Friday 7 December 2018

December - Week 2

Our school has a few fundraising initiatives (see below) that are coming up before the holiday break. Thanks to our wonderful community and amazing students who have shown kindness and compassion to those in the community!

Sock Drive for the Homeless
Last year we partnered with Socks 4 Souls and started a sock drive for the homeless. We decorated our holiday tree at the school with socks we collected and we would like to continue this again this winter. The Owen Spirit Council asks that each family bring a pair of new socks to the Winter Concert on December 13th or anytime this week. Delivery to Socks 4 Souls will happen on Dec. 15th. 

https://www.socks4soulscanada.com/


Holiday Hampers – The Five Days of Giving Donation Suggestions

Monday, December 3rd will kick off Owen Public School's annual Holiday Hampers Gift Drive. Once again, we are asking for your help. Each class has been assigned one family who would greatly benefit from our support. Please see the donation schedule and list of suggestions below.


Date
Theme
Gift Ideas
Mon. Dec. 3rd
Hygiene
Toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash, deodorant, lotion, diapers, razors, shaving cream, hair accessories, mouth wash, laundry detergent, toilet paper, tissues, baby wipes, etc.
Tues. Dec. 4th
New Clothes
t-shirts, track pants, jeans, sweaters, socks, underwear, pyjamas, mitts, hats, scarves, gloves, slippers, etc.
Wed. Dec. 5th
Teenagers and Adults
Makeup, books, hand cream, nail file, music, magazine, jewellery, school supplies, basketball, baseball glove, notepads, oven mitts, picture frame, perfume, DVD’s, household items, cleaning supplies, holiday decorations, travel mug, etc.
Thurs. Dec. 6th

New Toys and Games
unwrapped toy, puzzles, board game, etc.
Mon. Dec. 10th
Gift Cards
Please note that Wal-Mart, No Frills and McDonald’s are in the immediate area where most of our families live.



Geneva Centre for Autism

Registration is now open for programs through the winter. Please see the link for details on programs and enrollment.


Pick up after school
Just a reminder to parents/caregivers to pick up students at 3:15 pm at their outside door or by the Kindergarten yard only. Our after school routines are quite busy and for safety for all students, parents should not be wondering the halls unless they have signed in the office and have a meeting with the teacher after school.

If your child has an appointment in the afternoon, please pick them up before 2:45 pm to minimize the disruption to the class’ instructional time. We will not be disturbing classes between 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm.

If your pick up plans have changed, call the office prior to 2:45 pm especially if students normally take the bus. Once the buses are loaded, it is very difficult to catch the students.

Traffic Safety & Parking

This is a friendly reminder that there is absolutely NO PARKING in the circular driveways at Owen PS. The front loop is for quick drop off and the back driveway is for buses only. Thanks to our amazing volunteers who keep our children safe each morning! The safety of Owen students is our first priority. 

Police will be helping our parent volunteers during morning drop off starting next week. The following information was shared by an Officer at 32 Division.

HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ACT
Fail to stop for a school bus
$490.00 - 6 points
Fail to stop at crossover (crosswalk)/Fail to yield to a pedestrian 
$180.00 - 3 points
Pass stopped vehicle at crosswalk
$180.00 - 3 points
Disobey sign
$110.00 - 2 points

PARKING TICKETS
Stop within 15 metres of Pedestrian crosswalk
$60.00
Stop in school bus loading zone
$60.00
Parking in a fire route (see picture below)
$250.00 

ONLINE REPORTING
If we have a license plate and/or description of the driver we can lay charges for moving violations, if the complainant is willing to go to court and can identify the driver.
If the complainant is not willing to go to court, we will send a letter to the registered owner about traffic safety.
                                                                                                                              

Looking for Parent Speaker
Owen’s First Lego League is looking for someone who is knowledgeable in the field of Space Exploration to come in and speak with us. 
If any parents have experience or connections in this field please contact myria.antoniou@tdsb.on.ca. Thank you for your ongoing support.
                                                                                                                              
Parents' Speaker Series

We have several presentations available for parents to attend.  Feel free to come to all or some of the presentations.  Registration information will be sent out soon.


