- Principal’s Message
- Winter Fest ~ Ival d'Hiver: Dec 13
- Full Day Kindergarten
- SK French Immersion: Information and Registration
- The Learning Disabilities Association -workshops
- Fall Fling - Thanks again
- December's Character Trait: Kindness and Caring
- Important reminders re: yard supervision, parking, cold weather, safe arrival program
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
I cannot believe we are already in December. It was great seeing many of the parents during the parent-teacher interview evenings and we hope to see many of you at the Winter Fest~Ival d’Hiver on December 13. Our students and teachers have been busy preparing for a wonderful morning of holiday cheer.
We had the Bullying is Not Cool Presentation featuring the Mini All Stars here in November. They spoke to our students about respecting people who may look a little different and the importance of empathy. Students participated in a question and answer period and some of our grade 6 students were challenged to a little basketball game.
During the next two weeks, a number of our primary classes will be involved in making artistic robots. Teachers may be requesting parent volunteers for this interactive art activity. Details will follow.
On January 16, we have the Fit2Dance group coming in to get everyone in the groove again with dance and fitness moves in the gym. Our students enjoyed this last year and we felt it was definitely worth a repeat performance.
On January 28, Ballet Creole will be at our school with a special presentation for our students.
News Update - Last 2 weeks of school
There have been many inquiries regarding the remaining couple of weeks of school. At this time, we ask parents to follow the local news and websites for updates. We will be happy to answer your questions via phone or e-mail.
The holidays begin on December 24. School resumes after the holidays on January 7 at 8:50 a.m. The holidays are always a special time of year. The staff and I wish you all a safe, restful and joyous holiday season with your family and friends.
Health and happiness to all,
Gina Christakis
Principal
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
WINTER FEST ~ IVAL D’HIVER
L’école Brown School ~ December 13, 2012
Please note: We respectfully ask that audience members be seated before “Act One” and “Act Two” and only exit during intermission and at the conclusion of the performance. Please be aware that all times are approximate.
Act One ~ La première chose
9:10 to 9:50 a.m.
- The Band
- 32 & 38
- 28 & 23
- 22 & 34
- 24 & 26
- 36 & 37
- The morning kindergarten class of Mme MacQuarrie
Act Two ~ La dernière chose
10:00 to 10:40 a.m.
- The Strings
- 30 & 33
- 20 & 39
- 21 & 25
- 40 & 41
- The morning kindergarten classes of Ms. Warden and Ms. Ferraioli
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN
We are getting ready for Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) at Brown Public School. FDK will be open to students in our catchment area only. We are working closely with Unicorn Daycare to ensure that only students living within our boundaries will be eligible to register for Brown’s FDK. We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure a fluid and smooth transition to this endeavour.
We will have 5 full day units of Kindergarten; 3 English classes and 2 SK French Immersion classes. We will require noon hour assistants for the Full Day Kindergarten classes to help with lunch hour and school yard supervision. If you know anyone who would be interested in applying for this one hour a day position, please speak to the Principal or Vice-Principal.
SK FRENCH IMMERSION
The Early Immersion Program begins only in Senior Kindergarten (SK). It offers 100% French instruction in the classroom until the end of Grade 3. All subjects are taught in French. English instruction is gradually introduced beginning in Grade 4 until it becomes a half-day program from Grades 6-8.
The Brown Public School French Immersion Information Evening will take place on January 16, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. in the library. The registration system, called Program Application and Registration System (PARS) for SK French Immersion will open on January 7 - January 31, 2013. You can register by going to this link: https://secure.tdsb.on.ca/pars/(S(dvw25l555e1awtjtsont3045))/public/welcome.aspx
THE LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION
The Learning Disabilities Association is offering some great workshops for students and parents. Workshops and Programs being offered include: The Mindfulness Program; Keyboarding for Kids; Assistive Technology Training; Parent Groups and more.
For more information: Please call 416-229-1680, email programs@ldatd.on.ca or visit our website at www.ldatd.on.ca for more information and registration
FALL FLING - THANKS AGAIN
Thank you to all for an incredible Fall Fling. Big thanks to the organizing committee, parents, staff and students who participated this year in making the event a true community success. Our staff and students are currently working with World Changers to create holiday hampers for families that need some help during this season. We kindly appreciate all the donations and generosity from our community to help those who are less fortunate.
