Sunday 11 December 2022

Owen Family Update - Week of December 12th

Dear Parents/Guardians,


The Gr 4/5 students had an amazing time at the 905 Raptors game last Monday.  We'd like to thank our staff and parent volunteers for making this a smooth and enjoyable event!  Students were able to learn how to take the TTC to the Scotiabank arena.  Many students had never attended a live sporting event and were so excited to be there. Some were excited to also see themselves on the big screen tv!

We we end our 2022 year and prepare for the holidays, we'd like to thank our community for helping support our Holiday Hampers fundraiser.  Staff and parent volunteers will be packing the items on Tuesday.  Families receiving these holiday hampers are so grateful for the generosity of our community.

We will still collecting adult warm socks until December 15th to support our homeless in our city.  You can have your child hang the socks on the sock tree in front of the office.

We look forward to seeing you at the concert!  

~ Your Friendly Admin Team

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Holiday Displays

 
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Holiday Concert - Thurs Dec 15th 2022
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

After a few years of missing in-person concerts, this year's will be quite a show! Based on the story "Winter Candle", students will be singing songs from different festivals and celebrations held over the fall and winter months from different cultures. This is to show our appreciation for our diversity as well as what bring us together.

Toronto Public Health has highly encouraged to wear masks in all indoor settings.  As participants we would also encourage mask wearing. Please bring your own.  Masks will also be available at the school at the front entry.

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Sock Drive - ends December 15th 2022

Once again, we will be running our sock drive until December 15th.  Shelters rarely had socks to distribute to people in need. New socks are the least donated items of clothing yet one of the most needed items. Socks keep feet dry, free from disease, and warm. Charities cannot accept used socks for sanitary purposes. Maintaining good foot health is imperative for people experiencing homelessness to access food, shelter, medical care and other community supports and services.

Please help us with our sock drive.  Socks 4 Souls are looking for adult socks to help the homeless.  Please bring a warm pair to place on our tree in our front hallway trees.

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Holiday Hampers Gift of Giving

Monday is the last day for our Holiday Hampers! We will be packaging each family's basket and then deliveries will begin shortly after.
  • Every item should be in their original packaging, unopened and unwrapped. Only brand new items will be accepted at this time.
  • Gift items are only for children. Each class is assigned a family with children of specific ages. Your classroom teacher will let you know the ages of the children in the class' family.
THANK YOU OWEN!

Monday, Dec. 12


Additional gift cards or any items missed from the previous days.($25 Wal-Mart, No Frills, Food Basics, Metro, Longos, or Winners)


***Please bring the gift cards to the office after attendance***



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Please check the Lost and Found!

The lost and found is filling up again! Parents, please ask your children to take a quick look for missing belongings. All unclaimed items will be donated before the Winter Break.
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Please Keep the Recipes Coming!

Thanks to the families who have contributed recipes!  We need more contributions please for this to work . 

 Please contribute your favourite holiday recipe (sweet or savoury) here and we will put them all together in a digital holiday recipe book for all Owen Families to enjoy.


https://bit.ly/DigitalHolidayCookBook


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Please Help us Improve Our Practice: 

Parents/Guardians, please help your child’s voice be heard by complete the Belonging Survey with them. https://bit.ly/OwenBelongingSurvey

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Safe and Caring Schools Committee

If you are interested in joining Owen Public School's Safe and Caring Schools Committee please email hella.richter-glinos@tdsb.on.ca

Parents/Guardians, students and teachers can all be members of this committee.  Members will attend three meetings between January and June.  They will assist with identifying needs, generating ideas, developing solutions and planning activities.  

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New Cold, Flu and COVID-19 Clinic for Kids 

Opens in Thorncliffe Park 

"An initiative of East Toronto Health Partners, the Ontario health team serving east Toronto, the new Cold, Flu and COVID-19 Clinic for Kids launched on Nov. 28 at Thorncliffe Park Community Hub, 45 Overlea Blvd., inside East York Town Centre."

Click Here For More Information 

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A Message from TPH 


Message from Toronto Public Health Re: Flu is on the rise – get vaccinated right away

Toronto is now seeing an increased number of people getting sick with the flu this season. The number of people sick with the flu is expected to go even higher, especially during the last weeks of December and beginning of January when students are out of school for the Winter break.

In Canada, so far half of all people who got the flu this season are children and youth aged 0 to 19 years. Some children have been very sick and needed hospital care.

Vaccination is the best protection. Anyone age 6 months and older can get a flu vaccine. Because it takes two weeks for the vaccine to be effective, getting vaccinated now will protect you and your family before the Winter break. The vaccine is available for free at pharmacies, doctor's offices and Toronto Public Health vaccination clinics.

