News from the Office - May 2012

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.

Community Issue

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 that this be 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.

Principal’s Message from the Office of G. Christakis & S. Litner

EQAO Assessments for Grades 3 & 6: May 23 to June 6 2012

The Ministry of Education will be conducting 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.


Staffing Model for 2012-2013

The Staffing Model for the 2012-2013 school year will be published in the June Bulletin. Your child(ren)'s classroom placement for September 2012 will be noted on their final report card in June.

News from the Office - April 2012

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 fyour children at the Kiss N’ Ride designated area on Poplar Plains.

Community Issue

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 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

We are into the final stretch of the school year and as always, it is one of the busiest times of the year!

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. During the warmer days in March, we had many students enjoying recess barefooted.

We would like to say thank you to Gage Love, our Child Youth Worker who has been doing his placement in Mr. Macdonald’s class for the past few months and Emily Wright, our Early Childhood Education student who has been doing her placement in Ms. Warden’s class. Gage and Emily have become an integral part of our team and community at Brown Public School and we wish them well in their future endeavours. They will be missed by our students and staff.

Letters will be going home soon discussing classroom placement for the September 2012-2013 year. We will be working on staffing models in April and May and should have a model ready in June when it is finalized.

Moving?

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.

Heads Up: EQAO Assessments for Grades 3 & 6, May 23 to June 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.

This month’s Character Education Trait is Co-operation.

Thank you to all for your continued support!
Gina Christakis, Principal & Sonja Litner, Vice Principal

News from the Office - March 2012

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.

Community Issue

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 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 8:30am and 8:50am 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 15min 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 CONVENIECE.

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, 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 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.

Principal’s Message from the Office of G. Christakis & S. Litner

February was an incredibly busy and fun month for our Brown P.S students!

Our Outreach Committee organized a number of events to raise money for Free The Children in Kenya. From Popcorn day to crazy hair day, candy grams and the Dance-a-thon, there was plenty of excitement in the air during the month.  Great thanks to our teachers Mme Breslin and Mme Sulymko for their fine efforts in organizing the events, and to our students, staff and all of our parents who volunteered their time for this great cause.  We raised money to build schools and other sustainable initiatives in Kenya.

Term 1 Report Cards went home on February 14 and 15.  If you were not invited for an interview, but would like to meet with a teacher, please contact the teacher for an appointment.

Lost & Found

We will continue to put all Lost & Found articles out for display in the hallway on Mondays. Items not claimed by the end of the month will be sent to Goodwill.  Please note that the Lost & Found is on the first floor in the meeting room near the office and available to students and parents to look through for their lost personal items. 
 

Lunchroom Routines

We need your help in promoting an enjoyable lunch experience at school.  In the lunchrooms, our supervisors are facing some ongoing challenges.  We ask for parents’ support in reinforcing etiquette and routines with their children. Our lunch supervisors are noticing that many children do not finish their lunch, and instead of taking it back home or eating it at recess, they throw their uneaten food in the garbage.  There is a great deal of food waste.

Lunchroom supervisors try to encourage the children to eat or save what they bring for lunch, but often food ends up in the garbage anyway. It is certainly a waste of money for parents, and most importantly deprives children of their nutritional requirements.  As an ECO school we are promoting “BOOMERANG LUNCHES” which means that students are to return all food items, garbage and containers back home at the end of the day.  No garbage is to be left behind as we continue to monitor our garbage and recycling waste to reach our ECO PLATINUM goal.

“Honesty is the best policy” (Mark Twain)

The character trait for March is Honesty.  Our students were invited to our monthly assembly on March 1, to learn about this character trait and how to demonstrate honesty at home and at school. During the assembly we also conducted a lottery for student ambassadors. We had an overwhelming number of students from Grades 2-6 apply for this initiative.  We will continue to add more students to the ambassador list as we approach the end of the year and hope that many of the applicants will have an opportunity to represent our school in the years to come.

Playground Activity Leaders
Our Playground Activity Leaders Initiative is well underway.  Our students continue to organize games in the playgrounds and help resolve conflicts as they arise.  We still need parents to support this initiative by discussing the importance of being respectful to all students and adults in and outside of the school.

We are allowing students to borrow playground equipment such as balls, and skipping ropes.  Students sign out the equipment and return it after recess.

