École John Diefenbaker Senior School

January 11, 2023

Declutter your home of old and unwanted electronics and #DontTrashTech!

The Green Committee at JDSS and Staples are running a campaign to give you a free, convenient and secure way to recycle your unwanted electronics. Our community is invited to bring unwanted electronics to JDSS this week from Monday until Thursday (16th-19th), 2023 for FREE secure recycling.

- No Microwaves
- Floor Standing Printers (regular desk printers are fine)

Happy New Year!

We hope that everyone made it through the blizzard safe and sound and enjoyed an atypically warm Grey County holiday!

We have secondary exams coming up at the end of January.  Your child may or may not have an exam depending on the class but 30% of their final mark will be decided in the last week of the semester!  The formal exam period is as follows:

Period A – Friday January 27, 2023 at 9:30AM

Period B – Monday January 30, 2023 at 9:30AM

Period C – Tuesday January 31, 2023 at 9:30AM

Period D = Wednesday February 1, 2023 at 9:30AM

 

Friday February 3^rd is a PD day.  Semester 2 will begin Monday February 6^th.

There is a parent Council meeting this week on Wednesday January 11^th at 7PM.  The meeting is by MSTeams and this is the link.  Hope to see you there!

Bell Let’s Talk Day is January 25^th. We are seeing many of our students in mental health crises but we can’t help if we don’t know about it.  So, let’s talk!

School Cash Online is a nice and easy way to pay for your child's field trips and any other costs.  If you haven't already done so, please join up by using this document (Parent Registration Instructions - 2022.pdf)   75% of JDS families are currently using School Cash Online. Join the crowd!

Hello!

Barring any unforeseen announcements, this will be our final message of 2022!  We want to thank all of those who have sent encouraging emails since September as we try our best to get kids in class and learning new things.

Please see the attached letter from me/Bluewater DSB regarding staying healthy over the holidays and into January.  It was this time last year where we were interrupted yet again due to the high number of cases.  None of us want to return to that scenario!

The holiday can be a tough time mentally for many students as they lose the routine of school and do not see their friends. The resource links below gives information on recognizing when your child is struggling with mental health issues and where to go for help.

Noticing mental health concerns for your child - Parents and caregivers - School Mental Health Ontario (smho-smso.ca)

Get support with these mental health resources - Kids Help Phone

 

The staff at JDSS wish all of you a safe and fun holiday with family and friends as well as for a prosperous (and safe and fun!) 2023!

Andrew

December 6th, 2022

Hello! 

Just to mix things up, I thought I would post my Friday message on a Monday… 

We now have a phone number for you to text when your child is going to be absent for illness or a medical appointment! We hope that this will make things easier for you and more accurate for our attendance records.  The number to text is226-379-8459.  Please use this number only to text.  If you are going to call and leave a message, call 519 364 3770 as usual.

 

We have just three weeks to go until the holiday and Student Council and Jack Chapter have many events planned for us.  Mr. Hiltz and his K class have taken on the awesome responsibility for our JDS Annual Food drive.  It started today and will go until December 16^th.  While the friendly rivalry between classes is not the primary motivator in the season of giving, it benefits those in need and reflects the incredible generosity of the Hanover and area community. 

MOST NEEDED ITEMS Canned Fruit/Vegetables, Stove Top Stuffing, Peanut Butter, Granola Bars, Pasta/Rice, Canned Meat/Tuna, Cereal, Toothbrush/Toothpaste, Soap/Shampoo 

Parents can drop off items as well as they will be in the front foyer as a reminder to students of the need to support people who are struggling at this time. 

November 24, 2022

Hello!

The last message I wrote was with severe weather warnings and a major snowfall and, today, the sun is shining and it feels a little like spring! Very strange.

We have a busy week ahead with Grade 8 night on Tuesday from 5 to 7PM, the JDS Junior Academic Awards on Wednesday at 9:15AM and Kwesi Millington, a guest speaker on resilience and planning for change on Thursday!

Mrs. Bender went around to some elementary classrooms today to talk about the difference between conflict and bullying.  We have some students who do not want to come to school due to the daily verbal, and sometimes physical, treatment by other students.  Conflict is something that we all need to deal with when disagreements arise while bullying is aggressive behaviour that occurs over time.  It’s a good message for our elementary students, secondary students and whole school community to receive!

Dental screening for secondary students is on December 16^th.  Please see below for more information. The signup sheet is in the office and students can sign themselves up or parents can call in.  The screening takes just a minute and can save a lifetime of pain if issues are found early. 

There is a PD day tomorrow (the 25^th) so we hope that all of our students enjoy a long weekend.  Just four weeks to go to the holiday break!

Andrew

 

The Dental Team from the Grey Bruce Health Unit will be visiting JDSS on Friday, December 16^th to offer secondary students free, voluntary dental screenings and assist with enrollment into the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program.

