Spring Concert

Waiting for the crowd to arrive...

Battleship Math

I received this message from our Gr. 5 teacher, Ms. Verri:

I wanted to share our Grade 5 class Math game to learn Geometry: Location of an object using coordinates. Our class put together home-made Battleship game boards and the students worked in teams to play the game. The game enhances their learning of coordinates and vocabulary when reading locations using coordinates.  The class has enjoyed playing this game while learning Math!

Basketball win

Our Junior Girl's basketball team prevailed over much larger schools to win the West Area Junior Basketball title this week.
Congratulations to all the girls and their coaches.  Good luck in the Regional Championship on May 5th!!

WHAT A FINALE!

The performance of ALL our students at the finale of Kreative Kids' Dance was fantastic! Students had a wonderful time dancing and cheering each other on. Justin & Derik even got some parents and teachers up to dance, and showed their talents to the crowd with their amazing moves.

It was standing room only in our gym.

Thanks to Ms. A for setting it all up, and to Justin & Derik for making it so successful.

Dance Extravaganza

Don't forget Charlton's Dance Extravaganza happening today in the gym at 1.30 pm. Justin from Kreative Kids Dance will lead all classes through the dances they have learned in the past 2 weeks.
Parents are welcome!

Local Star Gazing

Please see the message below concerning star gazing in Thornhill:

Thornhill Star Gazing Night

Telescopes will be available to view the Moon, Jupiter nad various "deep-sky wonders". A local astronomer with a "sly pointer" will be on hand to trace out constellations.

When: Thursday, April, 14th, 2016

TIme: from 8:30 p.m.

Where: Pomona Mills Meadow, east of St. Volodymyr's Church

15 Church Lane, First north on John Street, just east of  Yonge Street, Thornhill.

Dress warmily in case of inclement or overcast condition

Rain or Cloud Day: Thursday, May 12th, 2016

http://www.thornhillwardone.com/news.shtml#newsitemEuVAZllukETKlcJJBD

Welcome to Justin & Kreative Kids Dance

Charlton welcomes Kreative Kids Dance this week and next.  All students will receive dance training with Justin and his partner Derick during the school day this week and next.

Students have a FANTASTIC time learning new dances, having dance competitions, and generally exerting themselves through movement.

From Kindergartens

to our older students

fun & fitness is being had by everyone!!

Board Policies and Procedures

Board Policies and Procedures

Policies and procedures govern the operation of the Board and our school. To ensure they remain current, the Board reviews policies and procedures on a regular cycle. Seeking feedback from staff and community members, including parents/guardians, is an important part of the review process. 

All policies available for comment are sent to school council chairs, and are posted on the Board website along with information about how to provide feedback. The policies currently available for comment include:

·         Student Accommodation Review (comments due by April 25)

·         Anaphylactic Reactions (comments due by August 25)

·         Respectful Workplace and Learning Environment (comments due by August 25)

·         Environmental Responsibility  (comments due by January 2, 2017)

·         Appointment of Community Members to Board Committees (comments due by January 2, 2017)

To learn more, visit www.yrdsb.ca/aboutus/policy/.

Maintaining a Growth Mindset

In our continued emphasis on helping both students and staff develop and maintain a growth mindset, Ms. Lusch has posted some ideas outside her Gr. 3 classroom involving how we might turn our typical thinking and self-talk around to allow for growth and the possibility of change, rather than language that indicates that abilities are 'fixed', and cannot change.

Try it out, and speak to your daughter or son about how she or he might adjust some of the messages they tell themselves.

Appreciations-Gr. 1

Our Gr. 1 students have been busy recording what they are thankful for.  To symbolize this, they 'fill their own buckets' with their thoughts. Each student then posts their buckets on a bulletin board outside the classroom.

To get a better sense of what is written in the buckets, here is one poster up close:

...and of course, Mrs. Hill has many things she is appreciative of as well.

Kindergarten Snowmen in Art class

Some of our artistic Kindergarten students created their own snowmen in the classroom just before the break (you may recall the post before the break of Kindergarten students building snowmen outside in the yard).
Ms. Rozen's students worked hard to decorate their snowmen with various items (including earmuffs!) to make egg cartons look more like snowmen.

The results are fantastic!

Burrlington Outdoor Recreation Center (BORC)

Just before March break, our Gr. 2, 4 and 7 classes attended BORC on 3 separate days.

They increased their knowledge of the outdoors, and engaged in various outdoor activities with the instructors who work permanently at BORC. Here are some photos from the trip:

All students (and staff!) returned exhausted at the end of their day. They seemed to enjoy the active day learning outside of the classroom!

21 Days of Gratitude

Over the past month, Charlton students have been expressing gratitude for what they have in their lives, including family, friends and other things they are grateful to have, or to have experienced.

Here is the Gr. 3's story:

Ms. Lusch's Grade 3 Class:
For the month of February, Gr. 3 students participated in 21 days of Gratitude to encourage students to think about what they are grateful for every day. The Grade 3 students decided to each write a “Gratitude Square” every day for the 21 days on a giant roll of mural paper. The class was really excited to see how long the roll would be by the 21st day!