Neighbours and Ball Retrieval Issues

We try very hard to be amicable with our neighbours whose homes border onto the perimeters of our school.  Unfortunately, some of these neighbours do not appreciate parents or students knocking on their doors to retrieve balls that have made it over the fence and into their back yards.

Please refrain from going to the neighbours. One of the neighbours has agreed to help us retrieve the balls and return them to the school once a month.  (This was the best negotiation I could make).

We will do our best to stock our equipment box with balls for borrowing as best as we can.  Students should be reminded to be more aware of their surroundings when playing to avoid these mishaps.

Anti-Bullying Awareness continues at Brown P.S

Every TDSB school focuses on Bullying Prevention. We are very fortunate at Brown P.S. to be able to offer great presentations to our students that help communicate the importance of understanding what bullying is, what a bully and target looks like and what it means to be a bystander. 

Soren Benick’s The Power of One visited our school on February 10 with a powerful performance about how the power of one person can stop the bullying. Each student represents the power of one. The presentation ended with each student taking the Bully Prevention Oath:

I will not bully others.

I will not stand by while others are bullied.

I will report and deal with bullying whenever I see it…..

………because I have

the POWER of ONE

Our students had the opportunity to watch The Ultimate Class Trip featuring Q-Mack and his anti-bullying presentation in December.  Unfortunately, many of our students and teachers had an obstructed view and were not able to enjoy the performance.  Upon our return from this trip, I made a few phone calls and wrote letters expressing my disappointment. As a result, Q-Mack and his crew offered to do a show for our school without charging us. This presentation happened here at Brown on March 7 for our grade 1-6 students.  We kindly appreciated this gesture. 

News from the Office - January 2012

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.

Community Issue
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 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

Happy New Year!

I would like to wish everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year!  Sincere thanks to all for the warm wishes, cards and gifts.

While the holiday weather was unusually mild, the cold weather is upon us, as is the snow.  Parents are asked to kindly remind and ensure their children are dressed for the colder weather. Boots, coats, scarves and mitts should be worn to keep warm outside. Please check our Lost and Found area in case some of these items do not make it home at the end of the day.

Our Character Trait for the month of January is TEAMWORK. Students who exemplified December’s Character Trait of Kindness and Caring received Certificates at our monthly Character Education Assembly earlier this month.  We encourage our Brown students to be the best that they can be at all times by caring, sharing, being empathetic, charitable, kind and most importantly, respectful and responsible.  We would like all of our students to receive a certificate by the end of the year.

We began the New Year at Brown with a presentation called “Cinderfella”, a story about kindness, hard work and perseverance. The students enjoyed this one man show filled with humour and fun for all. We also had Fit 2 Dance workshops organized by our teacher, Holly Bondy. Our staff and students participated in 45 minute workshops and danced up a storm in our gym.  Even I busted a few moves with the Grade 3’s and 4’s.

Our teachers are preparing for the First Term Report Cards that will be sent out between February 13-15.  Parent Teacher Interviews will be scheduled on February 16 from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm and February 17 from 9:00 am -12:30 pm.  Teachers will be notifying you regarding these interviews shortly.

French Immersion Parent Information Evening: January 26, 7:00 PM at Brown P.S.

For parents interested in enrolling their child for Early Immersion for September 2012

Our annual French Immersion Parent Information Night will be held on Thursday, January 26 at 7PM in our library.  This meeting presents information about our French Immersion program to parents interested in enrolling their child for September 2012.  An information package will go out shortly to parents who have children currently in JK.  The Early Immersion program begins in Senior Kindergarten. 

Family Literacy Day: Friday, January 27

Schools all across Canada will be celebrating Family Literacy Day on Friday, January 27th. Since January 27 is a PA Day, teachers at Brown will plan literacy activities on another day this week.

Classes will be involved in a variety of activities, some of which include sharing personally written stories, making a favourite recipe, having a joke telling contest, reading buddies, and many more. Check with your child's teacher to see what is planned and if there is a specific time for classroom visits.

For nation-wide Family Literacy Day activities, such as contests, recipes and promotions, please go to www.abc-canada.org. 
 