Healthy Smiles Ontario is a free dental care program available to youth up to age 17 and offered to students in need of dental care who would experience financial hardship seeking the treatment required. Treatment covered includes: dental check ups, cleanings, fillings, x-rays, and many other services.

If you would like to have your child seen by the Dental Hygienist at the school, please sign up at the JDSS office and ask your child to attend the screening December 16^th. Screenings are confidential, take less than a minute to complete and are done on a voluntary basis. Every student who has a dental screening will be automatically enrolled into a draw to win an electric toothbrush!

Parents who would like their child to have a dental screening but not able to attend the screening on the scheduled date, can contact the Grey Bruce Health Unit to make arrangements to visit the mobile clinics or complete a tele-dental consult for emergencies (pain, infection).

Contact by phone: 519-376-9420, press 8 for dental

Contact by email: dental@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca

November 11, 2022

Hello,

Another week done and, like the decreasing daylight hours, time seems to be passing faster and faster!

I hope you have been watching our Facebook page to see the great things our athletes are doing! Clubs like the Green Committee, Indigenous Council, the Musical (and too many others to count) are in full swing!

In the office, we are struggling with student attendance. In order to discourage truancies, we have started a detention room at lunch.  If a student fails to show up for their detention, the path will lead to a one day suspension but we really hope that it won’t get to that point.

We are asking for your help in this.  If your student is going to be away, we really, really need you to phone in to the office so that we can make the absence Parent Approved. Without this, we cannot tell whether the absence is truancy or legitimate.

As a last point, please keep in mind that you cannot give your student permission to miss class to attend a school event like a volleyball game. Permissible absences are for illness/medical appointments, religious holidays and court appearances. We all want students to be successful so it is essential that they be in class! Thanks in advance for your cooperation.  

November 4, 2022

Hello, 

Please see the letter below from Director Wilder regarding the CUPE strike. The school will be open from 8AM to 4PM on Monday.

Have a good weekend!
Parent letter-CUPE update_Nov.4.2022.pdf

November 2, 2022

Please see the attached letter from Director Wilder regarding the provincial negotiations with CUPE. Parent_letter_CUPE-Nov.2.2022.pdf

October 31st - Happy Hallowe'en!

Photo retake day is tomorrow for all grades.  Students will be called down by grade if they want to have a retake.

This school year, the Grey Bruce Health Unit (GBHU), in partnership with the Bluewater District School Board, will be introducing the Student Health Centres in all secondary schools. The services will be delivered and coordinated by the school Public Health Nurse (PHN). Confidential health education will be provided one-on-one for students who access the PHN/Student Health Centre.

Health education and services provided will include the following:

• Healthy lifestyles (nutrition, physical activity, dental health)
• Healthy sexuality
• 2SLGBTQ+ resources & support
• Healthy relationships
• Tobacco and vaping support
• Harm reduction education and supplies
• Health system navigation/referrals to appropriate community agencies/healthcare providers.

Starting in November 2022, the PHN will offer on-site presence once a week at each secondary school. Please note that the frequency of the PHN visits may vary depending on the size and need of each school.

The GBHU is optimistic that this program will be well received and be impactful on the health and wellbeing of our students.

For further information, please feel free to contact the school health team at schools@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca.

Hello!

Here we are at the last week of October and it seems like yesterday that we were just getting going!

Please find attached a letter for parents of secondary students who have to write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)(22 10 25 letter to parents re OSSLT.docx.) JDSS will run the test in the fall for all eligible Grade 10. Grade 11 and Grade 12 students.  For this year only, the Ministry is allowing students to go directly into the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC – sorry for the acronyms) without having written the literacy test.  If you think that your child may not pass the test, we can put them right into the course but only for this year.  Contact Guidance if you have any questions.

I am sorry to announce that Take Your Kid To Work Day (TYKTWD – another acronym) is not happening this year.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, this day scheduled has been cancelled this year.  If you choose to take your Grade 9 student to work with you, please call the office for the absence.  Keep in mind that classes will run as normal.

We have had a situation arise with students being sent to the office from their classroom but not arriving at the office.  This results in a large loss of time for the office and school in general as we try to locate the student who does not want to be found.  In some cases, it also affects the parents and Hanover community if we cannot find them. Obviously, this cannot continue. We deliberated over this for some time and have decided to adopt the same policy that other schools in Bluewater have done.  If a student is sent to the office and does not arrive on their own, they will be given a one day suspension for the following day.  It is our sincere hope that having this rule will mean that we will not have to use it.

