Bowmore Road Public School 80 Bowmore Road, Toronto, Ontario M4L 3J2

T:416.393.9450 F:416.393.9448

Thelma Sambrook , Principal

Peppi Kondilis-Minos, Vice-Principal

Vicky Branco, Superintendent

Sheila Cary-Meagher, Trustee

Email: bowmore@tdsb.on.ca

School Website: http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/bowmore

Toronto District School Board Website: http://www.tdsb.on.ca

Message from the Principal

We have enjoyed an amazing start to the school year . It was an honour for Bowmore

P.S. to open the first day of the new school year by hosting Breakfast Television and our

Director of Education Donna Quan. Our staff, students, school council, and Bowmore

Daycare represented the school community well as they shared on live television the

many wonderful aspects of our community. A big thank you to everyone, that prepared

the classrooms, facilities and grounds for a successful opening.

September has been a very busy month for staff and students. Ensuring that all students

are safe and well cared for we as a school have completed our three autumn fire drills and

a practice lock down. Our new front door cameras are in place and we ask that students

come to school prepared (e.g., lunch, books, swim gear and homework in hand etc.) each

and every day to minimize the number of times parents need to ring the doorbell to be

admitted to the school. The door is locked at 9:00 a.m. each morning and we ask that

students, staff and parent visitors do not open the door for visitors that have not been

admitted by the office buzzer system.

The month of September has been jam packed with wonderful community activities,

including: Curriculum Night & Library Book Fair; Good Bye to Summer Dance Party; a

Visit from MP Kellway; Me to We Day; the climate reality group The Jellyfish Project

presentation; and our annual Terry Fox School Run. Other reasons for us to celebrate as a

school community includes the return of sports, clubs and intramurals. It is fantastic to

see so many staff, students and families outside at the beginning and ending of each

school day watching and cheering on the coaches for their efforts to instill in students a

love of sports and being physically active.

Finally, I would like to share with everyone that Bowmore’s 2012-2013 EQAO results

for grade three and six are now available on the school website:

http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/bowmore

As I shared at the School Council meeting, on September 26th

, student’ scores in reading,

writing and mathematics have increased in both grade levels, with substantial analysis

and growth demonstrated. Over the next couple of weeks teachers will be engaged in

discussions as to how to build on increased competency levels. Our first professional

activity day on October 11th

will be the initial phase. Individual results for students

now in grades four and seven will be sent home the first week of October.

Thelma Sambrook

September 2013

September 30 | MADD: Smashed

Gr 8 Assembly

October 1 | Feeding Toronto’s

Hungry Student Week

October 2 | Author Visit – Mr

Bouchard p.m.

October 4 | World Space Day

October 5 | World Teachers' Day

October 7-13 | Fire Prevention

Week

October 8-10 | Camp Wahonowin

October 9 | International Walk to

School Day

(8:20 i-walk event)

October 11 | Board-wide PA Day

October 14 | Thanksgiving

October 14-20 | Waste Reduction

Week

October 16 | World Food Day

October 17 | International Day

for the Eradication of Poverty

October 18 | Grade 8 T.E.A.R

presentation p.m.

October 21-27 | Waste Reduction

Week

October 22 | School Photo Day!

October 28 | Grade 7 & 8

Immunization Clinic

October 31 | Bowmore

Hallowe’en Parade *school announcements are posted in main

hallway on a weekly basis.

Calendar of Events

Guidance Dept.

Claude Watson School for the Arts

Each year students audition for admission to the school. There are 60

places available in the grade four year. Auditions for vacancies in grades

5-8 will also be held. The audition process for students is a series of

studio experiences in dance, drama, visual arts and music. Auditions are

conducted by a team of adjudicators, both professional artists and

teachers.

The school will be holding two information evenings at the Claude

Watson School for the Arts, 130 Doris Ave. on Tuesday, October 23,

2012 and Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. School parking is

limited so families should leave sufficient time to find street parking.

These meetings are to inform parents of the school's program, to review

the application process and to provide parents with an opportunity to ask

questions. Application forms will be available during the meeting, from

the school website, or at the school as of the second week of October.

They have set a deadline of Friday, December 14, 2012 at 4 p.m. for all

applications to be handed in to Claude Watson School for the Arts, 130

Doris Ave. All necessary paperwork required for applying to the program

can be found on their website.

They would be more than pleased to further acquaint you with the Claude

Watson program or to answer any questions you may have regarding the

audition process. Parents are invited to contact the school at 395-3180

(press #2) if you would like further information.

Breakfast Television kicks off the school year at Bowmore P.S.

