Important Safety Reminders
Yard Supervision
Yard Supervision for Grades JK to 6 begins at 8:35 AM and ends at 3:45 PM. Afternoon Kindergarten supervision begins at 12:45 PM. 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.
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.
Principal’s Message from the Office of G. Christakis & S. Litner
October was a very busy month here at Brown P.S.!
Our Girls' Football and Baseball Teams were city finalists and our Cross Country participants ran with great enthusiasm. All of our students who participated in the various teams enjoyed an exciting season. We look forward to many more nail biter play-offs this season as we begin volleyball, swimming, basketball and hockey. Great thanks to our coaches and parents for all of their support and most importantly, driving our students to and from the games safely.
November is another exciting time at Brown with even more events and activities including our annual Fall Fling on November 17. Our male faculty kicked off the beginning of November by announcing their support for Movember. Just notice some of our teachers as they compete to grow a moustache - all for a great cause: to help raise Prostate Cancer Awareness. Donations can be made in our main office.
On the topic of awareness, our former Principal, Mrs. Giuliani, made us aware of a school that can no longer afford to run their Breakfast Program. We would like to thank Beth Adams for helping us adopt the school and facilitating a Food Drive as part of our Outreach to the Community. We will continue the food drive until November 11 and appreciate everyone’s support and generosity as we help the students at JR Wilcox Public School enjoy a healthy breakfast.
Bullying, Internet Safety and Cyber bullying are always hot topics in Elementary School. We are all making a conscientious effort to identify inappropriate behaviours in and out of the classroom and remind students that these behaviours are not conducive to successful learning and teaching, nor are they behaviours we will condone at Brown Public School. November 14-20 is National Bullying Awareness Week. The TDSB is part of a new group called the Toronto Coalition, which is a group of organizations all of whom deal with bullying awareness and prevention.
Bullying awareness includes access to good information for students, teachers, and parents. Guidance Services are actively providing information to schools to assist in combating bullying.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Bullying is a universal problem.
- Bullying is when a person or group tries to hurt or control another person.
- There are many kinds of bullying and they ALL hurt (physical, verbal, emotional, social-relational).
- Bullying is a serious issue that has damaging effects in our society and not just a rite of passage.
- Bullying is NOT an acceptable
Advice to students:
When someone is new to your environment, go out of your way to make them feel welcome.
If you see someone on their own, invite them to join you.
Remember the Golden Rule to treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Remember that everyone has the right to be respected and the responsibility to respect others.
What can you do if you are being bullied?
- Get help from an adult you trust.
- Stand up for yourself, but don't try to fight - stay safe, get help.
What can you do if you are bullying others?
Think of a way of being a leader that doesn't hurt others (sports teams, school clubs).
Talk to someone about how to change your behaviour.
What can you do if you see someone being bullied?
Get help right away - know the difference between "telling" and "tattling." Telling helps someone out of trouble - tattling gets someone into trouble.
Get involved - bullying ends when someone steps in to help stop it.
In an effort to raise more awareness, I will be visiting our Junior classes and educating our students about Bullying, and its effects on others. As part of our Build Character, Build Success Program, November’s character trait is Empathy which correlates nicely with the discussions we will have. I will be using excerpts from The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander by Barbara Coloroso. Please feel free to check out the website and have some meaningful conversations with your child/children of any age group.
Preserving the Learning Environment
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, Dorothy Hunt and Clerical, Lisa Burk 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.
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.
Progress Reports and Interview Tips for Parents
Parents should be receiving a letter shortly indicating available appointment times to set up a conference time to discuss your child’s progress to date.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on:
Wednesday November 16, 2011 3:45 p.m-8:00 p.m.
Friday November 18, 2011 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Please contact your child’s teacher for an alternate date or time.
Parents Please Note!
If your child is experiencing severe academic difficulties (and is not currently receiving ‘English as a Second Language’ help or help from our Special Education Resource teachers), the classroom teacher will have notified you before your receipt of the Progress Report.
