News from the Office - October 2011

Principal's Message - From the Office of G. Christakis and S. Litner

Vice Principal Sonja Litner; Principal Gina Christakis

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Gina Christakis and I am proud to be the new Principal at Brown Junior P.S. 

Brown has had an incredible legacy of leadership and tradition and I am proud to have the opportunity to serve this community.  I thank everyone for their support and warm wishes in the last few weeks, particularly Jane Giuliani (our retired Principal) who graciously helped me transition to Brown. Words alone cannot express my gratitude to Jane, and Sonja Litner, our Vice–Principal for bringing me up to speed about this dynamic school and community.   I have enjoyed meeting many of the children in the last couple of weeks and plan to continue visiting their classrooms and sharing personal childhood stories with them. 

I grew up in this area. I attended Hillcrest P.S, Winona and Oakwood Collegiate.  I started my career as V.P at Hodgson Senior P.S., followed by John English Junior Middle School, Kent Senior/Alpha II Senior and Secondary, and Lord Lansdowne Junior and Senior P.S. My experiences have been diverse and challenging at times; however, I have worked with incredible staff and will continue to inspire, encourage and support my team to keep pace and help all of our children learn and succeed. 

Happy October!

Our school year is well underway and we look forward to the many events planned throughout the beautiful month of October.

Primary/Junior Grade Re-organization

We were able to obtain a 0.5 Drama teacher thanks to our healthy current enrolment. We will be welcoming Eryn Miller as our Primary and Junior Drama teacher on Tuesday October 11, 2011. Eryn will be with our students during the afternoons. We look forward to our students growing and developing themselves through movement, building on their personal strengths and developing their communication and theatre skills.

First Term Progress Report Card Information

First term report cards will be sent home to you on Monday November 14.  The JK students will not  receive a Progress Report; however, will have a Parent/Teacher conference scheduled on or near the time of the Parent/Teacher Conference dates scheduled on Wednesday, November 16, 3:45 to 8:00 PM. and Friday, November 18,   9:00 AM -12:00 PM.  More info to follow regarding scheduling conferences.

Student Emergency Forms

Requests for updates to emergency information were sent home recently. Thank you to all parents and guardians who have returned these forms with all pertinent information included.  If you have not returned them, please do so as soon as possible.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE AN UP-TO-DATE TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR YOUR HOME, WORK, DAYTIME CARE PROVIDER, DAYCARE OR FAMILY MEMBER.  AN EMERGENCY CONTACT MUST BE INCLUDED.

Safe Arrival Program

The Safe Arrival program is used by parents/guardians and schools to account for any student’s unexplained failure to arrive at school.  Please call the school safe arrival number 416-393-1557 before 8:55 AM or 12:30 PM (for an afternoon absence) if your child will not be attending school or plans to be late.  This line is available 24 hours a day with voice mail.  If your child is absent and we have not heard from you, we will make every effort to contact you using the information provided on the Emergency Form.  The name and telephone number of an emergency contact is absolutely essential.

Yard Supervision

Yard Supervision for Grades JK to 6 begins at 8:35 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m. Afternoon Kindergarten supervision begins at 12:45 p.m.

Parents are responsible for their children’s safety and conduct in the yard before and after these times.

Visitor Sign-in Book

Visitors are requested to sign in at the Main Office and wear a ‘visitor sticker’. This is a safety measure to ensure that visiting adult are recognized and encouraged to feel welcome in our school. Thank you!

Kiss n’ Ride

Do not use the Avenue Road driveway as this is the school bus pickup and dropoff area for our students. Please pickup and drop off your children at the Kiss N’ Ride designated area on Poplar Plains.

QSP Magazine Drive

The QSP Magazine Campaign has wrapped up, but all families can take out or renew subscriptions at any time! The sales from these magazines support events for our Grade 6 students.

