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