NOVEMBER 2017
NEWSLETTER
Tom Longboat JPS 37 Crow Trail
Toronto ON M1B 1X6
Tel 416.396.6610
Safe Arrival
416.396.6610 Press 1
Before 8:30AM
Principal
Andrea Chisholm
Office Administrator
Desleigh Russell
Secretary AM
Lakshminee Singh
Superintendent
Andrew Howard
Trustee Ward 21
Abdul Hai Patel
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
The fall at Tom Longboat Jr. P.S. has been filled with excitement once
again. Like the changing colours of the leaves, we are constantly
improving upon our instructional and assessment practices in order to
improve student achievement. This month we started up our inquiry
buddies once again. This time we focused on STEAM: Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. While our teachers
discussed ways to improve instruction in mathematics, our students
worked together on the Arts. They recreated works of art from
different indigenous Canadian artists. The result was nothing short of
spectacular!
Our Ultra Neutron Move-A-Thon was held on October 31st. Our
students moved and grooved all afternoon with Professor Jamz! This
is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Thank you to all of our families for
helping us raise money towards enrichment opportunities for our
students in the form of school events, activities, performances, and
excursions. We look forward to welcoming Professor Jamz back
again next fall.
Our Progress Report Cards will be distributed to families on November
15th. This gives us an opportunity to reflect upon the learning that has
occurred to date and what next steps we will be focussing on for the
rest of Term 1. We encourage all families to attend the Parent-
teacher interviews being held on November 16th in the evening, and
November 17th in the morning. Interview request forms will be going
out this week.
Finally, we are excited to welcome three teacher candidates from
OISE Master of Teaching Program for the month of November. These
teacher candidates will be co-teaching with their host teacher and
then teaching some lessons individually over the next four weeks.
Welcome to Ms. Ragasegaram in Mr. Maskerine’s class, Ms. Chui in
Mr. Mark’s class, and Ms. Mo in Ms. Yung’s class.
We are looking forward to seeing positive examples of student
achievement over the next month, and to see our students
demonstrating November’s character trait of empathy.
Sincerely,
Andrea Chisholm
Principal
Sincerely
Andrea Chisholm
KEARNEY TRIP by Pearl Ved
Kearney was an
amazing trip and a very nice way of
interacting with other kids and staff,
while exploring the wildlife as well. On October 16, the grade 6’s at Tom
Longboat were ready to explore and were full of energy on the bus ride there.
When we finally reached Kearney, we had a lot of fun there and we all got to
experience something we never knew we would do before!
We got to go on a full day hike, howl like a wolf at night, play Predator and
Prey in the rain, and so much more! On top of that, we even got an all you
can eat buffet with amazing food!
Kearney staff were all very polite and funny, and we got to learn a lot of new
things, but the coolest thing we probably did at Kearney was the Inuit blanket
toss. We each had to sit in the middle of the blanket, one at a time, and on
the count of 3 we had to pull the blanket outwards so the surface of the
blanket would push the person sitting in the middle up, and safely land them
back down.
If our school had the opportunity to go back to Kearney, I definitely won't
want to miss it! Kearney was an awesome once in a lifetime trip, and we hope
to see other Grade 5’s going to Kearney next year!
LOCKDOWN & FIRE DRILLS
At the beginning of each school year, our students and staff prepare for the year ahead by
establishing the foundations for a successful year. One of the ways we know we can help
students be successful is to create a safe environment in which to learn. Though no one ever
wants to see an emergency happen at a school, it's important for school staff to be equipped
to deal with those situations, should these occur.
The safety of students and staff is a top priority at our school and
to that end, as with all emergency drills, it is essential that we are
prepared and understand the importance of procedures that
will help ensure the safety of everyone in our school.
The TDSB has taken steps to ensure your child's safety while in
school. Each school has developed emergency preparedness
plans that include steps staff will take in the event of an
emergency, how staff will get students away from possible dangers, and how students' families
will be contacted.
One aspect of emergency preparedness is the lockdown and fire drill. All schools are required
to conduct a minimum of two lockdown drills and six fire drills each school year. Lockdown
drills, like fire drills, are an essential component to ensuring student and staff safety. It is
important that all staff and students are prepared and know how to respond in cases of
emergencies. The drills last approximately 5 minutes and ensure plans are effective and can
also systematically identify any safety concerns.