• Order online at http://www.qsp.ca/; your order will be processed immediately.
• Our group number for Internet orders is 9143

Thank you for attending Curriculum Night!

It was a full house at Brown Junior Public School on September 23rd with many parents, students and relatives visiting the classrooms and meeting our teachers.  We were delighted to share with you all of the wonderful programs and activities which are offered at Brown.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or us in the office.

Annual Parent Breakfast

On September 28th our School Council hosted the Annual Parent Breakfast.  Thank-You to our Chair, Lisa Bernstein and the incredible Brown community parents for organizing such a wonderful event.  We hope that many new parents will volunteer and get involved in the life of the school by supporting and helping with the many events and activities that make Brown an incredible place for our children and community.

Happy Thanksgiving

Monday, October 10 was Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to all for contributing to our food drive. Every single one of us can help make a difference for those in need.

Happy Hallowe’en!

Please join us for our Hallowe’en Parade on October 31^st at approximately 9:30 AM.  Children are invited to wear their costumes to school that morning.  (Afternoon Kindergarten students will dress up in the PM.)  Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will parade in the school yard area.  Dress up and come along if you can.

Hallowe’en safety is important.  Our public health nurse sends along a few tips to make the evening enjoyable and safe:

·         Go out with an adult.

·         Wear light coloured, fire resistant costumes.

·         Wear costumes short enough to prevent tripping.

·         Apply makeup instead of a mask.

·         Have an adult check treats before they are eaten.

·         Have Fun!

News from Around Brown - Oct 2011

Library News-Nouvelles de la bibliothèque

The Library and Learning Resources and Interdisciplinary Studies Department is very pleased to provide TDSB schools with a rich collection of online resources chosen specifically to meet K-12 curricular needs.

The school library website provides 24/7 access to online encylopedias, databases, e-books, and media resources from home, enabling students, staff and parents to access current, relevant, and reliable information for academic and personal use.

Some products are password protected during remote or home access and so each Brown student will be provided "learnmarks" a card which has all the logins and passwords. Also extra copies can be found in the library. We hope that you can use these resources with your family.

-- Marie-France Gagnon, Teacher-Librarian

Outreach

Me to We Day

By Roxy S. and Amelia F. (Grade 5 Students)

A couple of weeks ago, 13 kids from the Outreach Club went to Me to We Day, a special event created by Free the Children.  It took place at the Air Canada Centre and the place was filled with tens of thousands of children!

Me to We Day is about brave and generous people who come up on stage because they are inspired to help kids in need around the world.  They saw how children were living and they could not just walk away and do nothing. So when the speakers came up on stage they inspired us to also help and make a difference. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of kids! 

When we arrived at the ACC it was packed!  First we did the We Day Dance, a couple of times with Shawn Desman!  We saw Joe Jonas perform a song and he was also one of the main hosts. We listened to Patch Adams, the funny clown, who helps children in hospitals and we saw Spencer West, a man with only an upper body who is going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on his hands to raise money for East Africa!  Nickki Yanofsky also performed I believe, the 2010 Olympic song, and Dalton McGuinty was a speaker too.  We were also very inspired by Craig and Marc Kielburger, the founders of Free the Children.

The thing that is cool is that we were all there for the same reason:  TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  So it was a huge event for us and the Outreach Club. Hopefully we can go again next year!

Thank You!

A BIG THANK YOU to Mme Breslin and Mme Sulymko for making the Me to We field trip happen for these Brown Students!

On another very positive note, our first 2011/12 school-wide Outreach efforts have to-date been highly successful with our Thanksgiving Food Drive.  As of last Friday, we have had over 15 full large boxes delivered to the Toronto Food Bank (with likely more delivered the week of October 11th with last minute drop-offs).  Thank you all for your generousity - your contributions will make a difference in many families' lives over the holiday period.

