The Maples Independent Country School

Our Students Vote During the Federal Election!

2011-05-04T15:04:00.003-04:00

This Wednesday, the Grade Five students at The Maples Independent Country School participated in their first federal election. No, these elementary students are not over 18 years of age. The vote they participated in is Student Vote, a non-profit organization that gives students under the age of 18 a chance to consider the electoral process and express their opinions in a school-based setting. The students prepared a mock polling station, along with voting screens, a ballot box and a voter’s list, all supplied by Student Vote. They used official-looking ballots with the Dufferin-Caledon candidates’ names on them, and were instructed in the official voting procedures as conducted at any polling station. Students from Grades 6 to 8 also voted, and the results were submitted to Student Vote for a final tally to be reported after the real vote on May 2nd.

During the process, students developed an increased awareness of the election issues as they unfolded in the media and in their homes. They discussed opinions and choices with friends and family, and arrived at a final, if hurried (the election itself was conducted in such a short period of time) decision as they completed their ballot at the polling station. By participating in the democratic process, students learned about what it means to be a Canadian citizen, about the right (and responsibility) to vote, and about the many issues of the day that are being discussed by our political representatives.

This is the second Student Vote at The Maples Independent Country School. The Grade Five class conducted the first one during the municipal election in the fall. We are looking forward to participating in more elections (the provincial election in October 2011) and involving students in future years!

To see the final results of the Student Vote, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW-q8NLb8k0&feature=player_embedded

Grade Five News

2010-11-02T15:00:00.003-04:00

The Grade Five class has started off the school year with a number of interesting and educational activities. During the month of August and early September, the students received and started playing their band instruments. This is a “first” for many students, and they already know how to do scales and numerous songs! They comment that they are enjoying the learning process and having a chance to be part of a concert band.

At the end of September, we joined the Grades 1,2 and 4 classes on a trip to Kortright Conservation Centre and learned many things about conservation! At Kortright, we went on the “Power Trail”, and saw many conservation efforts including various types of solar panels, wind turbines and wind mills, and an energy cottage. Did you know that there is a newly-built Archetype Sustainable House at Kortright, that is designed to demonstrate how sustainable living can be easily integrated in everyday life? The class got a tour of the house, and we noted the “Paperstone” kitchen counter-tops (which are made of 100% recycled paper), the waste water heat recovery system, and the main light switch relay which turns off all the lights in the house at the front door. If you want to see a virtual tour of the house, go here: http://www.sustainablehouse.ca/virtual-tour/

During the first weekend of October, we prepared our class for the arrival of our annual Fall Festival. The class was transformed into a craft room and most of the students were able to visit some time on Saturday, October 2 to participate in many of the events and activities. Highlights for our students included the paint ball station, the games rooms and of course, the tea room with all the goodies! I believe the highlight for the parents was the incredibly stacked Silent Auction gym, where so many amazing items were being auctioned off!

As October rolled along, we noticed signs going up in our communities – more and more of them with people’s name on them, encouraging people to vote for them. So for the first time at The Maples, our class participated in the Ontario-wide “Student Vote” program. We did a thorough examination of the candidates and conducted our own in-class vote on October 21st. Our results were emailed to Studentvote.ca and included in the province-wide count. In this way, our students were personally involved in the Municipal Elections this year.

It’s hard to believe that eight weeks of school has already passed by. We are looking forward to many more exciting events as we approach the winter season. More to come later!

Welcome Back

2010-09-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to school. Hopefully everyone had a great summer. We have been busy all summer here at The Maples with renovations and summer cleaning and painting. Outside the new sports court is ready for basketball and Four Square games. Miss Zietsma’s summer camps were a great success.

I am very happy to announce that Miss Farrokhzad has accepted the position of Vice Principal. She will continue teaching the Grade 5 class as well supervising the Seedlings Program.

Maples families are reminded that the annual PTA Welcome Back Tea will be held on Wednesday, September 8. Come into the gym to meet the executive and new parents after you drop off the children. A PTA meeting will follow the tea.

Hopefully everyone in Dufferin County (and all of Southern Ontario!) has marked Saturday, October 2nd on their family’s activity calendar. This is the date of our 16th Fall Festival. All of our usual great attractions are returning including the Kids’ Craft Room, Paint Ball, hay wagon rides, Tea Room, craft vendors, Kids’ Carnival rooms and of course the fabulous silent auction. Preparations began last spring and will continue until the big day.

Thank you for “browsing” through our new web site. Please send us your feedback.

See you at the Fall Festival!

Welcome to our new website!

2010-06-11T13:49:00.002-04:00

Welcome to our exciting new website. Hope you enjoy our new features such as the Virtual Tour and IN THE SPOTLIGHT. We welcome your comments or questions about the website or the school in general. I can be contacted at blogel@TheMaplesSchool.com
Sunday's PTA Family BBQ was a great success. The highlights were the presentations to Mr. Angus on his retirement. The students' presentation of Mr. Angus' signature songs and dance routines were great fun and very touching for our beloved Mr. A! We will miss him greatly but wish him well in this retirement. Hopefully he will get time to relax in his new lawn chairs.
Mr. Logel

Welcome to The Maples!

2010-05-13T20:20:00.001-04:00

For over 20 years The Maples School has been providing a superior education to the students from pre-school to grade 8 We inspire a lifelong passion for learning; teach respect of self and others and instill a strong value system in our students. Our students leave The Maples with a healthy intellectual curiosity, a strong sense of personal integrity and an attitude that welcomes challenges and strives for excellence.

The Maples students and teachers "Reach Higher" to ensure we go further... to the stars!