Clairlea road safety meeting - May 9

There will be a road safety meeting at Clairlea on Wednesday, May 9th at 7:00 p.m.

Many Clairlea neighbourhood families have expressed safety concerns about the traffic patterns and driver behaviour in and around Rosalind Crescent. 

Many people have initiated contact with law enforcement or the city or have made other attempts to resolve the issues. This meeting will bring together all those who are concerned to review what has been done and determine a positive plan as a united group and move forward towards a resolution. 

All are welcome.

Feb 5 is Winter Walk to School Day

Wednesday February 5 is Winter Walk to School Day, organized by the organization Active and Safe Routes to School. 

Enjoy!

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? 

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.

Youth Privacy

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has a new web site focused on online privacy for youth. 

The site offers: 

• a tip sheet for parents, on talking to youth about online privacy risks
• a video for teens
• a privacy quiz
• resources for teachers

Thanks to People for Education for alerting us to this new site via their latest newsletter.

Feb 7 is Safer Internet Day

Tomorrow is Safer Internet Day.

According to the Safer Internet Day website (these figures seem to be from Europe):

• 26 per cent of children report having a public social networking profile.
• Children of all ages are lacking digital skills –confidence is often not matched by skill!
• 12 per cent of European 9-16 year olds say they have been bothered or upset by something on the internet…
• …however, 56 per cent of parents whose child has received nasty or hurtful messages online are not aware of this.
• One in eight parents don’t seem to mediate their children’s online activities…
• …while 56 per cent of parents take positive steps such as suggesting to their children how to behave towards others online.
• 44 per cent of children think that parental mediation limits what they do online, 11 per cent say it limits their activities a lot.

Helping one another stay safe online:

• Teachers’ engagement with children’s internet use is least among 9-10 year olds.
• 36 per cent of 9-16 year olds claim that they definitely know more about the internet than their parents.
• 73 per cent of children say their peers have helped or supported their internet use.
• 44 per cent of children claim to have received some guidance on safe internet use from their friends, and 35 per cent say that they have also provided such advice to their friends.
• Yet, children say they receive most online safety advice from parents (63 per cent), then teachers (58 per cent), other relatives (47 per cent), then peers (44 per cent).
• Parents get internet safety advice first and foremost from family and friends (48 per cent).
• 87 per cent of children use the internet at home.

Rainy day = caution needed in bus loop

Just a reminder to please, please, please exercise caution in the bus loop.

When it's rainy, more people drive and it's more difficult to see. Walking your children across the bus loop is dangerous. For the safety of your children, please use the footpath to walk around the bus loop.

Does Clairlea have Canada's favourite crossing guard?

If you love Clairlea's crossing guard, please consider nominating him for Canada's Favourite Crossing Guard: http://www.safekidscanada.ca/Professionals/Safety-Information/Pedestrian-Safety/Crossing-Guard/Crossing-Guard.aspx

From Safe Kids Canada's web site:

Students, teachers and parents across the country are invited to nominate their favourite crossing guard during “Canada’s Favourite Crossing Guard Contest”, which runs from September 2011 to November 25, 2011.

Help us promote the importance of pedestrian safety by encouraging your kids and their schools to participate.

Tell us about your favourite crossing guard:

How have they kept the children safe?

Why are they a good role model?

Remember to include photos or pictures!

The winning crossing guards will receive an engraved plaque. The contest winner’s school will receive $1,000.
Click for contest information and a nomination form.

Deadline for entries: November 25, 2011.
Winners will be notified the following week.

Notes from last week's School Council meeting

For those who weren't there, here are some notes from last week's School Council meeting.

Ginnie presented the Treasurer's report on Ann's behalf. In a nutshell, we have $12,679 in the bank, of which about $8,000 is committed to various projects already approved.

Nadira presented her final report as our principal. She extended her heartfelt thanks to the school community for everyone's support and hard work over her time at Clairlea. She mentioned that her new role is an interim one but that she is looking forward to continuing to be closely connected with Clairlea.

