Week of December 9

Turkey Bucks - This is the final week to earn Turkey Bucks at Foodland. If anyone would like to donate their Turkey Bucks, please hand them in to the office and Heather Gordon will collect them so that they can be given to families in need during the holidays. 

Toy Drive - From December 9^th to 13^th we are collecting new, unwrapped toys for children in difficult circumstances this holiday season. Please leave your donations on the marked table just inside the Kindergarten doors. Thank you for your generosity!

iPad Drive - If you're planning on upgrading your iPad this Christmas, please consider donating your gently used iPad (2nd generation or later or iPad mini) to the school. Please bring your donation to the school office by January 31^st and the School Council will ensure the old iPads are ready for classroom use.

Skates & Helmets - Carol Brown is collecting ice skates and CSA certified hockey helmets for primary and junior students to use at Humber Valley Rink. Please bring your donations of skates and/or hockey helmets to school starting December 16^th.  

Save the date - the HVV family skating party is Saturday, March 22^nd from 6-8 p.m. at the Canadian Ice Academy

 

The Power of Belief

Sue Bois shared this interesting video on growth mindsets with staff and also parents at the council meeting this week:  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc
 
The way we understand our intelligence and abilities deeply impacts our success. Based on social science research and real life examples, Eduardo Briceño articulates how mindset, or the understanding of intelligence and abilities, is key. When students or adults see their abilities as fixed, whether they think they're naturals or just not built for a certain domain, they avoid challenge and lose interest when things get hard. Conversely, when they understand that abilities are developed, they more readily adopt learning-oriented behaviors such as deliberate practice and grit that enable them to achieve their goals. But this belief is itself malleable, and there are clear actions we can all take to establish a growth mindset and enable success for our children, our peers and ourselves.

Eduardo Briceño is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mindset Works (http://www.mindsetworks.com), an organization that helps schools and other organizations cultivate a growth mindset culture. The growth mindset was discovered by Stanford professor and Mindset Works co-founder Carol Dweck, Ph.D., and is described in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (http://www.mindsetonline.com). Mindset Works offers Brainology, an innovative blended learning program to teach a growth mindset to students, teachers and schools, as well as teacher professional development and tools (http://www.mindsetworks.com/brainology/).

Week of December 2

Everyone is welcome to attend our monthly school council meeting on Wed., Dec. 4th at 7 p.m. in the library. Please note that babysitting will not be available during this meeting. 

Humber Valley Rink is OPEN! The rink offers both supervised and unsupervised skates including public skates and shinny hockey for various age groups.

Dec. 5 community meeting on playground severances

The Toronto Sports Council (TSC) is hosting an organizational meeting to discuss community concerns regarding loss of community space and strategies to keep this space in the community while still allowing the TDSB to meet the needs of students.
Date: Thursday December 5, 2013  
Time: 7- 9 pm 
Location: North York Civic Centre 5100 Yonge Street (at the North York subway station), Committee Room 1 
Agenda

Please RSVP to Heather Mitchell at heather@torontosportscouncil.ca

The TSC has been made aware of the potential sale of a number of TDSB school properties which will result in the following:

· significant reduction in the number of playing surfaces available for permit
· communities loss of green space now used for leisure and physical activities

The TSC is aware of the Provincial constraints faced by the TDSB however the premature sale of school properties without community discussion and input is concerning. At the Province's insistence, the TDSB continues to sell playing fields to pay for urgently needed school additions and repairs.

If we are going to save these fields for community use, we need to start a conversation now and continue it throughout the winter and into spring. It is important that the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation department along with the Province and the School Boards hear the concerns and work with the community to save our fields.

Week of November 25

Sports blog - Please check http://hvvathletics.blogspot.ca/ for information on this week's basketball and volleyball tournaments

Pizza lunch - Primary and junior students will have their pizza lunch on Thursday and middle school students will have pizza on Friday

Council meeting on Wed., Dec. 4 - If you have any questions for the December council meeting, please email them to Marlene or Anika at hvvcouncil@gmail.com before Nov. 28.

