Owen Online Family Update - Week of October 30th, 2023.

 

 Dear Owen Families,

We had another busy week at Owen.  

Halloween is on Tuesday.  Please read the TDSB Statement:

"Halloween 2023: Cultures Are Not Costumes"

https://www.tdsb.on.ca/home/ctl/Details/mid/43823/itemId/181

On Thursday please limit how many treats your child brings to school.  

Progress reports are underway.  They will be sent the week of November 13th.* Teachers will be contacting you to arrange parent/guardian - teacher conferences.

We would like to remind parents of a few things:

1) Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.  We will not be letting students into the building before 9:04 AM.

2) If you are planning to pick your child up early, it must be before 3PM.  We are trying to ensure uninterrupted instructional time from 3-3:40 PM.

3) Follow safety rules and staff instructions when using the kiss and ride.  There is no passing, no driving through the parking lot and no drivers getting out of the vehicle allowed.

- the Admin Team

 

Acting-Principal - sima.naymark@tdsb.on.ca

Vice-Principal - hella.richter-glinos@tdsb.on.ca 

Office Administrator - nahid.vashghani@tdsb.on.ca 

AM Secretary - vesna.bozic@tdsb.on.ca 

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Upcoming Dates

Tues. Oct. 31st

- Hallowe'en 

Mon. Nov. 6th

- Early French Immersion applications open (see below) 

Tues. Nov. 7

- tentative date for Parent Support Network 

Thurs. Nov. 9

- Photo Retake Day

Fri. Nov 10.

- Remembrance Day Assembly 

Thurs. Nov. 16th

- School Council Hybrid meeting 6:30-8:00 (see Google Calendar for Zoom link)

Fri. Nov. 24th 

- Fall Affair Mixer - Owen Library 7 pm (see flyer below) 

Fri. Dec. 1st

- deadline to apply for Early French Immersion (see below)

        Tues. Dec. 5th

- tentative date for Winter Concert 

 

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Parent Council Messages:

[THE FALL AFFAIR POSTER THAT WAS IN THIS SPOT

HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO AN ERROR.

IT WILL BE SHARED AGAIN ONCE IT HAS BEEN CORRECTED.]

Click Here to Read the

Parent Council Newsletter.

________________________________

Lost and Found Items

Thank you Olivia B for cleaning up the Lost and Found.  Parents/Guardians if you recognize anything, please ask your child to retrieve their items.

________________________________

October 26, 2023

 

Re: Reduce the Spread of Respiratory Viruses

 

Dear Parents/ Guardians/ Caregivers,

 

You and your child play an important part in protecting our school communities to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses this fall and winter:

Reduce virus spread

·       Stay home if sick or have symptoms of being sick, even if they are mild.

·       Use the TPH screening questionnaire or the provincial COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool before attending school or work if there are symptoms of illness.

·       Clean hands often.

·       Cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue or their elbow.

·       Wear a well-fitted, high-quality mask in crowded indoor settings with poor ventilation, especially if at higher risk of getting very sick

 

Get the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccine this fall

·       Both vaccines are important to prevent serious illness.

·       The updated COVID-19 vaccine targets the XBB variant and will better protect from the variants spreading now and long-COVID.

·       Everyone six months and older can get the updated COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine starting October 30^th, 2023 at:

§  Toronto Public Health fixed-site vaccination clinics. Book an appointment at TPHbookings.ca. Only one appointment is needed to get both vaccines.

§  Participating pharmacies or health care provider’s office.

 

It is also important to have your child up-to-date with routine vaccinations

·       In Ontario, the Immunization of School Pupil Act (ISPA) requires all students to be up-to- date with certain vaccines, or have a valid exemption. This includes vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, meningococcal and chickenpox.

o Toronto Public Health (TPH) will be sending letters to some parents to ensure their child is compliant with the ISPA legislation.

o   Parents must report any vaccines not given by TPH through Immunization Connect (ICON).

o   Students who are not up-to-date can be suspended from school.

 

·       Students in grades 7 to 12 can get the hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal vaccines through the Student Immunization Program (SIP).

o   How to get these free vaccines:

§  SIP school clinics will offer hepatitis b, human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal vaccines during school hours to grade 7 and 8 students who attend the school. Visit the School Immunization Program webpage to see the school clinic schedule.

