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JOSEPH HOWE SENIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL
20 Winter Gardens Trail
Scarborough, Ontario M1C 2E4
416/396-6405
Ms. S. Boland, Principal
Ms. J. Solman, Vice-Principal
http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/josephhowe
OCTOBER 2015
OCTOBER IS WALK TO SCHOOL MONTH
Oct. 5 School Council Applications Due 4:00
Oct. 8 Cross Country Qualifiers– Thomson Park
Oct. 12 Thanksgiving Long Weekend
Oct. 15 Cross Country Finals At Thomson Park
Oct. 15 Lockdown Practice
Oct. 16 Pizza Lunch Fundraiser – School Council
Cafeteria Food Service Closed
Oct. 19 School Council Meeting – Staffroom 7:00
Oct. 22 Cross Country At Centennial Park - Etobicoke
Nov. 2 Picture Re-Take Day
Nov. 5 Homework Help Workshop
Nov. 6 Pizza Lunch Fundraiser – School Council
Cafeteria Food Service Closed
Nov. 11 Remembrance Day Assembly
Nov. 13 PA Day – Students Do No Attend School
Nov. 16 Immunization Clinic – Gym
Nov. 18 Crime Stoppers Presentation
Nov. 23 School Council Meeting – 7:00 p.m. – Staffroom
HELP PHONE LINE 1/800/668-6868
STUDENT SAFETY LINE 416/395-7233
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING
REMIND 101
Sign up and receive short weekly texts from the Principal! This is a one-way text that will remind parents/guardians of events that are happening at the school each week.
Text 437-800-2358 with the message @josephh and you will be a member of Remind 101!
Welcome to our new teacher, Ms. Awara who will be the homeroom teacher for 8D and Ms. Beadle, our new Office Administrator.
Everyone is beginning to settle into the groove of school at Joseph Howe now. Timetables have been memorized, classes have been found, and the lunch routine has been navigated.
STUDENT AGENDAS
We encourage each student to maintain an orderly agenda, and together with your parents, carefully read through it remembering to label it with your name and homeroom class. Your agenda has a wealth of useful information between the covers. Students are required to bring their agenda to every class. Make this a habit!
It is the responsibility of each student to make sure that they keep up with work while they are away.
Ms. Downey will have the library open every day after school until 4:00 p.m. The library is a good place to get homework completed, finish projects, or work in groups. We appreciate Ms. Downey’s efforts.
Please be sure to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity! Encourage your child not to wait until the “last minute” to complete assignments.
IMMUNIZATION CLINIC
The Public Health Department will be at Howe to immunize our students on Nov. 16.
ALLERGY ALERT
Prevention is the best approach. Therefore, for the safety of our students, we ask your cooperation in not sending any snacks or lunches containing peanuts or nut products and to refrain from bringing aerosol products to Joseph Howe.
One of the most important contributors to student success is the support offered from home. You, through your interest and questions, validate the importance of school activities for your child. A simple “what happened at school today?” followed up by a perusal of your child’s agenda will ensure that you are up to date on your child’s school life. Questions about school should first be directed to the specific teacher or the homeroom teacher. Both Ms. Solman and I are available, by appointment, to discuss any concerns you may still have about your child after you have contacted your child’s teacher(s).
CARING AND SAFE SCHOOLS
In accordance with TDSB policy we will be practicing a lockdown procedure on October 15. We have many strategies in place to help keep our students safe at school. These range from the Safe Arrival Program, Character Education, Bullying Prevention Plan, Fire Drill Practices, The school Code of Conduct, special events, clubs and guest speakers to promote healthy self-esteem and healthy relationship building. We also have Ms. Miller-Caise, our itinerant guidance counsellor and Mrs. Capela, our social worker who are both available for student and family support.
LUNCH ROUTINE
This year grade 7 students will eat the first half of lunch and grade 8 students will eat second lunch every day. Each class will have a bin for their lunch bags. Grade 7 students will eat their lunch and deposit their lunch bag in the appropriate class bin. Grade 8 students will deposit their lunch bag in the bin with their class on it before exiting the building until it is their turn to come in. When it is their turn for lunch they will pass by the bin and pick up their bag and go directly to the cafeteria. It is important to have the last name in permanent marker on the outside of lunch bags to avoid picking up the wrong lunch bag.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
The School Council meets from 7:00 p.m. to approximately 8:15 p.m. in the staffroom on the first floor. Parents, staff and members of the community make up the council. All are welcome. Meetings dates were established at the first meeting on Sept. 28. Thank you to all those who handed in School Council Applications Forms.
Meetings dates are: Oct. 19, Nov. 23, Jan. 18, Feb. 22,
April 18, and May 30.
Ms. S. Boland, Principal
SCHOOL PHOTOS
Edge Photography will return to Howe on Nov. 2 for retake photos for those who were absent on Sept. 17.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
If your child is going to be absent due to a religious holiday, please make sure that you call the absence into the office and specify the reason. Your child will not be marked absent but specified as a “G” day which is not shown on their report card.
ECO CLUB NEWS
Joseph Howe has been awarded the designation of being a “GOLD” Eco School! We try very hard to conserve energy, recycle and be environmentally aware. With this in mind we would like to call to your attention some new information about Scarborough Blue Bins.
Toronto's Blue Bin recycling program, one of North America's largest residential recycling programs, will become even bigger and better with the addition of new types of soft plastic material. Toronto's recycling program now accepts plastic film – the soft, stretchy type that includes bags used for dry cleaning, soil, sandwiches, bread, milk, bulk food and produce, frozen fruit and vegetables, as well as over wrap from toilet paper and paper towels. More details are available at toronto.ca/recycle.