At the end of the month we had a 21-student-long roll of things each child was grateful for! Although it started getting difficult to think about different things (because they weren't allowed to repeat anything!), the students began to think of topics that were more meaningful to people beyond only themselves. Overall, they did a fantastic job and worked hard to complete each of their squares every single day until the end. Great work Grade 3s!  ~Ms. Lusch

Making snow figures in Kindergarten

Some of our creative Kindergarten students used our first recess to create their own figures with the snow. These young artists worked hard to create some special sculptures!

Some of their efforts are shown below!

Fun in the snow!

Charlton students were out at recess today enjoying the newly fallen snow. The hill close to the school had a LOT of use, and many new paths were formed over the course of recess, with kids going faster and faster as the recess progressed.
What a great switch from the brown and mushy ground we've had lately.

LET IT SNOW!!

REGISTRATIONS FOR 2016-2017

We are currently accepting registrations for the 2016-2017 school year. Please let your friends and neighbors know that they should register any child born in 2012 (JK students) as soon as possible.

Registration packages are available from the front office at Charlton.

Making Magic Mud in Gr. 2

Our Gr. 2 students were experimenting on Friday with making 'Magic Mud', then looking at it's characteristics and deciding if it would be considered a liquid or a solid.

Who knew learning could be so much fun!

Charlton Spirit Wear

Charlton Spirit Wear is back!!

Please see the flyer that was given to all students last week to place your order for Charlton Spirit Wear.  Our display case shows some examples of the many items that may be ordered to show your Charlton spirit.
Any profit from the sale of Spirit Wear goes directly to our students.

Inclement weather day Wednesday

Good morning.
Today is an Inclement weather day OR Snow day as the kids call it.
That means buses and taxis will not be running today and all Board workshops will be cancelled.

Schools remain open and classes will run.

Snow comes and goes

As busy as Charlton students were on Friday making snowmen in our yard, the weekend temperatures made the snow all but disappear from the field.  We keep track of the snowfall as our kids love to slide down the hill when possible...hopefully again this week.

In the mean time, here is an example of the handiwork of Charlton students during last Friday's recess.

Hopefully there will be a little more snow this winter to play in. Keep your fingers crossed!

Gr. 5s are Eco-Aware

Ms. Verri's Gr. 5 class have proved to be very aware of our environment and the need for all of us to think about changing our habits if we want to maintain the beautiful environment we live in.  To this end, a group of Gr. 5s have begun a 'cleanup crew' one recess per week, donning gloves and putting garbage from our yard in garbage bags.

Today, the Gr. 5 class got Charlton involved in National Sweater Day, a day when, across Canada, people turn down the heat 2 degrees and wear a beautiful sweater. In this way, students show they are willing to use energy wisely, not wastefully, and do their part to fight climate change.

Well done Gr. 5s!!

Rubix Cube Club

Some of our more entrepreneurial Gr. 5 students had the idea to train other students in solving a Rubix Cube.  They proposed forming a Rubix Cube Club in the school.  Their idea was to 'train' about 5 students each in solving this puzzle, which has been popular for generations!
With the help of Ms. Vaid, they organized the club and had their first meeting this week.

Kudos to our energetic Gr. 5 students who spearheaded this project, and to Ms. Vaid for helping it become a reality.

Message from our Trustee - Susan Geller

Message from our Trustee

Although winter still feels far from over some days, we are now halfway through the school year.  With report cards coming home, this is a good time to review progress and celebrate what your children have learned both inside and outside of the classroom. This is also a good time to set goals for the months ahead.

One of our goals set out in the Board of Trustees’ Multi-Year Plan is to “continuously increase student achievement and well-being through a culture of caring and learning.” Developing this supportive culture includes engaging parents/guardians and other members of the school community in public education and working together to create safe and supportive school environments that enable students to thrive.

As parents/guardians, there are many ways you can get engaged in your child’s education and support their learning, including talking with them about school, communicating with teachers, attending school events or school council meetings, and volunteering in the school. However you get involved, know that you are making a difference.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish you all the best an enjoyable and successful second term.

~Susan Geller

Chess club

The Chess Club is up and running again at Charlton.  Students (mostly from Gr. 4-8) meet twice a week to play chess matches with each other and learn new strategies from one another.  The club is run by Student Leadership Team members Ivan and Kate.  Between 20 and 30 students typically participate in any given session.

Below are some images of students participating.

Tour for Humanity

Last week the Tour for Humanity, a mobile presentation vehicle which is operated by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, rolled into Charlton for presentations to our Gr. 4-8 students. 
Here's what students had to say about the presentation: 

Charlton P.S. recently had members from the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center bring the “Tour of Humanity” to our school.  The tour is a bus with a built-in classroom, 12 large screen T.V’s and seating for up to 30 students.  The goal of this tour was to teach us about racism, inequality, judgement, and freedom. The “Tour for humanity” taught the students of Charlton about the many times in history where hatred and racism led to violence and war (e.g. the Holocaust, Japanese internment camps in Canada).  The tour also had us reflect upon ourselves and how we can ensure that these events in history never happen again.

