No school council meeting this month

Despite what it says in the school calendar, there will be no School Council meeting this month.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday January 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the staff room.

Pizza lunch orders due Dec 13

Pizza lunch is on Wednesday, December 18.

Orders are due Friday December 13. Thank you!

Movie night December 13 - Despicable Me 2

Movie night is Friday December 13! Come watch Despicable Me 2 with us at 7:00 p.m. in the gym.

$2 per person (including adults)
Popcorn and drinks available to purchase. 
Bring a pillow or blanket to sit on.
All children must bring an adult.
Open to grade 6 and under.

See you then!

Hat and glove drive

Clairlea is collecting NEW hats, gloves and mittens to decorate the tree in the front foyer. 

Please send in whatever you can. 

All items will be donated to families in need.

Get your magazine subscriptions here!

If you have any magazine subscriptions to buy / give / renew, please order them via Clairlea's QSP fundraiser. Visit www.qsp.ca and use school code 9581.

Clairlea receives a portion of the proceeds. Thank you!

Art department needs bottle caps

The art department needs plastic bottle caps!

Any kind / size / colour will do. Please wash them well and send them to Mme Demeter via your child.

Spirit wear orders due on Friday

A reminder that all spirit wear orders are due on Friday November 22. Here's the order form.

Pizza lunch orders due Nov 22

Pizza lunch is on Wednesday November 27.
Orders are due on Friday, November 22.

Enjoy!

Movie Night - Fri Nov 22 (Turbo)

Movie night is Friday November 22! Come watch Turbo with us at 7:00 pm in the gym.

$2 per person (including adults).
Popcorn and drinks to purchase.
Bring a pillow or blanket to sit on.
All children must have an adult with them.
Open to grade 6 and under.

See you then!

A message from the chair

Below is a message from Irit Hartman, our school council chair:

DEAR CLAIRLEA FAMILIES…

We have had a very successful couple of months with respect to fundraising and we have you to thank.  If it were not for the volunteers giving of their time and working behind the scenes as well as the countless donations and contributions from people along with all the students, Clairlea families, Clairlea Staff and Community that support the fundraisers by purchasing, participating and contributing we would not have the successes we’ve had.  Thank you to all!

HERE’S HOW WE ARE DOING SO FAR….

HALLOWEEN HOWL – We surpassed last year’s event.  Thank you to all the families that came to the event.   We had over 500 people come through the doors, many with maps in hand!  We raised over $3000.00 in gross revenue and estimate approximately $2400.00 in net profits (still tabulating a few expenses).  We could not have done this if it were not for the generosity of the many volunteers and contributors in the Clairlea community.   We received countless decorations in the drop off bin in front of the office, about 400 candy jars for the lollipop pull which raised approximately $350.00, wonderful prize donations were given for the Looney Toss room, which also raised approximately $350.00, and many families came to help setup along with a dedicated group of high school students from the community, some of which were Clairlea alumni!  Clairlea grade 7 and 8 students worked diligently to prepare the windows in the library to ensure a scary dark environment for the haunted library.  The fantastic signs for each room were made by our own grade 6 class.  Thank you to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly in a room during the event or were runners to ensure that everything ran smoothly.   We thank the Clairlea staff for all that you do!   We hope you enjoyed your experience!   All Looney Toss winners and candy count  jar winners have been contacted.

NORCARD WINTER CATALOGUE ORDERS – Thank you to all of you that placed orders for the Norcard Catalogue Fundraiser.  This campaign is now closed and all of your orders went home today (wed).  We managed to collect over $2000.00 in product orders of which 50% ($1000+) of it goes to Clairlea. 

PIZZA LUNCH OCTOBER – As per usual Pizza lunch is a big hit.  Thanks to the hard work of our regular pizza lunch volunteer crew we raise approximately $600.00 net profit each month.

MOVIE NIGHT NOVEMBER 22^ND - Over 100 people attended movie night last month so we are doing it again.  Our next movie night will be held on Friday November 22^nd, featuring “Turbo”.  We hope to see you there!  This event is open to children in grade 6 and under.  (See flyer).

SPIRIT WEAR – You should have received a copy of the spirit wear order form.  Please ask your teachers for it if you haven’t received it.  We have a quick turnaround time on the orders so that they can be back in time for the holidays.  All orders are due no later than Friday November 22^nd.  Late orders will not be accepted.  As in the previous year we have samples sizes in the office that will be available until November 22^nd if you would like your child to try on a specific item.  Also you can email us at clairleacouncil@gmail.com if you want us to fit your child.  Please ensure you complete all the necessary areas on the form clearly.  (See order form).

