Week of November 18th, 2024

Attendance and Punctuality

Dear Families,

Regular attendance is vital to student success. Please try your best to support consistent, daily attendance for your child(ren) as this is integral to their success in school. 

Also, it is important that students be at school on time for optimum academic achievement. Arriving late interrupts classes in progress and the optimal learning of all other students in the classroom.

If students are late, they will need to go to the office for a late slip. Please do not send your child into the school building on their own to attend class. Instead, we kindly ask that your child(ren) be taken to the main office for a late slip. Given variations in teachers' schedules, some classes may not be in their homeroom classes in the morning, therefore, dropping your child(ren) off in the office will ensure that they safely go to the class they are scheduled to be in for first period (e.g., music, gym, etc.). We thank you for your cooperation and partnership with this, as we all work together to ensure the safety of students at all times. 

Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Workshop Series

Dear Spectrum Alternative Families,

Please read the information below for a free workshop series for parents/guardians of students in Grades 7 and 8 with learning disabilities or ADHD. 

The Regional Assessment and Resource Centre (RARC) are funded by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to help students with neurodevelopmental disabilities to access post-secondary education. They provide support in a few different ways, one of which is offering transition programming. They have been running the STEPS (Successful Transitions from Elementary to Post-Secondary) program in Kingston for over 15 years, offering workshops to students (and their parents) in Grades 7 and 8 with learning disabilities and ADHD.  They are offering parent programming as a stand-alone workshop series, which runs through 4 virtual, evening sessions. 

 The Parent Workshop Series:

This virtual series is open to parents of students in Grades 7 or 8 in Ontario with learning disabilities or ADHD. 

The goal of the sessions is to provide parents:

• information and support to understand their child’s experience and potential more fully
• skills to navigate the school system
• ability to provide timely and targeted support
• support to know they are not alone

 There is no cost to the program, however parents must commit to attend all 4 sessions. These sessions will run Wednesday Jan. 22, 29 & Feb. 5, and 12, 2025 from 6:00-7:30 pm. Registration is now open and closes January 13th, 2025. Registration is limited, and this program generally only runs once a year.  

You can find more information, as well as a poster for families and registration forms, on the website: https://www.queensu.ca/rarc/transitions/parent-workshop-series

Parent Workshop Series

Grade 8 to 9 Transition Support for Students with Special Education Needs

Students with an exceptionality for whom a change in setting or program is being considered for grade 9 will be discussed at the Annual IPRC Review. Students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and no formal identification, will be discussed at the School Support Team (SST) meeting. Please note this meeting will occur with the parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver(s).

Supporting the Grade 8 to 9 Transition for Students with Special Education Needs
Virtual sessions for Parents/Caregivers - November 4th and December 3rd
Register here

Scholastic Book Fair 

Dear Families, 

Please refer to the message below from Mr. Hannah:

This is a reminder that the Scholastic Book Fair starts on Monday, November 25 and will run until Thursday, November 28th. Shopping for families will run from 3:30 - 4:45 each day and students will have an opportunity to look around and shop during one period through the week as classroom teachers have signed up for a time. Please have a look at the flyers that were sent home for some of the featured books.

For a number of reasons, Scholastic has stopped providing an online code for families. If you are wishing to purchase books, they will need to be bought during the Book Fair in the library. As was mentioned to the students, we will be accepting cash, credit cards and debit cards. This year as well, Scholastic is trying something new called Mydoh. There is a QR code on the back of the flyers that were sent, so feel free to scan it to find out more information.

There is still room for adults to sign up to volunteer. Please see the attached link for times. Ideally we would like at least 2 from 3:30 - 4:45 as it gets quite busy and at least one for the periods during the day.

I thank you for your time and appreciate the help.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xusWWnnN3SClKvGDcAh_DN3mpDWV78GKP9TAtFYB7sM/edit?usp=sharing

Making Magnets with Eco Club and Waste-Free/Boomerang Lunches

Dear Families,

Please see the message below from our Eco-Club:

On Thursday this past week, the Eco Club members made eco-friendly magnets by decorating the tops of frozen concentrate juice containers with acrylic markers. The Eco Club is making these magnets as one of a few fundraising projects planned for this year, in order to raise money to purchase some materials which will help us be more eco-friendly in our school.