Cooking oil — from residential homes, apartments and condos — is now accepted as household hazardous waste at Drop-off Depots and Community Environment Days. (Please note the drop-off hours for household hazardous waste are different from the general operating hours.) Cooking oil should be delivered in a sealed container labelled "Used cooking oil."
Cooking oil should never be poured down the sink, drain or toilet because it can negatively impact sewer pipe systems in your home and neighbourhood, causing sewer backups. Small amounts can go in the Green Bin if soaked up with a paper towel or frozen/hardened.
Next Generation Green Bin proposed for 2016
Given the current Green Bins used by customers with residential curbside collection service are reaching the end of their expected lifespan and need to be replaced. City staff recommended distribution of free new bins starting in 2016 in the Scarborough Community. If approved, distribution would take 18 months to complete. Old Green Bins will be collected at that time for recycling back into new bins.
SCHOOL COUNCIL PIZZA
FRIDAY FUNDRAISERS
Oct. 16 Nov. 6 Dec, 4 Jan. 8
The cafeteria food services will be closed on the above four dates. Students will have to bring their own lunch to school if they did not choose to participate in pizza lunch days. Students will NOT be allowed to sign out and go the local plazas.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Mrs. Varga at 416/724-2262 .
TERRY FOX
Our thanks to Mr. Barnes and Mrs. Varga’s team for participating in the Terry Fox Donation Lunch. Joseph Howe, with the help of our wonderful teachers and generous community, raised over $1,800.00 in donations for the Terry Fox Foundation.
POPCORN THURSDAYS FUNDRAISER
Starting Thursday, October 1 the School Council will sell fresh popped popcorn for $1.00 on Thursdays after school in the front lobby.
CROSS COUNTRY
Starting in September we had 80 to 100 students come out each morning at 8:00 a.m. The first two weeks students trained at Joseph Howe with the remainder of the training taking place at Adams Park under the supervision of the coaches.
As a result of this training program Joseph Howe will have several students competing at the qualifying meet Oct. 8, Conference Finals Oct. 15 at Thomson Park and hopefully at the City Finals October 22 in Etobicoke at Centennial Park.
MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS
For the past three weeks we have had the Indonesian Gamelan Instruments from the TDSB World Music Program. All classes have had opportunities to play these ancient instruments in music classes. A curriculum accompanies the kit and students have learned some new terms and made comparisons with Western musical instruments, traditions and notation. The sounds that come from the instruments are magical, exotic and uplifting.
THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK
Help your child manage their online reputation. Take a few minutes to speak to your child about the importance of thinking about online behaviours so that they keep their personal information, and reputations safe. Let them know about how many kids think that what they put on the internet is “private” when it is absolutely not the case.
Cell phones, pagers, blackberries, cameras, laser pointers, ipods, portable video games, and related technological wizardry can be used to compromise student confidentiality or to endanger fellow students by taking pictures and/or posting to various internet sites.
STUDENT SAFETY
Just a reminder to parents that students are not to be dropped off or picked up in the parking lot or at the parking lot entrance. Please do not stop directly in front of the school to let your child out as it poses a traffic risk to students. Ask your child to meet you a little ways down Winter Gardens Trail (starting at the chain link fence).
PICKING UP CHILDREN AT SCHOOL
For every time an office staff member calls a classroom and requests that a child be sent to the office to meet a parent, several minutes of instructional time are lost for the entire class. If you are picking a child up for an appointment, please send a note to the teacher and pick your child up in the office at the appointed time. Your child should be made aware of what time to leave the classroom so that it is not necessary to call into the classroom. Please be sure your child knows what time you will come to get them. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
STUDENT LATES
We will be communicating with parents whose son/daughter is having difficulty arriving to school on time. We believe that it is a life skill for all students to be conscientious and to arrive at school on time, both in the morning and after lunch. Any student who leaves the building at lunch time to go home for lunch who does not return in a timely manner will have that lunch privilege removed. When a student arrives late, not only are they missing valuable class time, but they are also disturbing the lesson being taught when they enter the classroom. We are asking for the support of our parents to speak to their child if this applies to them. Thank you.
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAMME
416/396-6405
To ensure our Safe Arrival Program works efficiently, we need the support of all of our parents and guardians. Our Safe Arrival Program operates on the principle of quickly determining why a child is absent. This program goes into play when a parent/guardian has not called to state why their child is not at school.
We would very much appreciate it if you would call the night before and leave a message after school hours or each morning between 7:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. and leave a voice mail to report a student absence or to inform us that your child will be late. Please state your child’s name, spell the last name clearly, state your child’s teacher’s name and the home form (e.g. 7A, 8A) when reporting an absence and the reason your child is absent. If the absence is for multiple days you may call on the first day with the date of return to avoid having to call daily. We appreciate the note you may have given the teacher regarding an extended absence but we request that you also call the office as the information does not always filter down to the attendance secretary.
Students must sign in and out when arriving at any time after class has begun or if they are leaving before the end of the day. A note is required. If your child has been away in the morning and returns at lunchtime, he/she must come to the office to sign in so we know he/she has returned to school. It is also necessary to sign out and back in at lunch time for those few students who are on the list to go home.
At Joseph Howe we require each student to eat lunch at school. Students are not permitted to go to the local plazas for lunch. If students are leaving the building at lunch time they must have a note from their parent and the only place they should be going is home or to an appointment. Students are not to leave the school property.
The telephone in the office is not available to students to make social plans. These plans must be made the night before. The office telephone is not to be used to ask parents to bring forgotten homework, projects, gym equipment, etc. Students are not to use cell phones on school property and any picture taking is absolutely forbidden.