News from the Office - June 2013

Essentials:

• Lots of thank-you's
• What's a year! A reflection
• Staff departures
• Construction update
• Possible early start/end time
• Report cards
• First day of school
• Full Day Kindergarten

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

Lots of thank-you's
It has been an exceptional year serving the Brown Public School Community.  I thank everyone for their ongoing support and commitment to our school.   A special thank you to our School Council Chairs, Nina Moritsugu and Jenifer Glover; their enthusiasm and problem solving skills served our families well this year.  We look forward to working together again next year.

Special thanks also to all the parents involved in the many organizing committees for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. We extend our gratitude also to our parents who are in charge of the Brown Bulletin.  Their patience with many of us is truly appreciated as they organize everyone to meet the deadlines each month. The parents in this community really help make this a stellar place. The Fall Fling and the Garden Fete were incredible events once again this year.

What a year!
As I reflect upon this year, I cannot help but think about what a roller coaster ride it has been. We have had highs and lows and have still managed to remain one of the most desirable schools in Toronto. The heart of the school is always the children. Our great teaching staff kept our students engaged in their classes throughout the year and our students never missed a beat as a result. Our World Changers events and activities kept students focused on those less privileged around the world; our student ambassadors helped host Full Day Kindergarten Evenings and Tours; our equipment helpers loaned many balls and "foam" Frisbees; our radio announcers have kept us informed every morning and the character education assemblies have continued to recognize our Brown students who exemplify the various character traits.  We had Faculty students, Early Childhood Educators, and Public Health nurses teach and support our students and we had many wonderful and memorable performances such as Fit 2 Dance, Ballet Creole, Eco Rangers, Blades of Glory, The Power of One, Q-MAC, Sarah Westbrook and we even had one of our students do an incredible presentation on Juvenile Diabetes.

Brown P.S. will always be a great place because of the dedicated staff, parent community and in my opinion, the best students I have ever met.  It has been a pleasure visiting classes, escorting excursions and helping plan activities and events throughout the year for our students, staff and community.

Staff departures
Sonja and I have been preparing for September 2013.   As mentioned in May’s Bulletin we have three retirements and three maternity leaves. We have four teachers who will be leaving our faculty this year and we are also losing two of our Educational Assistants, Gunta Lauge and Karen Bayne.

Retiring: Diane Legge, Naomi Regan and Gail Nathanson.

On Maternity leave: Charlotte MacQuarrie, Anne-Marie Sulymko, Liz Warden.

Farewell to Tyler Ellis who will be teaching Music at Morse St. P.S. next year; Holly Bondy who will be teaching Grade 1 English at Frankland Community School; Claudine Blanchard who will be teaching Grade 4/5 at Runnymede P.S. and Stacy Langdon who will be teaching Grade 4 at William Burgess P.S.

Each of these staff members has made a terrific contribution to the life of our school and will be missed.  We wish our retirees, mat leaves and our teachers who are moving on great success! Our teachers and Educational Assistants will be remembered fondly and will always be a part of the Brown P.S. family.

We wish our Educational Assistants well and hope they will be placed within the Board very soon.  With Full Day Kindergarten arriving, many schools will be losing Educational Assistants; however, schools will be receiving Early Childhood Educators.  Each Kindergarten class will have a teacher and an Early Childhood Educator next year.

Returning from a leave is Geetha Padassery.

Caretaker Mark Hosmer update: Mark will be back next year.  He is still recovering from a broken leg; however, he is in great spirits.  He wishes to thank all the students for their lovely cards and well wishes.  We will continue to send Mark cards for those who would like to wish him well.  Just leave them in the office with our OA Lois Moulton.

As a result of the retirements and leaves, we are in a position to hire for a number of positions at our school for the upcoming year.  We are unable to announce the teachers we have hired to date as situations may change between now and the end of the year; however, we will update our community at the end of June and throughout the summer. In some cases, hiring may continue into the new school year.

Construction update
Construction continues at our school and so do some of the challenges that come with it.  By the time this bulletin reaches you, we will have the addition in place and exterior and interior work will begin.  The bulk of the interior work will be done over the summer as the workers must access classrooms which are currently occupied. We received a blue storage bin which is now at the top of the Primary playground. This storage bin is for our Day Care providers as they will need to move their storage items out of their current location due to construction. We ask parents to caution their children about safety in this area as it will leave that part of the yard congested.

