Saturday, 17 October 2020

Owen Family Update - Week of October 19, 2020

 Hello Owen Families,

It is with great joy and sadness to announce the promotion of Mr. Miles to Acting Principal at Davisville Junior PS.  Though we had very short notice, students and staff were able to thank Mr. Miles and show their appreciation.  
We are very happy for Stephen and know he will have a great impact at his new school.  Stephen will be missed and we know there will always be a bit of Owen with him.  

Congratulations Mr. Miles - We will miss you.  All the best in your new school!

________________________________

Daily Heath Screening:

Thank you everyone for performing the Daily Health Screening every morning.  We have more than 95% of our students being screened successfully each day.  

If you were unable to do your Daily Health Screening at-home or forgot, students will be sent to the office for staff to do the Onsite Daily Health Screening and asked if they are feeling well:

  • If the answer is yes, they will be allowed to go into the classroom with a mask/face covering on and maintaining physical distancing, the staff member at the door will note their name and the parent/guardian will be contacted to conduct the full assessment by phone.
  • If they say no, they will be brought to our Wellness Room and their parent/guardian will be contacted to be picked up.
If you are having difficulties with the app, please see one of the teachers with a yellow vest in the morning before school.  They will be able to assist you with the app.  If there is an issue with your child's userid or password, please let your teacher know as they can reset the password or put in a ticket with the helpdesk if there is a problem.
________________________________

Switching between In School and Virtual Schoo;:

The next opportunity for elementary students will be offered at the end of January 2021. There will no longer be an opportunity for elementary students to switch in November. We are confident that this approach will help maintain current classes and teacher assignments in both in-person and virtual classrooms until the new year and will benefit all students and staff by ensuring no further disruptions.  

________________________________

Halloween:

Students may choose to dress up for Halloween if they wish.  The following guidelines will take place:

  • Students must continue to wear masks underneath their costumes.
  • Students can only bring their own food/healthy treats.
  • We will not be able to do any parades as we have done in the past but we will take some pics we can share with the Owen families.
  • Be conscience of the types of costumes you are selecting for your child.  They should all be respectful, not include weapons or other dangerous accessories, and contain appropriate language if there is writing on the costumes.

________________________________

Masks on School Property:

Clarification that parents/guardians who are on school property temporarily (e.g., drop off/pick up) must wear masks and physically distance.
 
School visitors, including parents/guardians, are required to wear a mask/face covering when indoors and outdoors on school property, such as during pick-up and drop-off.”
 
This responds to situations that have been noted where during drop offs and pickup parents are coming into close contact with other parents and students.


________________________________

After School Pick Up:

After school is an extremely busy time for Owen.  We have students who are being picked up by parents/guardians, students who are taking the bus and students who are going to the after school daycare program.  It's important that we track and ensure all students exit and are released to their proper place.

If you are picking up your child early from school, please make sure you pick your child up before 3:10 pm.  There will not be any dismissals between 3:10 pm - 3:40 pm as it is disruptive to the instructional day and difficult to track students during this time.  Please be mindful when making appointments as safety is our number one priority.



________________________________

Parents of the Virtual School

We would like to stay connected with our parents/guardians of the Virtual School so you can be informed of what's happening at Owen.  Please make sure you still complete the Parent Contact form.  There is an option to choose "Virtual School" as your class.


________________________________

Parent Council :

Thank you for your nominations for Parent Council Executive positions.  The nominations closed last week and we were introduced to both nominees for chair and treasurer.  With one nomination for each position, we'd like to congratulate Mike Youssef (Chair) and Jessica Adedire (Treasurer).  We look forward to working with you both!

________________________________

Virtual Parents as Partners Conference:

Save the Date for the Virtual Parents as Partners Conference!

October 24 and 25 is the first-ever virtual parent conference. This online version offers all the same exciting, inspiring and informative content as the in-person conference, but allows you to participate all from the comfort of your own home.

