PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our teachers and all the parents who helped our Brown P.S. students have a great Cross Country experience on October 7, 2014 at Ashbridge’s Bay. Our sports teams are well underway and a number of our teams have already advanced to Quarter final and Semi-final games. We wish our baseball, football and cross-country teams continued success.
The year has started off with very few class alignments. Only a number of students were affected by changing classrooms to meet the Ministry requirements and it appears that the students have settled in nicely. Our enrollment challenges have also settled; however, we are anticipating more registrations throughout the year. Our Kindergarten Room 11 class is almost ready and we are looking forward to the completion of this project at the end of October.
The children here at Brown P.S. continue to be involved in monthly Character Trait assemblies. The assemblies really allow me the opportunity to go over the character trait attributes and the Safe Schools Code of Conduct. I always look forward to meeting with the students as it really helps form positive relationships between the students and the Principal and Vice-Principal.
We have many great presentations already booked this year as we continue with our Anti-bullying program. This year we begin with a student favourite, The Power of One on October 24th at 1:00PM in the gym. We always welcome our families to attend these presentations as it helps reinforce what our students are learning at school and at home. We encourage parents to get involved in their children’s learning. Connect with the teachers and volunteer your time in the classroom or with Parent Council.
Hillary Rodham Clinton stated:
“Even one caring adult in the life of a young person can make all the difference in the world.”
I believe that together we can and will help our children achieve success to become the global learners that are connected and challenged beyond the world of school.
TERRY FOX WALK
On Wednesday, September 24th, the students and staff of Brown Junior P.S. laced up their sneakers and walked a route through our community in support of The Marathon of Hope. It was a great day for our students who demonstrated their sense of spirit and enthusiasm towards a great cause. As a school, we are delighted to continue raising money to reach our goal of over $1000.00 once again this year! This money will be donated to the Terry Fox Foundation to further the cause for cancer research. Thank you to our parent and student volunteers who helped ensure that all our students were safe during the walk. Special thanks to our teachers and support staff for participating and helping raise cancer awareness.
CURRICULUM NIGHT
Curriculum Night was on September 23, 2014. Many parents, students and relatives visited the classrooms and met with our teachers. We were delighted to share information with parents in the gym prior to and after the classroom sessions this year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or Administration in the office. Parents or guardians that did not have an opportunity to meet with the classroom teacher may call the school and request an appointment from the teacher. Our dedicated staff continues to deliver the curriculum with the high expectations that Brown P.S. is known for.
ANNUAL PARENT BREAKFAST
On Wednesday September 10th our Parent Council hosted the Annual Parent Breakfast in the gym. Thank you to our past Parent Council chairs, Nina Moritsugu and Jenifer Glover and the incredible Brown community parents for organizing such a welcoming 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. Jenifer Glover will continue on as our Vice-chair. We welcome Nick Bibassis as the new Parent Council Chair for Brown Public School.
STUDENT EMERGENCY FORMS AND THE NEW CANADIAN ANTI-SPAM LEGISLATION FORMS
Requests for updates to emergency information were sent home in early September. 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 8:30AM or 12:20PM (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.
Please note that our Board will be implementing a new call out system in all of our Elementary schools similar to the Secondary schools. It is an automated system that will call out to parents/guardians informing of absences and other important information including school closures due to weather conditions. We will keep you posted as we get closer to the implementation date.
EARLY FRENCH IMMERSION (SK ENTRY)
The Early Immersion Program begins in Senior Kindergarten. It offers 100% French instruction in the classroom until the end of grade 3, although some specialist subjects may be taught in English. English instruction is gradually introduced beginning in grade 4 until it becomes a half-day program from Grades 6-8.
Designated school pathways exist to ensure that students have a continuation of program from the SK entry to the end of grade 12. There are 56 schools across the TDSB that offer entry to the Early Immersion Program. The application system for Early French Immersion (SK Entry) will open on November 3, 2014. Deadline for applications for this program is December 5th, 2014. Click on https://secure.tdsb.on.ca/pars/(S(xvaj3t45nwodmm55vkb0ct45))/public/welcome.aspx
The attendance area for an Early French Immersion program is created by a group of "associated" English feeder schools. To locate the Early French Immersion school in your area, you must first confirm the English school for your home address, then visit our French Immersion Location Finder. Note: Attendance areas as well as associated feeder schools for Early French Immersion programs may be changed at any time in accordance with Board policy and procedures.