Possible early start/end time
Space issues are always challenging as our school continues to grow.  We are up in enrollment again next year and there will be some classroom changes.  We are currently in conversations with our parent council and our Safe and Caring School Committee regarding the start and end times for next year.  We are considering an earlier start time and an earlier end time.  Parents will be informed of any changes for the upcoming year through the email blasts throughout the summer.

Report cards
The Second Term Report Cards will be issued to students on June 26 and 27.  We will not be issuing report cards prior to these dates.  Report cards will be mailed home if students are not here during that last week.

First day of school
The first day of school is September 3, 2013. The first day of school will look similar to last year.  Classroom lists will be placed on the fences by the turf.  Students will line up by their classroom list and will be escorted into the school by their new classroom teacher.  We will be working on classroom placements until the end of June and throughout the summer in some cases.

Full Day Kindergarten
Full Day Kindergarten is new to Brown Public School this September 2013. Kindergarten students will be staggered in to school during the first week.  Similar to past practices, Day Care children will start on the first day, September 3; Senior Kindergartens the second day, September 4; Junior Kindergartens the third day, September 5.  All Full Day Kindergartens should be in by September 6.  Parents will be notified throughout the summer should there be any construction delays that change the first week for our Kindergartens.  Please check for Brown email blasts during the summer.  We will also call Kindergarten parents in the event of any changes.

Thank you to our Kiss ’n Ride Volunteer Parents!

A special thank you goes to the Brown Public School Kiss ’n Ride patrollers who worked so diligently on ensuring the safety of our students every morning on Poplar Plains Rd.

REMINDER: Students are dropped off in the morning on Poplar Plains Road and not in the parking lot. The parking lot is for staff parking only.  We appreciate everyone’s cooperation as the safety of our students is always uppermost in our minds.

Happy Summer Holidays!

On behalf of all Brown Public School staff, Mrs. Litner and I extend our warmest thanks for all of your support throughout the year. We have appreciated the many ways in which you have become partners in the education of our children. We could not offer the programs and special events which we do without your assistance.  We look forward to another year of working together for the benefit of all of our children.

Have a safe and relaxing summer. Nous vous souhaitons de très belles vacances !

Gina Christakis - Principal        Sonja Litner - Vice-Principal

News from the Trustee - June 2013

Week of June 2, 2013
Trustee Shelley Laskin, Ward 11

Note: Trustee Howard Goodman has shown tremendous leadership on this issue and has offered his offered his colleagues access to his information to share. The following is from Trustee Goodman:
 
SAVE OUR SCHOOLS FROM IMPOSED SENIORITY HIRING

What is the issue? Using Reg274, the Minister of Education is forcing principals to hire one of the 5 most senior teachers who apply for a job and have the paper qualifications.  It doesn’t matter if there are other less senior teachers who would be a better fit for the class, the school or the community. Seniority trumps the judgment of the principal. Seniority trumps the desires of the community.  Most upsettingly, seniority trumps the needs of the students. This regulation is bad for students, for schools and for the teaching profession.  For a more detailed background, go to www.tdsb.on.ca/Goodman).

First, I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to write and call your elected representatives to let them know that you do not support the implementation of Reg274.  I've been told that the Minister and MPPs have received hundreds of emails from parents, teachers, principals, and community members who are opposed to Reg274.  MPPs who hadn't given a thought to Reg274 are now aware of it, and of your demands not to impose seniority hiring on our schools.  And yesterday [May 30, 2013] PC education critic Lisa McLeod raised Reg274 during Question Period.  She even quoted from three emails that she received from you (Sam from Ottawa Catholic, and Chris & Karrie from Upper Grand).  Click here to download the exchange.

Two parts of Minister Sandals answers stand out for me:
* "We want to make sure that [jobs are] posted so that [teachers] even know when there is a job available" - but in fact TDSB and many other Boards already have long had contract clauses requiring job posting
* "a working group that’s been set up between the OSSTF and the public school boards [is] looking at whether there are changes they want to make to the regulation" - but under the terms set by the Minister, any change has to be mutually agreed to and no-one believes that the union leaders will agree to undo the seniority hiring rules that Reg274 now unilaterally grants them.  This working group is expected to complete its work in a couple of weeks with no changes agreed to.