This year’s conference includes two amazing keynotes as well as a host of breakout sessions that you can choose to tailor to your own interests and needs.

Some of the sessions offered include special education, mental health and well-being, anti-Black racism and virtual engagement. In the breakout sessions – led by both TDSB experts and panelists from outside organizations – you also get a chance to connect in a more intimate way with other parents, ask questions and participate in discussions.

Registration opens on Tuesday, October 13 2020. Learn more at www.parentsaspartners.ca

_________________________________

Dress for Weather:

Physical Education, recess and lunch recess will take place outside, rain or shine.  Please make sure students are dressed for weather.  Here are some tips to help you prepare your child for outdoor learning and play:

- Have boots for rainy days
- A Waterproof or water resistant jacket will keep clothes underneath dry
- Leave extra pants, socks, underwear and gloves at school
- Check that indoor shoes stay at school.  This also helps keep our school floors clean


_________________________________

Parent Contact Form:

Every year, we ask that parents complete the parent contact form to receive all communication from the office. All staff including homeroom teachers, prep teachers, staff in charge of sports teams or clubs and the office staff use this information to contact parents of the students they work with.

Please complete the form at http://bit.ly/OwenParentContactInformation as we will be switching to this email list.  We will be discontinuing using School Messenger and migrating to our Parent Contact Information sheet for all staff to be able to use. 

_______________________________

Start of the Year Online Permission Forms 

The board had sent the following email to all parents:




The forms/procedures that will be provided in digital format are: 

  • PR088 - Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources 
  • PR511H - Walking Excursion - Immediate Community 
  • PR511E - Medical Information for Excursions 
  • PR511K - Physical Education Information and Intramural Information/Permission
  • PR519A - Severe Weather Conditions: Permission to Leave School 
  • PR529B - Student Media Consent Release Form 
  • PR563 - Anaphylaxis
  • PR571 - Code of On-line Conduct 
  • PR585 - Board Code of Conduct 
  • PR607 - Diabetes Management 
  • PR714 - Asthma Management 
  • TDSB Digital Learning Tool Consent Form (now mandatory for all grades)

 


If you did not receive this, please let Caroline know.

_________________________________
Student News!
See what our students have been up to lately at Owen!




_________________________________

Please click here for the latest updates and newsletters. 

                                                                                                                              

Friday, 9 October 2020

Owen Family Update - Week of October 9, 2020

Hello Owen Families,


Starting Tuesday, we are making the switch to our Owen Parent Contact email list for all staff to use. To continue to receive our school office emails and the Owen Online, please make sure you sign up at 
http://bit.ly/OwenParentContactInformation.  If you are an Owen Parent and part of the Virtual School, please choose Virtual School as your class.


We would like to wish all our families a Happy Thanksgiving!  It's a time to be with family and reflect on what we are thankful for.  As advised by our Premier, please stay distanced and celebrate with immediate family in your household.

On behalf of the Owen Staff, wishing you all a safe and intimate family Thanksgiving.

________________________________

Data Verification Form

Please return the data verification form on Tuesday.  We know there is a lot of new information you are required to fill but this information helps us maintain updated information for emergency situations.  It is important that you review the important contact information.  


________________________________

After School Pick Up:

After school is an extremely busy time for Owen.  We have students who are being picked up by parents/guardians, students who are taking the bus and students who are going to the after school daycare program.  It's important that we track and ensure all students exit and are released to their proper place.

If you are picking up your child early from school, please make sure you pick your child up before 3:10 pm.  There will not be any dismissals between 3:10 pm - 3:40 pm as it is disruptive to the instructional day and difficult to track students during this time.  Please be mindful when making appointments as safety is our number one priority.

________________________________

Parents of the Virtual School

We would like to stay connected with our parents/guardians of the Virtual School so you can be informed of what's happening at Owen.  Please make sure you still complete the Parent Contact form.  There is an option to choose "VIrtual School" as your class.