Family Literacy Tips from A to Z

Encourage family literacy in your home and community. Here are some great tips to start you on the road to reading:

• Ask your child questions about the story you're reading to ensure comprehension.
• Book family time to read with your children every day.
• Create a special reading place in your home, with your child's favourite books within reach.
• Donate funds to the literacy cause!
• Encourage children to read words on TV, street signs, mugs and T-shirts. 
• Find new stories to read with your children every week. Vary their length and subject matter. 
• Give your time to read aloud to a child. 
• Have a child read a book to you. 
• International Literacy Day is held on September 8 every year. Celebrate the day by picking up a book and reading to a child.
• January 27 is Family Literacy Day! Visit www.abc-canada.org for a complete listing of Family Literacy Day events across Canada.
• Keep teens reading. Give them books, newspaper articles and magazines about things that interest them - music, movies, TV and computers.
• Let children count out the change when making a purchase. Reinforce the importance of math in everyday life! 
• Make every day a learning day. Ask your children to make a shopping list, read recipes together or help them make a calendar of their weekly activities.
• Newborns benefit from reading too!
• Organize a children's book club with friends in your neighbourhood. 
• Pick one night a week to make a regular visit to the library. 
• Quiet, cozy reading spaces are good places for your child to read independently. 
• Remember that children learn by example - if you recognize the importance of reading, your children will too! 
• Start early! It's never too early to read to your children. 
• Treat a child to a story a day. 
• Use reading time to create a special bond with a child. 
• Volunteer your time. Family literacy groups in your community could use your help with tutoring adults, reading to children and helping out with administrative tasks. 
• Write a letter. 
• X-ercise your mind! Reading ability is like a muscle, if you don't exercise it often, you will not maintain the same level of reading ability as you get older. So - "use it or lose it"!
• You are the key to improving a child's reading ability by placing a high priority on reading in your home. 
•  Zap off the TV - pick up a book instead!

Enjoy the day!!!

Heads Up! Kindergarten Registration Days: February 7, 8, 9

Brown Public School will be holding their Kindergarten Registration Days on Tuesday, February 7, Wednesday, February 8 and Thursday, February 9.  Our office staff will be happy to assist parents wishing to register their children on these days.  Please call our school if we can be of any assistance prior to registration.

We will have a Kindergarten Tour on Tuesday, January 24 at 1:00pm for parents interested in visiting our Kindergarten classrooms.

News from the Office - December 2011

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.

Community Issue
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 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.

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, 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.

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.

Reminder

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.  We also request that you take a few moments to review the reasons for wearing (not just bringing to school!) warm clothing in winter.  Please make sure that all clothing and belongings are labeled with your child's name, as this allows us to identify clothing that has made its way to the Lost and Found.  Also, please make sure that 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.

Principal’s Message from the Office of G. Christakis & S. Litner

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 our Outreach Committee 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.

December is a busy month at Brown P.S.  The TDSB has invited students to the Q- Mack presentation The Ultimate Class Trip on December 14 at the Ricoh Coliseum- It's all in the name of paying tribute to the TDSB's Character Development initiative and the important issue of tackling bullying head-on. The Ultimate Class Trip is open to all students from Grades 2 to 8 and will feature Q-Mack, Canada's best basketball trickster and an incredible entertainer. We have most of our grade 3-6 classes attending.  Our primary students will have the opportunity to attend The Ultimate Class Trip during the spring 2012.

This month’s Character Trait is Kindness and Caring.  We held two assemblies for our students last week discussing school expectations and the character traits. For every act of kindness and caring, students will be given a piece of construction paper to help create chains of kindness and caring throughout the school.  Our goal is to be able to link these chains of kindness and caring from the third floor all the way to the first floor.  Each link will have a student’s name on it representing their act of kindness and caring.

Empathy certificates were given to Alexander Wise and Foster Smith for their radio announcement contributions in educating our students about EMPATHY during the month of November.    Congratulations to both boys for their fine efforts.

Every Month I will include a short article offered by our TDSB guidance department about various topics. Last month I included information about Bullying Awareness. This month‘s topic is Children and Stress. 

Children and Stress

“Stress can infect and affect the physical, emotional, social, intellectual and academic well-being of children.  It can interfere with their motivation, attention, perception, memory and the entire learning process.”  Dr. Harold Minden, York University suggests, children experience stress much like adults do, but we often do not recognize the contributing factors or signs.  Family situations, health problems, and an overly busy lifestyle can all cause stress in our children.