The first part of the answer gives me hope.  The second part of the answer points out what we still need to achieve.

Because of your efforts, all MPPs are now aware of the Reg274 and the growing opposition to it from ordinary voters.  Because of you speaking out, we now have a clear statement that the purpose of Reg274 is fair hiring, not creating seniority hiring rights.

Now we have to hold Minister Sandals to her word that the goal of Reg274 would be reached with proper job posting processes.  This would mean that seniority hiring wouldn't be needed in TDSB and other Boards that already meet Reg274's goals.  That is all the current motion before TDSB asks for.  That is all you have been asking for.  As Minister she has complete authority to rescind Reg274 or amend it in any way she wants.

Our Goal and Our Next steps
Our goal: In the next week or so, we must convince the Minister, the Premier, and the other MPPs that the wishes of the citizens of Ontario (including a great many teachers) carry more weight than the wishes of union leaders. We must say loud and clear to the Minister, the Premier, and the other MPPs that our Public Schools are there to meet the goals of the Public, and that the Public neither needs nor wants seniority hiring.

Our next steps: Here are things that you can do to get your message to our MPPs and our government:

* Tell everyone you know that this real danger to our schools exists, and that we only have a limited time before school and the legislature close for the summer and parents are not able to mobilize effectively against these seniority hiring rules.  Share this list of ways to spread the message and share the information that is on my web-site in any way that works for you - www.tdsb.on.ca/Goodman
* Raise Reg274 seniority hiring in your school yard and at your School Council.  This not only directly affects children and their parents, but also teachers.  If you are shy, enlist a friend who is comfortable in the spotlight to raise the issue and mobilize the school community.
* While watching your child play sports, talk to other parents in the stands, in the arena, or along the sidelines.
* Use your favourite social media site (Facebook or twitter or Pinterest or anything else) to post your thoughts and useful links
* Sign the change.org petition started by Toronto teacher Angie Potts (1450 signatures and counting)
* Send emails to the Minister and email, call, or visit your local MPP (please copy me and your local newspaper on all emails - I've included the addresses for the three main Toronto papers).  If they don’t hear from you, they won’t know that you are upset.
o LSandals.mpp@Liberal.ola.org - Liz Sandals, Minister of Education, 416-325-2600
o MColle.mpp.co@Liberal.ola.org - Mike Colle, MPP, Eglinton-Lawrence, 416-781-2395
o KWynne.mpp.co@Liberal.ola.org - Kathleen Wynne, MPP, Don Valley West,  416-425-6777
o EHoskins.mpp.co@Liberal.ola.org - Eric Hoskins - MPP, St. Paul's, 416-656-0943
o Lisa.Macleod@PC.ola.org - Lisa MacLeod, PC Education Critic, 416-325-6351
o TabunsP-qp@NDP.on.ca - Peter Tabuns, NDP Education Critic, 416-325-3250
o lettertoed@thestar.ca
o letters@globeandmail.com
o letters@nationalpost.com
o for other MPP addresses go to: www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_current.do and please copy me, Howard.Goodman@tdsb.on.ca [shelley.laskin@tdsb.on.ca]
For ongoing news on the battle to save our schools from imposed seniority hiring, follow me on twitter @HowardGoodman.  I’ll be using #Reg274.

Parent Council News - June 2013

TheLunchMom.com
A healthy, hot lunch program is coming to Brown! The Lunch Mom is piloting a hot lunch for Grades 4-6 from Oct. 1st until the Winter Break. If all goes well, Grades 1-6 will be offered the hot lunch program starting in January. Many thanks to Tricia at www.thelunchmom.com  for the generous donation of a hot lunch for Grades 1-6 on Friday, May 24th which was provided as a free trial for the Brown School students. Not only did the trial help to ensure the pilot will run smoother in the fall, it raised money for Brown.  Look for more details in September!