A few things coming up:

• The First JDSS school newspaper is available! This will be produced monthly and feature a range of topics all centred around the school.  Thanks to Cooperative Education student, Victoria Jarvis, for coming up with the idea, pitching it to staff and producing the whole thing!  You can access the newspaper at https://issuu.com/jarvvic243/docs/jdss_october_newspaper

• The Masquerade Dance is Thursday October 27th from 3:30 to 5 for Grades 7 & 8 and then from 6 to 9 for secondary students.

• JDS Parent Council is having its first meeting on October 26th from 7PM to 8PM.  The meeting is virtual so feel free to click the link below to hear the goings on at JDSS. You do not have to ‘join’ the Parent Council (formally called the SCC- School Community Council) to listen in. See you there! Link

• Waste-free Lunch Day is Wednesday October 26th! Our Green Committee has chosen this day to demonstrate how easy it is to reduce waste and our ecological footprint.  Join in on JDSS’ journey to a more sustainable future!

• The Grade 7’s and 8’s have an immunization clinic on Thursday October 27th in the library run by GBHS (Grey Bruce Health Services)

• The OSSLT (see above) will run from November 7th to November 18th.  If your child misses it, there will be an opportunity to write it in the spring.

• There is a PA Day on Friday October 28th

• Attention graduating students!  A Regional University Fair is October 26th in Kincardine and JDS will be sending a bus.  Along the same lines, there is a Regional College Fair on November 2nd. There is no cost and it is a great way to shop and compare programs from different universities and colleges.  Please see Guidance for more information.

• Grad photos are coming up fast!  They are the week of November 7th through 10th.

• Volleyball and basketball and cross country are in full swing! It is very rare for the gym to be a quiet place!

As you can see, it’s a hopping place!

Have a good week,

Andrew

Trojans on the Track for Terry

On Monday, October 3rd students from Ecole John Diefenbaker Senior School in Hanover hit the track for an all-day relay in support of the Terry Fox Foundation. This run continues a tradition at JDSS since 1995. In total, the school raised $1382.15 to help find a cure and keep Terry’s dream alive.

The day began with a school-wide viewing of an inspirational video after which teachers accompanied their students to walk or run a couple laps of the track to kick off the day-long event. Students had signed up as individuals or in teams and were given a scheduled run time. The result was at least one JDSS Trojan running the track for the duration of the school day. Runners collected individual pledges, and classes competed to raise money. Ms. Meulensteen’s grade 8 class raised over $500.00 accounting for almost half of the school’s total donation. They were rewarded with a class pizza party to celebrate. Individual runners won prizes for their running and fundraising efforts.

Organizers were thankful for beautiful weather, and stellar participation in this first school event of the 2022/2023 season.

Happy Friday!

Please click on this link for a Thanksgiving message from Director Wilder.

For secondary students, we are almost halfway through Term 1 as hard as it is to believe. Interim reports are a snapshot of how your student is doing in each of their classes and will be sent home on Thursday October 13^th.  Parent Teacher night is Tuesday October 18^th from 4PM to 6PM.  If you have concerns and can’t make that time, please contact the teacher via email to arrange an alternate time.

Laptops.  The number of laptops available for use by secondary students has been decreased significantly because of the Bluewater Laptop Loan program.  Many parents have not taken advantage of this program and we feel strongly that this could adversely affect your student’s learning.  If you haven’t already, please consider taking advantage of this laptop loan by completing the form here and returning it to the school.

There is a Meet and Greet for elementary students and parents to have a look around the school and say hello to teachers on October 19^th from 4:30PM to 6PM. This is not an interview time to discuss student progress but just a way for your child to show off their school and classroom!

We had a successful First Annual Soctober tournament for elementary students with many schools saying that they hope it will be back next year!  It is also a fundraiser for secondary athletics for the purchase of new equipment.

Athletics are in full swing, clubs are forming; it really feels like a normal school year has begun.  Fingers crossed that it continues!

We hope that you and your family have the absolute best of Thanksgiving weekends!

Andrew

He never quit, and neither will we!

Ecole John Diefenbaker Senior School is again, this year, participating in the Terry Fox Run.  Inspired by Terry’s Marathon of Hope, JDSS is going to be running to raise funds for cancer research and help keep Terry’s dream alive.

 “Trojans on the Track for Terry”, our all-day relay, will take place on Wednesday, September 28^th. Students can sign up by visiting the main office, scanning the QR code on the posters around the school, or clicking this link to register  tinyurl.com/bdefhk53.  Gather your friends and sign up as a team or sign up as an individual!

If you would like to support this fundraising initiative, there are three ways to contribute:

1. Through the Terry Fox Foundation website which will generate a tax receipt. https://schools.terryfox.ca/JohnDiefenbakerSSHanover

2. Contribute through School Cash Online

3. Send cash to school with a student to be given to the student’s homeroom teacher.

Thank you for supporting this long-standing tradition at JDSS!