Hello WEJ Community,

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to extend a huge thank you to everyone with whom I have worked during my time here at W. Erskine Johnston PS.  The past three years have been really incredible and I am going to miss the WEJ family.  I have enjoyed working with students and parents in both my special education and my vice principal roles.  The staff at WEJ is an amazing group of people dedicated to working hard to ensure all students have the learning opportunities they need.  To the office team – Mrs. Lytle and Mrs. Mcatamney – I truly appreciate all of the support over the past few years.  As I head off to serve as Principal at Glen Cairn PS, I know that I will greatly miss working with Ms. Shirley.  She has been a great mentor to me.

Please enjoy a safe and relaxing summer.  All the best in the future!

Mrs. Smith

Hello,

The Grade 8 Leaving Ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 28th at 1:00 pm at the Earl of March auditorium.  Students are reminded to dress in appropriate “smart casual” attire. 

Hello,

Due to the extreme heat warning in place for tomorrow, Wednesday, June 20th, we are rescheduling our Primary Play Day to Friday, June 22nd.

Mrs. Smith

Good Morning!

The Senior Band trip is off to a great start!  We are on the road and traffic on the 401 is light. The kids are incredibly quiet (must still be sleepy). We will be updating the @wejps twitter account from time to time, so follow us there (or check out the twitter stream on the bottom right of the blog) to keep up with all the fun. We will also give updates on our trip home, letting you know where are and our expected time of arrival as we go.

Mrs. Smith

SPRING CONCERT

Wednesday, June 6

7:00 p.m.

Earl of March S.S. Auditorium

Band members should arrive promptly at 6:20 for

set-up. Doors will open for parents and friends at

approximately 6:45 p.m.

Donations will be gratefully accepted at the door.

Popsicles will be sold at Intermission.

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HELP WANTED!

Parents are needed to transport equipment to the Earl of March and

to help with set up. We will meet at WEJ at 4:00. Set up should be

done by approx. 5:00. If you can help, please email Mrs. Cooke ASAP

at NancyB.Cooke@ocdsb.ca

. Your help will be appreciated!

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IMPORTANT REHEARSAL DATES

COUNTING DOWN TO THE CONCERT!

Tues., May 22 (Day 2) Sr. Band 8:20 a.m; Jr. Band afternoon recess

Wed., May 23 (Day 3) Jazz Band outdoor concert at WEJ

Thurs., May 24 (Day 4) Jr. Band 8:20 a.m; Sr Band afternoon recess

Tues., May 29 (Day 2) Sr. Band 8:20; Jr. Band afternoon recess

Wed., May 30 (Day 3) Jazz Band p.m. recess

***Thurs., May 31 –Fri., June 1 Sr Band Trip to Toronto***

Mon., June 4 (Day 1) Jr Band 8:20; Sr Band afternoon recess

Tues., June 5 (Day 2) Run through in gym for all bands

(some students away at Regional Track Meet)

Wed., June 5 Concert for School (wear band shirts) 9:15 a.m.

Concert at Earl of March 7 pm (6:20 arrival)

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Hello,

Please find below a bird’s eye view of our site plan indicating what the addition will look like (shaded in grey) once construction is complete.  You will also see the changes to our parking lot and traffic flow.  We know that the construction will cause a disruption to our normal routines, as outlined in the letter Ms. Shirley sent home yesterday, and we appreciate your patience and understanding while we go through the construction of our addition.  We share your commitment to the safety of all students.

Mrs. Smith

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Dear WEJ Parents,

I am writing to bring you all up to date on the upcoming construction project at our school and what it will mean for you and your child.

There will be no parent vehicle traffic on the W. Erskine property as of Monday, May 14th.

In case you have not heard, our school is receiving a four classroom addition that will be built on the backside of our gym, in our existing parking lot. This means a significant disruption to the parking lot access and flow for parents and WEJ employees. This disruption will begin on Monday, May 14th.

The most important thing for parents to remember is that there will be no parent vehicle traffic on the school property for the duration of the construction project. This means that our morning Kiss N Ride program will not operate. There will be no short term parking at all. If parents wish to drop off their children, they will need to park on the nearby side streets and walk their child onto our school property. Where possible, students are encouraged to walk to school and / or ride their bikes.

Bus Changes

Our morning bus drop off routine at WEJ will not be disrupted. The children will continue to unload on the lay-by on Varley drive – just as they do now.

However, there will be a change to our PM bus routine. I’m pleased to announce a partnership with our neighbor, Georges Vanier Catholic School. The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority has assisted us in drafting a plan to utilize Georges Vanier’s bus lanes during the construction project. For parents at home, it means the possibility of a few minutes delay in the time your child normally returns home from school. For our students here, we will be changing the location where we stage the students in lining up for their buses. We’ll be staging the students on the Primary Yard on the W. Erskine property. From there, the WEJ staff will be loading the children on the Georges Vanier bus lanes. We are asking parents to be patient and cooperative as we implement this change. We realize that it is an inconvenience and a disruption. We also want to reiterate that this change is a temporary one while the building & property are being renovated. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Shirley

Principal

W. Erskine Johnston

The W. Erskine Johnston PS School Council would like to invite you to attend our next school council meeting on Tuesday, May 8th at 7pm at the school.  Everyone is welcome.

From the OCDSB website:

Nurturing Critical Thinkers
A free information session with Professor Garfield Gini-Newman

In an increasingly complex world it is becoming more important than ever that our children are taught the 3 C’s as well as the 3 R’s. The 3 C’s refer to creative, critical and collaborative thinking. Nurturing children’s capacity for effective problem solving is one of the most important ways both teachers and parents can help ensure success in school and beyond.

Professor Garfield Gini-Newman will explore some of the key findings in brain research that shed light on learning and will share practical tips parents can use to work with their children to help them become good critical thinkers.

Hosted by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s Parent Involvement Committee as part of the OCDSB’s Speakers’ Series with grant funding from the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Sir Robert Borden High School, 131 Greenbank Road, Ottawa

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Seating will be on a first-come first-served basis.

Hello!  The chicks in Ms. Jo-Anne and Mr. Kneebone’s room are hatching.  Watch live below: