October 2010 Newsletter

In this edition:

• Dates to Remember
• Principal’s Message
• Growing Success – Our New Provincial Progress Report Card, Grades 1-8
• School Council Update
• Gerri Gershon’s Quick Communicator
• Cut Off Cancer
• The Terry Fox run: A day full of HOPE
• Staffing News
• First Lice Lice Check of the Year
• Bus Update
• Volunteer Reference Checks
• John Fisher Is An Allergy Safe Zone
• Les nouvelles du gymnase
• Green/Playground News
• Choir News
• Grade 6 Website
• Last Call for Directory Entries
• Subscribing To This Website
• Preliminary EQAO Results 20019-2010
• Thanksgiving

Dates to Remember

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Principal’s Message

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many students, staff and parents who have contributed to this newsletter. Although we have only been in school for a little over a month, we have been very busy at John Fisher P.S. Some events that students, staff and parents have participated in include the Cut Off Cancer and Terry Fox assembly, a Character Education assembly, the Terry Fox Run, the Eco-Schools Platinum Awards Ceremony at the Brickworks, a Cross Country meet, and Photo Day.

This year, we held our first ever combined Welcome Back BBQ and Curriculum Night on September 22nd. The staff and Welcome Back BBQ parent committee decided in the spring that they would like to try this new format, which is used and very popular in many other schools. We had a terrific turnout and it was wonderful seeing and meeting so many of you. Thank you to the staff and parent committee for working so hard to put this together.

The first School Council meeting of this school year was held on Thursday, September 16th. I shared 3 of several key components of an effective school and they are: a Safe and Orderly Environment, High Expectations, and Home and School Partnerships. Since entering John Fisher P.S. for the first time back in June and over the last 5 weeks, it was and continues to be very obvious to me that these 3 components are well established in the school and that students, staff, parents and the community are very proud of John Fisher P.S. It is also evident that each person who works and volunteers at the school is committed to ensuring a variety of safe and positive learning opportunities, both inside and outside of the classrooms, for our students. I am pleased and thankful for the opportunity to join and lead this unique and vital school community and I look forward to our ongoing work together.

Felicia DiCiero, Principal

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Growing Success -Our NEW Provincial Progress Report Card, Grades 1-8

Growing Success is the new Ministry of Education policy on Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools Grades 1-12. As part of the implementation of this policy, a new Progress Report for students in Grades 1-6 at John Fisher will be sent home on November 17th. Interviews to discuss student progress will be held after school and in the evening on Thursday, November 19th, and during the day on Friday, November 20th (PA Day).

There are several new features to the Progress Report as compared to previous report cards. These features are intended to facilitate better communication among parents, teachers, and students, encourage students to set goals, and assist parents in supporting learning at home.

One of the most noticeable differences is that there are no achievement grades on the new Progress Report Card. Instead, the fall Progress Report Card places a strong emphasis on the development of students’ learning skills and work habits. Students’ achievement of 6 Learning Skills and Habits will be shown on the front page of the Progress Report Card. These are:

1. Responsibility

2. Organization

3. Independent Work

4. Collaboration

5. Initiative, and

6. Self-Regulation.

The development of these skills and habits will be reported as excellent, good, satisfactory, or needs improvement and a space is provided for teacher comments about students’ strengths and next steps for improvement.

The fall Progress Report Card indicates for parents how well their children are progressing in all the subjects and provides an early indication of those subjects where the student may need additional help. For each subject, teachers will check whether the students are: Progressing with Difficulty, Progressing Well, or Progressing Very Well.

The Elementary Provincial Report Cards 1 and 2 will be issued in February and June. These reports will capture achievement of the Curriculum Expectations as well as your child’s development of Learning Skills and Work Habits.

This is a transition year for Kindergarten as we await a revised Kindergarten report card. In an effort to minimize changes during this transition year, the Kindergarten reporting timelines have been adjusted to align with the Grade 1-8 reporting timelines, but the format of the report card has remained the same as in previous years.

A TDSB Questions & Answers for Parents on the Growing Success policy is available here: GS TDSB Communication Parent Grades 1 – 8 Final.

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School Council Update

We made it through September. A big pat on the back!

To begin, please join me in thanking Erika, Laura and the Welcoming and Recognition team for another great Welcome Back BBQ at John Fisher on September 22. This year we tried something new, combining the BBQ and Curriculum Night. By the ticket sales, I would call the evening a great success! It is a fantastic way to catch up with everyone after the summer away. The curriculum part of the evening also went over well with the community, and gave everyone a good chance to discuss the expectations for the school year with not only the teachers, but with other parents, as well.

