Kindergarten and Vista Daycare for September 2010
This is just a reminder that for the upcoming school year (2010-2011), Kindergarten will continue to be a HALF day morning or afternoon program. The morning program runs from 9:00—1130 a.m. and the afternoon program runs from 1:00-3:30 p.m. The staffing process is not yet underway, nor has our initial allocation been made for September 2010, but at this point based on kinder registrations, we are planning for 3 English JK/SK classes (one morning JK, one afternoon JK/SK and one afternoon JK) and 3 Early French immersion SK classes: two mornings and one afternoon class. We are also, at this point, anticipating having the same teachers teach in our Kinder program for the upcoming year.
We are not anticipating any changes to the Vista DayCare before and after school program for 2010.
Full day kindergarten is being phased in over five years. We do not yet know when Alta Vista will be offering full day kindergarten. We are not anticipating it will be before our late French immersion program is phased out as our school is at capacity. Our last class of late French immersion will finish in June 2012.
We will keep you aware of new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions or concerns, do no hesitate to contact the school.
Alta Vista fundraiser reaches out to the world community
The Alta Vista Public School fundraiser, held within days of the January 12th earthquake in Haiti, raised almost $8,000. Efforts included a pie toss at 20-plus teachers, a jelly bean counting event, and a competition to see which class could bring in the most donations.
>Read story & see pictures
Project Love/Project Amour raises funds for school supplies
As part of the Alta Vista Public School fundraiser, Project Love/Project Amour raised $1,650.00 to purchase school supplies for Haiti and Malawi.
Grade 7 Parent/Guardian Information Evening
Grade 7 Parent/Guardian Information Evening for all parents who will have students in grade 7 at Alta Vista in September 2010.
Wednesday April 21 from 6-7 p.m. before the monthly School Council meeting.
Learn about our programs for our students including instrumental music and drumming, the transition to the intermediate division (grades 7 & 8 ) and have a tour of the school if you are a new family.
Information session for parents of kindergarten registrants
If you have already registered your child, we recommend that you attend the May 27th information session from 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. starting in Gym 2 followed by visits to the kindergarten classrooms.
>Read more
New Student Transfer Procedures
At a Special Meeting of the Board on 5 January 2010, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board adopted a new cross boundary transfer policy. The new policy moves away from a first come, first served approach to student transfers and towards a criteria based approval process for elementary and secondary student transfer applications.
Staffing Updates
We wish all the best to Mme Crowder who will soon be starting her maternity leave and we welcome Mme. Kyra Lajoie who will be replacing her.
Ms. Laverdure, one of our night time custodians is on medical leave and we welcome T.J. Falace
We are also looking forward to welcoming back Ms. Davis to the office. She has been on medical leave and has been missed greatly. Thank you to Mrs. Beechey for being in the office and taking such good care of all our students.
Ontario will stop issuing fall report cards to elementary school pupils starting next year. Teachers in Ontario have pushed for years to get rid of the report cards, which are usually issued in late October or early November, saying they come too soon after the start of the school year.
School transfer applications timelines announced
Each year, there is a Kindergarten registration period, a student transfer period for the elementary and secondary panels, and a French Immersion Program registration period.
The following timelines will apply for the 2010-2011 school year:
• Kindergarten Registration Period Monday, February 1 to Friday, February 5, 2010
• Elementary Student Transfer Application Period Tuesday, February 16 to Friday, February 26, 2010
• Secondary Student Transfer Application Period Tuesday, February 16 to Friday, February 26, 2010 (To be completed by parents of grade 8 students who wish to transfer to a high school other than their designated home school. An option sheet must be submitted to the home school BEFORE an application for cross-border transfer is made. To find out which is your home school, go to the School Locator tool.
• Middle French Immersion Registration Period Monday, February 22 to Friday, February 26, 2010
• Late French Immersion Registration Period Monday, February 22 to Friday, February 26, 2010
The information can also be found on the Board’s website.
Breakfast Club at Alta Vista
The Children’s Breakfast Clubs is a program that ensures that every child receives a nutritious breakfast and a good beginning of the day. An estimated 300 breakfasts are 
served each week to approximately 60 students. In addition to serving bagels, croissants, cereals, the Children’s Breakfast Club also offers nutrition and social development opportunities. Thank you to Laura-Lee MacDonald who joined us as the new Breakfast Club Coordinator. To prepare and shop for food Laura-Lee follows the Canadian food guide and Breakfast organization of Ontario guidelines. Laura Lee is also being helped by students who set up and serve breakfast every morning. We are in need of parent volunteers who could give us 45 minutes to an hour to assist Laura-Lee supervise the group of students eating breakfast.
Why volunteer for Breakfast club?
• If they don’t already participate, your own children can join breakfast club and enjoy the great food.
