Hello Owen Families,
Happy Passover to all our families who celebrate. Tonight many are celebrating the second Seder with their family. Please email owenps@tdsb.on.ca if your child will be away for Passover.
This will be a short week as school will be closed for Good Friday (Friday April 2nd) and Easter Monday (Monday April 5th). Thursday is a good day to take home winter clothing from school.
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TDSB Anti-Racism Resources
As we continue to have conversations with our students to unlearn racism, we advocate for students by interrupting conversations and having lots of discussions about how our actions and what we say to others can be perceived.
Here some great resources to continue and support the conversations at home.
- TDSB Human Library: Conversations around Equitable, Anti-Racist, and Anti-Oppressive Practice is a podcast series comprising a collection of audio episodes on topics related to Equity, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Oppression in education. This podcast invites listeners to critically reflect on their pedagogy, reimagine engagement, and partner with community to improve student well-being and achievement.
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Lost & Found Items
We do have a pile of Lost & Found items. Staff will be taking classes to look and see if any items belong to them. Here are some items. If you notice an item, please let your child know so they can pick it up and take it home.
Anything left on Thursday afternoon will be donated to a good home for others to use.
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Owen After Hours
As the weather is getting warmer, more kids are hanging out at Owen after hours and on the weekends. Last Monday, Mr Tony found lots of broken glass, yogurt and other food items all over the stairs by the basketball courts and on the walls. People have also been found on the roof of the school. Some former Owen alumni have been talked to about climbing the roof and we hope they stay off for their own safety.
We want to ensure the grounds are safe for our Owen students and for the safety of our former Owen Alumni. If you see unsafe or vandalizing behaviour please call our Emergency Line and security can come to the school to check it out.
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Safety First! - Crossing at Stop Signs
Just a reminder to give way to pedestrians who are crossing at the stop signs. We have flags left at some intersections to help identify students and caregivers walking to school. Please review this video to remind your child how to use the flags.
Remember to slow down around the school zone.
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Why We Can't Compare COVID-19 Vaccines
Here is a great video from a parent who is a front line worker to help explain some of the data around the vaccines.
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Moving out of Owen? (Including Grade 5 Grads)
If your child will be moving schools, please fill out the form below to help us know where to transfer your child's information. Please fill this out by the end of March so we can estimate the enrolment for next year.
This includes Grade 5 graduates who are moving onto Middle School.
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Explore It! Spring Registration
Exciting things are happening at Explore It! with online Spring Break Camps for students in JK through Grade 8. With programming in the areas of Yoga, Digital Art, Musical Theatre, Fine Art, Dance and even Video Game Design - there’s something for everyone. Let’s Explore online together!
Join us for:
Join us for:
Theatre Arts Camp for JK - SK
Dance, Jive, Move and Flow for JK - Grade 2
Arts and Crafts Club for Grades 1 - 3
Adventures at Hogwarts for Grades 1 - 3
Musical Theatre : Kids on Broadway for Grades 1 - 6
Creative Kids Yoga Party for Grades 3 - 6
Video Game Design for Grade 4 - 8
Digital Art : World Building for Grades 4 - 8
Register today!
http://www.exploreitall.ca/spring-break-camps/
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Earth Hour Activities
Ideas for everyone:
1. Switch off your lights
This is the DNA of the Earth Hour movement and the easiest way to participate this Earth Hour. Simply switch off all non-essential lights for an hour!
2. Dinner-in-the-dark
Get some candles ready and whip up healthy and delicious meals that will make your taste buds tingle! Don't know where to start? Check out our list of 50 foods for a healthier planet and a healthier you!
Up for a challenge? Try a zero-waste cookout or put on a blindfold and try and guess what's been cooked up!
3. Join us virtually and tune in online to one of our live Earth Hour streams
From influencer Q&A sessions, to live performances and contests, stay tuned for our directory of live streams around the world you can tune in to on the night of Earth Hour! Bookmark this page for more updates to come.
4. Have a night of board games or book readings in candle-light
Note: Our Earth Hour team will not be held responsible for any friendships ruined by a game of Monopoly 😇
5. Themed movie night
Get the popcorn ready and enjoy your most treasured Disney movies or take on those Harry Potter marathons that you've been always wanting to do. You can even watch some spectacular Emmy Award-winning documentaries like Our Planet on Netflix to experience our natural world in all its glory #ShamelessPlug 😎! No Netflix? No problem! You can even catch one bonus episode for free here - Our Planet: Our Business.
Still can't get enough of nature documentaries? The Environmental Film Festival is showing a large selection of their films for free on their website for a limited time!
6. Make an impact in only 60 seconds - sign our Voice for the Planet petition
Only have a minute? Add your Voice to call on world leaders to take urgent action to protect and restore nature! Our Voice for the Planet petition will be presented at major global conferences later in the year.
7. Camp in your backyard or living room
If you love the adventure of camping outdoors, we challenge you to turn your back garden or living room into your very own camping space! Don’t have an actual tent? Why not make one with bedsheets, pillows, and other household items!
