ParentSpeak

April 2008

The next Council meeting is on May 13 at 7 pm in the teachers’ staffroom.

Chair’s Corner (Sara Adam)

Our new security system at Hopewell created quite a “buzz” in our community. You may have seen the news story on CBC television or heard Tina Daniels on CBC radio. The outcome of this media attention was quite positive in terms of communicating a good explanation as to why the system is warranted. The system is in place and working well.

I also want to take the opportunity to express on behalf of Council our best wishes and congratulations to Melissa Kirkwood in her new position as Principal of York St. Public School. Melissa was a pleasure to work with and a great facilitator of Council’s activities and initiatives. Melissa had these kind words for us:

“I have loved being Vice Principal of Hopewell these last 5 years. It has been a joy to come to work every day of that time. I have so enjoyed working with your delightful children and have felt so lucky to have a first-class partnership with parents in creating a wonderful learning environment here at Hopewell. My first experience in administration will always be the standard by which I measure future placements. And I know they will be hard-pressed to match the excellence I have found here.”

I would also like to welcome Minou Morley as our new acting Vice Principal.

Hopewell’s Enrichment Programs

New Science Cart-- Donations Needed Please!
Council wants to help encourage the development of your child’s curiosity by putting together a Science Cart. It will be full of materials to be used by the primary and junior teachers to help them teach the science curriculum. Council has allocated $2,500 to purchase science materials and storage bins. In addition, we will also gladly accept any “science items” from your home that you are no longer using such as: k’nex, plastic gears, rock and mineral collections, pyrex or plastic measuring cups, magnets (magnet balls, magnet wands, magnet horse shoes, magnet bars), graduated beakers, funnels and magnifying glasses, LED light bulbs, switches, 6v batteries, wires, alligator clips, scales etc.

We appreciate you taking the time to look around your house and donating any of the above items to the Science Cart. Please email Kathryn Owens at kowens-email@rogers.com to arrange pick-up of your donated items.

Playground Committee Update

Did You See Pogo Sticks?
Yes it’s true we have pogo sticks. Council recently purchased $2,000 worth of outdoor equipment for students to use in the school yard. The students are thrilled to have new skipping ropes, balls, ball hops, multi-purpose nets, ball scoops, and pogo sticks. A special thanks to Hopewell parents, Dan Rakusan and Anne-Marie Corbett, who built the shelving to help keep the toys neat and tidy.

Grass Yard Update:
The Playground Committee is currently writing an application for a Green Partnership Grant worth $5,000. If successful, the grant will be used to place boulders, pathways and greenery at one end of the yard to provide an area for imaginative play and games.

Fundraising Update

Read-a-thon 2008: This will take place from April 28th to May 9. It is an amazing fundraising event and it is the perfect example of how Council and the school can work together to create a partnership which has academic and financial benefits.

The theme of this year’s read-a-thon is Reading is a Riot. Watch out for our punk rock book worm in the atrium who will track the number of books read. Some of the event highlights this year will be: a performance by Opera Lyra; Community Leaders-Community Readers reading program; a lunch-time book club; a fieldtrip to the Mayfair Theatre to see the movie The Water Horse; a Literacy Mini-Conference for grade 7 & 8 students; and an Open House for Parents on May 2 from 2pm to 3:30pm with seminars on literacy, nutrition and character education. A note will soon be sent home with all the Read-a-thon details.

Collecting Parent E-mails Continues

Council is committed to improving communications with the parent body. Council would like to start using e-mail as a way to:

Keep you better informed of Council’s new and ongoing activities
Alert you to School Board announcements that affect your child’s education
Save paper!

If you would like to receive e-mail from Council, please send your:

Name and e-mail address
Child’s name, grade and teacher

To parentspeak@gmail.com
Your e-mail will not be distributed to any third party. To date we have emails from only 36 % of Hopewell families.

Ottawa Carleton Association of School Councils (OCASC)- Buget Survey
Hopewell Ave. Public School Council (HAPSC) is a member of OCASC. This is an umbrella organization for school councils of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. In preparation for the upcoming budget debate at the Board, OCASC is conducting a budget survey with Councils and parents. If you would like to complete the budget survey, it can be found at www.ocasc.ca.

Allergy Committee: Nutrition Update
Council’s Allergy Committee would like to inform you of EatRight Ontario’s new website that provides trusted advice on nutrition and healthy eating. The website has feature articles from Registered Dietitians on nutrition and health, recipes, healthy eating tips and meal planning advice. It also covers a varied range of relevant and interesting topics which include Family Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Healthy Weights, Seniors’ Nutrition and Disease Prevention. There is an interactive Ask a Dietitian feature that enables you to ask nutrition-related questions and receive feedback from a Registered Dietitian. For more information visit EatRight Ontario at:
www.eatrightontario.ca

Mark Your Calendars
Year-End BBQ: Tuesday June 3.
Read-a-thon: April 28 to May 9. Open House for Parents on May 2 from 2 pm to 3:30 pm.
Bullying Prevention Conference: This conference for interested parents will be held on Friday May 2 at The Chambers @ Centrepointe. For more details please visit: http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=228&EID=2482