The Simcoe Star

JG Simcoe PS Newsletter

Growing & Learning Together!

Dear Simcoe Star Families,

We are excited to start the new school year and staff have been back working hard to get the school ready for our Simcoe Stars! We have a new portable, a new gate system for our primary entrance to the yard and a refreshed gym floor with a new Simcoe Stars design!

Simcoe is sparkling due to the hard work of our dedicated Simcoe Star Caretaking Team. A huge shout-out to Mr. Dwyer, Ms. Lewis, and Ms. Hale for helping us shine! Teachers, EAs and ECEs are working hard to create supportive and engaging spaces for their students.

On the first day of school, staff will be outside to support students in finding their new teacher and class. Please ask for help if you need it, we are here to support you.

We can't wait to see you on September 5th, until then stay safe and keep shining bright Simcoe Stars!

Brigid Steele - Principal, Michele Wilson Brushett- Vice Principal & The Simcoe Star Staff Team

Daily Schedule

8:15-8:30 am – Supervision on yard

8:30-10:10 am – 100-minute learning block

10:10-10:50 am – Recess & Nutrition Break

10:50-12:30 pm – 100-minute learning block

12:30-1:10 pm – Recess & Nutrition Break

1:10-2:50 pm – 100-minute learning block

Class Placements

Class placements are tentative for the first two weeks of school. Depending on how many students we have in each grade, we sometimes need to re-organize the school to balance the numbers of students in each class.

Once our fall school organization is approved by the Limestone Staffing Committee, we will contact families the second week of school if you child will be changing classes or teachers.

Tentatively Proposed Staffing for Sept. 2023

This organization may change due to increases or decreases in enrolment.

JKSK A Sara Meers, ECE TBD

JKSK B Melissa Mazurkiewicz, Masha Naghibzadeh

Grade 1 Chris McEwen-Smith

Grade 1/2 Eleni Fortis

Grade 2/3 Angela Seymour

Grade 3/4 Paul Gurnsey

Grade 4/5 Mandie MacDonald (on leave) Interim Teacher TBD

Grade 5/6 Jamie Niedbala

Grade 6/7 Kristin Rodgerson

Grade 7/8 Theresa Pinho

French Amanda Morgan, Mary Gilaine Arkles

Planning Time Melanie van Staalduinen

Student Support Teacher (SST) Meg Dingwall

Student Support Counselor Jocelyn Ingle

Elementary Office Administrator Jenn Cox

Head Custodian Scott Dwyer

Evening Custodian Rachel Lewis

Educational Assistants Melanie Currier, Heather McEachern, Pam Smith, Dylan Davis, Erin Dowdell, Maddie Heyman, Kiley Missere(Sheridan), Tracey Bambrick, Kelsey Scrannage, Eric Freitas, Ashley Fischl, Dan Brownlee

Lunch-Yard Supervisor Jen Matson

Vice-Principal & SST Michele Wilson Brushett

Principal Brigid Steele

Pick Up and Drop Off

Parking only on school side of the street. The parking lot is for staff only.

Thank you for your support with this important safety requirement.

Students in JK-Grade 3:

On the first day of school, we will have a large number of staff members outside, circulating to help students find their classroom teacher and line up
If your child/ren will be coming to school independently, please note that supervision on the yard begins at 8:15 (children should not arrive at the school prior to that time)
Students will enter through the gate at the left side of the school to access their lineup spots.
Students with special education needs will be met and supervised by staff as per tradition.
At the end of the day, students who walk or are picked up, will walk with their teacher to their class lineup. Students will be dismissed at 2:50 pm when the bell rings. Parents and caregivers who pick up students are asked to meet them at the front of the school.

Students in Grades 4-8:

Students are asked to use the safe walkway attached the parking lot at the right hand side of the school to access the back of the school where their classes will line up. Students are not to walk through the parking lot as this is a safety issue.

Recess and Nutrition Breaks

Students will have 2 recesses and 2 nutrition breaks. Recess is outside on a particular yard (ie. primary yard, junior yard etc). All staff will be wearing safety vests so they are easily recognizable. Nutrition breaks happen in classrooms.

We have several students with life-threatening allergies. A reminder that our school is nut aware: please ensure that your child's snacks and lunch do not contain any nut products. Classroom teachers will communicate any additional food allergies that families will need to be aware of. Thank you for your support in keeping all of our students safe.

What to bring to School

A positive attitude, a willingness to take risks and try new things and a smile!

Your child may also want to bring a few items with them listed below.

We ask that all toys remain at home and only necessary items are brought to school.

A full-sized backpack/knapsack to carry everything they will need to pack up every day.
A reusable water bottle.
A nut-free lunch and snacks.
Indoor and outdoor shoes they can put on and off themselves (e.g., Velcro or slip on)
Comfortable clothes and a complete change of clothes in a Ziploc bag, just in case.
Everything labeled with your child’s name.
Schools will supply all school supplies such as pens, pencils, markers, crayons, erasers, glue sticks, etc.

School Messenger App - to report student absences

If you are new to our school, please take the time to download the School Messenger App to stay connected and report student absences. We have provided a video below to assist you.

Medical Plans of Care and Medication

This message is intended for the families of students with prevalent medical conditions where documentation is needed by the school:

If your child has a serious medical condition (epilepsy, asthma, allergies, seizures, etc,) we need to update their medical alert plan every school year. Ms. Wilson Brushett will be contacting families to assist with getting these updated.

If your child needs to take medication at school, you will need to sign a form and bring the medication to the school (students should not carry medication to school).

Completed forms can be returned to the school.

Daily medication will need to be dropped off by a parent/caregiver at the school and will be stored at the office. Students cannot carry medications in their backpack, at any time. You may drop off labeled medication this week, or on the first day of school.

**Be sure to complete the supplementary forms if medication may need to be administered by school staff.

The Health and safety of our students is our first priority. Thank you for helping us stay informed on your child's medical conditions and Plan of Care.

School Advisory Council

PARENTS ARE ESSENTIAL PARTNERS!

FIRST MEETING DATE: TBD

Our 2022/2023 School Council Executives - Co Chairs - Jen Matson and Stacey Beaubia

Together we look at how best to serve the needs of students and families in our community. Often parent council plays an important role in determining how to support educators and bring special learning experiences into the school.

We warmly welcome all parents to be a part of any and every parent council meeting, whether you are an elected member or a parent who would just like to listen in and hear more about what is going on at JG Simcoe.

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR BINGO SHIFTS!

We are fortunate to partner with Play! Gaming and Entertainment for fundraising. As part of our role in this amazing opportunity, we need volunteers able to do training (an online portal as well as a 2-hour in-person shadow and call back training) and then volunteer to fill 2-hour shifts in person at the Bingo hall on Bath Rd. We as a school only need to do 2 shifts per month to keep our funding so the more volunteers we can get on our roster the less we will call on you. At this time we only have 2 active trained volunteers. We are in desperate need of more volunteers!!! Please contact the school is you are interested in volunteering for Bingo shifts.