8. Minute-to-win-it
We've partnered with One Minute Briefs (OMB) to run a competition on the night of Earth Hour! Want to win £100 in cash and a tee from the Earth Hour shop? All you have to do is create a poster encouraging people around the world to take part in Earth Hour, and Tweet your entries to @OneMinuteBriefs and @earthhour with the hashtag #EarthHour! Learn more about the contest here.
9. Class is in session!
Learn more about nature loss and climate change - the biggest challenges of our time - and how we can overcome them together. You'll also discover why the two are more interconnected than you might think! Up your knowledge now
10. Heads up!
Challenge each other in a game of Heads Up! You can create your own deck of nature or wildlife-related word cards. Have a guesser hold up the cards on their forehead while the rest act out the word.
11. Practice some night-photography or try out "light-painting"
Want to test your photography skills? Try taking portraits of your family and friends in low-light or candle-light! You can also try out “light-painting” with your camera - we recommend a tripod and a slow shutter speed! Check out this useful guide for more information on how to do this!
12. Up your sustainability knowledge and know-how
Learn what you can do in your daily life to start living more sustainably - even the smallest actions add up! Read how here
13. Create your own mini-golf course using household objects
A little friendly competition can’t hurt - up the stakes by making the loser do the dishes or any household chore 😅!
14. Create your own Rube Goldberg machine
Need inspiration? Check out what Honda and Ok Go did!
15. Challenge your artistic side with a candle-lit paint night
Feeling funky? You can also try using glow-in-the dark neon paint!
16. Write a letter to your future eco-warrior self
Do you wish to limit your water wastage or purchase eco-friendly goods more often? Why not put all of your sustainability goals into a letter for your future self! It’s a fun way to hold yourself accountable while at the same time do your part in helping our planet!
17. Eco-friendly fashion show
Turn your living room into a runway and bond with your family as you take on a fun and silly night of dressing up! Unleash your creative side by making your own costume from recyclable materials!
18. Dance the night away or hold a silent disco
Grab a pair of headphones and groove to your own favorite music! Take it up a notch by battling it out with your family and friends in a silent disco and claim dance floor supremacy.
Need some inspiration for your dance moves? Check out our Earth Hour Tik Tok channel (@EarthHourOfficial) and stay tuned for our dance challenges!
Need a groovy set of tunes? Check out our Earth Hour channel on Spotify! We've got our official trailer music from over the years, as well as a curated playlist of nature-inspired songs!
19. Acoustic jam session
Unleash the Ed Sheeran or Beyonce in you and sing the night away with your friends and family! For all you shower singers out there - this is your chance to shine! ⭐
20. Try Yoga at Home
Check out virtual yoga classes that start with basic beginner’s yoga poses and expand your skills as you go on. Further connect to nature and create a zen-like experience by meditating to some nature sounds on our Spotify channel, or trying some animal-inspired yoga poses!
Ideas for young ones:
1. Shadow puppet play
Want to entertain your young ones? Switch off all the lights and put on a shadow puppet play! Cut out different shapes of animals, set up a stage using cloth and light and let the shadows come to life! Further set the mood by transforming your pillows and blankets into a mighty fortress!
2. Indoor scavenger hunt
Treat your young ones to a thrilling scavenger hunt! Turn off the lights, and hide items around the house (candy and chocolate are great incentives 😂 ). Challenge your young ones to find all the hidden items within a certain time limit, using only a flashlight!
3. Take on adventures with Pocoyo
Every year, Pocoyo and friends turn off their lights during Earth Hour! Learn with your little ones how to take care of the planet by watching Pocoyo’s adventures, playing the Earth Hour game and completing the activity book. There are plenty of activities to be done with Pocoyo here!
4. Create your own tie-dye clothes
If your young one is tired of boring white socks or has too many old t-shirts, get together to tie-dye them! All you need is a white piece of clothing, a bucket or a basin, water, rubber bands, some gloves, and different colored dyes. Pro tip: your tie-dye pattern depends on how you fold and secure the fabric with your rubber band! Check out this useful guide for more information!
5. Goggles on - try a science experiment at home
Share the wonders of science with your little ones this Earth Hour! And the best part? You don’t need a ton of supplies - you can just use regular household items! Check out this page for some ideas.
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Purple Day for Epilepsy - March 26th
Did you know that 1 in 100 people in Canada are living with epilepsy? This means it’s likely that at least a few of the students in our school are living with epilepsy or a seizure-related disorder.
March 26th was Purple Day – a day dedicated to bringing awareness to epilepsy and helping eliminate the stigma around the disease. Click on the link to find out more about Epilepsy. Toronto and many other cities celebrated by lighting up their cities purples.
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April is Autism Awareness Month
April 2, 2016, is World Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month. Find cool activities for your kids, family, or school to observe the occasion and boost support for people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
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Water Bottles
We've had many purchases of our Owen water bottles. We do have several water bottles still available for sale. Water bottles will be sold for $8.00 through School Cash Online.
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STUDENT NEWS
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