Some clues that your child may be stressed are:

• Recurring headaches or other physical symptoms
• Lethargic behaviour or lack of energy
• Nervous habits such as nail biting
• Restlessness
• Strained facial expressions or frowns

Here are some ways parents can help children learn to manage stress:

• Be patient.  Allow extra time for activities and preparation.
• Physical contact helps.  Hugging helps a child to relax and builds self-esteem  at the same time.
• Listen to your child when he/she tells you about his/her feelings. Ask questions to encourage openness and honesty.
• Promote physical activity.  A healthy body is linked to a healthy mind.
• Allow for quiet time.  Be sure not to over program your child.
• Prepare healthy meals, as a balanced diet gives children needed nutrients.
• Be consistent with your child so there are few surprises.
• Teach your child relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and stretching.

For more information, visit the Canadian Child Care Federation website at: www.cccf-fcsge.ca.

Happy Holidays!

The staff and I wish you all a safe, restful and joyous holiday season with your family and friends.

School resumes after the holidays on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 8:50 AM.

Sincerely,

G. Christakis-Principal           S.Litner-Vice Principal

News From the Office - November 2011

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.

http://www.kidsareworthit.com/

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

For info on the TDSB Homework Policy, please check:
http://tdsbweb/ppf/uploads/files/live/102/199.pdf

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.

News from the Office - October 2011

Principal's Message - From the Office of G. Christakis and S. Litner

Vice Principal Sonja Litner; Principal Gina Christakis

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Gina Christakis and I am proud to be the new Principal at Brown Junior P.S. 

Brown has had an incredible legacy of leadership and tradition and I am proud to have the opportunity to serve this community.  I thank everyone for their support and warm wishes in the last few weeks, particularly Jane Giuliani (our retired Principal) who graciously helped me transition to Brown. Words alone cannot express my gratitude to Jane, and Sonja Litner, our Vice–Principal for bringing me up to speed about this dynamic school and community.   I have enjoyed meeting many of the children in the last couple of weeks and plan to continue visiting their classrooms and sharing personal childhood stories with them. 

I grew up in this area. I attended Hillcrest P.S, Winona and Oakwood Collegiate.  I started my career as V.P at Hodgson Senior P.S., followed by John English Junior Middle School, Kent Senior/Alpha II Senior and Secondary, and Lord Lansdowne Junior and Senior P.S. My experiences have been diverse and challenging at times; however, I have worked with incredible staff and will continue to inspire, encourage and support my team to keep pace and help all of our children learn and succeed. 

Happy October!

Our school year is well underway and we look forward to the many events planned throughout the beautiful month of October.

Primary/Junior Grade Re-organization

We were able to obtain a 0.5 Drama teacher thanks to our healthy current enrolment. We will be welcoming Eryn Miller as our Primary and Junior Drama teacher on Tuesday October 11, 2011. Eryn will be with our students during the afternoons. We look forward to our students growing and developing themselves through movement, building on their personal strengths and developing their communication and theatre skills.

First Term Progress Report Card Information

First term report cards will be sent home to you on Monday November 14.  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 Wednesday, November 16, 3:45 to 8:00 PM. and Friday, November 18,   9:00 AM -12:00 PM.  More info to follow regarding scheduling conferences.

Student Emergency Forms

Requests for updates to emergency information were sent home recently. 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 8:55 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.

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 adult 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 pickup and dropoff area for our students. Please pickup and drop off your children at the Kiss N’ Ride designated area on Poplar Plains.

QSP Magazine Drive

The QSP Magazine Campaign has wrapped up, but all families can take out or renew subscriptions at any time! The sales from these magazines support events for our Grade 6 students.

• Order online at http://www.qsp.ca/; your order will be processed immediately.
• Our group number for Internet orders is 9143

Thank you for attending Curriculum Night!

It was a full house at Brown Junior Public School on September 23rd with many parents, students and relatives visiting the classrooms and meeting our teachers.  We were delighted to share with you all of the wonderful programs and activities which are offered at Brown.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or us in the office.

Annual Parent Breakfast

On September 28th our School Council hosted the Annual Parent Breakfast.  Thank-You to our Chair, Lisa Bernstein and the incredible Brown community parents for organizing such a wonderful 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.

Happy Thanksgiving

Monday, October 10 was Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to all for contributing to our food drive. Every single one of us can help make a difference for those in need.

Happy Hallowe’en!

Please join us for our Hallowe’en Parade on October 31^st at approximately 9:30 AM.  Children are invited to wear their costumes to school that morning.  (Afternoon Kindergarten students will dress up in the PM.)  Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will parade in the school yard area.  Dress up and come along if you can.

Hallowe’en safety is important.  Our public health nurse sends along 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!