Litterless Lunch Tips from the Eco Club

• Get children to help pack their lunches with healthy foods.
• Only pack as much food as your child will eat.  Uneaten food will come back as Brown has a boomerang lunch program.
• Use re-useable lunch bag/box for carrying a lunch.  Talk to other Brown parents and ask your child what lunch bins they have seen at school that they like.  There are several options, including bento-style lunchboxes that are available online by searching “litterless lunchbox”.
• Label all containers, thermoses, and water bottles so they have a better chance of coming home.  There are local online companies that will provide affordable custom labels which are sturdy and washable.  Or use a permanent marker.
• Use a refillable bottle for drinks- it’s cheaper and kids can save drinks for later! Avoid drinks in packages that cannot be resealed. After a few sips drinks are often discarded.
• Use a thermos for cold drinks or hot soups.
• Put sandwiches, muffins etc in “Tupperware” style containers, instead of plastic bags.  Stainless steel containers are great for foods that are not wet, and plastic containers that lock on all 4 sides are easier for little hands to open and close.
• Avoid or minimize use of pre-packaged, single-serving portions of snacks.  Some parents like to freeze yogurt tubes to help keep the whole container fresh.  Any packaging that is in your child’s lunch should be returned to their lunchbox and will come home.
• If your child’s favourite fruit is cut up apple sections, you can sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice to prevent it from going brown.
• Put re-useable cutlery and napkins in your child’s lunch box.
• Prepare extra food at dinnertime and use the leftovers for lunches.
• Minimize the morning rush (when you’ll reach for the convenience, over-packaged items) and pack lunches the night before and refrigerate overnight.

Parent Council News - Oct 2011

Message from Lisa Bernstein, Chair

WHAT A MONTH!!

Wow! September has passed and it is hard to believe how much we packed into one month.

The New Parent Breakfast / AGM was a success! A big thanks to Katharine Lake Berz and all the parents who helped out with baking, coffee pick-up and all the many other tasks that made this event so great. Thank you to Mr. Ellis for the use of the music room and the many teachers for coming out as well!

The Parent Council is always looking for new parents to come out to meetings and provide some fresh ideas for Brown.

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 19th at 7:00 p.m. in the library. All parents/caregivers are welcome.

We also wanted to welcome Gina Christakis as she has now officially set up shop. We are looking forward to a great year.

...And finally, a BIG thanks to Jane Giuliani for stepping in as interim Principal  for the month of September.

Deadline for Wrapping Paper & Chocolate Orders is Friday, October 21

Parties and presents galore make wrapping paper an essential item year-round. Reminders for ordering:

• Order online at www.stanbridge-innisbrook.com; Brown School code is 124849
• Print the payment voucher and return to school along with cheque payable to Brown Parent Council. NO CASH PLEASE.
• Helpline for orders: 1-877-525-5608.
• Remember - the more you sell, the more prizes you earn! Happy selling!

The Fall Fling Needs Your Donations!

A great way to highlight your products or services to the Brown School community - donate an item for auction at this year's Fall Fling Silent Auction!  What can be donated?

• Tickets for sporting events: Got season tickets but know you will be missing a game because of travel?  Donate your tickets and become a hero (tickets are ALWAYS fought over at the auction!!).
• Free consultation: Opened up a new business?  Want a new client?  Donate a free consultation of your time and expertise!  It's a great way of getting your name out there at a very reasonable cost!
• Show us what ya got!  Are the parents or kids at Brown school part of your core target market?  By donating your product you can get fabulous exposure (and gratitude!) from the Brown community. 
• Have fun: Do you have access to something one of a kind?  Can you invite a kid to shadow a vet for the day?  Do you know a celebrity that could record someone's answering machine message as a prize?  Do you know a chef who could cater a party of 8?  Do you know a magician or clown that wants to break into the birthday party circuit?  These one of a kind items are priceless and make a big impression at the auction.

All donations will be highlighted in the Brown website and in a catalogue sent out to all families prior to the event.   Money raised at the event will DIRECTLY benefit YOUR CHILDREN.  It's a win-win situation and we hope you'll be a part of it!