QSP MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS - This fundraising campaign is still going on and will be open all school year long!  You may simply place your order anytime online at www.qsp.ca using our school code which is 9581.

DID YOU KNOW….?

Many Clairlea students and staff have allergies and some are life threatening. As a community, we must work together to provide a safe environment for all. We ask you to ensure that no peanut or other nut products enter our building. Seafood & shellfish also pose a threat to some of our students.

Please take the time to read the list of ingredients carefully on all products. Here are some examples of foods that contain these potentially life threatening items:

Nutella - contains Hazelnuts

Seaweed Snacks – contains fish sauce, salmon or other fish products

Peanut Butter Granola Bars – contains peanuts

Tuna or Sushi – fish products

Pesto sauce – can contain pine nuts and anchovy paste

REMINDER…

When you are in the school for your parent teacher interviews don’t forget to have a look through the lost and found. 

SO WHAT’S NEXT…?

NEXT CLAIRLEA COUNCIL MEETING - Our next meeting will take place on Wednesday November 20^th @ 7pm until 8:30pm.   Free child minding is available and all are welcome!  The minutes and treasurer’s report from the October meeting are attached for your reference.  Please note we will not have a meeting in December.  

NOVEMBER AGENDA: (**note the new items described below)

**6:00 – 7:00pm   Voila Learning Parent presentation on French Homework Help

6:45 – 7:00pm - Selling 50/50 tickets to be drawn at the end of the meeting (purchase is optional)

7:00 – 7:10pm - Introduction and voting in the past minutes (Irit)

7:10 – 7:30pm - Administration Report (Mr. McGilvray and Ms. Harroun)

**7:30 – 7: 40pm – Teacher’s Report (Ms. Gousis)

7:40 – 7:45pm - Treasurer’s Report (Tina)

7:45 – 7:55pm - Fundraising Report (Irit)

7:55 – 8:25pm - Open Discussion (All)

8:25 – 8:30pm - 50/50 draw and wrap up (Irit)

HOW TO REACH US…

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email (we hope you don’t) or know someone that would like to be added to the distribution list please send a request to clairleacouncil@gmail.com.  We would like to hear your feedback and suggestions.  Do you have any feedback about the Halloween Howl, Norcard or any fundraiser and how we can make it better for next year or what you liked about it this year?  If you are not able to come to the next meeting and want to contribute ideas please email them to us or drop a note in the council box in the office and we can bring them forward to the meeting.   

You can contact us via email at clairleacouncil@gmail.com, on the blog at http://clairleacouncil.blogspot.com, or have a look at our bulletin board outside the office for the latest news.

Best Regards,

Irit

Clairlea School Council

School Council meets Wednesday November 20 (UPDATED WITH AGENDA)

The Clairlea School Council meets next Wednesday, November 20, at 7:00pm in the staff room.

All are welcome - voting members, non-members, community and staff. Childcare is provided in the gym or library.

Please review the draft minutes from last month before the meeting. The agenda will be available soon follows:

NOVEMBER AGENDA: (**note the new items described below)

**6:00 – 7:00pm   Voila Learning Parent presentation on French Homework Help

6:45 – 7:00pm - Selling 50/50 tickets to be drawn at the end of the meeting (purchase is optional)

7:00 – 7:10pm - Introduction and voting in the past minutes (Irit)

7:10 – 7:30pm - Administration Report (Mr. Mcgilvray and Ms. Harroun)

**7:30 – 7: 40pm – Teacher’s Report (Ms. Gousis)

7:40 – 7:45pm - Treasurer’s Report (Tina)

7:45 – 7:55pm - Fundraising Report (Irit)

7:55 – 8:25pm - Open Discussion (All)

8:25 – 8:30pm - 50/50 draw and wrap up (Irit)

Check the lost & found before November 15

Please check the Lost & Found before November 15.
After that, the school will donate all remaining items to charity.

Halloween Howl - Saturday 4-7pm

Hope to see you all tomorrow at the
Halloween Howl!

Saturday October 26, 4pm-7pm
Kids $5 admission, Adults free

What to bring:

• wear your halloween costume!
• a loot bag for all the treats you will collect
• loonies for the lollipop pull and loonie toss
• cash for pizza dinner unless you pre-ordered
• kids 12 & under should bring an adult, please

Donations welcome:

• Halloween decorations (drop them off at the school earlier in the day or better yet, come help us decorate!)
• Small jars or bags of candy - these are used as prizes for the lollipop pull

Halloween Howl - here's how you can help

The Halloween Howl is on Saturday!

I hope your kids are excited about this as we are. It's great fun for just $5 per person.

It's also one of Clairlea's biggest fundraisers of the year. Funds raised will be used to support extracurricular activities and enrich the learning environment in many ways.

