The Hot Lunch Program orders are out!  (I know that the year is wrong on the dates for January - June but the dates are correct!)  The form is also attached for your convenience.  

Students in Junior and Intermediate now have the opportunity to bring their scooters to school and ride them on the pavement at recess. The only rules are:

1. you must wear a helmet
2. you may not share your scooter (in case of damage to the scooter or injury of the student who may not have had permission from their parent/guardian)

We will evaluate how it goes on the yard and see if this can be a daily choice for the students. 

Note: Riding scooters on school property is limited to recess times. Before and after school the students will still need to walk their scooters through the bus area. It's extremely congested at those times. 

Eight students from the Millbrook South Cavan Me to We club are so excited to be going to the We Day in Toronto this Thursday (20th of September)! They will be taking the GO train into Toronto and attending the event at the Scotiabank Arena with approximately 20 000 likeminded student activists.

In order to attend this inspirational day of music, activists and speakers, the students have to "earn their way to WE day" by volunteering their time to make a difference in their schools, local and global communities! The Millbrook South Cavan Me to We club has been active for almost 10 years, and are responsible for activities such as food drives, volunteering at Centennial Place, Mental Health Awareness programs, Anti-bullying campaigns, Spirit Days, First Nation's Orange Shirt Day, Free-Throw Competitions, Disaster relief ... all while raising enough funds to build a school in Mwangaza, Kenya a well in Dos Palais, Haiti and .... students are half way to our current goal of building a school in Ecuador.

Students are very carefully chosen to attend WE Day. This year, all eight students are in Grade 8 and have been a part of our Me to We club for years, volunteering their time and energy to be change-makers in our community.

WE day performers and speakers at the conference this year will include Kareem Abdul Jabar, Jacob Tremblay, Margaret Trudeau, Lilly Singh, the Arkells and many more. This event will help motivate our current team of 65 students and continue to prove that, "Together, we can make a difference!"

Thanks to Mrs. Siberry-Monti, Mrs. Belk and Mrs. de Wolde for being a part of this life changing experience!

All Millbrook South Cavan students will be taking part in the Terry Fox walk on September 26th. Each student is asked to donate a Toonie for Terry. 

Students will be walking around the block - the youngest ones walking with their buddies. Primary students are encouraged to walk the route once, Junior students at least twice and the Intermediate students at least three times.

There will be volunteers from the Me to We Club stationed at various locations to help guide the students (e.g., at the corners). Parents are encouraged to come along and walk with the students. 

Thanks to Mrs. Hunter, Mrs Rae and Mrs. Kroesen for planning the walk! 

It's time to send more layers to school, and with that comes the risk that students will lose their hats, mitts, and jackets. The younger children in particular have a hard time identifying lost items - but certainly there are SO MANY similar toques and mitts worn by older students that it's hard for them to figure it out too! 

Please take a moment to write your childrens' names on labels in their outer wear. If there is not a lot of room on the label, initials are even helpful! 

Thanks so much!  

Cookie Dough orders will be available for pick up on November 21st from 3:00 - 5:30 PM.  The cookie dough comes frozen so it must be picked up on the scheduled day.  

Greentrack Environmental Consultants did an audit of our school this week. They took a 48 hour (two day) sample of all of our garbage and recycling. 

What they found was very interesting! 

#1 There are a lot of valuable resources being thrown out at our school, with food waste taking up at least 50% of the overall mass of waste. There were full sandwiches, apples with only one bite taken out, desserts, muffin, granola bars 1/2 eaten. A lot of the waste came from the Breakfast Program (peelings, slices of untouched apple), so we are going to have to make changes in how much food is being delivered to classes. 

#2  Recycling was good! Juice boxes and milk cartons were empty of liquids and straws, which is often not common at schools - AWESOME JOB!! 

#3 There was a huge garbage bag full of wrappers which is not recyclable. 

Next steps:

There is a significant need for composting - especially in the Breakfast Program. (In a few years food waste will not be allowed in the landfill, so we need to address this now!)

Reduce the amount of food and liquid in the recycling. 

Increase the use of reusable containers in lunches. 

The Primary students have been busy rehearsing the Christmas concert called "Letters to Santa".  They are excited to be presenting an evening of holiday entertainment for you. 

The script of monologues being used for the concert is called "Funny Santa Letters" and it is from a site called Drama Notebook which helps schools to put on great plays.  Check them out here http://www.dramanotebook.com/plays-for-kids/

Once again, our Me to We group have done something super great! This weekend they are donating 2 backpacks to the Youth Emergency Shelter in Peterborough. The backpacks are stuffed with items that would be helpful for someone who doesn't have a place to live and who is needing some extra help right now. 

The work that this group is doing is incredible.  Their work has an impact on our community, nearby communities, and communities abroad.

Many thanks to Mrs. Siberry-Monti and Mrs. Belk for leading this group and being such powerful role models for the students. 

There's lots going on at Millbrook South Cavan! Check out our newsletter to see what we're up to...

We live in a world where power has historically been given to those that are white and privileged.  There are signs that this is changing slowly as we talk about inequalities that exist between people and change laws and behaviours to make things right.

It’s Black History Month - a month that is dedicated to learning more about important black men, women and children who have raised their voices to push back against oppression. In our classes we will be reading stories to the children about historic events and important people in the black community who have stood out above the rest as they have demanded equality over the years.

In honour of Black History Month, each day this February Ms Mackenzie will be sharing one song on the announcements that is performed by a black musician. By the end of the month the children may better understand the impact that black performers have had on our society.

The songs will be new to the children. They are being asked to be quiet and patient and to really listen. They  will hear all different genres of music.  Blues, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop, Early Pop, Modern B and B, reggae , Funk and Rock.

There are lots of things happening this month at Millbrook South Cavan! Check out our newsetter for details. 

A Message from the "Me to We" Group!

In the last week of February the MSC WE Club promoted a “tidal wave of kindness” in honour of Pink Shirt Day to show that we choose kind at Millbrook South Cavan.  Our front hall contains a tree with heart leaves all detailing acts of kindness happening in the classrooms, halls and yard at school. Check out the school’s instagram feed for a photo. (@millbrooksouthcavan)

We have several exciting events coming up in March and April.  

• Our annual March Madness Free Throw Competition will be taking place on March 29 and is open to kids who want to enter in Grades 4-8. Prizes are awarded to top girl and boy in each division.  The junior and intermediate students are invited to watch as well, and admission is a food item for our Spring Food Drive which will wrap up Wednesday, April 16, so that the items can be delivered to the Millbrook Food Share in time for Easter.  
• Our club is also hoping to hold a Poetry Contest in honour of Earth Day, April 22.  Stay tuned for more information.
• Finally, “WE are Silent” will be a campaign held after Easter, where WE members commit to remaining silent for 24 hours and raise funds, to draw awareness to the millions of children around the world who don’t have a voice or access to basic necessities. This provides our school with a good opportunity to talk about social justice and our global community.

We have a busy month coming up! Here's our May newsletter to help you be ready for what's coming!