Information Nights are scheduled as follows:
* Davisville PS 43 Millwood Rd 416-393-0570 November 4, 2014 at 7:00PM
* Humewood PS 15 Cherrywood Ave 416-394-2383 November 18, 2014 at 6:30PM
* Brown Public School 454 Avenue Rd. 416 393-1560 November 19, 2014 at 7:00PM in the Library 2nd floor
* John Fisher PS 40 Erskine Ave 416-393-9325 November 18, 2014 at 7:00PM
* Rawlinson CS 231 Glenholme Ave 416-394-3080 November 17, 2014 at 6:30PM
For a complete list of Information Evenings, please click on:
http://tdsb.on.ca/ElementarySchool/SchoolChoices/FrenchPrograms/InformationEvenings.aspx
Note: The application period for Junior Extended French or Middle Immersion (Grade 4 Entry) is between January 5th and January 29th, 2015.
SCHOOL PHOTO DAYS
We are scheduled for Picture Days on October 16 and 17. Most of our students will be photographed on Thursday October 16. Sibling photos will be taken on October 17. We will keep you informed about a re-take date.
EQAO RESULTS
Our Reading, Writing and Mathematics results can be found at the EQAO website. Brown Public School has once again achieved high levels of achievement in the EQAO testing. This is just one of the many assessments that are done throughout the year. EQAO data and various assessments in the classrooms provide important evidence of learning and helps educators and parents engage in meaningful conversations about student achievement. The EQAO data allows us to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement so we can continue to make evidence-based decisions in our planning here at Brown P.S. Please check out the link below for the 2013-2014 EQAO results for Brown P.S. www.eqao.com/results
HALLOWE’EN
Please join us for our Hallowe’en Parade on Friday October 31st at approximately 9:15AM. Children are invited to wear their costumes to school that morning. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will parade in the school yard area (weather permitting). Dress up and come along if you can. Many of our Primary classrooms will also visit the senior residences at The Balmoral. Our students and community members look forward to this special visit each year.
Hallowe’en safety is important. Here are 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!
FIRST TERM PROGRESS REPORT CARD INFORMATION
First term report cards will be sent home on Wednesday November 12 and/or Thursday November 13. 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 Thursday November 14, 3:45 to 8:00PM. and Friday November 15, 9:00AM -12:00PM. More information will follow regarding scheduling conferences. Please contact the classroom teacher to make an appointment.
OCTOBER’S CHARACTER TRAIT IS RESPONSIBILITY
At this month’s assembly students learned about the meaning of RESPONSIBILITY.
What is Responsibility?
• Taking care of yourself and others
• Carrying out a duty or task carefully and thoroughly
• Being accountable for your own behaviour
• Demonstrating self-discipline and a strong work ethic
• Accepting personal accountability
• Acting without continual guidance
• Demonstrating commitment, pride, and a positive attitude in completing tasks
• Contributing to the class, school, and community
• Doing things to build a better world
• Keeping promises
• Doing what you say you will do, even when it is difficult
• Accepting the consequences of your own actions
What might responsibility look like/sound like?
• Completing homework, assignments, and other tasks on time and to the best of your ability
• Cleaning up after yourself and throwing waste into the appropriate garbage, recycling bin, or compost
• Being an active member of a group by contributing to the final project or assignment, and not letting one person do all of the work
• Asking for help when needed, or asking for the instructions to be repeated if clarification is needed
• Being organized by using a planner or agenda to keep track of due dates and deadlines
• Not leaving everything until the last minute
• Working around obstacles that prevent you from reaching a goal
• Taking responsibility for your own actions and not blaming others
• Contributing to making the world a more peaceful, safe, and caring place
Having responsibilities gives us a sense of purpose and makes us feel like we belong. As we fulfill our responsibilities, our self-esteem improves because we feel as though we have accomplished a task and gained new skills. Also, we build trust with those around us because our behaviour demonstrates that we will complete a task when we say we will. Others know that we will do what we commit to with excellence. Students that exemplify this character trait throughout the month of October will receive a certificate at the next assembly.
We hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend! Happy October!
Gina G. Christakis
Principal
Brown P.S.