Week of November 18

Gym Clothes - Students who ordered HVV gym clothes will receive them on Thursday. If your have a question about your order or if you'd like to order additional shorts/shirts, please email marleneyip@gmail.com

Foodland “Turkey Bucks” - The Foodland at Thorncrest plaza is now handing out their annual "Turkey Bucks" that can be used to buy a turkey at Christmas time. If anyone would like to donate their Turkey Bucks, please hand them in to the office and Heather Gordon will collect them in early December so that they can be given to families in need during the holidays.

Grade 4 & 5 Snowpass

The Canadian Ski Council is offering children in grades 4 and 5 (or who are born in 2003 or 2004) the opportunity to discover skiing and snowboarding. For only $29.95, grade 4 &  5 students can ski and ride three times at 150+ ski areas from across the country!

Applications can be submitted online at http://www.skicanada.org/grade-4-5-snowpass/ or in the mail. You'll need your child's photo (2x2 or jpeg less than 512kb) and a copy of his/her report card or birth certificate.

Week of November 11

Nov. 11 - Remembrance Day assembly at 10:30 a.m.  

Nov. 12 - Progress reports go home

Nov. 13 - Photo re-takes

Nov. 14 (a.m.) - Immunizations for all Grade 7 students and Grade 8 girls

Nov. 14 (1:00) - Author David Bouchard will visit the Grade 4-8 students.

 

Nov. 14 & 15 - Parent-teacher interviews. People for Education has published a tip sheet that covers every step of the interview process, including how to prepare, possible questions to ask, and how to follow up after the interview.
Lost & Found - Please take a moment to go through the articles by the kindergarten doors to see if anything belongs to your family. Any unclaimed items will be donated end of day Friday, November 15th. 

Nov. 15 - P.A. Day - NO SCHOOL

Week of November 4

Candy Drive Nov. 4-8 - Please consider donating your extra Halloween treats to children staying at the Women's Habitat's shelter in Etobicoke. Look for the green bin labeled "Candy Collection" by the kindergarten doors.

Council Meeting on Nov. 6 – Everyone’s invited to our council meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the library. Sue Bois will discuss the school evacuation plan, facilities wish list, budget and improvement plan and our special guest speaker is Nancy Halupa, the Lice Nurse.

Gr. 2/3, 3A, 3B Field Trip on Nov. 8 – Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Marzocco and Mrs. Santin are taking their students to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair on Friday. The bus leaves at 9:00 and returns at 3:00. Reminder to participants: bring a disposable bag, lunch and snacks.

Halloween Parade October 31

The annual HVV Halloween costume parade will take place 12:50 to 1:15 p.m. on Thursday. Families are welcome to view the parade and to take pictures of the students by the Friendship Garden on Hartfield Rd. In the case of poor weather, students will parade indoors only and will pose for pictures in the junior gym and library.

Roots of Empathy Baby Needed at HVV

We're hosting a Roots of Empathy Program in Mrs. Marzocco’s class. This program focuses on building empathy through observation of and interaction with a baby. The program requires the participation of a community Mother and a 3 month old baby. Class meetings take place once per month starting in October under the direction of a Roots of Empathy instructor and the classroom teacher. If you have a baby who was born over the summer months or know of someone who has a 3 month old baby and would be willing to participate in the program, please contact the school office at 416-394-7860.

Help Stop Hunger

This Halloween, HVV students are collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items to help support our local food bank and raise awareness about local hunger. For more information, visit: http://www.freethechildren.com/wescarehunger

Thanks in advance for your support!

Meet Trustee Glover at HVV Oct. 29

One of Chris Glover's goals as Trustee is to make board decisions more transparent. To achieve this goal, he established a ward council that meets once a month where representatives from all schools in Etobicoke Centre share ideas, address issues of concern, and talk about decisions that are coming up at the board. Everyone is welcome.

