ADS Newsletter October 18,2024

It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as Acting Principal during Kelli Pfeiffer's absence. Over the past seven weeks, I have been truly inspired by the dedication and enthusiasm of our students, staff, and families. It has been a rewarding experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to support our wonderful school community.

I am pleased to announce that Ms. Pfeiffer will be returning to her role as Principal starting Monday, Oct.21. We are excited to welcome her back and look forward to her continued leadership and vision for the future. I know Ms. Pfeiffer has missed the students, staff and school community, and is eager to reconnect with everyone.

As I step aside, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your support and cooperation during my time as Acting Principal. Together, we have accomplished a great deal, and I have no doubt the school will continue to thrive under Ms. Pfeiffer's guidance.

Thank you once again for the trust you’ve placed in me, and I look forward to seeing the continued success of our school.

Warm regards,
Mark Zonneveld
Acting Principal

School Bus Update

Families are reminded that certain items, such as hockey sticks, are not allowed on school buses as they can pose safety risks for both the driver and passengers and may hinder a quick evacuation in case of emergency. The following equipment is not permitted on school buses:

Skis, ski poles, snowboards
Hoverboards
Hockey and lacrosse equipment (including sticks and golf clubs)
Longboards and scooters
Animals (except service animals)
Large musical instruments (e.g., guitars, bass guitars, baritones, tubas)

The ADS Photography Club is an inclusive group open to all students from grades 7 to 12 who are interested in learning or enhancing their photography skills. The club provides members with opportunities to photograph school events, run photobooths, and contribute to the school’s online thrift store, The Bearcat Recycle Rack. Students can also create content for the school's Instagram account as well as the Bearcat Recycle Rack Instagram page. These activities give students hands-on experience with skills that are valuable in the photography industry!

Math Extra Help Club for Elementary Students: Tues.1st Break with Ms.Tscherner or Thurs.1st Break with Mr.Mitchell. Review classwork, play math games, get extra teacher support!

Land Based Learning with Grade 12s and Grade 7s
The grade 12 English class have been participating in weekly nature journaling and learning about environmental issues this fall. This culminated in them hosting a class of grade 7s for a geocache hunt this week in the forest behind ADS. The grade 12 students worked hard at creating the caches, hiding them, and writing clues. The grade 7 students did a great job of finding these hidden treasure troves. Thank you grade 12s for your leadership and grade 7s for your enthusiastic participation in this activity. It was a great way to get outside for some land based learning and collaboration between grades.

On Wednesday, October 16, a group of grade 9 Geography students participated in the Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) Authority's Branch Out program.

CVC staff assisted students while planting over 100 trees and shrubs in the forest at Tanners Drive Park in Acton and spent time introducing students to the biodiversity of our local forest. Students learned more about climate change, environmental stewardship, invasive species, mushrooms, insects, furs, and skulls. In addition, students were introduced to volunteer opportunities with Credit Valley Conservation through their weekend and summer programs.

Go to https://cvc.ca/for-teens/ to learn more about CVC's Youth Corp and/or Frontline (Youth Stewards) and opportunities for students to receive volunteer hours in the summer and/or on weekends.

Acton Bearcats Fall Swag is here!

Please place orders directly through the QR code on the poster. The online store will close on October 20,2024 and orders will arrive at the school approximately 6 weeks after that.

If you need financial support to order spirit wear or grad wear for your student, please reach out to our office directly to work together.

Parent Council 2024-2025

School Council is the opportunity for parents/guardians to learn about the programs, services and events at Acton DS, provide parent/guardian feedback to our principal, organize parent/guardian events, and facilitate fundraising initiatives to finance special programs and resources at the school.

Our School Council is open to all parents/guardians of Gr 7-12 students we have had our first meeting and we would like to keep joining open to our parents. Please feel free to join us for our next meeting in the Library, November 18th, 2024 @ 7pm

If you are interested in joining as a voting member, be sure to complete the ADS School Council Nomination Form council form. All non-voting parents are always welcome to attend these meetings.

All volunteers must have a Police Check with Vulnerable Screening Sector Search on file at the office. Volunteers who have submitted their police check previously need to complete an annual offense declaration form. This form is available at HDSB annual offense declaration form for volunteers.pdf and upon completion must be printed or emailed to the school office.