§  TPH fixed-site vaccination clinics. Book an appointment at TPHbookings.ca.

§  A health care provider’s office. Ask your health care provider to order these vaccines for free from TPH and report it through ICON).

 

More Information

Visit toronto.ca/health to learn more about:

·       Respiratory Viruses: Information for Parents & Caregivers

·       Childhood Vaccines – Quick Reference Guide

 

Questions?

Contact Toronto Health Connection at 416-338-7600 or PublicHealth@toronto.ca.

 

Sincerely,

 

Nicole Welch BSc., MSc., RN Director/Chief Nursing Officer

Child Youth Health and Development Toronto Public Health

 

________________________________

Early French Immersion

begins in Junior Kindergarten

FLYER WITH MORE DETAILS

Applications Open:

November 6, 2023

Deadline to Apply:

December 1, 2023

Information Sessions will

be available in November.

Learn More:

For more information and to apply

online: www.tdsb.on.ca/french 

________________________________

Hero Burger School Lunches

START DATE: Monday 23rd October, 2023 

-Service days for Owen Public School: Monday and Friday every week

-Orders are easily placed through schoolcashonline.com

SchoolCashOnline.com: Welcome

SchoolCash Online

schoolcashonline.com

-Ordering Deadline: The ordering deadline for lunches is Sunday at 12:00 NOON for the upcoming delivery week. 

Here is a folder with Hero Burger Information in which you will find:

1. Hero Burger flyer

2. How to order Guide for parents/ guardians

3. Lunchbox parent/guardian FAQ's

________________________________

Pizza Lunch

Pizza Lunch will continue on Thursdays until December 14th.

Lunch Timings:

Main Lunch: 11:55 AM - 12:30 PM

Kindergarten Lunch: 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

(More details on the kindergarten lunch will be provided soon.)

Would you like to Volunteer?

Parents will supervise the Grade 5 students distributing the pizzas to ensure a smooth process. Each parent volunteer will oversee multiple classes.

Note: If you're interested in volunteering, please ensure you have a police clearance before signing up.

Sign Up Here: https://signup.com/go/wvPnZMu

________________________________

Lunch and After School Programs

This is the second week of Lunch and After School Programs. Please remind your children to attend the sessions for which you have signed them up. For quick reference, here is the weekly schedule: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14lqV_QVfS6vwVm9EVLLLqElRyCHwQbNHF5G8teqsHEg/edit?usp=sharing

 _______________________________

TDSB Days of Significance

In order to be equitable and respectful to all of our students and their families, we would like to provide and share information and insight into any day of significance through the Owen Online, our message board, and morning announcements.  

October is:

• Hispanic Heritage Month (City of Toronto)

• International Walk to School Month

• Islamic Heritage Month

• Somalian Heritage Month

• Women’s History Month

Days of Significance in the Coming Week are:

Saturday

28

Kathina

Buddhism

https://www.buddhistcouncil.org/buddhist-festival-dates/

Wednesday	01	All Saints Day	Christianity (Eastern Orthodox and Western)	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day
Wednesday	01	Karva Chauth	Hinduism	https://indianculture.gov.in/stories/karva-chauth
Wednesday	01	Samhain*	Wicca/Pagan	https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain
Wednesday and Thursday	01 – 02	Dia de los Muertos* Day of the Dead	Government of Mexico	https://www.wheniscalendars.com/when-is-dia-de-los-muertos/
Thursday	02	Crowning of Emperor Haile Selassie I	Rastafarian holy day	https://royalwatcherblog.com/2020/11/02/coronation-of-emperor-haile-selassie-of-ethiopia-1930/

The list of Days of Significance that the TDSB recognizes can be found by clicking the link.  If you have a particular day to which you would like to bring our attention, please contact hella.richter-glinos@tdsb.on.ca. 

 ________________________________

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 . 

________________________________

Please click here for the latest updates and newsletters.  

*Correction:  In the admin message above it originally stated that progress reports are going home the week of November 6th-10th, but it is actually the week of the 13th.