We would be grateful if you can help in any way. Here's what we need:

Halloween stuff. Anything at all! Here are some suggestions -- 

·        Black plastic dollar-store tablecloths (we need many of these!)

·        Spiderwebs

·        Halloween candy – peanut-free – to be used as prizes in various rooms

·        Styrofoam tombstones

·        Skulls, mice, bats, body parts

·        Twinkle lights (lend us yours – we’ll return them before Halloween!)

·        Corporate donations – for some of the larger prizes e.g. for the loonie toss

·        Candy jars – large and small. If you’re bringing in a large one, please note the number of candies it contains and we’ll use it for the guessing game. We also need many, many small jars or bags of candies to use as prizes for the lollipop pull. We can use up to 400 small bags or jars of candies so please donate as many as you can! These can be left at the office any time before Oct 26 or bring them to the Howl. 

We also need adult volunteers for Halloween Howl. We need people for the haunted house, the hockey room and various other jobs including setting up and tearing down the event. Please contact us at clairleacouncil@gmail.com if you can volunteer. 

Message from the School Council Chair

Good morning everyone!

For anyone who missed it, below is the message that our School Council chair Irit Hartman sent out by email last week.

Dear Clairlea Families…

The school year is well underway and things are getting busy!  I’ve outlined below some key dates coming up as well as where we could use your help!  Please have a look through and as always we want to hear your comments so please contact us via clairleacouncil@gmail.com or drop a note in the main office School Council Bin or come to the next School Council Meeting.   Also have a look at our School Council bulletin board located outside the Main Office  and the School Council Blog http://clairleacouncil.blogspot.com to keep up to date of what is going on! 

REMINDER…

The next school council meeting is tonight Wednesday October 16^th from 7pm-8:30pm. Free child minding is available.  All are welcome and we hope to see you there!  The minutes from last month’s meeting as well as the end of last year are attached for your perusal.  (September 2013 and June 2013).

The Agenda for tonight’s meeting will be as follows:

6:45 – 7:00pm Selling 50/50 tickets

7:00 – 7:10pm Introduction and voting in the past minutes (Irit)

7:10 – 7:35pm Administration Report (Mr. Mcgilvray and Ms. Harroun)

7:35 – 7:45pm Treasurer’s Report (Tina)

7:45 – 8:00pm Fundraising Report (Irit)

8:00 – 8:25pm Open Discussion (All)

8:25 – 8:30pm 50/50 draw

WHAT'S COMING UP.....

NORCARD…  (DUE OCTOBER 22^nd)  There is less than a week left to our Norcard fundraiser.  This shopping calendar came home in the backpacks a few weeks ago and you are able to order calendars, greeting cards,   stationary items, jewelry and much more just in time for the holiday season.  Items will arrive approximately the last week of November 2013 (perhaps sooner).  All money (cash or cheque) and order forms (with completed legible contact information and order details) must be returned to your classroom teacher no later than TUESDAY OCTOBER 22^ND 2013.   Cheques must be made payable to “Clairlea School Council”.  Late orders will not be accepted and will be returned back to you.

PIZZA LUNCH… (DUE OCTOBER 21^ST) The pizza lunch program is well under way and we are coming up on our second pizza lunch installment on Wednesday October 30^th.  Please note this is NOT when the pizza lunch envelope orders are due.  Due to the large volume of pizza that needs to be ordered for the school we need to place the order a few days prior to the actual pizza lunch date.  That means if a family submits their order late there is a risk that your child may not receive pizza because they would not have been part of the original order.  Please make an effort to submit your orders on time as per the date on the envelope as well please take a moment to carefully fill out the form.  From time to time we do receive orders with missing information.  If there is information lacking on your order it will default to 2 cheese slices and water.  All orders placed for the year should have received a confirmation email if an email address was provided.  You will still get a pizza lunch envelope each month that you can recycle.

This month you would have received two pizza order envelopes.  Please note one of them is for the regular monthly pizza lunch and the other is if you want to pre order a pizza dinner for the Halloween Howl fundraiser event on October 26^th.  If you pre-ordered pizza for the year it does not include the Halloween Howl dinner.

HALLOWEEN HOWL… (SATURDAY OCTOBER 26^TH FROM 4-7PM) The team is working hard putting together the upcoming Clairlea Halloween Howl Fundraiser.  Please save the date and bring the children out for a spooky fun time on Saturday October 26th from 4pm-7pm.  We encourage the children to dress up in their favourite costume so that they can participate in the contest at the end of the evening!  We are an ECO Platinum School so we ask you to hang on to the flyer/map that was sent home with all the details of the night and bring it with you to the Howl to help navigate. I’ve attached it just in case.  Also please bring your own loot bag/recycle bag to the Howl to enable the kids to collect all their goodies.  Entry is only $5.00/per child and we are offering the option of a pizza dinner during the event but we need to know in advance if you are having the dinner so we ensure there is enough.  If you are planning on eating at the event please hand in your envelopes with your meal selections and payment as soon as possible.  Help our fundraiser to be a success!