October is budget planning month. Budget requests are being prepared by the Committee Chairs, and are due to the Finance Committee on Thursday, October 7. The Finance Committee will then meet on October 14 to prepare a budget based on the requests and the funding we have available. On October 27, the Finance Committee will present the proposed budget to School Council for approval.

We are still looking for new Chairs or Co-Chairs for a few of our committees for next year. If you are interested in any of the following, please indicate on your form: June Fair, and Health & Safety. Also, Kiss n’ Ride is always looking for volunteers – come out and support this great program.

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns. Our next School Council meeting is Wednesday, October 27, at 7:15 pm, in the library. All are welcome, and I look forward to seeing you there.

Stefanie Cepuch
Chair, JF School Council
scepuch@rogers.com

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Gerri Gershon’s Quick Communicator

For any of you that may have missed it, here is a link to Trustee Gershon’s newsletter here. Quick Communicator sept 2010

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Cut Off Cancer

On September 23, seven generous John Fisher students cut their hair at the Terry Fox assembly, and four more donated previously cut hair, in order to make a wig for a child with cancer related hair loss. That is 11 kids in total – pretty much enough to make one wig! This year’s event was dedicated to Tanya Kostich, and was particularly moving for all who attended. The Cut Off Cancer committee would like to thank all the staff and students who made the event possible, as well as Avola Hair College, Just Ducky, and Mary Lye from the Childhood Cancer Foundation. Moved by these wonderful students, many have been donating to the Childhood Cancer Foundation through the John Fisher team on the smallhands.ca website. Please visit the website to make a donation or check out the amazing progress for the 2010 John Fisher Cut Off Cancer event. Merci!

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The Terry Fox run: A day full of HOPE

September 30th marked the fifth Terry Fox run at John Fisher. It was such a wonderful day. The volunteers were plentiful, the students were enthusiastic and the mood was positive determination. So many came ready to run for Tanya Kostich and many pictures and messages of hope were added to our dedication wall. Thank you so much to Heather Godden and Kathy Cvornyek who worked so hard to organize this day and the assembly the previous week and to Bonita and her crew for the Cut-off cancer part. Special thanks to Margot Fulcher and Tina Eng who helped our students stretch and remind them of the purpose behind our efforts. Thank you to all the other volunteers who cheered us on, poured water and applied tattoos. You made our day that much better. We will share with you at a later date the amount raised. Please note that we are accepting pledge forms until October 12th.

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Staffing News

Congratulation to Lynne Tyrie who was nominated for the Toronto Star Teacher Award and was listed as one of the 80 Honourable Mentions in the Education Section of the September 30^th edition of the Toronto Star!!!

Welcome to Mme Denise Blake as our 0.5 Drama/Dance teacher.  Mme Blake is a long term occasional teacher covering for Mme Raviele who is on a leave of absence.  While Mme Blake has been at John Fisher since school opening, her assignment at our school just became official.

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First Lice Check of the Year

This is to let you know that thanks to our Pediculosis Committee volunteers and classroom volunteers, we will be able to hold the first Lice Check of the year on Thursday October 28.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED! No experience necessary. Volunteers can meet in the back of the school office between 08:45 and 09:00. We only require approximately 30 minutes of your time. Coffee and cookies will be provided. We need your help to make this a successful event!

Jane Penciner, Chair Pediculosis Committee
jane.penciner@rogers.com

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Bus Update

We have been monitoring our ridership closely. Consistent with last year’s trend, ridership is up considerably on the John Wanless and Bedford Park buses. Transportation has made some changes to the PM buses to deal with the overload on the blue (141-Bedford) bus, moving the Blythwood and Northlea students to that route (see September 30 Squawk).

Despite this change, both the Bedford and Wanless buses are at full capacity and are unable to process any ‘empty seat’ riders. The 142 (green) bus has limited capacity, particularly at the end of the school day. We are processing as many requests as possible and are awaiting the Transportation Department’s reply before advising families. Please do not put your child on the bus until we have confirmed a seat and a start date.

We are still looking for one or two volunteers to be the contact at each of the various schools for bus drop-off in the afternoon. It would be best if the person acting as contact has a smart phone to be able to receive e-mail or phone calls in case of a busing issue. In this way, we can inform parents quickly, without the need for all concerned parents to call into the school (for example, late departure of bus from JF). Please contact Jen Hinder if you wish to volunteer, at jenhinder@rogers.com

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Volunteers and Police Reference Checks – 2010/2011

John Fisher has a large group of very dedicated parent and community volunteers and we value their tremendous contributions that make our school a better place. In order to ensure that we are compliant with the Board’s practice to require police reference checks on volunteers who have regular and ongoing contact with students, we are reminding all of our school’s volunteers about this process.

The Board has arranged with Toronto Police Services for a special rate for volunteer police reference checks of $16.95. If you are a volunteer who has ongoing contact with students, please pick up and complete a form in the school office and submit a cheque in the amount of $16.95 made payable to Toronto Police Service.