Max K.

Combined with our Holocaust survivor visit earlier in January, this was a powerful learning month for our more senior students.

Remembrance of the Holocaust

During the first weeks of January, Mrs. Faigie Libman and the Tour for Humanity were welcomed to educate Charlton’s intermediate students on the Holocaust. We faced and learned one of the world’s most horrifying tragedy; the Holocaust was a catastrophe as six million Jews were executed by the hands of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi army (1933 - 1945). On January 6th, 2016, Libman spoke of her experience as a prisoner of a concentration camp - death camps created by Nazis to massacre Jews. She introduced to us forced labour, gas chambers, death marches, and many significant heroes and villains of the World War II. The following Wednesday, on the bus Tour for Humanity, we watched a documentary and learned of the mistreatment, starvation and punishments the Jews experienced because Germans felt hate and intolerance towards differences. However, through the devastating and dark times of our history, there have good-hearted heroes - Gandhi, Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr, Simon Wiesenthal, and many more - who risked their lives, wealth, career positions, time, money, and most importantly, their own safety, to bring aid to suffering victims. After the two educational visits, I’ve come to understand that wars begin due to miscommunication, misunderstandings, prejudice and detestation. Humanity needs to stand up to racism, the will of assimilation, and violence in order to tame our demons, to prevent history from repeating itself, to create a better world, to accept dissimilarities and find peace.   

Hilary T.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters program at Charlton

Tonight our Tuesday after school program for students began. It is run by Big Brothers/big Sisters and is called 'play Great'. The program promotes kids to unplug and get back to enjoying physical activity, socializing with peers and being part of their community. 21 students in grades 2-4 attended. Students got to know the instructors, Rachel and Stephen, and played some activities. We are excited to have Big Brothers/sisters involved in our school!

Holocaust survivor presentation at Charlton

WELCOME BACK!

We have started the year with an incredible and very sobering presentation to our Gr. 6-8 students. Faigie Libman spoke to our students this week to relate her experiences during WWII. She made an impression that students will not soon forget. Her overarching message for students to be kind to each other is one which we will repeat many times in the course of this school year.


Please read the account that one student wrote (below) of what she heard:

The Story of Faigie Libman

By:Li

Unfortunately, not many people can say they survived the horrific events of the Holocaust. So, when Faigie Libman, a Jewish holocaust survivor, came to our school to tell us her story, the grade 6-8 students were thrilled by the opportunity to hear about the holocaust from someone who, thankfully, lived through it. Ms. Libman was a fantastic speaker, and her story was moving, sad, and made many of the students be a little more thankful for their families, belongings, and an almost trouble-free life. Before WWII affected Lithuania, the country where Ms. Libman lived, Faigie lived a good, joyful life, with her strict mother, and more of an easy-going father. But that happy life ended dramatically, when her family was forced to abandon their house, and arrive at Kaunas Ghetto*. Faigie, and her family, were allowed to bring only their most prized possessions, and so, she brought only one thing to the Ghetto, her Shirley Temple doll, that she got from her Aunt on her 5th birthday.

But, things only got worse for Faigie, and her family. They were sent to labor camp, where her father worked, and her mother, a nurse, did her best to help the sick in the camp. One day, Faigie went to work with her mother, only to come back, and discover she was the only child left in the camp, for the Nazis took away all the children, and elderly, including her grandmother, to be killed. In this situation, many people might have given up hope, and faith, but not Faigie. “I always told my parents, ‘Everything will get better!’” she explained to the crowd. “I was always optimistic”. But, neither she, nor her family could prevent what happened next. Her father, whom she loved, was split from her, and her mother. The two were sent to a concentration camp for women, where all 10 year olds were killed. Faigie was 10 at the time, which made her mother naturally worried. So, instead of losing hope, she lied that her daughter was actually 12, and to her relief, the Nazis believed her. Faigie worked in the camp until 1944, when the women were to go on the “Death March”.

They walked in the snow, with no jackets, and coats for days, until something wonderful happened. “I will never forget that moment” said Faigie, with a smile on her face. A man on a horse, from the Russian Resistance appeared, and told all the women left, they were free.

Faigie traveled to Montreal, Canada, 3 years after the war had ended, during the year 1948, with her mother, but unfortunately, not with her father, who died in the camp he was sent to. In Canada, Faigie returned to school, and finally, had a normal life once again. Today, she is a retired kindergarten teacher, who goes around schools in Canada, to spread her story. The final thing Faigie showed to the crowd, was a nice Shirley Temple doll. She explained she got it from a mother of a girl who heard her story. “I keep this doll as a reminder, that there are good people in the world” she finished.  

Here is a photo of Ms. Libman presenting to our students.