Wednesday, April 29, 2009

May Flowers

Here are some dates to help you through May.

May 2nd - Spring Fest 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

May 11th - Parent Council 7:30 in the Library

May 13th - Jr Girls Soccer tournament @ Swansea 9:00am - 12noon

May 14th - Sr Boys Soccer Tournament 9:00am -3:30pm

May 19th -Sr Girls Soccer @ Humber Valley in the PM

May 22nd - Sharing Assemblies

May 25th - West Track Meet at York U Grades 2 -8

May 26th - 29th - EQAO

Education Week starts May 4thNominate an Education Week Champion!

Do you know someone who cares about the environment, is a leader, and shows a true passion for being environmentally friendly? Is your school innovative, resourceful, or leading the eco-friendly initiatives of the community? If so, nominate an outstanding student or school today to be an EDUCATION WEEK CHAMPION! Education Week is an annual event celebrated by school boards and schools across the province. It is a time for students, teachers and parents to celebrate teaching excellence and student achievement. It provides an opportunity for the TDSB to highlight the outstanding work of our students and increase public awareness and appreciation for our schools.The Toronto District School Board will be celebrating Education Week from May 4 to May 8, 2009 and we want to acknowledge the work and dedication of our students and staff for living and learning the environmentally friendly way.The TDSB theme for Education Week this year is Greening and Growing at the Toronto District School Board. Staff, students, parents, and community members are invited to nominate a school or student to be an Education Week Champion. These outstanding stories will be highlighted and featured through out the week of May 4 to May 8. If you or someone you know is an Education Week Champion and has achieved environmentally-friendly excellence in one of the categories below, nominate them today!The categories are: Teamwork and Leadership, Conserving Energy and Minimizing Waste, Student Achievement, Sustainable Schools, and Connecting with the Community.The future of our planet depends on the actions of today. Show us all the great people and best practices that have gone in to making the TDSB Canada's greenest school Board. For more information or to make a nomination, visit www.tdsb.on.ca/educationweek

Grade 7 & 8 students who require additional help with reading, writing or math can attend an after-school program designed to help them overcome gaps in their skills and understanding. The Literacy and Numeracy Program offered by the TDSB provides support to thousands of students each year. Classes are small and focused on helping students gain the tools and confidence they need to ensure future success in school and beyond. In The Zone, is the Grade 7 & 8 summer literacy and numeracy program. The program features LOL: Literacy Out Loud, LOL: Literacy Out Loud for English Language Learners, Math In Action, LEAP, English as a Second Language For Students New to Canada and Step On Stage, a drama program in partnership with Soulpepper Theatre Company. Brochures and registration forms are now in schools and the deadline for student registration is May 1, 2009. For more information, visit www.InTheZone.ca or call 416-338-4333.

We want to take this opportunity to bring you up to date on the current situation with respect to swine flu, and on the actions of the TDSB to protect the health and well being of all our students and staff. As reported in the media over the past several days, Federal, Provincial and Municipal public health authorities are reporting that an influenza-like illness has been confirmed in Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Ontario.
The TDSB has a Pandemic Response Plan in place and the Systems Response Team will be meeting to review and make any necessary adjustments and ensure an appropriate state of readiness, should implementation become necessary.TDSB Health and Safety staff is in regular contact with Toronto Public Health.
The TDSB web-site http://tdsbweb/ has been updated to provide information and address questions you may have. New information will be added as it is available.
Information from the City of Toronto, Public Health Unit is also available at www.toronto.ca/health/. This website addresses measures individuals can take to be proactive. We will continue to update you as new information becomes available. Please remember to practice frequent, proper hand washing.

Once again if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me @ 416 394 7890 ex 20011

Friday, April 3, 2009

April Showers

Here is some important information to help you get through the month of April.


April the 6th - Parent Council 7:30pm in the Library


April the 8th- Swim Finals for Jr & Sr @ Riverdale (Results can be found on the LKS sports blog)


April the 10th - 13th Easter Holidays -No School. See You On The 14th


April 29th and 30th School production of The Wizard Of Oz

April 20th -April 24th School Based Earth Week Activities . Parents are encouraged to attend our opening assembly @ 9:00am on the Monday. Please also visit our Eco School Web Site, the web link is on the right of this page.



Here are Ten Tips to help the Earth.