• It is early in the morning from 8:15 until 9:00 so you can do it before going to work
• You can supervise for 1 morning, 2 mornings or more. It is your choice.
• You get to meet great kids who participate in sports, music, and school clubs.
• All you need is to love spending time with kids
If you can give us an hour of your time in the morning, please email Mme Grondin at Micheline.Grondin@ocdsb.ca
Annual Scholastic and Usborne Book Fair, December 2-4
Get ready for some out-of-this-world excitement with Scholastic Book Fairs’ Galaxy of Books! and Usborne Book Fair. You’ll go where no reader has gone before as you explore the coolest array of books in the cosmos. Our Scholastic and Usborne Book Fair is the ultimate book event and our students love it! Additionally, a portion of the sales benefits our school. It’s the best way to raise funds while encouraging kids to read. Last year Alta Vista school received almost $3000 worth of books – now that’s stellar!
Street Safety
Several staff and parents have expressed concern over street safety on Randall Street in particular near Ridgecrest and Randall Street. We are asking all parents to slow down when driving on Randall Street and to respect the no stopping zone. The Ottawa Police have advised that the safest way to drop off students is to use the “Kiss and Ride” drop off zone in the school parking lot. Students who do cross Randall Street should also be reminded to look both ways before crossing the street.
Student Levy
We want to thank all parents/guardians who have contributed. Funds support a variety of activities at the school. We will be sending out reminder notices as we wish to hear from each family. We are happy to provide subsidies upon request.
Supervision in the morning
In the morning, duty staff begins supervision duty at 8: 45 a.m. Please be aware that we cannot accept responsibility for students who are left on their own earlier than this time and request your cooperation in not dropping off your child(ren) before 8:45 a.m. Thank you!
Knitting/Sewing Club
Thank you to parent Laura-Lee MacDonald student are able to participate in a sewing /knitting club on Tuesday during the morning recesses.
Athletic News
We have had many athletic activities taking place this past month. Mr. Costello has been welcoming countless students during the morning recesses to play intramural basketball. There have been opportunities in soccer, cross country running, football and badminton. We thank the following contributors who are sharing the following news:
Our girls played a tough game against Glashen Middle School narrowly defeating them in Sudden Death overtime. In our Quarterfinal game, we faced Fielding Drive PS for the 2nd time that day. The girls gave their best effort, overcame many obstacles including the snow, but eventually fell to a team that went undefeated that day.
Mr. Seeley and Ms. McRae would like to thank the following team members: Brittney T., Meghan C., Katie P., Samantha W., Aseel J., Hana H., Christie K., Sydney C., Rebecca B., Emma T., Yasmine I., Dana A.
Junior Girls Soccer Team
On Wednesday October 21 the Junior Girls Soccer Team won the gold medal in the recreational division. The final game was against Metcalfe Public School was a shut out. The team showed great sportsmanship and skill. Special mention goes to Eve U for her scoring ability and sportsmanship. Thank you to Ms. Connelly for coaching this winning team.
Intermediate Girls’ Football Team
On Wednesday, October 14th our Intermediate Girls’ Football Team participated in the South East Regional Touch Football Tournament. In the round robin portion of the tournament, the girl’s slowly but quickly improved as the afternoon went along.
Chess Club
We are pleased to announce that Mme Farhat and Mr. Warner will be running a chess club in the Spring for primary students. We are looking for a parent or grandparent to volunteer to offer chess for junior students. Can you spare some time? If so, please email Mrs. Bright. You will have many grateful students!
Canterbury Information Night
Canterbury will be having an Information Night on Tuesday December 15 at 7:30 p.m. for all interested parents and students. Students must audition to be accepted into the Arts Program to study one of: Dance, Drama, Literary Arts, Vocal/Instrumental Music or Visual Arts. The auditions are held annually in January or February. Students interested in obtaining an audition should send an application form to me at Canterbury before Friday January 18, 2008. Once an application has been received, a package of information outlining the auditions requirements, along with audition times will be mailed to the student. Application forms can be found in the Arts Canterbury brochure, from Canterbury H.S. or on their website: www.canterburyhs.ocdsb.ca/arts.
Alta Vista’s Cyclical Teacher
During the 2009-10 school year, our Cyclical Assignment Teacher (C.A.T.), Mr. Glen Chapman, will be integrating Arts and Technology into lessons here at Alta Vista Public School. He will be teaching literacy and numeracy skills using various computer programs and the Internet in the school's computer lab. He is also teaching about internet safety. You are encouraged to go to his website, www.mrchapman.tk, to see the many different web links he has assembled to assist our students at school and at home.
Dog poop in our yard
We have been beset by this messy problem… While Mr. T, our custodian does a morning walk around, it is easy to miss messy deposits. We have been encouraging our students to let a staff member know right away if a deposit is seen, so that a speedy clean up will occur.