Cheese slice $2.00/ea.

Pepperoni slice $2.00/ea.

Water Bottle $1.00/ea.

Apple Juice Box $0.50/ea.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED PLEASE.....

1.       VOLUNTEERS:  We need your help to make this a fun time for our Clairlea children at the Halloween Howl.  We need people to volunteer in rooms as well as help with setup and clean up.  Please email us your contact details at clairleacouncil@gmail.com or drop off a note in the main office in the School Council Bin.  The setup times will be on Friday October 25^th from 3:30 until 9:00pm and Saturday October 26^th from 10:30 am until 4:00pm.  Clean up times will be on Saturday October 26^th from 7:00-9:00pm.

2.      DECORATION DROP OFF: We need Halloween decorations of all kinds!! There is a large blue bin in front of the main office of the school where you can drop off all items.  Dig up any decorations you are not using or loan us yours for the event and you can have them back at the end of the night, or pick up an extra item or two the next time you are at the dollar store.  We are mainly looking for:

Rectangular black plastic table cloths, spider webs, all sorts of candy to hand out for prizes in the rooms, Styrofoam tombstones, skulls, mice, bats, body parts and twinkle lights.

3.       CORPORATE DONTATIONS: If your company would like to donate a prize or gift to be used as one of our prizes during the event please contact us at clairleacouncil@gmail.com.

4.       HOME MADE CANDY JARS/BAGS:  We need many candy jars to be used as prizes for the Lollipop Pull room.  You can help by filling any sized jar with (nut free) candy and bring it to the school office anytime between now and the Halloween Howl.  The more jars we have the longer this room will be able to stay open and it is definitely one of the favourite rooms.  Feel free to decorate your jars as well.   We will use the small jars for the lollipop pull room and if you are filling a larger jar please count how many candies are in it and label it with the number and we will use it for the Candy Guess station.

MOVIE NIGHT…   (NOVEMBER 22^nd)  Our first movie night of the year was a great success.  Attendance was just over a hundred people, not to mention some stuffed friends as well!  Our next movie night will feature the movie “Turbo” on Friday November 22nd (save the date).

MEMBER OF SCHOOL COUNCIL VS. NON MEMBER OF SCHOOL COUNCIL

In September everyone received a yellow Clairlea School Council self-nomination form that was sent home.  On this form you were given the option as to whether you want to nominate yourself to be a member of school council run for an executive position.  If you chose to nominate yourself as a member of council that means that when we choose to have a vote on any topic, you, as a member will have your vote counted.  As per the bylaws we are required to have 50% plus 1 of the members in attendance for the meetings or a pre determined number for quorum in order to be able to have a vote be deemed valid.  That is why we encourage everyone who is a member to make every effort to attend all council meetings.

If you chose not be a member and just want to attend the meetings, that means that you are welcome and encouraged to come to each meeting and participate fully.  When it comes time for vote only members can partake but member as well as non members can all be present.  Should you still come to the meetings even though you are not a member?  Absolutely, your opinion is important and coming to the meeting and being part of the discussion is always beneficial to all involved.  If you decide that you want to change your mind and become a member of council you are still able to do so as there are some spots left.  Our bylaws state we can have up to a maximum of 50 members.

I’m not sure if I am a member or not?   Have a look at the attached minutes from the September meeting.  In the top attendance section it will state the “members” that were present as well as the “non members” that were present.  The names that are in the “regrets” section indicate members that were absent from the meeting.

JUST FOR FUN….

We tried something new last year and people seemed to enjoy it so we are doing it again.  For fun 15 minutes before the start of each meeting we will be selling 50/50 tickets (@ 6:45pm) until the start of the meeting and the draw will take place at the end of the meeting.  Participation in the draw is optional.

DID YOU KNOW…

1.       The most common item in the lost and found is a sweater or a lunch bag.  Having a label on your child’s belongings makes it much easier to find it in the lost and found!

2.       It is illegal as well as a safety hazard to park on Rosalind Crescent at anytime – even for just a few seconds to pick up your child!

3.       Clairlea is looking for a couple of adult volunteers to join the lice checking squad throughout the year.  Please contact the office if you are able to help out.