Communication is also very important in any emergency situation. The emergency contact
information kept on file is important in helping this happen. It lists the people who can pick up a
student from the school. If you have not yet provided this information to the office or have
updates to the information on file, please make sure our office staff have that information as
soon as possible.
KEEPING KIDS SAFE Drivers are reminded to do their part to keep children safe near school buses.
Drivers should follow these tips:
- Stop and never pass a school bus when its red lights are flashing.
- Leave space around school buses and avoid blocking school bus
loading zones so children can enter and exit safely.
- Be prepared to stop for a school bus at any time, not just during school
hours.
- Always obey the rules of the road and watch for children, especially in
school zones.
- Stop for pedestrians at crosswalks and school crossings.
Parents can also help keep their children safe by reminding them to be
aware of their surroundings when they are on or near school buses.
SCHOOL CASH ONLINE
GET STARTED – open a profile
Say YES to receive EMAIL
You will receive an email to activate your account
My Account – ADD your children
Check ITEMS
We currently only have 26 students left to register. If you need assistance
please contact Ms Russell who can assist you with sign up.
Agenda’s are available for purchase. We would like every child including our
Kindies to have an agenda. This is a fabulous communication tool and also
allows students to note homework and other activities.
FOCUS ON PEACE In our Library, students have been reading books about Peace. Students
then created artwork which is what they think of when they close their eyes
and think of Peace.
INSPIRED BY FIRST NATIONS ARTIST Students in our Kindergarten & Primary Divisions recently had the opportunity of
creating artwork inspired by Roy Henry Vickers. Below is a sample of some of
the artwork created by our kindies.
FRENCH PROGRAMS Please note while admission to the Early French Immersion (SK
entry)/Junior Extended French (Grade 4 entry) program is
guaranteed at the entry points to all on time applicants,
admission to a specific school is not guaranteed if the school
reaches capacity and to ensure that we can support all 74 of
our SK Immersion sites. Transportation is provided as per the
Board's Transportation policy.
Early French Immersion (SK entry)
Application process opens: Monday October 30, 2017
Deadline for applications: Thursday November 30, 2017
Junior Extended French (Grade 4 entry)
Application process opens: Monday January 8, 2018
Deadline for applications: Thursday February 8, 2018
Intermediate Extended French (Grade 7 Entry)
Deadline for applications: TBD February 2018
Offers of placement within your chosen program will be made to
all on-time applicants in the weeks following the close of the
application window. Please note: families with an older sibling
currently in a French program are still re-quired to complete an
online application for the new student. For further information
about French as a Second Language programs, the application
process and dates for Information Evenings, please visit
www.tdsb.on.ca/french.
UPCOMING EVENTS Nov 5 CLOCKS CHANGE BACK1 Hour
Nov 9 Parent Council Meeting 9:00am
Nov 10 Remembrance Day Assembly 10:30am
Nov 15 Reports go home
Nov 16 Grades 5 & 6 visit to the Ontario Legislature
Nov 16 Parent Teacher Interviews 3:15-7:00pm
Nov 17 Parent Teacher Interviews 8:30-11:00am
PA Day No School
Nov 22 Picture Retake Day
Dec 1 PA Day No School
Dec 13 Pizza Lunch
Dec 21 Winter Concert 6:00pm
Dec 22 Last Day of School before Christmas break
Dec 25-Jan 5 Christmas Break
Jan 8 School Resumes
PROFESSOR JAMZ ULTRA NEUTRON MOVE-A-THON
On October 31st, Professor Jamz returned for our second annual Ultra Neutron Move-a-
Thon! Our little and big Longboat pumpkins moved and grooved while they lit up the
auditorium with glow-in-the-dark gear. Our students from Kindergarten to Grade 6
raised over $2500 for excursions and special events for our school. We have already
invited Professor Jamz back to Tom Longboat next fall to help our school once again!
TDSB Mission To enable all students to reach high levels of achievement and to acquire
the knowledge, skills, and values they need to become responsible members of a democratic society.
“WHAT DO I DO ABOUT SCHOOL LOCKDOWNS?”
School Safety Information Meeting at:
Agincourt Collegiate Institute 2621 Midland Ave, Scarborough, ON M1S 1R6
Presenters: School staff, TDSB Communications staff and Toronto Police Representatives
Time: 7:00 pm
Date: November 14, 2017 Meeting sponsor: Trustee Ward 21 Abdul Hai Patel