Thank you to…
• Two wonderful parent volunteers that have been helping out in in the Library: Krista Bugatsch and Pauline Comeau-Gort for all their hard work keeping the Library running.
• Erin B. and Imene M. for their help with ensuring the smooth operation of picture day on October 14th
World of Work
On Wednesday October 28 our grade 8s joined hundreds of other student at the World of World at Lansdowne Park. This trip increased our students’ awareness of the world of work and possible pathways.
From the Library…
A funny man called Groucho Marx once said: “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”
That Groucho, he’s hilarious. But, what if you had a good book and a good dog (and a lamp)? Then, life would be perfect.
Hi, my name is Angela Hasson. I am the new (and only) library staff member at Alta Vista and I welcome all book lovers and not-so book lovers (you just haven’t found the right book) to the library. The lights are always on from 8am-3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as noon-3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
I’m working hard getting to know all the great people at AV, and all the great books at the library. Soon, there will be even more books to enjoy as I attempt to put 10 brand new titles on the shelves each week. Ten books don’t sound like much, but did I mention that I’m the only one working in the library and only for 2 ½ days a week? Please drop by if you can offer any time for shelving, book repair, book processing…
After many years as a stay-at-home mom/part-time student/school volunteer, it’s wonderful to be part of your school community. I look forward to meeting more of you.
A huge thank you and to two wonderful parent volunteers that have been helping out in in the Library: Krista Bugatsch and Pauline Comeau-Gort for all their hard work keeping the Library running.
Outstanding Terry Fox Walk/Run
Terry Fox’s inspiration led students to aspire to walking and running amazing distances at Alta Vista on Friday, September 25th. Many completed more than 15 laps, some 20. That means some AV students ran over 10 kilometers in 45 minutes! Outstanding! Once the total school distance has been calculated, it will be displayed on a map of Canada in the front foyer. The goal was to run as far across Canada as possible as a school body. We will compare our distance with Featherston Public School, which had challenged us to a friendly competition. All money raised through our event will be forwarded to The Terry Fox Foundation to further the cause of cancer research.
If you require a school bus empty seat application, forms are now available in the main office and must be submitted by Friday, October 5. Forms are not sent home by the school nor are children reminded to pick up the form. Seats are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis to the youngest children until the bus is full. Empty seats, if available, are usually allocated by mid-October. We regret that seats are not available for students attending Alta Vista on a cross-boundary transfer.
Student Fees
We would like to thank all parents who have already sent their child’s student fee into the school. If you have not already done so, we will be sending home a reminder letter to parents in early October.
Lunch monitors
As part of the Community of Character program this year at Alta Vista, all the intermediate students will have an opportunity to be a lunch monitor on rotation, in a primary or junior classroom. Rotations are for either term one, two, or three. Six different teams of students cover the morning or afternoon nutrition breaks. The lunch monitor role is very important in helping students develop responsibility, respect, perseverance, fairness and empathy five of the ten character traits suggested in emphasized in the OCDSB “A Community of Character” Wheel.
All students doing the first rotation have received a pamphlet explaining the role of the Lunch monitor and given instruction on the difference between supervising and disciplining. Lunch monitors are helping the younger students with their lunch, go pick up the milk and the pizza for the class, support teacher supervision and play indoor games on inclement weather days.
We are very proud of our student lunch monitors. Check out the display in the school and you might see a picture of your child learning a game form a lunch monitor during inclement weather, or of your child sharing their skills with younger ones!
Healthy/Active Schools
As part of our Healthy/Active Schools participation, we encourage students to bring healthy snacks and lunches. Please choose healthy food for your child for both nutrition breaks, including 100% fruit or veggie options, juice, cheese or yogurt.
Please do not send glass bottles to school.
Psychologist and Social Worker
We are pleased to introduce you to AV’s school psychologist, Isabelle Geracts Rose, and our social worker, Emily Balla. Dr. Geraets Rose will usually be available to students Wednesday afternoons, while Ms. Balla will be available Tuesday afternoons. Please speak to our learning support teachers, Laura Eagles (primary/junior) or Jennie Campbell (intermediate) if you are interested in accessing either of these services. A signed parent consent form will be required for ongoing services.
Important information about the H1N1 Flu virus
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has been working closely with Ottawa Public Health and other provincial agencies since the onset of the H1N1 virus in North America, and more specifically, in Ottawa. This collaboration has given the district the ability to provide the most up-to-date information for schools and their communities in terms of the local situation and also the latest advice for managing the potential infection risk in schools.
>Read more
A safer walk to school . . . A new adult Crossing Guard
The City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Safety Council are helping children in your area walk to school more safely. Starting in September of 2009, a new supervised school crossing, staffed with an adult Crossing Guard, will be implemented at the intersection of Bank Street and Randall Avenue for students from Alta Vista Public School.