April Newsletter
From the Principal’s Desk …
It has been a pleasure to welcome back all Victory students and their families from March Break. We hope that everyone is refreshed and ready for a busy Spring season at Victory Public School. There are many exciting events planned for the weeks ahead, which include: our DancEd performance which will take place at John F. Ross to showcase our dance moves on April 28th, Earth Day activities, Forest of Reading Events, School Council Meeting, and more. We have so many ways to celebrate the wonderful creative learning that is always in progress at Victory! As we are into the final semester for this academic school year, we challenge each and every student to make the most of every day and really take the time to enjoy the learning process, take risks and try something new every day! Parents are encouraged to connect with your child’s teachers to follow-up on any goals that were set during interviews in the fall. As always, I am pleased to meet with parents who wish to discuss their child’s academic, social, or emotional progress.
Carla Anderson
Principal
Class Placements for 2023-2024
We are beginning to create our classes for the next school year. A great deal of thought and discussion goes into these placements. When creating our class lists we want to have balanced classes with learning needs, emotional needs, girls and boys. If you have a request regarding any of these matters, please put it in writing and send it to Ms. Anderson by the end of April. We will look at all requests, which will be one factor that we will be considering. The final decision will be made by the Principal and will be based on a variety of factors.
Moving?
If you know that you will be moving out of our school area before the end of June, or during the summer months, please call us at 519-822-6931. This information helps us with our school organization and classroom planning for September, 2023. Thank you!
Visitors to our School
Thank you for remembering to check in at the office when you visit our school. Whether you are dropping off homework, lunch or other items it is important that we know who is in the building. For the safety of our children please honour this request.
If you are staying to help in a classroom, helping on a pizza day, etc., please put on a visitor’s badge. We are happy to assist in getting students to and from their classes if you are dropping them off or picking up from the office. Should you need to venture beyond the main foyer, visitor badges are located by the sign in book outside of the office. Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.
Speed Limits in Elementary School Zones & Parking Areas
The City of Guelph has implemented reduced speed limits in elementary school zones across the city:
- 40 km/h speed limits on arterial roads, in effect on school days from 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-4:00 p.m.
- 30 km/h speed limits on collector and local roads, which will be in effect at all times.
There are ‘No Parking’ signs on Exhibition St. at the front of the school. You can stop your car to let children out, but please do not park and leave your vehicle. Also note that on Powell St. cars should not be stopping in the bus zone or across the street from the bus zone. Please take a look at the Traffic Management Plan on our school website.
Please obey speed limits in our school zones and parking signs. Let’s all work together to ensure a safe walking environment for students, parents, crossing guards, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Emergency Drills
Fire drills, severe weather or tornado drills, lockdown/hold and secure drills and school evacuations are all important components of our school emergency procedures. These events are practiced periodically to reinforce our safety measures.
If you have any questions or concerns about our emergency procedures please contact Ms. Anderson.
School Council
In April, the School Council takes proposals for funding purchases and initiatives. In preparation for that meeting, we would like to determine the parent body’s priorities for spending. We will be discussing this at our April meeting and welcome your input. The April meeting is Wednesday, April 5, 2023 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend, and you don’t have to be an active member. If you need to contact the school council or have any questions please feel free to email us at: [email protected]
School Council Meeting Wednesday, April 5, 2023
230405_VPS Council Meeting Agenda_April 2023.docx
Medication at School
Please be advised that we are not able to give medication to your child at school without the completion of a consent for Oral Medication form. This form can be obtained at the office. Please do not send medication to school in your child’s backpack. All medications need to be brought to the office by a parent or guardian and forms completed by said parent or guardian. The only exceptions are students who are permitted to carry an EpiPen or inhaler. Thank you for your help in this matter.
Dress for the Weather
April weather can be very unpredictable and the “April Showers” can just as easily be “April Snowflakes”! We are outside at both nutrition breaks and very rarely stay indoors because of inclement weather. Please be sure that your child has appropriate outdoor clothing at school every day to accommodate these weather changes. We strongly encourage splash pants at this time of year so students can be comfortable in their classrooms with clean, dry clothes after recesses.
For safety and school cleanliness, please ensure that your child has clean indoor shoes. Running shoes with non-marking soles are required for gym. Flip flops or Croc-style shoes are not safe for gym classes.
Kindergarten Graduation Photos
Sen
ior Kindergarten photos will be taking place on the morning of April 4th.
Information will be sent home via classroom teachers.
Teach Your Child How to Put an End to Bullying at School
Parents often think bullying is just a part of life. But it should be taken seriously. Bullied children become anxious. Some end up not wanting to go to school. Kids who bully others are often in pain themselves. They use aggressive behaviour to cover up their shortcomings. To stop bullying, parents can:
Watch for symptoms that your child is being bullied.
These include withdrawal, a drop-in grade, torn clothes and needing extra money or supplies.
Listen to your child.
Encourage him/her to talk about school and other kids. Ask about the walk or ride to and from school.
Show your child how to protect themselves
Practice walking with confidence. Role-play how to stand up for yourself verbally.