________________________________

Parent Council Meeting:

We will be running elections for various positions for the Owen Parent Executive Council this month.  Parent Council will be looking for:
- 1 Chair
- 1 Treasurer
- 1 Secretary

There will also be opportunities to be involved through committee work and other great ways to contribute to our school community.

Our first Parent Council meeting will take place on Wednesday October 14th from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.  At the meeting, candidates will have an opportunity to introduce themselves.  

Join Zoom Meeting https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/j/94968994479?pwd=bzhOWFhKekFrODdnSU84cUZ2eVBNdz09 Meeting ID: 949 6899 4479 Passcode: 500093 One tap mobile +16473744685,,94968994479#,,,,,,0#,,500093# Canada +16475580588,,94968994479#,,,,,,0#,,500093# Canada Dial by your location +1 647 374 4685 Canada +1 647 558 0588 Canada +1 778 907 2071 Canada Meeting ID: 949 6899 4479 Passcode: 500093

Voting will open Saturday October 17 @12:00 pm and close on Sunday October 18 @ 12:00 pm.

The following are the dates for the Parent Council Meetings for the year:

Oct 14 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Jan 13  9:30 am - 10:30 am

April 14 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

June 9 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm


________________________________

Virtual Parents as Partners Conference:

Save the Date for the Virtual Parents as Partners Conference!

October 24 and 25 is the first-ever virtual parent conference. This online version offers all the same exciting, inspiring and informative content as the in-person conference, but allows you to participate all from the comfort of your own home.

This year’s conference includes two amazing keynotes as well as a host of breakout sessions that you can choose to tailor to your own interests and needs.

Some of the sessions offered include special education, mental health and well-being, anti-Black racism and virtual engagement. In the breakout sessions – led by both TDSB experts and panelists from outside organizations – you also get a chance to connect in a more intimate way with other parents, ask questions and participate in discussions.

Registration opens on Tuesday, October 13. Learn more at www.parentsaspartners.ca

_________________________________

Dress for Weather:

Physical Education, recess and lunch recess will take place outside, rain or shine.  Please make sure students are dressed for weather.  Here are some tips to help you prepare your child for outdoor learning and play:

- Have boots for rainy days
- A Waterproof or water resistant jacket will keep clothes underneath dry
- Leave extra pants, socks, underwear and gloves at school
- Check that indoor shoes stay at school.  This also helps keep our school floors clean


_________________________________

Parent Contact Form:

Every year, we ask that parents complete the parent contact form to receive all communication from the office. All staff including homeroom teachers, prep teachers, staff in charge of sports teams or clubs and the office staff use this information to contact parents of the students they work with.

Please complete the form at http://bit.ly/OwenParentContactInformation before the end of the week as we will be switching to this email list for the next Owen Online.  We will be discontinuing using School Messenger and migrating to our Parent Contact Information sheet for all staff to be able to use. 

_______________________________

Cell Phones, Tablets and Laptops at School:

Owen has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy for students in the junior grades to increase the ratio of tech to students in class.  Technology is used only for instructional purposes.  If teachers are not asking students to use it in class, then technology is put away and stored to charge.

Students are welcome to have cell phones as parents may feel comfortable having ways to contact their child while walking to and from school.  Once students are on school property, students must turn off their phones and store them in their backpacks.  We don't want them lost or damaged nor do we want this to disrupt instructional time.  

If you need to speak to your child during the day, please call the office.  We can send a message to your child or if it's urgent we will call them out of class to take the call in the office.

Cell phones, tablets, or laptops will not be allowed outside before school, recess or lunch.  We want this time to be used for students to socialize with one another, play sports or games, and have fun outside without the distractions of technology.
_________________________________

Daily Health Screening:

Just a reminder to complete the Health Self-Assessment for all your children PRIOR to coming to school.

If students are not cleared, then it means either:
1) the screening indicated a "yes" and the child could be ill
                   or
2) the daily health screening was not completed that morning before school.

