Welcome to our school!

January 2010 message from Carmen Mackay, Principal

Welcome back everyone! We are at the start of a new calendar year with many exciting activities in the months ahead in 2010. We thank parents for the generosity demonstrated just before the holidays with our food drive etc. We made families happy with the spirit of the season. Teachers have returned eager and enthusiastic to help students continue learning and sharing during this winter term.

Download the January newsletter



Carnival Week! February 8 to 11

Monday: Pyjama Day

Tuesday: Inside Out Day

Wednesday: Crazy Hat Day

Thursday: CARNIVAL DAY! **Games outside all morning!**

On Thursday, please send in a cup for your child's hot chocolate. Thanks for helping to reduce waste.



Staffing Changes

We welcome Kainia Cloutier as our EFI grade 5/6 teacher who is filling in until Joanne Hume returns from Leave. We also welcome Ann Sweetman who will be working with the students in Mme Seline’s class on Wednesdays and Fridays until the end of the year. We are fortunate to have both of them join Devonshire!



Kindergarten Registration Period

We will be having a Kindergarten Information Evening on Wednesday, January 20 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Please join us in our Senior Kindergarten classroom downstairs if you have children who will be four or five years of age respectively, by December 31, 2010. The Kindergarten Registration period this year begins on Monday, February 1st and goes to Friday, February 5th, 2010.

To register your child you will need proof of age in the form of a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, registration of birth or passport. You MUST have one of these forms of identification to register. Also required, is your child’s Ontario Health Card and Immunization record to register.



Cross Boundry Transfer

The Elementary Student Transfer Application Period is from Tuesday, February 16th to Friday, February 26th, 2010. Information can be found on the Board’s website as there have been some changes to the policy. Completed forms may be given to the school they wish to attend between the timelines stated. More info is available at www.ocdsb.ca.



Notice of CCEE Public Meeting - February 9th, 2010

THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL FOR ETHNOCULTURAL EQUITY'S NEXT PUBLIC MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 2010 @ 6:45 P.M. AT 440 ALBERT STREET. THE TOPIC OF THE MEETING WILL BE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDENT CENSUS AND WORKFORCE SURVEY TO BE CONDUCTED IN THE OCDSB. HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE THERE!



PLEASE DO NOT PARK OR STOP IN THE SCHOOL BUS LOADING ZONE

At the best of times, parking on Breezehill is a challenge, but with snowbanks and lanes reduced to one-way traffic, the street can be very dangerous for our children. We have had a number of close calls recently with cars manoeuvering and children trying to cross the street, and our school buses have been late due to cars parked or stopped in the bus loading zone.

Please obey the signs indicating the School Bus Loading Zone at our school. There is absolutely no stopping or parking permitted between the hours of 7:00 am and 4:00 pm (no unloading or loading of your child in the marked area, even if buses have come and gone). By-Law Officers have been patrolling our street during drop-off and pick-up times in an effort to make Breezehill Ave. safer for all of our students and parents/community. Please be aware that cars may be ticketed if By-Law Officers are present and your vehicle is found in the bus zone. The fine for ignoring the signs is between $80-$100.

Note that there is 3-hour parking available on Laurel and on Breezehill south of Laurel. We recognize that not having a dedicated drop-off zone is not ideal, but the school was not designed in an automobile age, so we must all make the best of the situation, by putting the safety of our children first.



MS Read-A-Thon

Devonshire will be participating in the MS Read-A-Thon again this year. Over the years, the students have raised money for Multiple Sclerosis by reading books. Our kick-off assembly is taking place on January 18 and the reading period will last throughout the month of February, ending on February 19. The last day for collections will be February 26. Participation is voluntary, but we do encourage the students to take part in helping others in our community. It is also a great way to encourage reading! For more information, go to www.msreadathon.com



School Council Meeting -- Monday January 25

Join us for pizza and a movie at 5:30.



School Bus Cancellation Procedure for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board click here.

More information can be found on the OCDSB site.



New bike racks for Devonshire's primary yard!

Thanks to parent Kathleen Wilker, our school has been awarded a Green Apple School Program grant of $1,000 for our green idea of adding new bike racks to encourage more children (and parents) to cycle to school.

The Green Apple School Program is an initiative of the Metro chain of grocery stores, and was created to encourage conservation and healthy living. Kathleen wrote to the program to propose that bike racks at Devonshire would be a good "Idea today...to keep the waste away", and the Green Apple folks agreed.

We look forward to using our new bike racks in the spring!



Dates to remember:

Monday, January 18     MS Read-A-Thon Assembly (9:00 am)
Monday, January 18     Yoga classes for students begin (11:25 am)
Tuesday, January 19     Dragon Ski Club begins
Wednesday, January 20     Kindergarten Information Evening (6:00 - 7:30 pm)
Monday, January 25     School Council Meeting (5:30 pizza, 6:00 - 7:30 pm)
Friday, January 29     Loonie Drive for Makina Baptist
       
February 1 to February 5     Kindergarten Registration Period
February 8 to February 11     Kindergarten Registration Period
Thursday, February 11     Winter Carnival Day (morning)
Friday, February 12     PD Day (no school)
Monday, February 15     Family Day (holiday, no school)
February 16 to February 26     Student Transfer Application Period