I NTERNATIONAL AND I NDIGENOUS L ANGUAGES

P ROGRAM
N OVEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER
http://www.yrdsb.ca/Programs/ConEd/Pages/International-Languages.aspx

F ROM THE P RINCIPAL ’ S D ESK . . .

As we approach the month of November in the 2018 International Languages Team

calendar year, we take time to reflect upon the many ways Dr. Clelia Della Rovere: Principal
our students, staff and families have been directly involved in Nella Di Prospero:
contributing positively to our International Languages Administrative Assistant
Program environment. We have close to 450 staff serving Mariela Giuliano:
over 15,000 students. We are grateful for the dedication and Program Supervisor
continuous support of all! Katie Szeto: Program Supervisor
Time has truly flown by since the start of the school year.
Our students have had a successful block of learning. We Office: 905 884 2046 ext 242
would like to thank families for registering and facilitating the E-mail:
attendance of their children into this language learning international.languages@yrdsb.ca
experience. We appreciate your patience during re-
organization of classes due to enrolment and staffing
changes. We believe that classes are now finalized for the
most part and do not anticipate any significant changes at
this point. Medial/Allergies-
Communication between home and school is an essential If your child has any severe
element of student success. We appreciate your ongoing allergies or medical
involvement in your child’s education and the time you have conditions, please ensure you
spent communicating with staff. We continue to encourage share this information with
parents, in case of any concerns or questions about their our Site Administrator at your
child ’s education, to first speak to the teacher, next to the child’s school. It is imperative
Site Administrator. You are always welcome to call or e-mail that staff have this
members of the International Languages Team at the information for the safety of
your child.
number shown on the right hand side of this newsletter.
Site Administrators and teachers are continuously learning
about new ways to capture students’ learning to ensure their Nut Free Snacks-
success. They are both encouraged to attend workshops Please ensure that snacks
presented by the International Languages team, so they may your child brings to school
learn about new strategies to better engage the students. have no nuts due to
allergies.
We encourage our staff and students to please be extra
careful during the wet and cold weather seasons. Students
are asked to wipe their wet shoes on the carpet and knock
off any remaining snow before entering the classrooms. This
will avoid having wet floors all over the school. Students and
staff safety remain our main priority.
Once again, on behalf of our International Languages
Principal, Administrative Assistant and Supervisors, we
thank you for your interest in language learning.
Healthy & Safe Classroom Snacks
Please be mindful that many of our students have
allergies to nuts and nut products. Please do not
bring nut products to school.
For snack time, we encourage
healthy snacks such as fruits and
vegetables and other healthy
items.
Many thanks for your cooperation.
Parking Lot Safety Reminders
Please park your vehicle and walk
your child into class. This ensures your child’s
safe arrival to class. Please do not park or allow
your car to idle in the driveway of the school. This
is a Fire Zone and creates a safety hazard for
families walking out to the parking lot in the dark.
Please note that tickets from Fire Zone Parking
infractions carry a hefty fine.
Please do not wait for your child outside of the
building. Teachers can only dismiss children to the
parent/guardian when picked up from their
classroom.
Please do not send an older child to pick up a
younger child to walk outside together.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. If
you have any questions or concerns, please
inquire in the office of your International
Languages site.
Drop off and Pick Up Reminders
As per the Course Outline and Program Expectations
for Elementary IL, the policy is that: For safety, parents
or guardians must drop-off and pick-up students at
the classroom. If families would like to make
alternative arrangements for arrival and dismissal,
the parent/guardian must write a letter to the
International Languages site stating specifically:
-The site and day of the week
-Dates of coverage
-Arrival instructions (who will bring the child to class, or
in cases where the child will not be dropped off at the
class, how will the child get to school)
-Dismissal instructions (who will pick up the child from
class or that the teacher has permission to release the
child from the classroom, or how will the child get home
if not being picked up).
The letter must be signed and dated by the parent.
Thank you for your cooperation regarding this matter.
Valuables
The school and school Board will not be held
liable for theft or damage to personal property.
Therefore, parents and students are strongly
encouraged to leave all valuables at home. Any theft
or damage to personal items will not be the
responsibility of the school or YRDSB.
Taking Care of Our School Sites
Please remember to make full use of our waste and
recycling containers conveniently placed both in and
outside the school. We are working hard to be good
caretakers of this planet which we have been lucky
enough to access through our lifetimes. Remember:
every little thing that we do contributes to the whole
of who we are.
Please remember that reducing, re-using and
recycling makes a difference. Thanks to you and
your children for your attention to the 3 R’s.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, AND MORE PRCTICE!
Parents are encouraged to practice with their
children what they have been learning in the
International Languages Program.
 You can use songs, arts and crafts, games, and
other child-friendly activities to teach language. To
learn Spanish for instance, you might give your
child toy farm animals to play with, while teaching a
song about them in Spanish. Older children and
parents might focus on activities such as cooking,
puppetry, and folk dancing to build conversation and
vocabulary skills and learn about the native culture.
 Introduce your child to foreign-language picture
books, videos, tapes, CDs, and TV shows
geared toward young children.
 Search the Web for foreign-culture sites.
 Walk through the ethnic foods department of a
supermarket and look at labels; also sample
native foods in restaurants and at home.
 Label household objects in a foreign language,
and practice identifying them.