For any questions or with help putting donations together don't hesitate to contact Bettina Hoar (hoarhouse@gmail.com) or Sophie Lamoureux (solam22@hotmail.com).

Brown School Clothing On Sale Now!

Easy as 1-2-3 Online!

Brown School Hats, Scarfs, Sweat Shirts, Long and Short Sleeve T-Shirts are now available online! Please view the catalogue at http://brownschool.ca/documents/forms/Brown%20School%20Merchandise.Oct%2011%20update.pdf. After that?

1. Send your order via email to Connie Dingle at brownmerchandise@gmail.com 

2. Send your payment to school. Cheques should be made out to Brown Parent Council.

3. Your merchandise will be delivered to you via your classroom. Easy! 

Conferences & Workshop Events - Oct 2011

There are a number of upcoming conferences and workshop events aimed at providing support to students and their families:

Canadian Parents for French Toronto Midtown West Update

Canadian Parents For French is a national network of volunteers dedicated to the promotion and creation of French Second Language (FSL) learning opportunities for young Canadians.  Founded in 1977, the organization has grown to over 25,000 members today.  In 2008, the Toronto Midtown West Chapter was formed for our district.  For more information on CPF or to join, please go to www.cpfont.on.ca.

Upcoming Events

Parent Survival Night (for parents with children in French Immersion)

Come and learn how you can support your children as they acquire a new language.

Thursday, October 20th, 7-8 p.m. in the Library at Regal Road P.S.

Instructor - David Kaufman

This seminar is FREE of charge! 

Adult French Classes

These classes are instructed by French Immersion School Teachers at local schools in the evenings.  This is a great way to help support your child's French education and improve your French language skills.

Level 1 French

Introduction to French language, for those new to French or reacquainting themselves with the basics.

Wed. Oct. 26th – Wed. Nov. 30th (6 weeks)

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Regal Road Public School (95 Regal Road)

Cost: $120.00 for CPF Members /$145.00 for non-members

Level 2 French

This is basic level French for those who have some previous French or have completed Level 1. 

Wed. Jan. 18^th  - Wed. Feb. 22nd (6 weeks)

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Regal Road P. S.

Cost $120.00 for CPF Members/$145.00 for non-members. For more information and to register, please contact Marie Swan at swanslink@hotmail.com.

French Animation Workshop at the National Film Board

Join us on Saturday, November 19^th, 2011 2PM – 4:30PM at the NFB for “The Secrets of Animation Workshop.  This fun workshop is for children 6-11yrs of age.  Cost: $5.00 per child.  Child must be accompanied by an adult. 

Internet Safety

All Families + Grade 7 & up students are invited to join an informative evening with PC Martin Douglas on Tuesday October 25, 2011. (Presentation may contain graphic images/information)

As our kids spend more and more time on computers, and smartphones,  internet safety is becoming ever more important.  Toronto Police Constable Martin Douglas is a Crime Stoppers Youth Officer with Toronto Police Services.  On Tuesday, October 25th at 6:30pm he will speak to the community about how we can ensure our children are safe when they use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, text messaging and instant messaging. He will discuss the growing problems of online bullying, identity theft, and how, as parents, we need to be more aware of what our kids are doing.

Constable Douglas will be at Deer Park Junior and Senior Public School 23 Ferndale Ave at 6:30pm in the gymnasium.  We look forward to seeing you in the gymnasium on Tuesday October 25th. All families and students Grade 7 and up — please join us to hear about these important issues! 

Parents Make a Difference Conference

The TDSB 5th annual “Parents Make a Difference” conference will be held on Saturday, November 12th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Earl Haig Secondary School, 100 Princess Avenue.  

