 2018.
If you do not yet have access to EDSBY, please contact the school office for information.

Dear Families,
Children in Kindergarten to Grade 6 received information today about the Every Student Counts Survey.  Please check your child’s school/communication bag for directions on how to complete the survey and your child’s unique survey code (K-6 students).
The survey can be completed online any time between November 12th and November 30th.  The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, but the information shared will be very helpful for both school and board planning. 
Students in grades 7 and 8 will be completing the survey electronically at school in the next two weeks.
If you have any questions, please contact the office.

Our School Council is hard at work planning fundraising events for this school year.  We would love to hear your feedback as to what events you are interested in so that we can focus our efforts.  Funds raised will go towards purchasing additional resources that will directly benefit your child here at Westminster.  This survey will take less than 3 minutes to complete.  We appreciate your feedback!
Please visit the link below to complete the survey: https://goo.gl/forms/77OUktQrF2b8mBil2

Our photo retake day has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 27th.
We apologize for the inconvenience.

A reminder to all families that the Parent - Teacher Interviews/Student Led Conference schedule opens tomorrow at 8 am for booking. An invitation to book appointments will be sent to your Edsby inbox with a notification to your email. You can find further information and a helpful video at the following website: https://www.edsby.com/help/parents/parent-teacher-interviews/ Should you have any questions, please contact the office and we would be happy to help.

Friday, November 2nd, 2018

Dear Parents / Guardians:
Westminster PS is pleased to announce that we will be using an online process through Edsby to manage our Parent Teacher Interviews/Student Led Conferences scheduled for Nov 22 & 23, 2018.
Edsby is an intuitive, cloud-based platform that will allow families to easily reserve times to meet with their child’s teachers. YRDSB in partnership with Edsby have created a secure platform that protects the privacy of information for our YRDSB families.
Families will need to create an Edsby account to access the online appointment scheduler for their child’s teachers for Student Led Conferences. Only families who create an Edsby account prior to the schedule being opened on November 7th will have access. For help signing up for Parent-Teacher interviews/Student Led Conferences, please visit http://bit.ly/ptifamily.
If you require assistance in setting up your Edsby account, or have any questions about the booking process, please contact our ma…

Diwali (short for Deepavali, meaning 'line of lamps'), also known as the Festival of Lights is a
Hindu, Sikh, and Jain festival that originated in India. It celebrates the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Diwali signifies many different things to different people. For most Hindus, Diwali is dedicated to the Goddess of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. In Bengal, Diwali honours the goddess Kali. For Sikhs, the festival commemorates the return of the sixth guru to the Holy city of Amritstar after his release from detention. For the Jain community, it commemorates the passing into Nirvana of Mahavira. It also may be the beginning of a new year for farmers who plant their  crops after Diwali, as well as for business people and merchants who traditionally settle all accounts on this day and begin the new financial year. Everywhere it is celebrated, it signifies the renewal of life.  To celebrate this joyous and important festival, people get tog…