- Construction update
- Classroom placement for 2013-2014
- EQAO dates
- Grade 6 graduation trip
- Upcoming presentations
- Annual end-of-year dance
- Earth Day
- International Day of Pink
- Important safety reminders
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
We are into the final stretch of the school year and as always, it is one of the busiest times of the year.
Construction has been well underway since the beginning of March Break. They are pouring concrete as I write this newsletter today. It appears we are on schedule and we have not experienced any major disruptions. I meet with the Board representatives and the Crew Management Team every two weeks to discuss issues and concerns. I will keep our community updated as our project continues.
Thank you for your co-operation regarding the Avenue Road driveway and the Staff Parking lot. We still have a few parents that may not be aware of our policies and remind them to please stay out of the Avenue Road driveway and staff parking lot area. We are fortunate to have a Kiss ’n Ride Program here at Brown P.S. and encourage parents to take advantage of this program. Our school buses are now picking up and dropping off students on Poplar Plains Road and we ask parents to be aware of the bus loading zone area.
We continue to encourage our students to wear appropriate clothing to school based on the weather forecast. We ask students to have their shoes on when outside in the school yard to prevent any accidents or infections. A number of our students have been outdoors barefooted recently and we are concerned for their safety.
Throughout the year we have had many Faculty students and Early Childhood Educators working with many of our staff and students. We would like to thank our many Faculty partners and our staff for mentoring our future teachers and Early Childhood Educators. We still have our student nurses at our school and they will be finishing their practicum here at Brown on April 10 with a review on safely managing severe allergies to our staff.
CLASSROOM PLACEMENT: 2013/2014
Letters will be going home soon discussing classroom placement for the September 2013-2014 year. We will be working on staffing models in April and May and should have a model ready for parental viewing in June when it is finalized. We have a number of teachers returning from leaves; teachers retiring and maternity leaves. We also have Full Day Kindergarten coming. There will be many changes next year and we look forward to the exciting opportunities that will be created with our staffing model and staffing.
If you are moving before September, please let the main office know as soon as possible. As we start planning for school organization for next year, we need to have enrolment data that is as accurate as possible since it affects staffing and class organization.
EQAO ASSESSMENTS FOR GRADES 3 & 6
The Ministry of Education conducts a province-wide assessment of all students in Grade 3 and Grade 6. Students are assessed in the areas of math, reading and writing. The assessments will take place during the period from May 23 to June 6. Please make every effort not to book appointments for your children in these grades during the testing days. Thank you and more information will come home to the parents of students in these grades as we move closer to the testing dates.
GRADE 6 GRADUATION TRIP
The parent information session for the Montreal/Ottawa trip May 13-16 was held on Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. in our library. Our Brightspark Tour Guide presented the itinerary and important information to parents who attended. All payments can be made online. We really want all of our grade 6 students to participate in this excursion. Should parents require any help or have any further inquiries about this trip, please do not hesitate to contact Gina Christakis.
VARIOUS UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS
On April 30th our students will be participating in a number of presentations at our school. The morning will begin with the UPOWER Concerts presented by Sara Westbrook and the afternoon will begin with a presentation by Q-MACK and his anti-bullying message. Students will also have their character trait assembly. Students will also have a special presentation on this day about Nicola’s Triathlon for Kids which will take place this year on Sunday, June 9, 2013 from 12:00-6:00 p.m. for students 3-14 years of age.
ANNUAL END-OF-YEAR DANCE
Our grade 5 and 6 students will be having their annual end of the year dance on May 31. As the grade 6 students get ready to leave Brown, they invite the grade 5 students to share in this dance celebration and welcome them as the new leaders of the school. This year’s dance has a neon theme. At this dance, we will be filming a 30 second clip called the BROWN SHAKE. Our students will be introduced to the dance steps at our April 30th assembly.
EARTH DAY - APRIL 22
Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.
Earth Day can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day Network is galvanizing millions who make personal commitments to sustainability. It is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PINK
April 10 - The International Day of Pink is a day of Action, born with a youth in a high school in Nova Scotia who was bullied because of his sexual orientation and wearing a pink shirt to school.
Fellow students who saw the incident intervened, but wanted to do more; so, they purchased pink shirts. Two weeks after the incident, hundreds of students came to school wearing pink to show support for diversity and stop bullying, discrimination, homophobia and transphobia. Following the incident, Jer’s Vision (Canada’s Youth diversity Initiative Organization) partnered with the students who started this day of action, and now share it with millions of people who will wear pink on April 10, 2013.
On Monday, May 6th at 12:50 p.m., our grade 5 and 6 students will have the privilege of meeting Jeremy Dias, the Director and Founder of Jer’s Vision here at our school.
Director and Founder, Jeremy Dias was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and grew up there until moving to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he attended high school. As a youth, he was motivated by social and political inequality to take action, volunteering with numerous organizations and charities. In high school he started and led a number of clubs including Stop Racism and Ontario Students against Impaired Driving. He also founded and coordinated the Sault Ste. Marie first regional LGBTQ youth group.
After coming out in high school, Jeremy faced extreme cases of discrimination by students and school officials. At 17, he began a legal case against his school and school board, and at 21 won Canada’s second largest human rights settlement. Jeremy used the money to found Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative, the International Day of Pink and the Jeremy Dias Scholarship. Jeremy has been featured on Canada AM, Much Music, CTV News, Global News and CBC News; and has been a keynote speaker at countless conferences and events.
He has completed a degree in Psychology and Political Science at the University of Ottawa, and continues to volunteer for a number of organizations including Housing Help and the Imperial Court. He is also a columnist for 2B Magazine in Montreal. Jeremy Dias currently serves as Jer’s Vision’s Executive Director.