Garden Fete
Thank you to the hundreds of Brown School parents, guardians and grandparents who volunteered their time to make Garden Fete extraordinarily successful this year.  We think the extra hour worked well, and even though the event was more tightly packed this year due to the limited space available, we thought the event had a festive air which was reminiscent of a county fair.

Garden Fete was made possible by the Garden Fete planning committee, which included Laura Chorneyko, Marie Claude Sutton, Jennifer Baldachin, Nick Bibassis, Mariyan Ianev, Connie Dingle, Christy Kaiser and Armin Fischer, as well as by Peter and the rest of the custodial team, and by Principal Christakis and Vice Principal Litner. Special thanks go to the Baldachin Family, Kelly Shaw, Steve Thuringer, Hannah Thresher, Daniel Ho, Jeff Goldman, Maya Bartram, Norm Brownstein, Krasi Nikodimova, Tyler Ellis, Amanda Levey, Lisa Bernstein, Elizabeth DiGrazia, Jenny Bibassis, Currie Ross, Dave Shaw and Maggie Lane.

Thanks for a Great Year
As the mercury rises and the lazier days of summer beckon, we wish to thank the tireless volunteers at Parent Council, the teachers, the Office, and all the rest of staff, as well as the many parents who help out either a few hours a year or a few hours a month, for all their volunteer time.  Your contributions ensured that our fantastic programs continued this year under unusually difficult circumstances or were initiated for the first time.  We are proud to be Co-Chairs of this extraordinarily engaged school council which provides an opportunity for parents to connect and contribute their myriad talents, energy and skills to enrich the experience of our children at Brown.

We have some positions that need to be filled for the upcoming school year so please let either Jenifer or Nina know if you are interested in becoming more involved  in Council or are interested in taking on a new role.

Parent Council Meeting – Thursday, June 13th, 7:00 p.m.
The last Parent Council Meeting of the school year will take place on Thursday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Library. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend.
Have a wonderful summer!

Jenifer Glover and Nina Moritsugu, Co-Chairs

News from around Brown - June 2013

SPRING AFTER 4 PROGRAMS ENDING
We hope the students enjoyed the programs! The last sessions will be as follows:
Glee Club - Monday, June 17th
Video Game Creator - Tuesday, June 11th
Cheerleading - Wednesday, June 12th
Mad Science - Wednesday, June 12th
Clay - Thursday, June 13th

GREAT TEACHER AWARD - VOTE FOR MME LEGGE!
Our very own Mme Diane Legge is a finalist for the Canadian Family Great Teacher Award.  Mme Legge (Grade 2 French Immersion) was put forward by Brown School parents and has been chosen by a panel of education specialists as one of 12 Canadian Great Teacher finalists.

Please vote every day at www.canadianfamily.ca/teacherawards until June 28 to support Mme Legge and help her win $2,500 to donate to Brown School for programs and supplies. The winners will be announced on August 2, 2013 online and in Canadian Family magazine’s September issue. You can vote once per day per browser (e.g., Chrome, Explorer, Firefox). Please vote as many times as you can to support Mme Legge and Brown School!

THE BROWN SCHOOL JUNIOR CHOIR 2013
From the moment we came together this year, it was clear to everyone involved that this year would be no exception and the BSJC 2013 was going to be something to behold.  The Spring Sing performance was terrific with the choir being accompanied by both The Strings and The Band!

As I write this, the choir is preparing for its final show of the season, Song Sung Brown; as you read this, some of you will already know what a terrific showcase of the amazing talent at Brown it was!  A special thank-you must go out to our grade 6 members for helping to make this season of music so enjoyable for everyone and we all wish you good luck and good music in your future.

It is with a heavy heart that I say good-bye to Brown School.   The students, my colleagues and the Brown School community have been a very important part of my life for a very long time, but now it is time for a new adventure.  I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the Brown family for the kindness, friendship and unwavering support you have given me.  I will forever cherish the memory of my time here.

