ADS Newsletter October 11,2024

As we settle into October, I would like to highlight the importance of the partnership between parents/guardians/caregivers and the school. Your ongoing support of your children and the school continues to make a significant difference in the lives of our students.

Our Secondary Parent Teacher Meetings will occur on Thurs Oct 17, 6:00-8:00 pm, and will provide the opportunity for all parents/guardians/caregivers to meet with teachers to learn about their child's progress so far this semester, and how to help them be successful for the rest of the year. Please make every effort to attend these important meetings.

On Mon Oct 7 we held our first ADS School Council meeting of the year. A big thank you to the six parents/guardians/caregivers who attended. Their commitment to enriching our students’ experiences is truly invaluable, and we look forward to working with them on upcoming initiatives. Our agenda and discussions included school startup, cell phone expectations, changes to our morning announcements, our new ADS newsletter, and input on the HDSB Bullying Response Protocol. We would love to see more parents/guardians/caregivers get involved, and welcome anyone to attend future meetings. Our upcoming meeting dates are Nov 18, Feb 10 and Apr 7. See the Parent Council information below.

I’d also like to take a moment to congratulate our sports teams for their hard work and achievements. Whether on the field, the court, or the fairway, our students have shown incredible teamwork and determination. Keep up the fantastic work—your dedication is inspiring to us all!

Thank you for your ongoing support, and I look forward to seeing all that we can accomplish together.

Warm regards,

Mark Zonneveld

Principal (Acting)

Acton District School hosted the 2nd annual Halton Hills Forest Festival for grade 4 students. The event showcases the unique impact our trees have on the natural environment, birds, bugs as well as the science behind some of the unique species in our own backyard. Many community partners assist the leadership class in delivering this event.

Congratulations to the Grade 7 boys Cross Country team who finished 1st overall at the Walsh Meet on October 1st.

Shoutout to the Flag Football team who participated in the Centennial Tournament at GDHS on Thursday. They lost a tough game against Stewarttown, and won two great games against Post Corners and Kilbride. We are so proud of our flag football team; Easton, Brayden, Carter, Noah, Ben, Logan, Max, Greyson, Kingston, Leah, Caleigh, Chloe, Katelyn, Rosey. Thank you to our student photographers, Abigail and Isla for taking action and team pictures.

Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30pm the Acton District 7/8 Junior Band practices together to promote leadership , teamwork and music! We currently have 38 members but are looking for more 7/8 students who are interested in taking part. Hope to see you there!

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.

All students were sent home with the Intramural Acknowledgement of Elements of Risk, Consent to Participate, and Medical Information Form this September. Those forms need to be returned to homeroom teachers ASAP. ALL students must have a completed form (whether or not they will be participating in intramurals). For students who have a spare or online class in period 1, they will need to collect a blank form from the main office and hand in their completed forms to the main office ASAP. You can access that form here:

Elementary: https://www.myhdsb.ca/Communications/PrintServices/SeptemberStartUpPackageDocuments/Elementary-PhysicalEducationAndIntramuralInformationLetter.pdf
Secondary:
https://www.myhdsb.ca/Communications/PrintServices/SeptemberStartUpPackageDocuments/Secondary-IntramuralInformationLetter.pdf

Please also make sure that you have completed the online start-up forms:

Elementary: https://forms.gle/93Ge8FDsptmLHYNXA
Secondary: https://forms.gle/rMhzSZz94GLuYGRt6

Mrs. Marsha Schnekenburger - Head of Guidance

Mr. Shawn Brown - Guidance

Mrs. Nadine Brady - Administrative Assistant

Grade Google Classrooms

Grade 9 - 65zxg7k

Grade 10 - nluwgga

Grade 11 - 3cmwdat
Grade 12 - nywmg62

Grade 12 check in appointments complete. If you missed your appointment please come to Student Services.

Grade 11 check in appointments have started.

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

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

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

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.

The HDSB wants to hear your questions and concerns. To ensure your questions and concerns can be addressed as quickly as possible, please review the following information to know who you should reach out to and when. As issues are best addressed at the level closest to the issue, your child’s school is the first point of contact in any situation.

How much sleep does my child/youth need?

Getting proper sleep is important for children and youth as it impacts their physical health, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. The Canadian 24- Hour Movement Guidelines

(external link)

outline the recommended amount of sleep for your child/youth based on their age:

Preschoolers (3-5 years) require 10-13 hours (which may include naps).
School-aged children (5-13 years) require 9-11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.
Adolescents (14-17 years) require 8–10 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.

Follow these tips to help your child/youth have better sleep:

Have a regular bedtime – try to have your child go to bed at the same time every night, including on the weekends.
Create a calming bedtime routine – establish bedtime rituals that help your child slow down and get ready to sleep such as listening to quiet music, reading a book or practicing deep breathing. Keep the room cool, dark and quiet.
Limit screen time – turn off electronics an hour before bed and keep devices out of the bedroom, the light and sound from screens prevents children from sleeping.
Be active every day – encourage your child to get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
Avoid food and drinks that have caffeine – such as colas, chocolate, tea and coffee.
Get help if you need it – speak to your health care provider if you have concerns about your child’s sleep.