1. Park It Leave your car at home for a day (or a week or a month) and try walking or biking. If work is too far away to walk, take public transit or carpool. One city bus eliminates the emissions of 40 cars. 2. Shut Down Turn off the lights, the computer and the TV when they are not in use. Using only highly efficient and money saving appliances can reduce the electricity consumption of an average household. 3. Where's The Beef? Try eating meat-free at least one day a week. A meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant-based diet. Livestock production is responsible for more climate change gasses than all the motor vehicles in the world. 4. Eat It Choose foods produced organically, locally and in season. Support your regional farmers & farming industry. Buying locally and in season is better for the environment than buying foods that have been shipped hundreds of kilometres to your local market. 5. Let It Rot Put a composter in your backyard or use your green bin to reduce household waste. Composting organics has two key benefits: it reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and when added to your garden, helps nourish soil and plants. 6. Don't Be Idle Turn off your car's engine if stopped for more than 10 seconds. If every driver of a light duty vehicle avoided idling by five minutes a day, collectively, we would save 1.8 million litres of fuel per day, almost 4500 tonnes of GHG emissions, and $1.7 million in fuel costs each day (assuming fuel costs are $0.95/L). 7. Keep Your Eye On The Temperature Set your thermostat above room temperature in the summer and below room temperature in the winter. For each degree you adjust, you can save five per cent on your utility bill and one per cent on your energy use. 8. Bright Ideas Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). A CFL uses only 25 per cent as much energy as an incandescent bulb and lasts 10 times longer. 9. Don't Dump It - Blue Box It! The simple act of recycling has more impact on the environment that the average Canadian thinks. The amount of wood and paper North Americans throw away each year is enough to heat five million homes for 200 years. 10. Tell Someone This is a great opportunity to brag. Tell someone what you're doing to make the world a better place. Support the cause.


2009-2010 School Year Calendar

At the March Board meeting, Trustees approved the 2009-2010 school year calendar. Tuesday, September 8, 2009 will be the first day of school for all students. Wednesday, September 2 and Thursday, September 3 will be Professional Activity (PA) days for staff. The 2009-2010 school year presented a challenge because Labour Day in 2009 is very late, occurring on Monday, September 7. As a result, the TDSB had to find a way to accommodate the minimum 194 school days required by the Ministry of Education between September 8 and June 30, 2010 while maintaining the usual school breaks for PA days, exams, statutory holidays, and March and Winter Breaks. A solution was reached that best meets Ministry directions and community expectations while providing the best options for student learning.

Second Term Report Cards

Second term report cards for all students in grades 1-8 will be sent home between March 27 and April 2. This term’s report cards will continue to communicate your child’s strengths, weaknesses and next steps as it relates to achievement of the curriculum expectations for each subject area as well as their achievement of the learning skills. Junior Kindergarten students are scheduled to receive a summary report at this time. This summary is a means of communicating to parents/guardians a profile of their child’s interests, strengths, development and learning. In addition, teachers may be requesting parent interviews for some students. Parent interviews will occur on the evening of Thursday, April 2nd and on the morning of Friday, April 3rd. Regardless of whether or not an interview has been scheduled to discuss your child’s progress, parents are always welcome and encouraged to request a parent/teacher interview.Page 3 of the report card provides parents/guardians and the student with an opportunity to comment on student achievement, goals and home support. The response form links formal reporting to the process of assessment, reporting and communication about the student’s learning that continues throughout the year.Learning is a partnership and we encourage you to continue to be involved in your child’s education.



Student Attendance and Punctuality

Regular student attendance and punctuality is important in order for students to be successful at school. The Education Act states that it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure that their children attend school regularly. A student’s academic progress depends on regular class attendance. TDSB elementary schools practice the Safe Arrival Program that requires schools to perform a school-home attendance check. Notify the school when your child will be absent. Students are expected to fully participate in learning opportunities and complete all homework assignments and tests when they are absent so make sure your child is getting homework assignments when they are absent.You can help ensure that your child is in school and on time for classes by:• being involved in your child’s education; • knowing the school’s schedule;• communicating regularly with classroom teachers (use your child’s planner to send notes to the teacher);• calling the school if your child is going to be absent;• writing a note if your child is late due to an appointment; • ensuring that your child gets a good night’s sleep so that they have the energy they need for the next day


As always if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me @ 416 394 7890 ex 20011.

About Me

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Vice Principal of Second Street Junior Middle School.