Owen Online Newsletter: Owen Family Update

Hello Owen Families,

We've had a very successful and tiring first week back at school. We want to thank our staff for adapting to the online environment and to creating engaging activities for the students. Thank you parents for setting up an environment at home that is conducive to learning and being their personal support technicians at home. And thank you students for trying your best, putting forth an effort to be active learners and being contributors to your online communities.

As we have recently heard, TDSB will be extending the remote learning experience for another two weeks. For now, we expect our return to be on Monday January 25th.

Morning Announcements - Hat Day @Owen

In the meantime, we will continue on our schedule as we have this week. We will continue to involve our Grade 4 & 5 students in leadership opportunities online through Morning Announcements and the yearbook committee. As these students are leaders and role models in our school, we want our younger students to be inspired and excited about opportunities for them when they get to the junior grades.

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Welcome Superintendent Ron Felsen

We would like to welcome Superintendent Ron Felsen to our Learning Network. We are very excited to be working with him at Owen. Superintendent Felsen brings much experience with him from a school, central and Virtual School perspective. Welcome to our Owen community!

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Strategies to help with Remote Learning

Here are a few strategies that may help your student/child with home learning:

Pre-plan

print the schedule for the day so there is a plan to follow and few surprises
bookmark the links to google classroom and the morning announcements to access these quicker

flexible seating

lying on the floor
sitting on an exercise ball
sitting on a cushion

fidget manipulatives

a few lego pieces
stress ball
fidget spinner

use of a white board, notebook or colouring book

have a snack or water bottle nearby

small crackers or pieces of fruit

set the screen on speaker mode not gallery to cutback on the visual distraction

choose a background to use at the beginning of the day before class starts

frequent breaks!

if your child feels restless, have your child let their teacher know they will be taking a short break
turn off the video and audio until they return to class

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What if my child has symptoms?

Please review the full Decision Guide in the COVID-19 Guidance link for a full explanation when students present symptoms. Please note that if students show symptoms at school, students will come to our wellness room for observations and parents/guardians will receive a phone call from the office.

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Middle Immersion French Program

From January 4-29, 2021, current grade 3 students, not already enrolled in Early French Immersion, can apply to start Middle French Immersion in September 2021, their Grade 4 year. Information about this NEW program is available in 22 languages here.

Middle French Immersion offers 100% French instruction in grades 4 and 5. In grades 6-8, 75% of the instruction is in French with English and Science taught in English. If necessary, for timetabling, specialist subjects, like gym, may be taught in English. In high school, Middle and Early French Immersion students will be in the same immersion program and will do 10 credits in French.

Middle French Immersion is being offered at 40 elementary schools across the TDSB. All on-time applicants are guaranteed a placement in the program but are not guaranteed a specific school. Bussing or TTC tickets are provided for elementary students according to TDSB transportation policy and procedures.

Apply here.

Virtual information sessions are being held January 14, 21, 27, 2021. Details here.

Step 1: Apply between Jan 4-29, 2021

Step 2: Check the email you provided on the application regularly, including junk mail folders, for an offer of placement. Carefully note the deadline for responding in the offer of placement email.

Step 3: Accept the placement by the deadline.

Further French program information is here.

Note: the grade 4 entry Extended French program is no longer being offered. During January 2021, current grade 6 students can apply to enter the Extended French program in September 2021, their grade 7 year. Applications are made directly to the Extended French grade 7 school. Watch for details here.

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Explore It!

We’ve just launched a range of online Winter Term programming - and we’d be so grateful if you wouldn’t mind posting it on the school web page for parents to see. We hope that our programming can be a bright spot in the students’ day, allowing them to explore and experiment with friends online. We suggest posting something such as the following:

Exciting things are happening at Explore It! with Winter Term Programming for students in JK through Grade 6. With programming in the areas of Science, Yoga, Digital Art, Musical Theatre, Fine Art, Dance and even Video Game Design - there’s something for everyone. Let’s Explore online together!

Check it all out here:

http://www.exploreitall.ca/online-winter-programming/

And - Adults can now join the Explore It! Lead Instructor, Elizabeth for online Yoga!

Elizabeth is a certified Yoga Instructor and Yoga Alliance member at the RYT-500 level and is bringing her practice to you at home! Check out our Yoga schedule here:

http://www.exploreitall.ca/online-yoga/

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Student News!

If you have photos, student work or family activities you would like to share on the Owen Online for next week, please email them to jamie.parkes@tdsb.on.ca by Thursday of this week.