If your child complains about another child, dig deeper. Children are often embarrassed or afraid to say they’re being bullied. When probed, a seemingly minor complaint might reveal a more severe problem.
If your child is being bullied, tell the school.
Teachers can take steps to ensure your child’s safety.
Get together with other parents.
Ensure that children in your neighbourhood are supervised to, from and after school.
Teach your child the social skills he/she needs to make friends. If your child is a bully, get help. Talk to a teacher, counselor or a child psychologist.
Vision Health
If you suspect that your child is struggling with vision issues, there are several things that you can do. First, book an eye exam with an optometrist. Speak with your child’s teacher regarding your concerns and encourage your child to clearly express to the teacher the difficulties they are having (Are they having trouble seeing things on the board? Are they having trouble copying information? Are they having trouble seeing the information in novels/textbooks/notebooks etc.?) There are a number of accommodations that can be made to quickly address potential problems, including seating closer to the board or larger print on computers or photocopies. You can also discuss with the classroom teacher or SERT the possibility of making a referral to one of the Vision Itinerant Teachers who provide support to your school.
Safety on the Playground
Our students are anxiously waiting for our playground structure to re-open. Board policy determines that the equipment is off limits from November 1 to March 31, and at other times as determined by the school administration. This includes periods of freezing temperatures, when there is freezing rain, if the ground cover is frozen, or if there is a buildup of snow and ice. Please stay tuned, as we will announce the anticipated re-opening as soon as we are able!
This is a good time to remind everyone of the rules that help make these structures fun and safe places to play. Our playground is designed for users aged 12 and under and we do not provide supervision, maintenance and inspections outside of school hours.
Skipping ropes, ropes, scarves or loose drawstrings on children’s clothing and bicycle helmets are not allowed on play structures. In the event of an injury, students and staff are reminded that the injured person should not be moved, and a supervisor must be notified immediately.
We know how much the children enjoy our play structures and are looking forward to the spring weather so they can use them again. Safety on the playground is a top priority, and once the play structures open again we will be reminding our students of playground rules.
Victory Public School EcoClub
April “Waste Less Wednesdays”
For the month of April, we will be having Waste Less Wednesdays! For the four Wednesdays in April, Victory students and staff are encouraged to use reusable containers in their lunches. We understand that packaged foods are sometimes the best option for families. This will not be about judging each other’s lunches, but rather appreciating the ways that families use reusable containers and celebrating the creative ways we can work together to reduce waste from food packaging. So, when you pack your lunches on Wednesdays in April, think about how you might use your great ideas to reduce food packaging! Every little bit helps!
Batteries – Bring in your used batteries!
Victory is participating in the Ontario Schools Battery Recycling Challenge! Parents can help students recycle single-use batteries from your home. Before you send in batteries to school, please tape the terminals on 6V, 9V, button cell and primary lithium batteries. Thank you for supporting an EcoClub initiative! Batteries are due Friday April 28th for this year’s challenge.
GOOS Paper
What is GOOS Paper? GOOS stands for Good On One Side. GOOS paper is paper that has been used on one side, but is still blank and usable on the other side (and doesn’t include any sensitive information). Using GOOS paper means ensuring both sides of a piece of paper are used before it is recycled. Thursday April 6 in National GOOS Paper Day and Victory students are encouraged to get creative and create something wonderful with GOOS Paper!
Earth Day and Earth Week
We will celebrate Earth Week April 17-21. Classes will be encouraged to create art, engage in a school yard clean up and wear green on April 21 to recognize Earth Day at Victory!
The Great Gulp
On March 22, our school participated in The Great Gulp. Students and staff took a synchronous gulp of water from our reusable water bottles. This fun event was an important reminder during World Water Day to consider our role in protecting and appreciating the fresh water around us.
Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd! 
Founded in 1990, Earth Day Canada inspires people of all ages across the country to connect with nature and build resilient communities as well as foster an intrinsically motivated, enduring commitment to stewardship and conservation. https://earthday.ca/about/
Ideas for your family to celebrate Earth Day:
- Review last year’s Earth Day Theme on ending plastic pollution, as this important work continues. Make a pledge to always carry a reusable shopping bag, use alternates to Ziploc bags, buy in bulk, refuse to buy-over packaged products and make litter-less lunches. Download your Plastic Pollution Primer to learn more about this problem help End Plastic Pollution! https://www.earthday.org/yourjourney2018/
- Spend a day outside. In the garden with your family, plant vegetables, trees or native flowers and attract native animals and pollinators. Or join a local community event to help clean your neighbourhood or restore local plant life.
- Make commitments to cut down on your energy usage as well as waste. Turn lights off, power down electrical devices, turn down your thermostat and only do full loads of laundry and dishes.
- Learn more about the environment and the effects of global warming. Encourage awareness and promote the Reduce (buy less), Reuse (repurpose it) and Recycle (sort it right!) way of life.
Remember that every day is Earth Day! Don’t restrict yourself to just one day a year. Make environmental actions and caring about the planet a habit – on Earth Day and every day.
Categories: News • Newsletter