In addition to getting vaccinated, we strongly recommend using layers of protection to reduce virus spread:

  • Masking: Wear a well-fitted mask in indoor public settings, including in schools and childcare. Children under 2 and those with medical exemptions are not recommended to wear a mask.
     
  • Stay home if sick: Complete this daily symptom check for your child. Keep your child home, even if symptoms are mild, and until they are feeling better. Adults should also stay home from work if they are sick.
     
  • Clean your hands: Use hand sanitizer or wash hands often.
     
  • Clean surfaces: Clean commonly touched surfaces frequently.

Have your questions answered: Join Dr. Vinita Dubey, Associate Medical Officer of Health with Toronto Public Health, on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at 7 p.m., for a live telephone Town Hall. Join the Town Hall by calling 1-833-490-0778 or connect online.

If you have questions about your child's health, call 811 or speak to your child's healthcare provider. If your child is sick, you can find information about how to care for them here.

Sincerely,

Nicole Welch

Director Child and Youth Response and Chief Nursing Officer

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Hot Lunches


As you know, hot lunches are back at Owen! For the program  to be a success, we do need to commit to a certain number of orders for each vendor. Both our vendors offer a nutritionist approved menu to TDSB schools. Please see ordering details and deadlines below for Owen's Hot Lunch program.


1) HERO BURGER (EVERY WEEK ON MONDAY)

Ordering is easy and all orders are placed through the following link: www.lunchboxorders.net which is built into School Cash Online.  All orders must be placed 24 hours before delivery: 12pm (noon) on Sunday for Owen PS. We also have a $0.25/ order kick back given to the school.

Attached:

2) KIDS KITCHEN (EVERY WEEK ON FRIDAY)

Attached:

Ordering is through the following link: https://www.kidskitchen.ca. All orders must be placed 10am, the previous business day of delivery.



"Kid's Kitchen is a family owned and operated business that serves nutritious meals to elementary school children throughout York Region and the Toronto area."  To order a hot lunch for your child please refer to the Kid's Kitchen Flyer for information specific to Owen Public School. 

Please note that if schools are open but buses are cancelled due to weather, Kid's Kitchen will still be delivered unless parents cancel the order by calling 905-944-0210, Option 1. Please review the Inclement Weather Policy for more details.


For more information about Kid's Kitchen go to:   kidskitchen.ca
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Social Work & Community Virtual Fair for All Families with Children living with Special Needs
This Community Fair is open to all families who have children with Special Needs attending TDSB schools.  This includes children who are integrated in classrooms in our schools, attending our Intensive Support Programs (ISP) located in schools across the TDSB, as well as students in our Congregated Schools.

·       1st session: Monday December 5th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon,
·       2nd session: Monday December 12th from 5:30 pm until 8:00 pm

Along with TDSB support staff, we will have Extend-A-Family,  Woodgreen Community Services,  Respite Services, P4P Planning Network, and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital presenting at the fair.

TDSB Virtual Community Fair
Topic: Let’s Talk about Programs and Services for Children With Special Needs
Guests: Extend-A-Family, Woodgreen Community Services, Respite Services, P4P Planning Network, and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

When: Monday December 5, 2022, from 9:30 am to 12:00 noon.
           Monday December 12, 2022, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm           


Dial by your location Meeting ID: 983 6737 8226
Passcode: 969515
One tap mobile
+16473744685,98367378226#  *969515# Canada
+16475580588,98367378226#  *969515# Canada   
Meeting ID: 983 6737 8226
Passcode: 969515
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Pizza Lunch (January - April 2023)

            Cash Online will be available this week.  Watch for the notification in your email.

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Toronto Public Library Programs for Families

There are a number of Toronto Public Library Programs that may be of interest for your families in the coming weeks.   For a complete list of programs go to:
 https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/kids-and-families/
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Days of Significance


December is:

"December is the 12th month (and last month) in our modern-day Gregorian calendar... It was originally the 10th month of the Roman calendar (until 153 BC)Hence, “December” comes from the Latin word decem, meaning “ten.”


We are always looking for families to create displays in our front foyer to share their special cultural holidays.  If you would like to share your special holiday, please contact the office and we'll arrange a time for you and some students to help with the display.

Some Days of Significance in the coming week are:

13 Tuesday - Birthday of Imam Aga Khan (Salgirah)*  - Islam

18 Sunday - International Migrants Day - United Nations


If you have a particular day that you would like to bring our attention to, please contact hella.richter-glinos@tdsb.on.ca. 

The list of Days of Significance that the TDSB recognizes can be found by clicking the link.
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Student News

See what our students have been up to lately.




















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 hella.richter-glinos@tdsb.on.ca .

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Please click here for the latest updates and newsletters.  

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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 ...