Another way to help keep our school clean is to be more mindful of the environment when choosing food to bring to school for lunch and snacks. We had a discussion about this on Thursday, and the Eco Club members have this request for the families of children attending our school:

“Please send with your kids things that really don’t make too much garbage. Please tell them to bring the garbage back home instead of leaving it in the school. Bring healthy food. Try not to bring as many food items with wrappers. Tell your children not to litter. Bring items in reusable containers.”

At Davisville and Spectrum, we encourage you to send your child to school with a waste-free lunch (by packing food in reusable containers). If possible, we also encourage students to bring a boomerang lunch (When students bring a boomerang lunch, they bring all the waste home from their lunches, including all packaging and food waste). We will be educating and encouraging students in our school building to sort their waste appropriately, and placing them in the proper bins (green compost, blue recycling or black garbage).

We hope that over the course of this school year, our students will become more aware of their impact on the environment, and make positive choices on a regular basis for the benefit of all.

Thank you for your support!

Highlight from Ms. McKenzie's Grade 8 Class  (3D Cell Model Showcase) 

The students in Ms. McKenzie's class showcased their creativity and scientific understanding through performance-based tasks by constructing models of animal and plant cells. They went beyond traditional approaches, using an impressive variety of materials such as candy, fruit, and art supplies to bring their models to life. Bravo to these innovative thinkers for demonstrating that learning isn’t confined to paper-and-pencil tasks! This activity highlights how hands-on, creative projects can deepen understanding and make learning engaging. Great work, Ms. McKenzie and class!

Highlight from Mme. Haley's Class    

Over the last few weeks, Mme. Haley's class has been taking a look into the lives of French-speaking children in a variety of locations around the world. These children present their hobbies, interests and home lives. Following this study, the class prepared their own presentations about their own lives, following the same format and model. It has been very exciting to see everyone sharing their lives, and appreciating the experiences of others. What a great way to dive deep into our work and central focus on Identity! 

Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Source: Trustee, Shelley Laskin's Weekly Updates

The TDSB joins school boards across the province to recognize Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week (BAPW) from November 17 to 23, 2024. At the TDSB, we are committed to creating schools that are safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces for all. During this week and always, we must remember the impact that bullying can have on a school community and to talk about the ways we can report, support and prevent bullying in our schools. 

As a system, we focus on prevention efforts and creating a welcoming school community – both in-person and online. Staff and students are engaged through events, activities and prevention programming and encouraged to take on leadership roles to enhance the school community. Supporting a positive school climate is one of the most important ways we support students’ well-being. The TDSB is committed to working to strengthen relationships between students and school adults and improving overall school climate to create inviting and engaging learning spaces where student want to be.

We have a responsibility to respond to incidents of bullying, to support the affected individuals, hold students accountable and address issues that may have contributed to the situation and help prevent them from happening again. This work is supported by a number of TDSB policies and procedures.

Learn more about how we support students, bullying prevention programs that we offer and the educational partners we work with to support anti-bullying initiatives in our schools and classrooms. 

Kindergarten Registration for September 2025 

New this year, registration for all TDSB English Kindergarten programs will begin in January. We are opening the registration window a month earlier to better align with other system-wide application processes such as Out-of-Area and Alternative Schools.

This alignment will streamline timelines for families and support their decision-making around possible program options for their child(ren). As in previous years, families have the option to register their child online at www.tdsb.on.ca/kindergarten or in person at the school. With both options, families must validate registration information in person at the school.

Children who will be four by December 31, 2025, can start Junior Kindergarten in September 2025.

Learn more about Kindergarten at the TDSB, Before- and After-School Programs and Extended Day Programs.

Learn4Life - Registration Now Open!

Source: Trustee, Shelley Laskin's Weekly Updates

Registration for the winter semester of the Learn4Life program opened on November 13th. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) offers a wide range of Adult General Interest and Seniors Daytime classes through the Learn4Life program

These classes provide an excellent opportunity to learn new skills, stay active, and connect with others in your community.

Led by expert instructors, Learn4Life offers courses in Arts, Business, Computers, Cooking, Crafts, Dance, Finance, Fitness, Languages, Music, Sports, Sewing, and much more!

Registration is now open and we really need to fill the courses to ensure the viability of the programs.

Please visit learn4life.ca to learn more.