People for Education Conference

People for Education, a parent and community education organization, is holding its 15th annual conference on Saturday and Sunday November 5th and 6th at Winters College, York University.  The conference keynote speaker is Pasi Sahlberg, an education specialist from Finland, a country that is considered by many to be the top-performing educational system in the world.

Conference workshops include opportunities to hear from experts on engaging school councils, coping with child stress, special education, great teaching and other education-related topics.  For more information or to register, go to http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/.

Aquatics - Oct 2011

Noon Swim

DAYS: Monday and Wednesday
TIME: 12:00 - 12:40 pm
GRADES: 1-6

Over the lunch hour bring your friends and join in on some splashing pool fun! We look forward to seeing you!

Mrs. J. and Mr. D.

Primary Swim Team

*Sign Up Sheets are available in the aquatic office*

Days: Tuesday and Thursday (Start date TBA)
Grades: 2 & 3
Requirements: Students must be comfortable in deep water and be able to swim one length.

Please Note:
During the month of October, primary swim classes we will be taught in a swim team format. Our focus will be on endurance, improving strokes, to build a understanding of individual racing, relays...lots of fun ahead!

*Swim team try outs will also be held during your child's class.

Thank you,
Mr. Daigneau, Mrs. Jeffery, Mrs. Padassery and Ms Warden
Brown Swim Coaches

Sports Corner - Oct 2011

Terry Fox Walk

On Monday, September 26th the staff and students at Brown Jr. P.S. took part in the annual Toonie for Terry Walk. Students made signs and posters and carried them proudly in memory of Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope. As a school, we raised $650.00 and will be sending it to the Terry Fox Foundation for Cancer Research. Thank you to all of the staff and students for participating a special thank you to the parents for your generous support.

Boys' Football

The Boys' Football Team will participate in a one-day tournament on Friday, October 14th @ Lawrence Hts. M.S (50 Highland Hill - Lawrence and Allen Rd). Parents are asked to bring their son to Lawrence Hts at 8:30 to meet the coaches. The team will play at 9:30, 11:30 and 1:30p.m. Please pick up your child at 2:30 from Lawrence Hts at the end of the tournament. If you can't pick up your son at the conclusion of the tournament he will be dropped off at school with a parent driver. If you have any questions or concerns please e-mail paul.profiti@tdsb.on.ca

Coaches: Mr. P and Mr. D.

Girls' Football

The Girls' Football Team will participate in a one-day tournament on Tuesday, October 18th @ Lawrence Hts. M.S (50 Highland Hill - Lawrence and Allen Rd). Parents are asked to bring their daughter to Lawrence Hts at 8:30 to meet the coaches. The team will play at 9:30, 11:30 and 1:30p.m. Please pick up your child at 2:30 from Lawrence Hts at the end of the tournament. If you can't pick up your daughter she will be dropped off at school with a parent driver. if you have any questions or concerns please e-mail paul.profiti@tdsb.on.ca

Coaches: Mr. P and Mr. D.

Girls’ Slo-Pitch

It seemed that school had scarcely started and already we were asking girls to try out for this year's slo-pitch team.  As usual, it was very hard for Master Chin "Sensei" to choose among the great athletes and narrow it down to our team of 12.  We would like to thank all of the ladies who came out.  Thank you for braving the rain and the cold.  You are winners just for trying. 

Our season started with an exhibition game against John Wanless.  We are happy to announce that we won a close game: 7 to 6.  We were ready for the real thing: Tuesday's tournament.  We are again happy to report that we won all three of our games against Huron, Westwood and Northlea and were crowned the tournament winners!

We are excited to face our next challenge: our quarter final game against John Ross Robertson, tentatively scheduled for Thursday after school.  Please wish us luck!  

Congratulations to this year's Ligers, a great group of young ladies with spirit, heart, sense of humour and some baseball skills thrown in to boot.  Three cheers for: Audrey "Breaker", Cordelia "Ice", Jacqueline "Jagger", Katya "Cannon", Lauren "Proof", Leah "Cinqo", Michelle "Primo" (NOT Promo!), Natalie "Legend", Paola "Professor", Roxy "Astro", Samantha "The Rock", Sydney "Vicious" .  