HOW TO REACH US…

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email (we hope you don’t) or know someone that would like to be added to the distribution list please send a request to clairleacouncil@gmail.com.  We would like to hear your feedback and suggestions.  If you are not able to come to the next meeting and want to contribute ideas please email them to us or drop a note in the council box in the office and we can bring them forward to the meeting.   

You can contact us via email at clairleacouncil@gmail.com, on the blog at http://clairleacouncil.blogspot.com, or have a look at our bulletin board outside the office for the latest news.

Best Regards,

Irit

Clairlea School Council

Save 10% on school photos - coupon code

Photo orders are due Wednesday October 23. If you place your order online, use coupon code SAVE10 for a 10% discount.

You can also get a free low-res digital image when ordering online. Just click the green "Add more choices" box and add a $5 low-res image to your shopping cart. The $5 gets discounted immediately.

My apologies to those who placed their orders earlier and missed out on this discount. I just learned about it moments ago.

Catalogue orders due Oct 22

Just a friendly reminder that the Norcard catalogue orders are due next Tuesday, October 22. This is the "gift shoppe" catalogue with the snowmen on the front.

Clairlea receives 50% of the total amount purchased, so it's a great way of supporting the school.

Cheques payable to "Clairlea School Council." Return the three front copies of the order sheet to Clairlea and keep the gold (back) page for your records. You will receive your purchases by the last week of November.

Any questions? Drop us a line.

School Council meets Wednesday Oct 16 *updated*

The Clairlea School Council meets next Wednesday, October 16, at 7:00pm in the staff room.

All are welcome - voting members, non-members, community and staff. Childcare is provided in the gym.

The agenda and draft minutes from last month will be posted when they are available.

UPDATED: draft minutes here. Changes/corrections welcome.

Pizza order forms due Oct 21

At some point this week - maybe today! - you will be receiving not one but two pizza order envelopes.



The tall one is for October's pizza lunch.
You can ignore it if you pre-ordered for the year.

The wide one is for dinner at the Halloween Howl. Use it if you'd like to have pizza for dinner on the night of the Howl. Order for the whole family! We'll also be selling pizza slices the night of the event - subject to availability of course.

Both forms are due back October 21. Cheques payable to Clairlea School Council.

Movie night tonight!

A reminder about movie night tonight - 7pm - The Croods.

• $2 to get in (including adults)
• popcorn/drinks for sale
• bring pillows/blankets to sit on
• open to grade 6 and under only, please

Volunteers needed

The school needs a couple of parent volunteers to join a lice check team throughout the school year. If you are willing to take this on, please contact Mary Lou Kumagawa in the office (416-396-6165).

This job is not as awful as it sounds, and you will have our undying appreciation.

Children's book lists from TDSB librarians

The TDSB Library has created a series of Pinterest boards with book lists for various grades and ages. Including a French board! Check it out. I for one, have had difficulty knowing which French books to buy/borrow since many Scholastic titles seem to be translations of familiar English books.

What are your favourite children's books?

This week at Clairlea

This week at Clairlea:

• Today (Sept 25) - pizza lunch! 
• Tomorrow (Sept 26) - Terry Fox Run... parents welcome to join (2:15pm)
• Friday (Sept 27) - Spirit Day...wear purple. 

Lost and Found

It's the fourth week of school and the Lost and Found is already overflowing!

The most frequently lost items are LUNCHBAGS and LAYERS (sweaters, jackets, overcoats). Please label everything but especially these items. Consider supporting Clairlea by purchasing personalized sticky labels from Mabels Labels.

No Parking on Rosalind Cres

A reminder that there is no parking and no stopping on the little part of Rosalind Crescent that is right in front of the school.

That is a fire route so there should be no cars there between 7am and 6pm, not even if you're sitting in your vehicle.


We all want the fire trucks to be able to reach the school in an emergency, don't we? 

EQAO results are in (2012-13)

*updated with graphs*
The EQAO results are in. These are the standardized tests in reading, writing and math that are written by all grade 3 and grade 6 students across Ontario.

I will try to grab some year-over-year results and comparison graphs but in the meantime, here's a report that shows all TDSB school results - scroll down to find Clairlea. (The numbers given are the percentages of students at levels 3 and 4, meaning they are either at or above the provincial standard.)

For more information on the EQAO testing and how Clairlea has fared in the past, click the EQAO tag at bottom-right or view last year's post.

*updated* Here is Clairlea's report: http://eqaoweb.eqao.com/eqaoweborgprofile/profile.aspx?_Mident=2916 and some graphs excerpted from it. If you have the time, the report makes for fascinating reading - including gender breakdowns and information about the kids' attitudes to reading, writing and math, as well as data about what happens at home (including the dreaded "screen time," which the EQAO office falsely equates with television).

