Owen Family Update - Week of November 22nd 2021

Dear Owen Parents/Guardians,

Winter is around the corner and the weather is getting much colder.  Just a reminder that students dropped off early will need to wait outside until the bell rings at 9:10 am.  Please make sure they are dressed for the weather.  Don't forget to label all the outdoor clothing.  

I came across this great TED talks from 7 yr old Molly Wright, one of the youngest-ever TED speakers. Breaking down the research-backed ways parents and caregivers can support children's healthy brain development, Wright highlights the benefits of play on lifelong learning, behavior and well-being, sharing effective strategies to help all kids thrive by the age of five.

She's joined onstage by one-year-old Ari and his dad, Amarjot, who help illustrate her big ideas about brain science. It's great advice and does show how communication and games develop the relationship between the parent and child but also helps develop the brain.

If you have a favourite family game you do, please share it on this document.  The holidays are a great way to reconnect and communicate as a family.

Favourite Family Games

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Holiday Displays

Happy Hanukkah Owen Families!

We are so excited to invite Owen students to help participate in decorating our front display case for Hanukkah. 

Students are welcome to bring their own special traditional Hanukkah items to school, and please see Ms Tobin for safe-keeping. Ms Tobin will also have many items for students to use to help decorate our display cases.

Please bring all items in by Wednesday November 24th.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms Tobin at Michelle.Tobin-Krofchick@tdsb.on.ca  

If you would like to set up a holiday or cultural display in the front hallway please let us know.  We love having our students and families create these displays.

                               

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Holiday Hampers

Once again we will be creating our Holiday Hampers to support families during these difficult times.  Each class will receive a hamper to receive new donation items to fill throughout the weeks.  There will be specific themes for the donations to provide a variety of products, gift cards and gifts for the families in need.  Information will be sent soon!

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COVID-19 vaccines and kids webinar

What is the webinar about: With the approval of COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5-11 in Canada, there are different things to think about and you may have many questions on what this means.

Hear from our panel of experts to get answers to your top questions and to help inform your decisions on this important public health priority. Register now. 

You'll get answers to:

- What are the vaccine options for 5-11-year-olds and who are they best suited for?

- How is Health Canada determining the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines for use in kids, including against the variants of concern?

- What are the impacts of the vaccine to kids with food allergy and those at risk of anaphylaxis?

- What are the side effects of the vaccines specific to children?

- If children do not frequently experience severe illness with COVID-19, why do they need to get the vaccine?

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A Message from Owen School Advisory Committee (OSAC)

Parent Council

At this stage, OSAC is optimistic that many of the initiatives OSAC traditionally organizes will be able to return at some point during the 2022 part of the school year.

AFTER 2 YEARS OF RELATIVE INACTIVITY FOR OSAC, ITS NOW CRITICAL THAT THE OWEN PARENT BODY RECOMMIT THEMSELVES TO OSAC SO WE CAN ENSURE THAT THE SUCCESS THAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED OVER THE PAST YEARS IS SUSTAINED AND THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP ENRICH OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION AT OWEN PUBLIC SCHOOL.

To that end, any Owen parent is welcome to put their name forward to stand as Chair or Co-Chair for any of the foregoing Committees.

Serving as a member of the OSAC Executive or as Chair/Co-Chair is an excellent way to take an active role in your children’s education as it allows you to not only strengthen your ties with the Owen administration/teachers, but also to connect with your fellow Owen parents. Working with OSAC is the most effective way in which you can make a real difference in the quality of your child’s experience at Owen Public School.

If you would like any further information regarding what is involved in serving as a OSAC Executive or a Chair of a OSAC Committee, please feel free to contact myself at mike.owenpublicschool@gmail.com .

Committees:

· Grad Committee – Michelle Brochu

· Yearbook – Mr. Albrecht, Ms. Yu

· Statement of School Needs Committee -

· Communications Committee -

· Fundraising Committee - Krista

· Spirit & Social Events Committee -

· After-School & Lunchtime Programs Committee - Matt Regan

· Lunch Committee -

· CREG -

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Photo Retakes - November 25th 2021

Missed photo day at Owen?  No worries.  You can do a retake on November 25th in the morning.  Students in Ms Nowell's VL2/3 class may come in before 9:10 am to take their photos if they wish.  Others will be called down to the library during the school day.

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SickKids COVID-19 PCR Saliva Testing - Drop Off Times

SickKids willl begin hosting weekly drop-in info sessions every Wednesday at 12:00PM & 6:30PM from November 3rd to December 1st.

School staff, students, and parents are all welcome to attend. We hope to address all questions and inquiries regarding the SickKids COVID-19 PCR Saliva Testing Program, and we look forward to bringing you guest speakers throughout the month of November! 

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Team Seas

Owen student Raymond J would like to share the links TeamSeas.org and

https://youtu.be/pXDx6DjNLDU as part of his campaign to bring awareness to

Mark Rober (a YouTuber, engineer, and inventor) who's goal is to clean oceans and remove 30 million pounds of trash by the end of 2021.

Owen students can #TeamOwen and participate in this global effort. It would be fantastic if Team Owen can help to remove 500 pounds of trash from seas (one pound per dollar raised).

Go Team Owen!