We look forward to the interest and support of our School Council this year, and encourage interested parents/guardians to submit their nominations. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact the principal.

To maximize student achievement, the loss of learning time during the academic year as a result of vacations or other discretionary reasons should be avoided. With this in mind, parents and students should carefully note the following when considering planned, discretionary absences:

Parents/students should discuss the planned absence with the appropriate administrator and teachers.
Students are responsible for any work missed during the planned absence.
Where possible, students should submit work they will miss prior to the planned absence. Access to the internet (i.e. Brightspace / Google Classroom) may make it possible to stay on top of course work and evaluations.
Students are expected to complete their final 30% components during the scheduled Final Evaluation blocks.
Achievement data reveals that students who do not complete and submit ALL their work for feedback (assessment) and grading (evaluation) are likely to have lower final grades, and in some cases put their credit in jeopardy.
Some courses may have unique requirements (e.g., courses with labs, technological subjects, courses with a significant performance component such as Physical Education or Drama). Accordingly, it may be difficult to make up for all work missed.

Please see the Planned Extended Absence form Planned Absence Form for the process to report a student's extended absence.

Absences during protected time (Final 30) - every teacher MUST refer students to administrators to determine, discuss and approve an alternate plan due to absences and will then advise teachers.

Grade 11 check ins have started. Please come to Guidance to book an appointment if you have not received an email for an appointment.

Academic Achievement Award night invitations have gone out. Please be sure to RSVP.

Please visit our Student Services Page on our website for the most up to date information:

https://act.hdsb.ca/student-services

Social Work Support at ADS

HDSB Social Workers work with students, families, and school communities to promote student well-being, mental health, and academic success.

ADS has one social worker to support our students: Lisa O’Halloran. Students can self refer by emailing our Social Worker anytime. Please see the flyer for more information on services provided.

We are writing to share information provided by Halton Region Public Health:

As we head into the Fall and Winter, and temperatures cool, people tend to spend more time gathered indoors. This makes it easier for infectious diseases like viral gastroenteritis to spread quickly in the community and at school. Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses (e.g., norovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, etc.) that results in vomiting and diarrhea.

Halton Region Public Health has provided guidance on enhanced cleaning procedures and other measures we can implement to significantly reduce the risk of spread at school. We ask that families review the resources provided by Public Health and reinforce these measures at home so that we can all help keep our community healthy. Students, families and staff can also contact Halton Region Public Health directly by phoning 311 or visiting halton.ca.

As always, please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns.

Family meals

Mealtimes are a great opportunity to bring family together, build connections and foster positive relationships. Parents and caregivers influence what children and youth eat
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Regular family meals will also provide children with the opportunity to:

explore new healthy foods
enjoy cultural and traditional foods
establish healthy eating routines

Check out these useful tips:

Plan your meals and snacks
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ahead of time, this helps to make healthier choices, saves time and reduces stress when grocery shopping or preparing your meals on busy nights.
Involve children in meal preparation. Children who help make meals are more likely to enjoy and eat it too!
Be flexible with meal timing. When children are involved in sports or programs during mealtimes, plan to eat your meals when most of the family can be there. You can also take breakfast, lunch or dinner as a “meal-to-go” and eat together at the park, arena, pool or gym.
Enjoy “family-style” meals. In family-style meals, offer food in larger bowls or serving dishes. This style of meal allows everyone to serve themselves and eat food based on their hunger cues and food preferences. Everyone can see what is prepared and select what and how much they want to eat.
Include cultures and food traditions. This creates a sense of community, fosters connection, and keeps your cultural roots and traditions alive. Cook foods from diverse cultural backgrounds and share family recipes and traditions with others. Try to explore community events that celebrate with cultural foods.
Put away distractions. Distractions such as TV, electronics and toys can take away from mealtimes. Without these distractions, your family can enjoy eating, talking with each other, and help everyone be mindful of their food choices.
Reduce food waste. It is the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gasses. Freeze extra food, buy smaller amounts, eat foods you already have and compost food scraps.

The Acton District Holiday Craft Sale is coming back on November 23! Vendor applications are being accepted until October 20th. Students interested in taking part in the event can check in with Ms. Houston.

Website link: https://act.hdsb.ca/extra-curricular/holiday-craft-sale