Successful Parent-Teacher Interviews
As parent teacher interviews are upon us, we encourage you to take this opportunity to find out about your child's progress. Progress Reports will be sent home on Monday November 14 and/ or Tuesday November 15. Below are some questions and tips that you may find useful for the interview. Interpreters are available. Please contact your child's teacher or indicate your requirements on the parent-teacher interview form.
Great Questions to Ask
What skills does my child need to work on?
What activities can we do at home to strengthen those skills?
Does my child complete his/her work and assignments efficiently and conscientiously?
Is my child facing any struggles in class not related to her/his schoolwork?
Interview Tips
- Talk to your child about school before the interview. Ask how they think they are doing and how the teacher can help them meet their goals.
- Get an idea of what the curriculum is like, the level your child is working at, and areas where they are struggling.
- Make a list of what you want to know before you go into the interview. You can even prepare questions ahead of time if it will make you feel more at ease. Knowing what you want to know and writing it down ensures that you don't forget anything, and that you get the information you need.
- Be open and honest. Feel free to add your own observations around your child's behaviour, strengths and weaknesses.
- Find out what they're learning. Ask curriculum questions, find out what your child has learned and what is coming up in the term ahead. Know the skills your child will need to be successful in the term ahead (i.e. knowing how to multiply and divide fractions).
- Ask about strengths and weaknesses and possible problems. Find out about problems before they happen. This information will allow students to get help before they fall behind.
- Find out how often and how much homework is being assigned as it relates to the TDSB's Homework Policy. Also ask if your child is completing his/her homework regularly, how long the work assigned should take to complete and does the teacher check the homework regularly and provide feedback. The answers to these questions will help you better monitor your child's work habits.
- Ask what you can do at home to help your child. Make a commitment to support your child's learning.
Grade 6: Preparing for Transitions
As we prepare our Grade 6 students for Grade 7 and 8, we will be planning information sessions in the next few months. Parents and Guardians will be invited to hear presentations regarding the transition to Grade 7 and learn what your child’s choices are.
Our Grade 6 students will also be able to visit the various Grade 7/8 schools. More information to come.
Getting on the Right Track
Research tells us that a good start to the school year prepares students for success. As such, establishing consistent homework and study routines are critical components in assisting students to be the best learners they can be.
The following tips will assist you in setting up a homework/study space:
- A complete assignment notebook/agenda
- Write down all assignments right away
- Know exactly what you are supposed to do
- Start immediately after you sit down
- Have everything you need with you
- Plan what you wish to accomplish
- Plan when you will study
- A consistent time and place is best
- Break down large tasks into smaller ones
- Keep a record of what you do accomplish
- Good lighting
- Not too bright, not too dim
- Chair
- Use one that is comfortable
- Books
- Have all necessary text books & reference books handy
- Supplies
- Pencils, pens, markers, erasers, white-out, ruler, stapler, paperclips, pencil sharpener, post-it notes, paper, scissors, calculator, etc.
- Clock
- This will help you manage your time
- Distraction-free
- This would include TV, computers, i-pods, loud music
- Soft, background music may be helpful
To maximize learning:
- Get enough sleep
- Eat regular meals & healthy snacks
- Exercise regularly
- Schedule short breaks during study time
Students! Do Not Bring Valuables to School!
Students are reminded not to bring money for personal use or items of value to school. Unfortunately, when such things are lost or stolen, the school cannot be held responsible to replace them.
Remembrance Day, Friday, November 11
On Friday, November 11, 2011, students and staff at our school and across the city will mark Remembrance Day with classroom activities and school assemblies. During Remembrance Day, our teachers make connections between global events and students' lives by promoting peace within our school community. On this solemn occasion, our staff, students, parents, and the wider community all join together in a call for peace.
This year’s Remembrance Day marks the 66th anniversary of the end of World War II. It’s also the 93rd anniversary of the end of the First World War.
In Flanders Fields
John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
We will be holding our Brown Public School Remembrance Day Service at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 11th in the gymnasium. You are invited to our ceremony (standing room only) in remembrance of the men and women who died fighting for our freedoms and liberties, which we all enjoy today.