                                                                                                                              
Image result for winter concert imagesWinter Concert - Thursday December 13th @ 6:00 pm
Grades 1-5 students are preparing to share their talents at our Winter Concert.  We are looking forward to a festive event.  Stay tuned for more information!





                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                              

Image result for winter clothing cartoon imagesDress for Weather!

Winter is here with lots of snow and wet grounds.  Recess and lunch times are excellent opportunities for students to get fresh air and exercise outside.

Students are expected to be outside unless they are involved in an activity or have a doctor's note stating they need to stay indoors.


Please help your child prepare for the winter weather with a warm jacket, boots, mitts and hat.  Indoor shoes are also required to change into during class to help keep our classrooms and school clean.


                                                                                                                                                       
Lunch Milk Program 


You can purchase tickets for milk at   http://www.schoolcashonline.ca The tickets will be available for sale on a monthly basis. 

· November tickets – on sale now until – Nov 7, delivered Nov 9
· December tickets – on sale Nov 23 – 29, delivered Dec 3rd 

If you have any questions or concerns, please send an email to owenmilkprogram@outlook.com and please include your child's name, grade and teacher. 

Thank you, 
The milk team
                                                                                                                                                       

NEW BOOKS WANTED FOR OUR LIBRARY!    


Hello Owen families! Below you will find a link to our Owen Public School book donation registry. Please consider purchasing a new book to help enrich our school library. Thank you for your support! You can also find our registry by visiting the Indigo website, clicking on registry and search for registry Owen Public School.

                                                                                                                                                       

School Clubs and Committees
Extra curricular activities are offered by teachers outside instructional time to enhance students' learning and to create opportunities for leadership and community building.  Student clubs and committees are offered throughout the year.  This chart will be kept up to date of any new clubs/committees added throughout the year.

Name of Club
Teachers Involved
Student Grade/Division Applicable
Location
(Rm number)
Day of the Week
&
Time of Day

FLL Club
Ms Smyth
Ms Antoniou
Mme Vezina
Mme Hammond
Grades 4-5


TBD
(Fall 2018)
FLL Jr. Club
Ms Smyth
Ms Antoniou
Grade 3


TBD
(Spring 2019)
Eco Club
M. McArthur, Ms. Lam & Ms. Payne
Grades 1-5
111
Tuesdays - 12:00 PM all year.
Maths Club
Mme Balaban
Mme Ching
Grades 3-5
110
Thursday -12 pm, October-April
French Choir
Mme Bourassa- Wilson
Mme Ching
FI grades 1-5
108-109
Wednesdays
October - March
Chess Club
Ms Coutts
Grades 2-5
Upstairs room
Nov - March, Mondays
Tournament is in March
Graffiti Club
M. Price
Ms. Montemurro
Grades 2-5
116
Thursdays at lunch
October-June

Poetry Club
(for submission to Urban Voices)
Ms. Burchell
Grades 3-5
113
December-January
Dance Club
Mme. Hammond
Grades 1-5
TBD
January - April
Thursdays @ Lunch
Recorder Club
Ms. Jagger
Grades 3-5
E.S.L. room
(October 11, 2018) Thursdays @ Lunch
Spirit Council
Mr. Miles
Gr. 4/5
Library
TBA
                                                                                                                                                       

Read & Write Gold @ Home
Read and Write Gold is designed to provide literacy support for students. It supports a Universal Design of Learning model which aids students in accessing the curriculum and completing reading, writing and research assignments. When used in conjunction with other applications, Read & Write allows students to experience greater independence and promotes inclusive classroom practices. This software incorporates the functionality of many pieces of software. As a result, it eliminates the need for students to train on multiple technologies. 



Some features of Read & Write Gold include; 

  • Speech Feedback  
  • Research Tools and Graphic Organizer 
  • Word Prediction / Phonetic Spell Checker
  • Talking Dictionary / Homonym Support
  • Audio File Creation
  • French Translator
  • Calculator: Standard and Scientific 
  • Scanning Capabilities

Owen Online Family Update - Week of December 18

  Dear Owen Families, As we approach the holidays, we are often reminded to count the ways in which we are fortunate.  While there are many ...