Mr. Ellis

NEW FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
The Fundraising Committee has been busy in our inaugural year! Our mandate in our first year as an oversight committee was to review all of the fundraising activities that raise money for Brown School and make recommendations on how we can best engage you to support Brown financially. The money you donate goes towards curriculum enrichment, extracurriculars, and technology for our children at Brown. We will be presenting our recommendations to the Parent Council at the next Parent Council meeting on June 13th. Here are just some of the initiatives that were underway through out the school year to help us make the fundraising recommendations:

* Fundraising Committee members attended Educational Fundraising training
* Collaborated with neighbouring schools on successful fundraising strategies
* Fundraising Brown Parent Focus Group
* Parent Fundraising Survey

We hope to see you at the Parent Council meeting on June 13th. If you have any questions or suggestions please contact us at either kellyahernshaw@gmail.com or at amanda_levey@yahoo.ca.

Kelly and Amanda
Co-chairs Fundraising Committee

ECO-NEWS
The Eco-Club has had a busy spring, planting seeds, learning about vermi-composting and helping the Earth Rangers to raise awareness and funds to help protect the habitats of 4 endangered Canadian animals. The eco-kids sold buttons during recess, raising a total of $1,502.79. Many Brown students also chose to fundraise online, raising hundreds more. What an amazing effort by all! Thank you for your support!!

FALL FLING - NOVEMBER 7, 2013

With the 2012-2013 school year not yet over, we know it is hard to believe planning is already started for the 2013-2014 school year, but the Fall Fling Committee is already starting to form so that next year’s Fall Fling will be the best ever!

For those of you not familiar with the Fall Fling, it is a very fun evening featuring a silent auction full of hot items donated by local vendors, the community, parents, teachers and even students.  It is also a great opportunity to meet parents and staff.  All money raised from the event goes directly towards fulfilling the needs of the school.
 
If you would like to find out more about the Fling or ways you might be able to help out with the Fling, do not hesitate to contact us at mccall.marthe@gmail.com. Be sure to mark Thursday, November 7, 2013 in your calendars so you can attend Brown’s major fundraiser – The Fall Fling! 

LIBRARY NEWS

Freeze DNA came to our school on June 4th, teaching our students the fundamentals of drawing comic art through a 45-minute interactive workshop designed after their popular book series titled “Learn To Draw Comic Art”. The kids really enjoyed the pace and the content of the workshop.

Also, it is now time to return all the books that have been borrowed this school year. The deadline was June 10th for all TDSB schools.

Don't miss The TD Summer Reading Club
A free program for kids, that runs at libraries all across Canada every year. Kids who join the club get a special sticker for every book they read during the summer. There are nine to collect, so see if you can get them all! There will be awesome prizes, great free programs, cool crafts and lots of other neat things to see, read and do. This website is also going to be full of lots of amazing stuff, including secret content, just for club members.

The adventure starts in June. Happy reading.
Here's the website for more info: www.tdsummerreadingclub.ca (French www.clubdelecturetd.ca)
Happy summer! Bon été !

Marie-France Gagnon
Teacher-Librarian

WORLD CHANGERS UPDATE
World Changers had the opportunity to support one of our own Brown students this month. Anwar Boutahar spoke to all students about his experience living with Type 1 diabetes in an effort to raise awareness for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. World Changers' bake sales raised over $1,000 to support Anwar's team in the Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes in Toronto on June 9, 2013. Way to go Anwar and great support Brown!

World Changers have had a productive year - learning about hunger both locally and globally, about the need for clean water in developing communities, about aboriginal issues in Canada, and about type 1 diabetes amongst other topics. They have organized and promoted food drives, bake sales, warm clothing drives, amazing holiday hampers for families in need and fund raising campaigns. We are so grateful to the Brown School community for all of your contributions and a huge thank you to Michele Breslin and Anne-Marie Sulymko for making World Changers happen! You are amazing!

SAMPLE STUDENT WORK from Mr. Paré's class

The Grade 4/5 Boys Soccer Tournament 2013 (French version below)

Mr. McNeilly organized 18 boys for the school soccer team to play in a round robin tournament to decide whether we would move on to the quarter finals or if we would end our season short.