Parents are welcome to join us for this special presentation with Jeremy.
APRIL'S CHARACTER TRAIT IS CO-OPERATION
What is co-operation?
• Working together for a common purpose
• Working together to reach a common goal
Quotations
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
“The only thing that will redeem mankind is co-operation.” ~ Bertrand Russell
“He that does good to another does good also to himself.” ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca, 4 BC–65 AD
“We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
What does co-operation look like/sound like?
• Happily doing something that will help others
• Agreeing to play a game others want to play if it means the group will benefit
• Helping someone in need by opening a door or helping to carry something
• Helping to find a compromise when a group is in disagreement
• Playing fair when participating in sports or games, and being a “good loser” and a “good winner”
• Inviting someone who is alone or “left out” to join the group
• Encouraging others to recognize the importance of co-operation by demonstrating the spirit of co-operation in your daily activities
• Volunteering time or resources to a community project
• Listening to the ideas of group members and finding ways for each person to feel valued and important
• Offering to do a job that nobody else in the group wants to do
• Asking the group members for their ideas and opinions
A Winning ATTITUDE and You!
ATTITUDE is a state of mind when you approach a situation. When you have a positive attitude, the possibilities are limitless.
Why is your attitude so important? Because it affects –
* How you look, what you say and what you do
* How you feel both physically and mentally
* How successful you are in achieving your goals
Do you take a positive attitude toward yourself?
* Are you willing to learn?
* Do you do your best on your schoolwork?
* Do you demonstrate enthusiasm?
* Are you willing to grow?
* Do you welcome change?
* Do you see the humour in things?
Do you take a positive attitude toward others?
* Are you sincerely interested in others?
* Do you look at other people’s point of view?
* Are you a good listener?
* Are you able to work with others?
You’ll be amazed how positive thinking can make your life better. Try practising with your family:
* Keep each other informed—a calendar with everyone’s activities helps to keep days and evenings running smoothly
* Be punctual – time is precious so do your best to be on time
* Be cheerful – it keeps things light-hearted
* Use only polite words – a few kind words can make a big difference (e.g. Please, Thank you, May I?)
* Be helpful – Look for ways you can assist. If everyone chips in, it leaves more time for other activities
* Be patient – Good things often come to those who display patience
Here are some suggestions for positive thinking at school.
* Be dependable – get to school and finish your homework
* Take pride in your work – this is key for success
* Respect – yourself and the rights of others
* Be considerate - it helps everyone to be successful
* Knowledge – it helps you grow
* Enthusiasm – it fuels your progress and keeps you happy
Adopting a winning ATTITUDE makes everyday living better.
* Life is more meaningful
* Problems are easier to handle
* Goals are more attainable
* Mistakes seem less disastrous
* The future is more exciting
“It’s not your APTITUDE, but your ATTITUDE that determines your ALTITUDE!” ~ Anonymous
Thank you to all for your continued support at Brown P.S.
Gina Christakis Sonja Litner
Principal Vice-Principal
Brown P.S. Brown P.S.
IMPORTANT SAFETY REMINDERS
Parking lot and Avenue Road issues
With construction for our Full Day Kindergarten addition currently underway, I would like to remind our parent community that the parking lot off Poplar Plains Road is for staff use only. The Avenue Road driveway will be blocked during construction for the maintenance and construction crews. There will be absolutely no parking in that driveway. Our school buses will be re-routed to Poplar Plains Road and Sonja and I will be parking in the Poplar Plains Road parking lot. We ask that our community follow the Kiss 'N Ride procedures to ensure the safety of our children and our parents. Your co-operation is appreciated.
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!
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.
Community Issue
Our neighbours have 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 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.
Kiss 'N Ride Etiquette
The Kiss 'N Ride program is now in its fourth year. It began out of a need to ensure that student safety was maximized during the drop-off period. Not just for those in vehicles, but also for those walking.
In recent months some of those safety concerns have resurfaced as unsafe practices have re-emerged. Before there is an injury or accident and to ensure parents are not ticketed when the area is visited by police, here are some important safety reminders we ask everyone to respect and adhere to:
1. DO NOT park in the designated drop off area between 8:30 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. for ANY reason. This causes traffic back up and is just plain rude.
2. If you MUST park and enter the schoolyard, then park on one of the side streets where parking is permitted, or one of the few 15-minute spots on Poplar Plains, north of the second school driveway exit. NOTE, the first “space” immediately north of the entrance to the underground parking lot is not a legal parking spot. It is too close to both the crosswalk and the driveway.
3. DO NOT PARK OR WORSE, LET YOUR CHILD OFF IN THE UNDERGROUND PARKING. This is designated staff parking and it is VERY poorly lit. Letting children off here is dangerous, just check the poles for paint marks if you think otherwise.
*PLEASE NOTE: THE PARKING LOT IS FOR STAFF ONLY*
4. When using Kiss N Ride, DRIVERS PLEASE, STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. Volunteers are wonderfully capable of opening doors on the passenger side. If you must exit the car, consider parking.
5. Do NOT let your children exit on the driver’s side of the vehicle into oncoming traffic. Again, this is dangerous. If an infant car seat is on the passenger side, consider moving the passenger front seat up to allow for an easier exit.
6. Please KEEP ALL BAGS, etc. in the car with your child, NOT the trunk.
7. Keep the flow moving; PULL UP TO THE FRONT of the line.
Please remember the motto of this program is: CHOOSE SAFETY OVER CONVENIENCE.
Preserving the Learning Environment - from the Office Staff
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, Lois Moulton and Clericals, Natasha Khakoo and Laurie Gray 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 for our office staff and classroom teachers 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.
