Owen Online Newsletter: Owen Family Update

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We finished a short week after our holiday break. It was wonderful to see our students and hear about their holiday break. As we adjust back to school, please make sure you read the Owen Online Bulletin, check our Google Calendar and keep up to date with classroom emails. We have lots of fun events coming up and we want to ensure you are all aware of them.

We are getting several students coming to school on Thursdays without a lunch when it is not a pizza day. Please make sure you carefully read the dates to ensure your child is not without a lunch.

We would also like to official welcome Ms Vesna Bozik who is our permanent morning secretary. We are thrilled she will be part of our staff.

~ Your Friendly Admin Team

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Bedtime Story Reading w/Talia Wolkin

January 18 @ 6:30 pm

Join us for a fun bedtime story reading with our Speech and Language Pathologist, Talia Wolkin. Talia will be modelling story time that parents can do with their children at home to maximize reading strategies. Students can come in their pyjamas and bring their favourite book and teddy bear to the session.

When: Wednesday January 18th 2023, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Where: Owen Library

Please register for the session.

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Lunch and After School Programs are Back!

We are pleased to offer lunch and after-school programs once again. They will run from January - March 2023. Many thanks to Jasmin Rashvand for working tirelessly to organize these wonderful extra-curricular opportunities for Owen students!

Schedule Program Descriptions

Please review the schedule and program descriptions linked above carefully and then register directly with the provider via the links and emails in the description.

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Poster Contest - Chinese Heritage Month

The month of February is proudly recognized as Chinese Heritage Month at the Toronto District School Board. During this month, several learning resources and educational opportunities will be provided to our students and staff to further enhance their knowledge of the Chinese heritage.

The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most significant holidays of the Chinese heritage. The date is selected by the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar and the celebration lasts 16 days. This year, the first day begins on Sunday, January 22, 2023. Currently, we are inviting all students from grade kindergarten to grade 12 to participate in a Poster Challenge to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This year is the Year of the Rabbit: Kind, Generous, and Harmonious.

We encourage everyone to participate and make our Lunar New Year spectacular at the TDSB as we celebrate Chinese Heritage Month!

Poster Contest Eligibility, Guidelines, and Prizes

▪ Open to all TDSB students in Grades K - 12

▪ All entries must include this year’s focus and celebrate Chinese Heritage

▪ Entries must NOT contain pictures/photos of actual people

▪ ONLY entries submitted electronically will be accepted ▪ All electronic entries can be submitted in .pdf or image file format

▪ If an image file, ensure the size/resolution is appropriate to be printed on a poster

▪ Only use your TDSB account

▪ Maximum 100 MB file size

▪ Electronic entries must be saved in this format -> FirstNameLastNameSchoolGrade.pdf, Example - > MulanFaNorthviewHSSGr9.pdf

▪ Please submit your entry to the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/dcacKvz3Sa85wvnBA

▪ Please retain your original art in case your entry is chosen

▪ All entries must be received no later than Monday, January 16, 2023, by 4:00 pm

▪ All entries will be evaluated on visual appeal, creativity and content that best captures this year’s focus

Contest Prizes

▪ THREE WINNERS will be selected from each grade division (K-3, 4-8, 9-12) for a total of nine prizes

▪ One of the six winning entries will be selected as official poster for the 2023 Chinese Heritage Month across all TDSB schools and will be posted on the TDSB website in February

▪ The first-place winner from each panel will have a choice between a limited edition Royal Canadian Mint, Year of the Rabbit commemorative coin (subject to availability), or gift card

▪ Second and Third place winners will receive a gift card

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Lice Check - January 26 & 27, 2023

LIce Squad will be in the school to do a lice check. After breaks is a good time to check and to help prevent spread. The cost is normally included in the activity fees which we have not put out this year. Please go to school cash online to pay.

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Marvelous & Mind-Boggling Math

aka M&M Math

We will be adding our M&M Math in our Owen Online to show the beauty and fun in mathematics. Try these fun math puzzles over the break with your child! There will be a mixture of math puzzles, problems, online games and videos. . Here's are a couple for you to try!