Above: how Clairlea (dark bar at left) compares to the TDSB (white bar) and the province.

Above: Grade 3 scores over time. It's worth noting that grade 3 French immersion students only write the math portion, and the test is given in French.

 

Above: Grade 6 scores over time. As painful as the math scores are, at least they are trending in the right direction. 

Seriously, you should check out the full report.

Movie Night Friday Oct 4 - The Croods

Please join us for Clairlea's first movie night of the year - THE CROODS on Friday October 4 at 7:00 pm.

$2 per person (including adults).
Popcorn & drinks available to purchase.

Seating is on the gym floor so you are welcome to bring blankets and pillows and wear pajamas.

Movie night is open to all students grade 6 and under.

Parent Conference Saturday October 19 - Special Education

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/parentconference

School Council meeting minutes for approval tomorrow

For those who attended the June 2013 school council meeting, please click here to view the draft minutes and email any corrections to clairleacouncil@gmail.com. These minutes will be presented for approval at tomorrow's meeting (7pm at the school).

School Council meets Wednesday Sept 18

The 2013-2014 Clairlea School Council meets for the first time this Wednesday, September 18 at 7:00pm.

The meeting will be in the staff room and will last until 8:30pm. All are welcome - whether or not you decide to become a voting member of the Council. 

Childcare will be provided. 

School Council is a forum in which you - as parents or guardians, staff and community members - can express your opinions, share your ideas and contribute to the positive development of Clairlea Public School. There are 50 available parent/guardian spots, including five "executive" positions (chair, vice chair, treasurer, fundraising chair and secretary); two positions for staff members (teacher and non-teacher); and one position for a community member. The executive positions will be voted in on Wednesday and it is not too late to throw your hat in the ring. 

School Council coordinates parent/school events and fundraisers, communicates with the Clairlea community, advises the administration, advocates on behalf of students, and advances the interests of the Clairlea School community. 

Please join us... many hands make light work! 

Pizza lunch orders due Sept 20

Pizza lunch order forms will be going home this week. Orders are due Sept 20 and the lunch is Wednesday September 25.

You have two choices - order just for September (left column) or for the full year (September-May). 

If you pre-order for the full year, please include your phone number or email address so that we can confirm your order. 

Pizza lunch dates are: 

1. Wednesday September 25
2. Wednesday October 30
3. Wednesday November 27
4. Wednesday December 18
5. Wednesday January 29
6. Wednesday February 26
7. Wednesday March 26
8. Wednesday April 30
9. Wednesday May 28

A huge thanks to pizza lunch leader Wendy Whittle and her team of energetic volunteers. This is one of our biggest and most popular fundraisers and we greatly appreciate everyone's participation. 

Curriculum Night Sept 19

Looking forward to seeing you all at Curriculum Night on September 19. This is a great way to meet the teachers and find out what happens in your child's classroom. The official program begins at 6pm but the school is hosting a barbecue starting at 5pm. See details on the school blog.

There will be signup sheets for anyone who wants to volunteer at school events!

Front door buzzer access

As promised by the Ontario government last year, the front doors of every elementary school in Ontario must now be kept locked during school hours. The doors will lock daily at 8:45 am (all the more reason to be on time for the 8:40am bell). Use the buzzer to be let in.

What are they learning?

The school will host a curriculum night on September 19. Details will be on a flyer that will come home soon. 

In the meantime, anyone curious about what's on the Ontario elementary school curriculum can find it here. (A warning: it's not for the faint of heart.)

Welcome back!

Hello everyone! Welcome back!
Have a *wonderful* first day of school.

Next year's PA Days & holidays

Only 4 more weeks till school!

In case you're working out your childcare arrangements for next year, here's a list of PA Days and other school holidays for next year:

Sept 3 - first day of school

Oct 11 - PA Day (no school for students)

Oct 14 - Thanksgiving (no school)

Nov 15 - PA Day (no school for students)

Dec 19 - Last day of school before Christmas break

Dec 20 - PA Day (no school for students)

Dec 23 - Jan 3 - Christmas break

Jan 6 - School starts again

Jan 24 - PA Day (no school for students)

Feb 17 - Family Day 

Mar 7 - PA Day (no school for students)

Mar 10 - 14 - March Break

April 18 - Good Friday

April 21 - Easter Monday

May 19 - Victoria Day

June 6 - PA Day (no school for students)

A bit of Clairlea history

Hello there! Hope you are having a wonderful summer so far.

I came across this bit of Scarborough history and thought you might be interested to know that the Clairlea neighbourhood took its name from our school circa 1951.

