Hello Owen Families,
What lovely weather we are having. We hope you all had a chance to have family time outside this weekend. Later in the week we will have rain. Recess, lunch and physical education will continue outside with light rain so please remember to have separate indoor and outdoor shoes to help keep germs and dirt outside. See below for spring weather dress.
Happy Nowruz to all our families who celebrate the Persian New Year! Spring is here and it was a great weekend to celebrate.
Here is William (Gr 3) who has given a great explanation of what this holiday means and the important symbols used during this holiday.
Nowruz Mubarak!
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HEPA Filters are in!
We are very excited that the board purchased HEPA filters came in for all homeroom classrooms. Mr. Tony and Mr. Vernon delivered them to the classrooms Friday afternoon. Windows will still be open to allow for fresh air and air circulation. An extra sweater for those cooler days would will be useful. Thank you Parent Council Executive for the ongoing discussions and advocating for Owen.
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Tragic Event in Georgia
In the wake of the horrific shooting on Tuesday evening in Georgia, the thoughts of the students and staff of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) are with the victims, their loved ones, and Asian communities in the Atlanta area and beyond.
Of the 8 people who lost their lives, 6 were Asian women. The shooting occurs at a time when acts of anti-Asian racism and violence are rising — here in Canada, in the U.S. and internationally. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the TDSB has heard from educators, students and community members about their experiences confronting anti-Asian discrimination and its harmful impact on mental health, well-being and safety.
In our schools and workplaces across the city, TDSB staff work to identify, interrupt, address and report acts of racism, discrimination and hate. This is an important and crucial step in ensuring our schools are safe and caring spaces for everyone to learn and work. In the wake of this most recent violent attack, our resolve is strengthened to do all we can to engage students, staff and families in the vital work of building inclusive and compassionate communities. Earlier this year, the TDSB and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) partnered to develop important resources for addressing anti-Asian racism in classrooms and school communities. Recently, the TDSB Human Library Podcast also featured an episode on Understanding and Addressing Anti-Asian Racism.
In the days and weeks ahead, we will support students and staff in any way we can. Following Tuesday’s attack, some members of our TDSB communities may be experiencing feelings of vulnerability or insecurity. Media coverage may also be upsetting and challenging. Our Professional Support Services staff have assembled the following tips for parents, which may help support these conversations with children.
These are important conversations to have with your children at home. Please take a look at the resources provided to help guide some of the discussions at home.
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Safety First! - Rear Bus Loop
We have made great improvements with our traffic safety in the back. Our buses are able to turn safely out of our bus loop and students and caregivers are able to cross safely.
We are still having some parents pull into the bus loop before and after school. This is very unsafe as cars back out of the loop which is a danger to students and caregivers.
Please do not pull into the bus loop nor park there at anytime. There are plenty of spaces on the road and the walk with your child is great for everyone.
Thank you parents for watching and advocating for the safety of our students. We all have to work together as a community to ensure a safe environment for all our community.
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Senior Kindergarten French Immersion Registration
Registration for SK French Immersion will begin this week and end on Friday April 2nd for those who have been notified from the school. Please call the school or email owenps@tdsb.on.ca to schedule a Virtual Registration meeting time.
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Thank you for Trivia Night
Last Tuesday we had our 1st Virtual Community event. Thank you Mr Parkes, M McArthur and Ms Smyth for organizing such a fun event. Parents and staff were able to collaborate and compete using our world knowledge. We learned some interesting facts and obscure phrases that will stick with us forever!
Stay tuned for our next event...
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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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Service NOW Daily Health Screening App
Thank you everyone for continuing to manage through the Service Now Daily Health Screening app. Although there are small glitches that parents are experiencing, it has made our process much quicker and more efficient.
Parents do need to continue to do the daily health self assessment either through the website or the phone/tablet app to confirm the state of health of your child. When it doesn't clear it usually means either of the following:
- parents forgot to do the daily health screening that morning
- one of the questions was checked as YES.
- parents did the daily health screening but it didn't go through or wasn't complete
Some parents were able to have success with one child but not their sibling. I've created a video to hopefully outline the steps and help you troubleshoot the difficulties you are experiencing.
If you have not already uploaded your QR code please add it to
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Indoor Shoes
Please make sure your child has indoor shoes and outdoor/boots for recess. There is so much mud and dirt that is being brought into the school due to our muddy areas. Due to the cohorted zones, students have to keep in the areas assigned to maintain a distance from other cohorts.
Fortunately most of our school has floors and we see the amount of mud. Can you imagine the the hidden mud and dirt in the carpeted areas?
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Cutlery, Snacks & Water Bottles
Just a friendly reminder to have your child bring their water bottle and cutlery to school. We do not have enough cups or cutlery in the office and as a Platinum ECO school for environmental purposes we want to keep our waste to a minimum.
Here are some sites to help you and your child make some healthy snacks together. Just remember that all food brought to school must be NUT FREE.
We do have several water bottles available for sale. Water bottles will be sold for $8.00 through School Cash Online.
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Dress for Weather
Our Toronto weather has changed from icy fields to muddy fields all within a week. Please watch the weather with your child to determine what type of clothing they will need.
Most physical education classes as well as science walks, recess and any other outdoor education will continue with light rain. Please ensure students have the following:
- waterproof boots
- water resistant coat or jacket
- gloves and hat for the cold days
- umbrella if they wish to bring one.
Extra socks, pants and underwear kept at school will help prevent a parent trip to school or having your child sit in wet clothes for the rest of the day.
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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.
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