Students in this case will be sent to the office and a phone call will be made home to ensure your child is healthy and can be in class.

***  If you are having trouble with the app, one of our staff in a yellow vest will be available in the morning during drop off to assist you next week.
________________________________

Start of the Year Online Permission Forms 

The Start of Year Forms package will be made available to parents/guardians digitally again this year. The Start of Year Forms will be completed for all students (both in-person and virtual). These forms are associated with the student and therefore will move with the student, regardless of the learning model chosen.

 

The Start of Year Forms package does not replace the Student Verification form that will be sent this week which is used to verify student demographic and parent contact information.  

 

The forms/procedures that will be provided in digital format are: 

  • PR088 - Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources 
  • PR511H - Walking Excursion - Immediate Community 
  • PR511E - Medical Information for Excursions 
  • PR511K - Physical Education Information and Intramural Information/Permission
  • PR519A - Severe Weather Conditions: Permission to Leave School 
  • PR529B - Student Media Consent Release Form 
  • PR563 - Anaphylaxis
  • PR571 - Code of On-line Conduct 
  • PR585 - Board Code of Conduct 
  • PR607 - Diabetes Management 
  • PR714 - Asthma Management 
  • TDSB Digital Learning Tool Consent Form (now mandatory for all grades)

 

An email will be automatically sent to the parent/guardian who is the primary or secondary contact (Priority 1 or 2).  The email will include a link to complete these forms for each of your  children. The sender will be “TDSB Online Form (noreply@tdsb.on.ca)” and the subject line will contain the School Name, Student Name, Date and name of the form (eg. TDSB School - John Doe - Sept 25: Start of Year Form 2020/2021).


These have been delayed but we expect the board will continue to send them out throughout the week.


________________________________

Terry Fox Week:  Donations

We will still have our fundraising link available this week.

This year is the 40th Anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope and Owen Public School is proud to be continuing the legacy of one of our greatest heroes. Please join us and support this wonderful cause by donating to: http://www.terryfox.ca/OwenPSNorthYork. Together, we can all make a difference! #terryfoxschoolruns @terryfoxfoundation

_________________________________

Student News!
See what our students have been up to lately at Owen!










_________________________________

Please click here for the latest updates and newsletters. 

                                                                                                                              

Saturday, 3 October 2020

Owen Family Update - Week of October 3, 2020

Hello Owen Families,

It's been a busy week with the deadline on Sept 30th for the switch between in school and the Virtual School.  Thank you to Ms Elizabeth for processing all these requests!  Students making the switch will begin on Tuesday October 13th, after Thanksgiving. 

The board will be doing another re-organization and we hope to hear mid-week to see if our staffing will be impacted.  We hope minimal changes will occur.

It's been great being back at school and interacting with our students. They are so curious and love to ask questions.  One student pointed to my arm and asked me what that white circle was.  I explained it was a glucose monitor to check my sugar.  He asked, "Does it hurt?".  I said no.  Then he said, "Oh" then happily walked away.  We don't get these kinds of questions online!       

~Caroline

________________________________

Parents of the Virtual School

We would like to stay connected with our parents/guardians of the Virtual School so you can be informed of what's happening at Owen.  Please make sure you still complete the Parent Contact form.  You will also see this form below.



________________________________

Parent Council Nomination Form:

We will be running elections for various positions for the Owen Parent Executive Council this month.  Parent Council will be looking for:
- 1 Chair
- 1 Treasurer
- 1 Secretary

There will also be opportunities to be involved through committee work and other great ways to contribute to our school community.

Please fill out the Candidate Nomination form below to nominate a parent you know or to nominate yourself.  Nominations will end on Thursday October 8th @ 3:00 pm.


Our first Parent Council meeting will take place on Wednesday October 14th from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.  A Zoom link will be sent closer to the meeting date. At the meeting, candidates will have an opportunity to introduce themselves.  