What's now known as Clairlea was originally "a pioneer crossroads village known as Moffat's Corners" dating back to the 1860s, according to this article on torontoneighbourhoods.net.

School Council fundraising - where does the money go?

Ever wonder how Clairlea School Council fundraising dollars are spent?

At the June 19 School Council meeting, our wonderful treasurer Tina Selby presented the following pie charts. Percentages are preliminary, as neither the year's fundraising nor the year's spending were complete at the time these reports were run. 

Still, it'll give you an idea of where the funds are coming from and where they are being spent. The total raised by mid-June 2012-13 was $11,525.22 - that's not including June movie night or the silent auction.

Interim report - numbers not final.

(Three cheers for our pizza lunch volunteers!)

Interim report - numbers not final.

Minutes from the June 19 School Council meeting are currently being reviewed and a draft will be posted here soon.* 

The perfect attendance award goes to Tina Selby and Joanne Benson. 

Happy summer! 

*soon = by September. 

Happy summer!

Thank you to everyone - teachers, administration, staff, parents, volunteers, school council members and students - who made this school year a success! Have a wonderful, well-earned summer break and we will look forward to seeing you in September.

All the best!
Catharine

Final Assembly

Thank you to the staff for a very entertaining final assembly, and congratulations to all the students who won awards for perfect attendance, academic excellence, Panther pride and Clairlea Idol.

You can get a sense of the shenanigans here:

Pizza lunch orders due tomorrow

Pizza lunch forms are due back tomorrow. The lunch is free, but you still need to order!

Even if you pre-ordered, please send back the form... pre-orders were for 9 months (Sept-May) so this one is an extra bonus.

Can't find the form? Download and print here.

Keeping up with French over the summer

The French as a Second Language Advisory Committee (FSLAC) produces a newsletter for parents. Clickhere for the June 2013 edition, which contains information about how we can support our children’s French learning over the summer; details on a Franco-Fête in Toronto June 21-23; resources available through the TDSB and Toronto Public Library; a CBC interview on the benefits of learning French; a heart-warming success story; details on upcoming FSLAC meetings (Sept 12, Oct 17, Nov 21 – all welcome) and how to join their mailing list (write to fslactoronto@gmail.com).  Enjoy!

School Council meets June 19

The final School Council meeting of the year is on Wednesday June 19, 7:00pm. All welcome. Childcare will be provided. Voting members, please make every effort to attend. 

Last month's draft minutes are available here. Please email with any corrections.

APRIL SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA:

6:45 – 7:00pm - Selling 50/50 tickets to be drawn at the end of the meeting (optional)

7:00 – 7:10pm - Introduction and voting in the past minutes (Irit)

7:10 – 7:35pm - Administration Report (Mr. McGilvray and Ms. Harroun)

7:35 – 7:45pm - Treasurer’s Report (Tina)

7:45 – 7:55pm - Fundraising Report (Karen)

7:55 – 8:25pm - Open Discussion (All)

8:25 – 8:30pm - 50/50 draw and wrap up (Irit)

Clairlea events in June

It's a busy month at Clairlea! Here's the June calendar sent out by the school last week.

Click for a pdf

Message from the Chair

A message from School Council Chair Irit Hartman...

Dear Clairlea Families.....

Please see below a few updates and changes to existing events as well as a new item.  Thanks for reading!

WHAT’S COMING UP....?

1. VOLUNTEER THANK YOU: Each year the staff at Clairlea host a celebration to say thank you to all the parent/family volunteers that have helped out in the school throughout the school year.  This year there will be a volunteer brunch drop in will be held on Friday June 14th from 8:00am until 9:30am (in the library) in an effort to accomodate those that are working outside the home.  The invitations will be going out early this week so keep an eye out in the backpacks if you have volunteered in the school.  This could mean a variety of things such as: volunteered on a school trip, helped in the classroom, helped during pizza lunch, helped with photocopying, helped with scholastic, halloween howl volunteers, volunteered for any of the school council initiatives and many more.  If by chance you don't get an invitation and you know you have volunteered please come anyway.  The timing of the volunteer brunch is on the same day as the "panther assembly" and all are welcome to stay and attend the assembly.  The primary assembly will take place at 8:40am in the gym and the junior assembly will take place at 12:25pm in the gym.

2. FREE PIZZA: We are having a FREE Pizza lunch day on Wednesday June 19th.  Check backpacks as the orders have gone home.  If you haven't seen one please get one from the office as they have extras.  Those of you that have prepaid for the year must still fill out a form as the prepayment only went until May.  