We qualified for the quarters after losing 3-2 to Palmerston, beating Sprucecourt 5-1 and beating Winchester 7-1.  Then we had to face Kew Beach.  It was a tie game until late into the first half when Ewan scored a cross from Owen in the corner.  The other team got some chances but we didn’t budge and we ended up winning the game 1-0 to qualify for the semi finals!  We arrived at East York Collegiate to play Chester in the big game.  On the other field it was Palmerston and Diefenbaker playing for the other semi final.  We came out strong and stayed strong the entire game but we shot the ball at their goalie too much and didn’t shoot the ball into the corners of the net so we went to overtime.  They committed a foul a bit above the 18 yard box and Matthew took the free kick right into the top shelf of the net so we went to the conference finals!

Diefenbaker beat Palmerston 5-1 so it was a Diefenbaker vs Brown in the final.  Diefenbaker had strong fast players but their technique was to boot the ball up to their fastest player who would try to run the ball and score.  That’s how they scored their first goal, which put them in the lead 1-0.  We tried to bounce back before the end of the 1st half but nothing went in except for their goal.  A couple of minutes into the 2nd half they scored a goal that was potentially offside but it was still ruled a goal.  With only 2 minutes left in the game, Owen scored from the very edge of the field so there was still some hope of victory.  We almost scored again but we couldn’t quite put the ball into their net so they beat us 2-1 and we got a conference finalist banner and they got a conference champions banner and also moved on to the city finals.

Special thanks to Mr. McNeilly for his great coaching!
The End

French version
Mr. McNeilly a organisé 18 garçons pour l’équipe de soccer de Brown qui a participé dans un tournois qui allait décider si on irait aux finales ou pas.

On a perdu contre Palmerston 3-2, et on a gagné contre Sprucecourt (5-1) et Winchester (7-1). Après on a joué contre Kew Beach. C’était à égalité jusqu’à la fin de la première demi puis Ewan a marqué un but avec l’aide de Owen. L’autre équipe avait des chances mais on ne les a pas laissé marquer un but et on a gagné 1-0 pour ensuite aller à la demi-finale! On est arrivé à East York Collegiate pour jouer contre Chester dans le grand match. Sur l’autre terrain c’était Palmerston contre Diefenbaker.  Ils jouaient l’autre demi-finale.  On a bien commencé et on a bien joué pendant tout le match mais on a envoyé la balle à leur gardien de but trop souvent et non pas dans les coins du filet.  En prolongation, ils se sont mérité une pénalité et Matthew a pris un coup franc qui nous a lancé dans la finale!

Diefenbaker a gagné contre Palmerston 5-1 alors c’était Diefenbaker contre Brown.  Nos adversaires étaient rapides et forts mais leur technique était de prendre la balle, la passer à leur joueur le plus rapide et il essaie de compter un but. Ça c’est comment ils ont marqué leur premier but, alors c’était 1-0 Diefenbaker. On a essayé d’amener le match à l’égalité avant la fin de la première demi mais on ne pouvait pas.  Quelques minutes après le début de la deuxième demi, ils ont marqué un deuxième but qui était peut-être hors-jeu mais qui a compté quand-même.  Avec seulement deux minutes qui restaient dans le match Owen a marqué un but du côté du terrain alors il y avait encore une chance pour gagner. Malheureusement, ils ont gagné le match 2-1 donc on a reçu une bannière de finaliste de la conference et Diefenbaker a reçu une bannière des champions et ils ont aussi participé aux finales pour la ville.
Merci à Mr. McNeilly pour son entraînement!

La Fin

Sports Corner - June 2013

AQUATIC NEWS

Recreational Swim

Days - Monday & Wednesday
Times - 12:00 - 12:40 p.m.
This Program will be available until Wednesday, June 26th, 2013. Come out and enjoy a refreshing time!

Water Polo

The grade six Water Polo team will be heading to Keele P.S. on Friday, June 14th for a fun-filled tournament! We wish our Team the very best! Thank you for your continued support.
Water Polo Coaches,
Mr. Daigneau, Mr. Profiti, and Mrs. Jeffery


GRADE 6 FRISBEE

Once upon a time at overnight camp, as I stared out of my tent at a lightning-scarred tree trunk on the edge of the campsite, my counselor told me not to worry because lightning never strikes the same place twice.  I believed him because he could carry a canoe and knew how to chop down trees with an axe.

Now, though I’m older and potentially wiser (and regardless of what a quick Google search and Wiki Answers might suggest) I firmly believe that lightning can and will strike the same place twice.  Just ask this year’s Grade Six Ultimate Frisbee team.