Results are sent directly to the applicant and it is then their responsibility to share these with the school which would then be sent to the Board’s Police Reference Check Office. Once this process is completed, cleared volunteers who return next year need only complete an Offence Declaration on-line.

If you have any questions about this requirement, please feel free to contact the school.

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John Fisher Is An Allergy Safe Zone

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Les nouvelles du gymnase

We are very pleased to announce that quite a few cross-country runners that are moving on to the Conference Championships on October 14th at Ashbridge’s Bay.

The following are the teams that are advancing:

We also have a number of individual runners also advancing. The detailed results will be posted by the gym on Friday October 8.

In other sports, M. Balsamo and coach Quesnelle have been leading practices for the gr.5 and 6 Coed Flag Rugby in preparation for their tournaments on November 8th at Birchmount Stadium and November 10th at Northlea P.S.

Practices for boys’ volleyball and girls’ basketball will be starting soon.

In the gym, students are having fun learning cooperative games, fitness exercises, throwing and catching activities and games. In particular, junior students have been playing bordenball.

We are all enjoying the addition of Mme Marchand in the gym with her fresh approach and enthusiasm.

Jean-Aimé Lalonde

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Green/Playground News

Circle of Friendship Outdoor Classroom

After 15 months in the works, our ‘Circle of Friendship’ outdoor classroom finally became a reality thanks to the generous support from Brimell Toyota and Evergreen Learning Grounds, Golder Associates and Tree Canada Greening Canada’s School Grounds, and last but not least, Parent Council.

There was a clear need for children to have a safe area to sit at recess but there was limited space where they could do so protected from the sun. It also became apparent after talking to staff that, as the area was quite exposed, the children were not using it. The space now also allows for teachers to bring their classes for reading, poetry or drawing while being outdoors.

Hope everybody gets to enjoy this new classroom.

John Fisher received its Platinum Eco Certification:

On Tuesday September 28th, John Fisher along with forty other schools from the TDSB received its Platinum Eco Certification at a grand ceremony at the newly re-opened Brickworks.

Here is what the Eco-club had to say: “Quant nous sommes allés au Evergreen Brickworks pour recevoir le prix platinum EcoSchool, j’ai trouvé que John Fisher est une de 41 EcoSchools dans le TDSB et en total il y a 301 EcoSchools dans le TDSB, mais juste 41 sont des écoles platinum et une de ces 41 écoles est notre école John Fisher. Je pense que si on travaille à la maison et vous aimez planter les plantes ou de le nouriture, on peut essayer d’inspirer des autre à faire la même chose”.

Field to Table Gardening project

Last Spring, under the guidance of parents, Ellen Jan and Susan Yoshida, Mme. Turgeon’s Grade 2 class planted their own cold crop vegetables and harvested them in June using them in a great pizza and salad party at the end of the school year. This week, Mme. Turgeon reunited her kids from last year and together went to see how their garden had grown during the summer. Thanks so much Mme. Turgeon for that initiative and effort. Your little farmers truly appreciated it.

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Choir News

Primary and Junior Choirs rehearsals have begun and sound great! We are already singing about winter! If there are any students who missed the announcements about permission letters and rehearsal times and are interested in joining one of the choirs, you can print the attached forms or obtain hard copies from the office or directly from me.

primary choir september letter

junior choir september letter

4. You will receive an email to confirm subscription. In your email, click on the link, and the confirmation will appear.

That’s it! Please note that we will not have your email address on file by this method.

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EQAO Results 2009-2010

Please find below the 2009-2010 EQAO results. We are pleased with the improvements shown. As a staff, we use these results in conjunction with other student achievement data to identify areas of strength and determine areas of need. From this, we then develop goals and plans designed to support all students to reach maximum potential.

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Thanksgiving – Action de grâce

Contrary to popular belief, the origin of Thanksgiving in Canada are not based on American Thanksgiving at Plymouth, but go back further to explorer Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher’s Thanksgiving was not for harvest but homecoming. He had safely returned from a search for the Northwest Passage, avoiding the later fate of Henry Hudson and Sir John Franklin. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving the long journey. French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 1600s also took to celebrating their successful harvests. They even shared their food with the indigenous people of the area as well as setting up what became known as l’Ordre du bon temps.  As many more settlers arrived in Canada, more celebrations of good harvest became common. New immigrants into the country, such as the Irish, Scottish, Germans would also add their own harvest traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the American aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey) were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada. (source: Wikipedia)

In the spirit of the season, we would like to give thanks to all for your kindness, understanding and support. Enjoy your families, as we will ours, eat well, celebrate, and please make sure the children help with the dishes! Bonne action de grâce!

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