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JK and SK French Immersion Registration (deadline Nov 26, 2021)

Please take note of the application deadline dates set for this year for each French program area:

 

• Early French Immersion (JK & SK entry) – November 1^st to November 26^th, 2021 (4 weeks) – central application process
• Note: For entry in September 2022 only, children who will be entering JK or SK are eligible to apply for Early French Immersion during the online application period in November 2021. Moving forward (2023), the only entry point for Early French Immersion will be Junior Kindergarten.

 

• Middle Immersion (Gr. 4 entry) - January 3^rd to January 28^th, 2022 (4 weeks) – central application process

 

• Grade 7 Extended French – January 3^rd to January 28^th, 2022 (4 weeks)  – locally managed school application process
• Note: This program is currently phasing out. The last cohort to begin the Grade 7 entry Extended French starts in September 2022.

 

This will help support the Planning Department meet their timelines for local school projections.

 

Early French Immersion – Application Process & Timelines

For families interested in the Toronto District School Board's Early French Immersion Program, we offer an online process to apply. The entry point to Early French Immersion is moving to Junior Kindergarten. There will be one transition year wherein students who will be entering Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten in 2022 will be eligible to apply to the Early French Immersion program during the November 2021 application period. Moving forward (2023), the only entry point for Early French Immersion will be Junior Kindergarten.

An offer of placement in the program (not a specific school) is guaranteed to all on-time applicants. While every effort is made to place students in the school identified as their area French Immersion school, this not always possible. Students may be redirected to another school with available program space. 

 

Families with an older sibling currently in a French program and who will be in attendance next year are still required to complete an online application for the new student. Please select the “sibling option” within the online application.

Virtual Information Sessions for the Early French Immersion application and placement process are available in November. For more information about French programs, the application process and important dates, interested families may visit www.tdsb.on.ca/french or click on Application Process. For details, please see the downloadable information package or click here for Early French Immersion flyers in 22 languages.

A few reminders about the process: 

• The deadline to apply to the program is November 26, 2021.
• If a parent/caregiver cannot access a computer, please email the principal to access a school computer at school
• The process is NOT handled on a first come, first served basis. All applications received by the deadline are managed with the same priority.
• If parents/caregiver experience difficulties, they may contact them via email at: fsl_pars_admin@tdsb.on.ca
• A parent/caregiver may still submit an application online after the deadline passes on November 26, 2021; the application will be marked as late and the child may be held on a waitlist; there is NO guarantee of placement.

Below is a Q&A that may support some inquiries which you may receive from local parents/caregivers during this time period:

 

When the on-line application system (PARS) opens…

 

How do I apply to Early French Immersion?

1. Please invite parents/caregivers to visit www.tdsb.on.ca/pars. They will select the program from a drop-down menu on the right (Early French Immersion or Middle French Immersion) and follow the prompts. This process is not first come first served. In the weeks following the close of the application, offers of placement will be sent to the email address provided by the parent. Please encourage them to check this email frequently and follow the prompts in the message when the offer is made.

 

My child is not in the TDSB and does not have an OEN.

1. For non-TDSB students, the parent/caregiver selects the “Non-TDSB Student” option on the PARS site and follows the steps to generate an identification number. They must then continue the application procedure with this number.

I can’t get on the website.

1. Please reassure the parent/caregiver that the application is not handled on a first come, first served basis. If there is an internet issue, the parent/caregiver may try again. If there is a problem with the site, please let us know via email and assure the parent/caregiver that it will be taken care of and they should try again in the next couple of days.
2. If the parent/caregiver cannot access the internet from home or has any other challenges using the on-line system, please offer them assistance at the school or have them call our office. With a DOB and OEN, anyone can submit the application for the parent/caregiver.

When will I hear?

3. Offers of placement will begin in the days following the application deadline and they will continue for the weeks following. Not all families in a given area will receive their offers of placement at the same time, but all will receive one. 
4. Please encourage the parent/caregiver to check their email frequently (including their junkmail). 

Is it a first come first served process?

1. No. All applications received by the deadline are treated with the same priority and are guaranteed a place in the program (we cannot guarantee placement in a given school). 
2. All applications received after the deadline will be held on a waitlist.

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Claude Watson School for the Arts

Claude Watson School for the Arts is a TDSB grades 4—8 school focused on the arts. Claude Watson School for the Arts offers an enriched arts education in music, drama, dance and visual arts.  Each day the students divide their time between academic classes and an exceptional arts program that develops their creative potential. Each year Grade 3 students apply for entry into our Grade 4 program.  Students interested in placement in grades 5 – 8 are welcome to apply but there are very limited places available. Parents and students who are interested in applying for CWSA are encouraged to attend one of our information sessions. 

More information about Claude Watson School for the Arts can be found on our website www.claudewatson.org.  

Apply To CWSA

Applications are accepted online.  The application system is now open.  Please see below the link to apply for the 2022/2023 school year. The application system closes on Friday December 17, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. 

PLEASE NOTE: Late applications are not accepted.

https://sprs.tdsb.on.ca/public/Welcome.aspx

Please note Claude Watson School for the Arts does not require students to submit an Optional Attendance Form

* FYI - once you click on the submit button you will get a message letting you know that "your session time has expired". Your application has actually been processed.

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Indigenous Education Month

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Hindu Heritage Month

To learn more about the Hindu contributions to Canada please click on the link below.

Hindu Heritage Month

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Anti-Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Last week, Owen students engaged in some discussion and projects around anti-bullying. Below is a sample of some of their work. We will continue our education through discussions at school, during circle groups, and our Caring and Safe Schools Committee throughout the year.

                         

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  OWEN STUDENTS

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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