Our tournament was held at Trinity Bellwoods park.  Blue skies and no wind combined for perfect Frisbee conditions.

A tie (in a game that we thought we'd won) in our first game against Palmerston set the stage for the drama that was to unfold later in the day.  Our second game, against Dewson, saw the team play like a well-oiled machine and we ran to an easy victory.

Our third game of the day saw us fall to a superior squad from Forest Hill which set-up a sudden death tie-breaker match against archrival Palmerston.  After falling behind 2-0 (in a game to 3 points) the boys and girls made two quick scores to draw even and set up the deciding point.  And here's the proof that lightning can indeed strike the same place twice: Jackson, who'd been the victim of a questionable call in last year's Grade Five Frisbee playoff, made a fantastic defensive play only to fall victim to another questionable call.  Lightning striking.  Six seconds later, Palmerston scored and we walked way heart-broken.

Thanks go to all the players for their tremendous hustle and effort.

Mr. Mac (& Ms. Baptist)

GRADE 4/5 FRISBEE

How I Spent My Ultimate Frisbee Tournament
(A poem about this year's Gr. 4/5 Frisbee team)

Spent our first game against Chester trying to figure out how the game of ultimate works on a large field with lots of open space.
We had fun, but we lost that one.

Spent our time off between games playing in the rain, running to the variety store, and learning how to work a simple ‘Stack’ play.
We had fun, ate our faces off, and all felt like winners.  We won that one.

Spent our second game against Northlea scoring lots of points and realizing that the simple ‘Stack’ play actually works.
We had fun and we won that one.

Spent our third and final game basking in the sunshine and mounting a ferocious comeback against Palmerston that ultimately fell short.
We had fun, showed great character, but lost that one.

Thanks to all the players for a fantastic, albeit brief, season; thanks also to all the parents for shuttling us to the tournament (and for coffees and snacks).

Ms. Baptist, Ms. Barmak, Ms. Fox, Mr. Mac


GRADE 4/5 GIRLS' SOCCER

The Girls' Soccer team played a one-day tournament at Flemingdon Park. After weeks of preparation, the team showed that practice pays off by winning all 3 of their tournament games by scores of 3-0, 4-0 and 3-0. The Girls advanced to the South Conference Semi-Finals at Riverdale Park and played a very strong team from R.H. McGregor P.S. In the end, the team showed some amazing soccer skill and determination but fell just short of advancing to the South Finals. A very big congratulations goes out to the players for a fantastic season. A big thanks also goes out to the parents of the players for all their support with transportation, game day snacks and vocal support during the game.

Mr. D. and Mr. P.

GRADE 6 GIRLS' SOCCER

The Girls' Soccer team played a one-day tournament at Lawrence Hts on a very wet and cold day in May. Although the weather did not cooperate, the team showed great spirit and determination and played through the poor conditions. The team played 4 games and finished the tournament with 2 wins and 2 losses, enough for a third place finish. Even though the top two teams qualified for the play-offs, the team had a lot of fun and really enjoyed their time in the school cafeteria between games. Big thanks to the players for a great season. Mr. D. and I really enjoyed coaching this team. Also, thank you to the parents of the players for all their support.

Mr. D. and Mr. P.

TRACK AND FIELD

This year's Track and Field team consisted of 54 students in Grade 3 to 6. The team travelled by bus to Birchmount Park and competed against 25 other schools. When all the jumping and running was complete, 25 student-athletes from Brown qualified for the South Conference Finals. At the South Finals, the team was ready to go from the onset as Sam C. and Jack T. qualified for the City Finals in the 60m Hurdle event. Later that morning, Demarco G. sprinted to the finish line in the 200m event and also qualified by finishing in 1st place. The afternoon events belonged to Thomas G. and Sam A. as they both qualified for the City Finals in Standing Long Jump. We want to wish these 5 boys the best of luck as they compete on Tuesday June 11th at Birchmount in the TDESAA Track and Field City Finals. Special thank you to all the parents for helping out with the transportation to and from the stadium.

Mr. Macdonald, Ms. Silecky, Mr. D. and Mr. P.