She recommends installing a buzzer for the front door of the school. Since the office has a direct line of sight to the front door, this buzzer would not automatically be funded; it needs to come out of the school's own budget. However, it is impossible for the office staff to have their eyes constantly on the door and so for security reasons, it would be preferable to have that door locked and accessible by intercom.

Freddy's vice-principal report touched on the following items:

• Safety. A bus safety presentation took place in January. A community police officer will be visiting the school several times in March, discussing different topics with different grades. Kindergarten: traffic safety. Grade 2 - personal safety. Grade 4 - Internet safety. Grade 6 (two visits) - drugs and substance abuse; criminal offences.
• Report cards go home Feb 14; interviews Feb 18. 
• Winter Activity Day (grades 4+) and a Girls' Conference took place at the school last Friday. 

Ms. Rule presented the Teachers' report, touching on these topics: 

• Halloween Howl. As you may recall, half the proceeds of the Halloween Howl were returned directly to the teachers for use in their classrooms. A sample of how the funds have been put to use: 
• Mme. Volakhova purchased abacus-like math devices for her classroom. 
• Mme Pare is building a listening centre in her SK FI class. 
• Ms. Rule is continuing her camera reach program
• Ms. Hawkins purchased primary dictionaries for her classroom. 
• Mr. Knierim and Ms. Braithwaite extend their thanks for the screen and projector that Council funded earlier this year. They are being used primarily in the portable. 
• The laptop computer is also being put to good use. 
• Ms. Braithwaite leads a girls' gathering every Thursday at lunch for girls in grades 5 and 6. This week, they have a Chinese New Years tea planned. 
• The Heritage Assembly (for Black History Month) will be March 4 in the afternoon - approximately but not exactly 1pm. 
• The Fenetre Ouvert festival will be on February 23, with activities for the kids throughout the day (parent volunteers are needed!) and a presentation for parents that evening - this is for parents of students in both core French and French Immersion.
• The Math Pathway has begun. This is a professional development program within the school that involves co-planning, co-teaching and moderated marking, with a goal of improving student achievement in mathematics. 

Ginnie reported on Cafe Francais / Fenetre Ouvert. This is a day-long, school-wide celebration of French language and culture. In recent weeks, students (including those in the English stream) have been collecting tickets each time a teacher notices them speaking French, and those tickets can be exchanged for various items at the Cafe Francais. Parent volunteers are needed throughout the day to make & serve pancakes and help with various activities. Also needed - electric griddles for making pancakes! Please contact Ginnie if you can volunteer or if you have a griddle that you can lend for the day. 

Thanks, Katy, for the photo!

The meeting closed with a presentation of flowers and a card for Ms. Persaud. Nadira, we will miss you greatly and we thank you for everything that you have done for Clairlea. 

Volunteers needed to direct traffic in the bus loop

The Safe and Caring Schools Committee has been working hard to ensure that Clairlea is a safe environment for all students.

The bus loop is a particular concern, and volunteers are needed to direct traffic in the bus loop both mornings and afternoons. If you are able to help, please email Bev Way at promo.way@sympatico.ca. Thank you! 

Drug Proof Your Home (April 13, RH King)

For parents and youth aged 11+: an important presentation about drugs and preventative approaches that can help protect your children. April 13 at RH King.

No stopping in the bus loop

There have been some concerns about the safe use of the bus loop at the back of Clairlea during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. It can be a dangerous spot, so I will summarize the information handed out by the Safe and Caring School Committee last week. (And thank you for the hot chocolate, that was a nice way of "sweetening" your message!)

1. NO STOPPING OR UNLOADING IN THE BUS LOOP. You have to park in one of the parking spots while your children get out of the car. The bus loop is just so you can turn around safely and exit the parking lot. Only buses should unload in the loop. 

2. NO WALKING THROUGH THE BUS LOOP. (I admit, our family is guilty of this.) There's too much traffic and too many people in a hurry. It's not safe. Walk on the path to the north and around the outside of the fence. 

3. If the bus loop is busy, PARK ON THE STREET. Both Knightsbridge and Karnwood allow parking in the morning.