November 25, 2016: Panther Press

UPCOMING DATES   Parent Council November 29th, 9 am, All parents welcome PA Day December 2nd - no school for students Primary Concert (Grades 1-3) December 8th - 9am Sports' Assembly   December 19th, Parents welcome School Dance December 22nd Pyjama Day and School Sing-a-long  December 23rd - 9am, All parents welcome Last Day before the Holidays December 23rd First Day Back at School January 9th

THANK YOU!   WOW! What an incredible Fall Fling experience! Thank you to the entire team, and to our amazing parent community for your support, generosity and laughter! We feel so fortunate to be at a school where all stakeholders come together to support our students.

SWIM INSTRUCTOR UPDATE   Please join us in welcoming Camille Brown to our school family! Camille will be working alongside Mr.D, teaching all of the pool classes, and we are thrilled to have her with us.

FLU SEASON   With winter upon us we remind of Toronto Public Health tips to reduce the risk of the flu: Keep your hands clean. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds after using the toilet, diapering a child and before preparing or eating food. This is the best was of reducing the risk of getting infected with the flu. If soap and water are not available, and if hands are not visibly soiled, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 70%-90% alcohol. Do not prepare food for others if you have symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea. Thoroughly and frequently clean and disinfect environmental surfaces and equipment with a chlorine bleach disinfectant, especially in areas that are touched often (e.g. telephones, door handles, gym equipment, bed side rails, etc.). A chlorine bleach solution of one part household bleach to 50 parts water can be made from two teaspoons of household bleach mixed with two cups of water.  Anyone who is ill with diarrhea or vomiting should stay home until well for at least 48 hours (especially for those who work with food, the elderly or at a hospital).

DRAMA PERFORMANCE  All parents are welcome to see the following performances.   Mr. MacDonald's class will be doing a retelling of The Loathsome Dragon. A tale about a princess who is transformed into a dragon and needs her brother's help to return to her former self.   Mr. Pare's class will be doing a retelling of Stone Soup. A traditional tale about a group of monks who help bring a village that has being going through hard times, together.    These performances will be December 7th at 9am.

PRIMARY SWIM TEAM UPDATE   We have had a great couple of weeks of practice and it is all coming together! The dates are set for our upcoming swim meets, and are as follows: Friday December 9th at Brown with a 9:45am start. This meet will run until lunchtime. Tuesday December 13th will be at Hillcrest and will begin at 10am and will run until lunchtime. Students will be walking to Hillcrest so please be sure to dress warmly and pack a lunch. We have placed an order for team t-Shirts & team caps. This year we have gone with Royal Blue (Blue Jays Blue) with white lettering. Please note: This year, we have offered team shirts for the members of our "Training Team" as well. Stay tuned for more updates, Your Coaches

FRENCH  Applications for Early French Immersion (for a Junior Kindergarten aged child), must be completed online between November 1, 2016 and December 1, 2016. Applications for Junior Extended French must be completed online between January 9, 2017 and February 2, 2017. These applications are done online. Please visit the TDSB website.

KISS AND RIDE   Please keep the following in mind during morning drop-off:   This is a gentle reminder that Kiss & Ride is a drop off zone, on Poplar Plains Road, for students grades 1-6 only. Kindergarten children must be walked to their classrooms.   This program is staffed completely by Brown parent volunteers, from 8:25-8:40am.    A few reminders for all parents: There is no parking in the designated Kiss & Ride drop off area, or in the school bus zone between 8:25am and 8:40am for ANY reason.   When using Kiss & Ride, drivers must stay in the vehicle; volunteers will open the doors for your child(ren) on the passenger side of the car. If you must enter the schoolyard or your child is not able to walk in alone you need to park on one of the side streets where parking is permitted.  Parking in the Kiss'n'Ride zone is NOT permitted. For safety reasons, the Avenue Road Driveway is only to be used by TDSB Facilities staff, and Brown Administration. Please note that the parking lot off Poplar Plains is for Brown School Staff only. Our program relies on volunteers. Please be courteous with our Kiss & Ride volunteers!               Morning Parking is available in the neighbourhood in these areas: 10 minutes parking on Lynwood between Avenue Rd. and Poplar Plains on Warren Road VERY LIMITED parking on Poplar Plains near Lynwood on Balmoral Ave East and West of Poplar Plains, and East of Avenue Road on Clarendon Avenue.