Many thanks to our parents for their encouragement and support and for cheering so loudly.  Special thanks to Colette, Dorin and David for their coaching help and to Claire, Connie, and, Sara for the rides.  Merci to Mona and Colette for the refreshments.  We really couldn't do it without you.

LIGERS ON THREE: 1-2-3: LIGERS!

Coaches: Mme. B'Dacy and Darrin Chin

Cross Country

The next meet will be held: Thursday, October 13 at Ashbridges Bay, 10 a.m. start (with Grade 1 girls)

TRANSPORTATION: Parents must arrange for transportation of children to the meet and back to the school.  There are no buses for this meet.  Check the list of participants (posted on the bulletin board by the gym) if you wish to make arrangements with other parents.

T-SHIRTS AND LABELS: All children should wear their Brown School t-shirts from the last meet.  Labels will be distributed at the meet.

PRACTICE: There will be one final practice: Tuesday, October 18th but that one is for students who qualify for the City Finals (the last meet) and very keen students.

WEATHER:  On the day of the meet, check the weather and dress accordingly.  The children could be outdoors for a while.  A special Barrier-Free Race is scheduled for approximately 11:15.  All other races will stop during this race and resume afterward.

At the end of the race, your child’s result must be recorded by the coach at the finish line.  Make sure your child checks in with that coach.

REMINDER: Children who have epipens and/or puffers MUST run with them in a pouch or fanny pack.

Those students who are not running at the second meet need to have their t-shirts washed and return them to the school to either Mr. P or any of the cross-country coaches.

Thank you, parents, for supporting cross country at Brown.
Yours in long distance running,

M. Paré, Mme Bondy, Mr. Mac, Ms Fox, Ms Regan, Mme Legge, Mr. Szilagyi, Ms Warden, Mme Cloutier 

UPCOMING TEAM TRY-OUTS

Girls Basketball - end of October try-outs

Boys Volleyball - end of October try-outs

Ice Hockey - Try-out dates: Nov 23, 30 Team Practices: Dec 7, 14 and 21 - all at Forest Hill Arena from 8:00 to 9:00a.m.

Brown School circa 1943/1944

We recently received the following letter and photographs from 1943/1945 from Brown alumnus Janice Currie (nee Van Portway). It is fascinating to see  how things have changed!

I was snooping through the internet this evening and came across the website for Brown School.  I got out two school pictures so thought perhaps you might like to use them sometime in your newsletter when reminiscing about the school.  I would love to know where some of these children disappeared. 

Picture No. 1.  I am in the middle row, the tallest girl, with a dark sleeveless sweater and white blouse.  

Grade 4 class, circa 1944

My best girlfriend, and who is still my best girlfriend, Isobel Stafford, is standing beside me to my left in the outside picture.  You can see Avenue Rd. behind us.

In the picture outside - Second row Dena Gruber, Heather Gordon ----- Sally McDonald (in Brownie uniform) 3rd row - last girl to the right Sydney.....  tallest boy in back, Bill Heath.

Picture No. 2.  I am in the very front, girl with glasses.  It was during the war years and if you can enlarge the picture you can see a picture of the King and Queen behind the teacher.  Also pictures of battle ships to the immediate right.

Grade 3, circa 1943

In the second picture my girlfriend is in the right hand row 5th back (in front of the very back girl).  Note one teacher.  And she had complete control.

I only remember one other name from the first picture.  In the first row to the right is Judy Wells (3rd back) - I remember the ringlets. 

This is so much fun.  I believe the picture taken in the classroom was Grade 3, second one, Grade 4. 

--Janice Currie

Do you recognize any of the students pictured? If so, please send in any information to  bulletin@brownschool.ca and we will be sure to pass it on!