Voting will open Saturday October 17 @12:00 pm and close on Sunday October 18 @ 12:00 pm.


_________________________________


Parent Contact Form:

Every year, we ask that parents complete the parent contact form to receive all communication from the office. All staff including homeroom teachers, prep teachers, staff in charge of sports teams or clubs and the office staff use this information to contact parents of the students they work with.

Please complete the form at http://bit.ly/OwenParentContactInformation before the end of the week as we will be switching to this email list for the next Owen Online.  Parents in the Virtual School may continue to receive our communication by completing this form.


_________________________________

Safe Arrival:

If your child is ill or absent for an appointment, please let the school know by emailing us at 
owenps@tdsb.on.ca or leaving a message at 416.395.2742.
_________________________________

Daily Health Screening:

Just a reminder to complete the Health Self-Assessment for all your children PRIOR to coming to school.

If students are not cleared, then it means either:
1) the screening indicated a "yes" and the child could be ill
                   or
2) the daily health screening was not completed that morning before school.

Students in this case will be sent to the office and a phone call will be made home to ensure your child is healthy and can be in class.

________________________________

Start of the Year Online Permission Forms 

The Start of Year Forms package will be made available to parents/guardians digitally again this year. The forms will be emailed to all parents/guardians between Monday, September 28, 2020 - Wednesday, September 30, 2020. The Start of Year Forms will be completed for all students (both in-person and virtual). These forms are associated with the student and therefore will move with the student, regardless of the learning model chosen.

 

The Start of Year Forms package does not replace the Student Verification form that will be sent this week which is used to verify student demographic and parent contact information.  

 

The forms/procedures that will be provided in digital format are: 

  • PR088 - Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources 
  • PR511H - Walking Excursion - Immediate Community 
  • PR511E - Medical Information for Excursions 
  • PR511K - Physical Education Information and Intramural Information/Permission
  • PR519A - Severe Weather Conditions: Permission to Leave School 
  • PR529B - Student Media Consent Release Form 
  • PR563 - Anaphylaxis
  • PR571 - Code of On-line Conduct 
  • PR585 - Board Code of Conduct 
  • PR607 - Diabetes Management 
  • PR714 - Asthma Management 
  • TDSB Digital Learning Tool Consent Form (now mandatory for all grades)

 

An email will be automatically sent to the parent/guardian who is the primary or secondary contact (Priority 1 or 2).  The email will include a link to complete these forms for each of your  children. The sender will be “TDSB Online Form (noreply@tdsb.on.ca)” and the subject line will contain the School Name, Student Name, Date and name of the form (eg. TDSB School - John Doe - Sept 25: Start of Year Form 2020/2021).


________________________________

Terry Fox Week:  October 5 - 9, 2020:

We are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of Terry Fox in October.  Students will have an opportunity to run on the school grounds during their Physed class and participate in lessons during their other classes.  

This year is the 40th Anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope and Owen Public School is proud to be continuing the legacy of one of our greatest heroes. Please join us and support this wonderful cause by donating to: http://www.terryfox.ca/OwenPSNorthYork. Together, we can all make a difference! #terryfoxschoolruns @terryfoxfoundation

_________________________________

Bus Transportation:

Thank you for your patience as we navigate our bus transportation this week. This year is unusual in every way and bussing is no different. We have been in regular contact with Transportation and the bussing companies to report service issues and concerns and will continue to work to make things run smoothly.
 
If a bus is late or there is an issue, I have been sending updates to families through our Remind App. You can sign up here: https://www.remind.com/join/buscont 
 
For details on your bus schedule, times and route, please see the bus planner site here: https://www.torontoschoolbus.org/


_________________________________

Student News!

See what our students have been up to lately at Owen!

Self Portraits:

Morning Announcers

 

Outdoor Play



_________________________________

Please click here for the latest updates and newsletters. 

                                                                                                                              

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 ...