What does this mean??  Every month we have a pizza lunch fundraiser on the last Wednesday of each month whereby order forms are sent home and anyone can pay and pre-order for their desired lunch.  This is a fundraiser that we have been doing all year with Pizza Pizza.  Due to the fact that we have been ordering for the last 9 months, Pizza Pizza will provide us with free pizza in the amount of what we have been ordering on average throughout the year for the month of June.    Therefore we are going to make this available to the whole school so that any child that wants free pizza on June 19th can have it regardless of whether they have ordered throughout the year or not.  So....  however many orders come in for June 19th we will use the free pizza to cover it and any additional funds needed will be covered by the School Council.

3. MOVIE NIGHT: Our last movie night of the year will be held on Friday June 14^th, featuring “Escape from Planet Earth”.  (Grade 6 and under only).

4. CLAIRLEA AUCTION: The bidding time has been extended.  The new bidding close date will be Thursday June 13^th at 3:30pm sharp.   Once the bidding is closed the winner of each activity will be contacted on Friday June 14^th.  The winner of each activity will be the person that had the highest bid for that activity.  All activities will be scheduled and take place between June 14^th and the end of this school year.   

How do you make a bid??  There are two ways to make a bid firstly, you can email your bid information to clairleacouncil@gmail.com or you can drop off a bid at school in front of the office to the appropriate bid boxes that will be on display from June 3^rd to June 13^th.

What information should I include on my bid??  Each bid must have the following information included on it:  Students first name, Students last name, contact phone number, Activity Number, Activity Name, Bid Amount.

Is there a limit to how many times I can bid?? No there is no limit.  You may bid as many times as you like on as many activities that you like as long it is within the bidding period of June 3^rd @ 9:00am to June 13^th @ 3:30pm sharp.

How do I know if I won??  All winners will be contacted on Friday June 14^th. 

What are the items to bid on?? Please see below for a list of all activities that are up for bid.

ACTIVITIES TO BID ON:

ACTIVITY 1: Teacher for the day in Room 111. (Grade 1 French Immersion, Mme. Volokhova)

ACTIVITY 2: You and a friend will make a bracelet or a necklace with Ms. Kumagawa.

ACTIVITY 3: Spend a day with the kindergarten class, either AM. or PM. (SK French Immersion, Mme. Fahim)

ACTIVITY 4: Have a pencil portrait drawn of yourself from a photo. (Mme. Pare)

ACTIVITY 5: Have a 45 minute guitar lesson. (Mr. Corby)

ACTIVITY 6: You and 11 friends will have a dodgeball game against the teachers. (Primary Students Grades JK – 3)

ACTIVITY 7: You and 11 friends will have a dodgeball game against the teachers. (Junior Students Grades 4-6)

ACTIVITY 8: You and 11 friends will have a dodgeball game against the teachers. (intermediate Students Grades 7-8)

ACTIVITY 9: Free lunch with Mr. Mitkovski.

ACTIVITY 10: Free lunch with Mme. Angelevski.

ACTIVITY 11: You and 3 friends will go to Dairy Queen get a sundae and walk back with Ms. Brathwaite.

ACTIVITY 12: You and 4 friends will make Ice Cream Sundaes with Ms. Hawkins.

ACTIVITY 13: Teacher for the morning in Room 104. (JK/SK English, Ms. Cano)

ACTIVITY 14: You and 2 friends will make Ice Cream Sundaes with Ms. Park.

ACTIVITY 15: Have 5, 25 minute piano lessons to be held at lunch time. (Mr. Kryzanowski)

ACTIVITY 16: Make a chocolate dessert with Mme. Demeter.

ACTIVITY 17: You and 3 friends will have a cooked breakfast at school, before school starts with Ms. Rule.

ACTIVITY 18: You and 3 friends will have a pizza party over lunch with Ms. Yuill.

ACTIVITY 19: Free lunch for you and 2 of your friends with Mme. Boisjoly, Mr. Poon and Ms. Wright.

ACTIVITY 20: Shaving Cream Pie in Mr. Mcgilvray’s face.

ACTIVITY 21: Shaving Cream Pie in Ms. Harroun’s face.

NEW!!!! ACTIVITY 22: Dinner for you and a friend (Adult or child) at Le Papillon (French Restaurant) with Mr. Landry

HOW TO REACH US…

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email (we hope you don’t) or know someone that would like to be added to the distribution list please send a request to clairleacouncil@gmail.com.  We would like to hear your feedback and suggestions.  If you are not able to come to the next meeting and want to contribute ideas please email them to us or drop a note in the council box in the office and we can bring them forward to the meeting.   

You can contact us via email at clairleacouncil@gmail.com, on the blog at http://clairleacouncil.blogspot.com, or have a look at our bulletin board outside the office for the latest news.

Best Regards,

Irit

Clairlea School Council