Ward Council Meeting: Tuesday, October 29, 2013  7-9 pm
Humber Valley Village Junior Middle School, 65 Hartfield Road

Agenda items: school council priorities; traffic management in school zones; French Immersion bussing update

Week of October 21

Our QSP fundraising campaign ends Oct. 22. Please help our school by ordering magazines. Our school earns a profit while you save money (some subscriptions are up to 85% off newsstand prices). Our school’s group # is 9306. Thank you for your support!

HVV is hosting a slo-pitch tournament Oct. 22 so parking might be a little difficult on Tuesday. GO GRIZZLIES GO!

Our 1st junior school pizza lunch is Oct. 24. Middle school pizza lunch is Oct. 25. Click here for a complete schedule: http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/humbervalley/SchoolCouncil/PizzaLunch.aspx

Winter Clothing Drive - This week we're collecting clean, gently used Winter clothing for an area school with a need for warm outerwear. Items such as jackets, mittens, hats, scarves and boots to fit both children and adults are greatly appreciated. Please leave your donations in bags on the marked tables at the Kindergarten entrance. Thank you!

Math Makes Sense E-Book

Do your children carry heavy math text books back and forth from school? Consider purchasing an online Math Makes Sense e-book that can be downloaded to your home computer for your child to use at home so that he/she is not carrying the textbook back and forth from school. Pearson Publishing’s online support also provides virtual manipulatives and online tutorials for students. The cost of this e-opportunity is $7.00 and it is available at: www.pearsoncanada.ca/mms_digital

Week of October 15

The Grade 8s are having a pumpkin patch fundraiser on Thursday, October 17 from 3:15-5:30 p.m. at the Hartfield entrance to HVV. Please come support our Grade 8 students and buy your Halloween pumpkins at HVV!

We are one step closer to eliminating our lost and found. HVVSC is fundraising with Mabel's Labels, a provider of durable personalized labels. Personalize your labels with names, initials, phone numbers – whatever you choose. Cool icons help students identify their belongings and best of all – they’re dishwasher, microwave, laundry safe and kid tested! Visit www.hvv.mabelslabels.com to place your order while helping us raise much-needed funds for HVV.

Week of October 7

Did you know that bullying occurs once every seven minutes on the playground and that approximately 1 in 10 children have bullied others? On Oct. 7 & 8, Grow Interactive Learning (GROW) will be at HVV to provide a fun & supportive learning environment where students are encouraged to self-discover and interact. By participating in GROW’s Character Building and Bully Prevention program, students will learn how to play a pivotal role in creating a positive school climate.

Gym clothes orders are due Tuesday, Oct. 8. Gym uniforms are mandatory for all middle school students (Gr. 6-8). If you wish to purchase HVV gym clothes from the council, please visit this website: http://hvvschoolcouncil.comoj.com/1_14_Spirit-Wear.html

Our QSP magazine fundraiser begins Oct. 9. Start browsing the wide selection of magazines on qsp.ca so that you’re ready for Double Day on Oct. 10 when you’ll receive 2 reward points for each order.

Volunteer opportunities at HVV – We’re looking for a neighbourhood parent and a 1-2 month old baby to be our Roots of Empathy instructors in Mrs. Marzocco’s Gr. 2/3 class. Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. A Roots of Empathy instructor (not the parent of the baby) visits the classroom 27 times over the school year and for nine of these visits (about every three weeks) the Roots of Empathy family joins the instructor in the classroom - each family visit is about 30 minutes long. If you’re interested in volunteering, please email marleneyip@gmail.com

Friday, Oct. 11 is a PA Day and school will be closed! Best wishes to you and your family for a happy Thanksgiving!

NEXT WEEK

The Gr. 8 students are having a Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser at HVV on Oct. 17 from 3:15-5:30. Pumpkins will be sold by donation to the class of 2014 and free Timbits and juice will be served while supplies last!