Parents who won auction certificates for Principal or Vice-Principal for half a day are asked to contact us by phone or e-mail to advise us. We would like to honour and schedule these Spirit Items before the end of the year. We look forward to creating a special opportunity for our students.
DECEMBER'S CHARACTER TRAIT
Our Brown students display acts of kindness and caring on a daily basis.
Quotations
“Give to another human being without the expectation of a return.” ~ Bill Bradley
“Don’t wait for people to be kind, show them how.” ~ Unknown
“Kindness in words creates confidence, kindness in thinking creates profoundness, and kindness in feeling creates love.” ~ Lao-Tzu
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
What is kindness and caring?
- Showing understanding of others by treating them with compassion, generosity, and a forgiving spirit
- Being gentle, willing to help, friendly, and considerate
- Showing concern or sympathy for others
- Being sensitive to the needs of others
- Offering support
- Giving your time, talents, and resources to help others
- Talking positively about others
- Considering the needs of others, not just your own
What does kindness/caring look like and sound like?
- Smiling at those you know and those you don’t know
- Saying “Good Morning”
- Reminding someone who is feeling down about how special he or she is
- Saving to buy something nice for someone
- Donating to a charity
- Volunteering time to help others in need
- Cooking a meal for someone
- Giving friends and family members encouragement and sharing kind words
- Asking, “How can I help?” or “How are you?”
- Doing something nice for somebody––a random act of kindness
- Cleaning up a space that is shared with others
- Helping to keep the environment clean
- Taking care of someone who is sick, or wishing them a quick recovery with a visit or a card
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Oh, the weather outside is Cold!
BRRR! It's COLD outside! With the arrival of cold weather, we are requesting that parents ensure that children are dressed properly for the weather, which means wearing hats, mittens or gloves, scarves, snow pants and boots. Please take a few moments to review the reasons for wearing (not just bringing to school!) warm clothing in winter.
A great idea is to label clothing and belongings with your child's name, as this allows us to identify clothing that has made its way to the Lost and Found. During wet and slushy days please ensure your child has a pair of shoes that can be worn inside (but that are not worn outside) while boots are left outside the classroom to dry. This ensures that carpets in classrooms stay dry, and helps to eliminate slippery floors.
Lost & Found
Parents, please check our lost and found collection. There are many items currently in the Lost and Found area that need to be recovered before the holidays. Remember to label items (esp. lunch bags) with a permanent marker.
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 adults are recognized and encouraged to feel welcome in our school. Thank you!
Sign-In and Sign-Out Procedures
We understand that students may have to attend appointments during the instructional school hour day. Parents/Guardians are reminded that students must be signed out and back in for safety and attendance reasons. The sign-in and sign-out binders are located in the main office.
Kiss 'n Ride
Do not use the Avenue Road driveway as this is the school bus pick up and drop off area for our students.
Please pick up and drop of your children at the Kiss n’ Ride designated area on Poplar Plains Rd.
Community Issue: Parking near school
Our neighbours have recently been concerned about cars blocking their driveways during drop off and pickup times. Please ensure that you are not parking in front of anyone's driveway, as they need to be able to get in and out of their own driveway safely and promptly. There is one-hour parking on Balmoral in the event that you have to come into the school. We do everything we can to cooperate with our neighbours and would appreciate this is taken into consideration.
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 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. (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.
Relaying Messages to your Children or the Office
In the event of an emergency, we always do our utmost to relay messages to students; however, we will not disrupt classes and interrupt instruction time to give messages to individual students. Our Office Administrator and clerical staff are very busy during the day. To minimize the numerous phone calls they are currently receiving, we kindly ask for your cooperation to please make arrangements for special pick-ups prior to your child’s coming to school. The agenda is an excellent tool for communication between home and school for dental and medical appointments when your child needs to leave early. Letters are required to our office staff to notify us that your child is leaving the school early for an appointment or other matter. Parents who are picking students up must sign out the student at the office. Please help us with this process and make this a best practice at Brown P.S.
Swim Attire
Many students are forgetting their swim gear and having to call home. This is another disruption for the office staff and to instruction time. Please check your child’s timetable and ensure they have their swim attire on a regular basis. Possibly send the swim attire a day before the actual swimming class.
Hallway Safety
We kindly ask that parents and caregivers drop off their children in the school yard as a best practice and allow the students to go to their classrooms on their own upon the entry bell. Our hallways are narrow and when too many people congregate in the hallways, it creates a great deal of congestion. To ensure the safety of our students, please help us make this a best practice also.