Crack the Code

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Clothing Donations

Please consider donating the following items to the school office when your child has outgrown them.  Items must be a good quality reusable shape with no tears, rips or damaged parts.

Kindergarten to grade 5 sized...

-winter boots

-running shoes (indoor shoes)

-winter coats

-snow pants

-mittens

There is always a need and our supply that we store in the office is dwindling. Please wash before donating if possible.

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Is My Child Old Enough for a Smartphone?

What age should a kid get a phone? Is “wait til 8th” good advice? Or could a 10-year-old with ADHD have their own smartphone? Here, a media researcher provides helpful guidance to parents.

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Webinar for Parents and Guardians of Elementary School Students - Tues Jan 17th @ 6:30 pm

Register for this free live webinar and learn about EQAO assessment results and Ontario’s large-scale assessment program at the elementary-school level. EQAO will review highlights from the 2021–2022 assessment results.

The session will also highlight how the primary-division (Grade 3) and junior-division (Grade 6) assessments have been modernized. The presentation will be approximately 45 minutes and will be followed by a live Q & A session with EQAO staff.

Registration: www.eventbrite.ca/e/451955981507

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Fun Activities for the Whole Family

Programs start from Monday, January 9, 2023 and will run for nine weeks.

Over 11,200 fun, active and educational programs are on offer for Torontonians of all ages and abilities. http://efun.toronto.ca/

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/

Here are some ideas for Science at home from the Ontario Science Centre: https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/science-at-home

Rock out with JUNO-nominated musician and former CBC Kids TV star Will Stroet of Will’s Jams in concert in Toronto!

https://www.todocanada.ca/city/toronto/event/wills-jams-family-concert/

"Imagine with us through the Lunar Lanterns of Indigenous Lights, lighting up the winter with stories from the Indigenous communities of the Greater Toronto Area." at the Outdoors at Varley Art Gallery of Markham, 216 Main Street Unionville

https://www.todocanada.ca/city/toronto/event/lunarfestmarkham-ex/

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For Parents of Students with Special Needs:

Virtual Community Fair January 16th / 23rd

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French Immersion Application Process

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Pizza Lunch (January - April 2023)

If you have questions about School Cash Online, please contact nahid.vashghani@tdsb.on.ca.

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Kids' Kitchen

School and lunch service will resume the week of January 9th and with a new month we announce another monthly special.

Available for January 2023: Sweet & Sour Chicken with Steamed Basmati Rice

or Sweet & Sour Tofu with Steamed Basmati Rice

For more details please see the flyer

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Please help with our Front Foyer Displays

Thanks to those who came forward to decorate our front foyer display cases to celebrate the various festivals in December. We would like to update them for the new year.

"Tamil Heritage Month is proudly recognized during the month of January at the Toronto District School Board since January 2016."

(https://www.tdsb.on.ca/News/Article-Details/ArtMID/474/ArticleID/1742/Tamil-Heritage-Month-at-the-TDSB---January-2023)

Martin Luther King Day celebrates life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK promoted Civil Rights through nonviolent civil disobedience.

(https://www.wincalendar.com/ca/Martin-Luther-King)

"Lunar New Year... is celebrated by nearly 2 billion people worldwide. In 2023, Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 22, when participants will say goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and usher in the Year of the Rabbit."

(https://www.cnet.com/culture/chinese-new-year-2023-what-is-year-of-the-rabbit/)

"During the month of February, the Toronto District School Board is proud to recognize and celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Peoples of African Descent to Canada and the world."

(https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/Accessible_AfricanHMFeb2022_Updated.pdf)

If your family celebrates these days of significance or heritage months and you wish to lend some decorations that we could put on display, please send these in with your child's name on them (so we can return them) to the attention of Ms. Richter-Glinos. If you have time to help put together the displays please email hella.richter-glinos@tdsb.on.ca.

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Days of Significance

January is: Tamil Heritage Month

”

"Tamil Heritage Month is proudly recognized during the month of January at the Toronto District School Board since January 2016. It has also been marked across the province of Ontario since March 2004 with the implementation of the Tamil Heritage Month Act, 2014. Further, Tamil Heritage Month is also formally recognized nationally since January 2016..."

As mentioned above...

"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:

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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