With this chant, the echo of drum beats filled the halls of Fairman for the entire day on Thursday May 3rd!!  Ron Cross of Random Acts of Rhythm visited us with a supply of hand drums. Every student, from JK to grade 8, received a 45 minute drum lesson that included participating in a drumming circle.  We also enjoyed an entertaining demonstration of a "didjeridoo" from Australia. Everyone learned a lot and had a wonderful time. Smiles were everywhere! —D. Marton

Class placement meetings for the September 2012 school year will take place in June. The teachers and administration work collaboratively together to determine the best class placement for all of our students. The following factors areconsidered:

— learning style — social skills and peer interactions / gender combinations

— needs of students — Ministry guidelines regarding class size

Read more: Classroom Placement

Our character trait for the month of May is integrity. What is integrity? Integrity is being honest and trustworthy, being consistently truthful and fair, demonstrating you can be counted on by peers and family, and most of all being sincere. Some tips for parents: At home your child can show integrity by being honest and trustworthy towards peers, friends, and family members.  Admitting mistakes and learning from them - might require some guidance, but is essential in developing one’s integrity.  Encourage and praise your child when he or she shows integrity. Provide your child with opportunities to actively engage in discussions that will help develop his or her opinions. Lastly, a building activity for some of our older students, might be to encourage your child to think about whether something is ethically right or wrong. This exercise in critical thinking could lead to some interesting debates and discussions around the topic of Integrity  We hope that these will help open the lines of communication at home around this month’s ‘character trait’ of integrity!  Please remember….. Character Counts!!

Once again the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) will be conducting the assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics involving all Grade 3 and Grade 6 students throughout the province of Ontario in 2012.  The assessments will be held over a three day period**In order for students to achieve their best results on the EQAO assessment, it is important that they are well rested, have received a nutritious breakfast and arrive to school on time during assessment dates.Unfortunately, students who

This year, the assessments will be conducted on the following dates:

GRADE 6— Monday, May 28 Tuesday, May 29 and Wednesday, May 30

GRADE 3 - Thursday , May 31 Monday, June 4 and Tuesday, June 5

Read more: EQAO Assessment

Spring is here and our thoughts have turned to gardening. If you are thinning your perennials, please don't throw those plants out. Consider donating them to the Eco Club.  Plant donations can be dropped off at any time in front of the large glass windows across from the gym doors. Please include a note with the plant name, sun or shade, and your name so we know who to thank.

Congratulations to the following intermediate students who were nominated to attend the Big Wild Eco Challenge: Osas O., Deidre M., Gordon B., Jessie C., and Miran R..  On April 18, the team will travel to Durham Forest where they will learn skills necessary for outdoor adventure.  The team will apply these skills to a variety of camping challenges. They will also learn about Durham Forest's unique ecosystem, the Boreal forest.