1. Jack Donohue Public School 101 Penrith Street, Kanata, Ontario, K2W 1H4 613-271-9776, fax 613-271-7331 jackdonohueps.ocdsb.ca Message from the Principal Principal Cindy Alce Vice- Principals Bruno Kondric Mary Jane Johnson Office Administrator Kelly Mills Office Assistant Lise Bishop Stacey Hearne Chief Custodian Perry Brown Superintendent Olga Grigoriev School Hours 9:15 – 3:45 Office Hours 8:30 – 4:30 Attendance Mailbox 613-271-9910, Press 1 Happy New Year to all our families and friends! The second term is well underway and staff and students are busy addressing curriculum expectations through authentic and engaging activities. First Term Report Cards will be sent home on February 6. Our students are enjoying the snow and we are continuing to encourage them to dress warmly. Throughout the winter months, students are expected to go outside for recess. Please ensure that your child(ren) is/are dressed appropriately for outside play when they come to school. We are encouraging students to bring an extra pair of socks and mitts to ensure that they have something to change into if their socks or mitts get wet. We listen carefully to weather reports and do check with Environment Canada when making decisions about sending children and staff outside. As a general rule, if the temperature and wind chill are below -25 degrees Celsius, we keep the students inside. However, the fresh air and exercise that results from being outside are important, and help children stay alert and ready to learn in the classrooms; thus, staff and students go outside whenever possible. Please ensure that you label your child(ren)’s hats, mitts and jackets. We are also encouraging all students to follow safety rules to ensure that everyone remains safe. Through announcements, we are reminding students that snow stays on the ground. As well, students are reminded that tunneling in snow banks is dangerous. Parents and guardians are asked to review these rules at home, so that everyone can play safely. I am pleased to share that we will be offering Reader Leader training to parents/guardians on Monday, January 14, from 9:30 a.m to 11:30 a.m. in the library. Janet Manhire from Learning Support Services and Janice Lizootte, a Speech and Language Therapist, will do the training. A registration letter will be sent home to parents/guardians of students in JK to grade 3. We are limiting the registration to 25. If we receive additional interest we will host another training session. This is fantastic training and I encourage you to participate. As always, I look forward to hearing from parents and guardians. Respectfully, Cindy Alce Just a reminder if your child is going to be away for an appointment or if your child is sick, please call our attendance line at 613-271-9910, then press 1 to leave a message. Please include your child’s name, teacher’s name and reason for absence. This attendance line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2. 2013-2014 Junior & Senior Kindergarten Registration Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten registration period this year is from Monday, January 28 to Friday, February 1, 2013 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m To be eligible for Junior Kindergarten, children must be four years old by December 31, 2013. To be eligible for Senior Kindergarten, children must be five years old by December 31, 2013. JDPS will not be starting full day kindergarten until September 2014. At time of registration please bring with you:  Proof of age in the form of a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, registration of birth card, landed immigration papers (if required) or your child’s passport.  Bring your child’s Ontario Health card.  Bring your child’s immunization record. Registration cannot be completed without all of these forms of identification. Students enrolled in Junior Kindergarten this year do not have to re-register for Senior Kindergarten. A separate selection form will be going home on January 28th for you to indicate your choice for either Regular SK or Early French Immersion. Forms are to be completed and returned to the teacher during the week of Jan 28 – Feb 1, 2013. Please note: In order to align our school's practise with that of other schools in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, we will no longer be placing students in morning or afternoon classes based upon order of registration. This gives all families an equal opportunity to register between January 28th to February 1, 2013 as their schedule allows. We will, as always, try to honour your preference for morning or afternoon; however, if you have exceptional circumstances please indicate your reasons on the form provided at the time of registration. Although we hope to receive most registrations during the target period, registration is an on-going process and applications will always be accepted. Elementary Student Transfer Application and Immersion Timeframes: The following timelines will apply for the 2013-2014 school year: Elementary (Secondary) Student Transfer Application Period – February 11 to February 22, 2013 Middle French Immersion Registration – February 19 to February 25, 2013 Students requesting a transfer for grade 9 should complete the Secondary Student Transfer Form available at all secondary schools. Students must register at their designated school pending approval of their transfer request. High School Information Nights The following schools, which our students may be interested in attending, are holding information evenings for Grade 8 students and their parents/guardians: Bell High School – Wednesday, January 16, 2013 – 6:30 pm Canterbury High School (Arts Program) – Tuesday, December 11, 2012 – 7 pm Earl of March Secondary School – Wednesday, February 13, 2013 – 7 pm Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School – Thursday, January 10, 2013 – 6:30 pm West Carleton Secondary School – Date and Time to be set, once confirmed we will provide information to our Grade 8 Students.

3. Safe Arrival: Help us keep your child safe. After 9:15am supervision on the yard is no longer available. If you are dropping off your child after 9:15am, please drop them off at the office as part of our safe arrival protocol. BUS CANCELLATIONS – Bus cancellations will be posted on the Board website at: www.ocdsb.ca and announced on the following local radio stations:www.ocdsb.ca CBC 91.5 FMCFRA 580 AM CHEZ106.1 FMKISS105.3 FM MAJIC 100.3 FMCHRI 99.1 FM On mornings when weather and road conditions make transportation unsafe, please listen to local radio stations for transportation cancellations or school closures. Information is also posted to the: OCDSB website [www.ocdsb.ca] Ottawa Student Transportation Authority's website [www.ottawaschoolbus.ca] OCDSB Facebook page OCDSB Twitter page You may also choose to subscribe to the OCDSB RSS feed if you have an RSS FeedReader or News Aggregator or download the IPhone app [search "OCDSB" in the App store to download]. Please note: that if buses are cancelled in the morning and at noon, transportation at the end of the day is also cancelled. If the school remains open, students who are dropped off by parents in the morning will have to be picked up by parents at dismissal time. Attendance is monitored on these days. INCLEMENT WEATHER DAYS On inclement weather days when buses are cancelled, there is no need to contact the school if your child is a bus student. We only need to hear from the parents who have a child who walks to school and who is not going to be in attendance. Our phone lines are extremely busy on inclement weather days and we ask that you are patient when trying to get through. Important Dates Jan 10 Term 2 Pizza Day Starts Jan 18 Elementary PA day Jan 28-Feb 1 Kindergarten Registration Feb 6 Report Cards go home Feb 11 Term 2 Milk / Juice Program Starts Feb 11-Feb 22 Student Transfer Period Feb 15 Elementary PA day Feb 18 Family Day – no school Feb 19-Feb 25 Middle French Immersion Registration.

4. Thank you to the Miller Family for donating this beautiful painting of a sleeping dragon. Our sleeping dragon is now hanging just outside the main office doors. 2012 Pegasus Literary Writing Award Winners Age 4-7 Category: Age 12-18 Category: 1 st – Jade in EF2/3 3rd – Mandy in EF8 2 nd – Luke in EF2/3 3 rd – Simon in EF2/3 Age 8-11 Category: 1 st – Mackenzie in EF5/6 3 rd – Gia-An in R6 Birthday/ Special Occasion Due to an increase in allergies and our continued focus of promoting healthy eating, we ask parents and guardians not to send in cakes, donuts and cupcakes for their child’s birthday celebration. If you wish to send in something, please consider healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables and dip, cheese and crackers or non edible items such as pencils, erasers etc. I would like to thank all parents and guardians who have sent in healthy snacks for celebrations. Your creativity is amazing and much appreciated!

5. Helmet Safety for your Family Did you know? 85% of serious head injuries can be reduced if helmets are worn correctly. The protection a helmet provides depends on: how well the helmet is fitted to the head, if the correct helmet is used, if replacement guidelines are followed (age, cracks, etc.), and there are no covers or stickers on the outside of the helmet. Helmets are designed and tested to protect the parts of the head at risk of injury. Does the helmet fit? 2- fingers above the eyebrow 1-finger under the chin V-shape under the ear Activity Recommended Helmet Sticker Certification HockeyHockey HelmetCSA Ice-SkatingHockey HelmetCSA Skiing/ Snowboarding Ski HelmetCSA, Snell, CPSA TobogganingSki Helmet is best. A hockey or bicycle helmet is better than no helmet Depends on helmet Bicycling, Rollerblading, Non-motor scooters Bicycle HelmetCSA,CPSA,A STM or Snell SkateboardingSkateboarding Helmet ASTM, Snell BMX cyclingBMX HelmetASTM Wash Your Hands and Be a Germ Stopper! Everyone knows how bad it feels to be sick. Follow these tips to help prevent the spread of germs: · Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds. · Wash your hands after using the washroom, changing a baby’s diaper, or touching animals, before eating, before and after preparing food, and when your hands look dirty. · Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if you can’t wash your hands. Use a squirt the size of a quarter (dime-size for young children) in your palm, rub palms together, rub the back of each hand and around each thumb, and don’t forget your fingertips. Rub for at least 15 seconds until dry. · Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper arm, not your hands! Throw the tissue away and wash your hands right away. · Keep your hands away from your face to help keep germs out of your body. · Stay home when you are sick, have a cough or a fever. A MESSAGE FROM OTTAWA PUBLIC HEALTH For more information contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 or visit www.ottawa.ca/health.