Parking Enforcement Officer Assists School Community with a Safe Start to the School Year

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Bowmore’s School Council members Nancy Botelho and Michelle

Aarts stopped to thank Parking Enforcement Officer Quinlan for

helping the school community members with developing safe

driving routines. The officer worked with school administration over

the second week of school to help address ongoing safety

concerns in the school drop off zones around parking, standing

and stopping. Officer Quinlan spoke with, directed and alerted

community members to the signs indicating the drop off zones,

time limits and bus loading zones. He also provided drivers with

yellow traffic hazard leaflets highlighting the problems, solutions

and definitions of driving in school safety zone and how they can

positively contribute to a safer school community. This proactive

approach to supporting the school was greatly appreciated by the

entire school community.

PREFER TO DONATE DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT

BOWMORE STUDENT ENRICHMENT

ACTIVITIES? HERE’S HOW:

You can make a tax-deductible

donation to Bowmore through

the TDSB for the purpose of

enriching our children’s

educational experience, simply

by writing a cheque payable to

the "Toronto District School

Board" and clearly mark in the

Memo section of the cheque

where the money shall be sent to

(i.e. Bowmore PS Student

Enrichment Initiatives).

Bowmore will forward the

cheque to the TDSB, who will

process a tax receipt for

donations $25 and over. These

funds will be directed back to

Bowmore for use as indicated on

the "Memo" section of the

cheque.

Alternatively if you are not interested in a receipt for tax purposes you can write a cheque for any amount directly to Bowmore School Council and your funds will be directed towards student enrichment with other funds raised by the School Council.

Donations to our Snack Program The Bowmore Nutrition

Committee is pleased to

continue the snack program.

We hope your children are

enjoying a healthy nutritious

snack every morning. We are

fortunate to receive partial

subsidy from our Municipal

and Provincial Government,

but we still need your

donations. Our goal is to offer

a nutritious snack to every

child. We encourage you to

make your donation through a

cheque made payable to The

Toronto Foundation for

Student Success. Please note

that for any donation over

$20.00 a tax receipt will

automatically be issued to the

donor.

MP Matthew Kellway Visits Bowmore Road Public School

The grade 5 and 6 students and teachers at Bowmore Road Public School were visited by MP Matthew Kellway during Canada’s Democracy Week September 17-20th. The school principal, Thelma Sambrook invited MP Kellway to the school to talk to the students about government and citizenship. Teachers are beginning this new school year with a revised 2013 Social Studies Curriculum from Ontario’s Ministry of Education. MP Kellway was given a comfortable librarian’s chair where he sat nested in a group of eager ten and eleven year olds. MP Kellway spoke with a warm and relaxed tone that drew the students in to listen. The MP knew intuitively that a question and answer period would be the best way to spend the bulk of his visit. Many of the students had prepared questions for the MP and anxiously awaited their turn with their printed questions in hand. Students asked some amazing, informed and insightful political questions.

Student: “What do you think that our government should spend more money or time working on?” MP Kellway: They need to spend time and money on our cities which is where the majority of Canadians live. Student: “What is the part about your job that you like the least?” MP Kellway: Travelling to Ottawa and leaving my family in Toronto from Monday to Friday. Student: “What does it mean to you to be an NDPer?” MP Kellway: It means that my party believes that all people should have housing, healthcare, and nutritious meals. Student: “What is your proudest accomplishment?” MP Kellway: I believe it will be next spring when I have the opportunity to put forward a Member’s Bill. Student: “Are MPs able to speak French?” MP Kellway: Most MPs can. I can speak some French and I have a tutor that I work with. With the grade 6 classes, the MP showed the students a world map with dots marking different countries. Each dot represented the country of origin of a new immigrant to the Beaches neighbourhood. It was a great visual tool to illustrate the diverse community that our students are a part of. MP Kellway brought, what he called, “lootbags” for each and every student that he met with that afternoon. In addition, he extended an opportunity for one of the grade 5 classes to display their artwork in his constituency office at Main and Danforth later this year.

Me to We (Continued) We walked into the Air

Canada Center and my first

impression was that there were a lot

of people-a lot of people ready to be

inspired. We Day is an amazing and

inspiring event because not many

times do you get to go and hear life-

changing stories and leave feeling like

you can make a difference in the

world, no matter what.

Craig and Mark Kielburger

say “you are never too young to

change the world no matter what

anyone says”.

One of the speakers who was

very inspirational was Molly Burke.

She was blind since she was four.

While she was in high school, some

students offered to do her hair and

makeup for her birthday, but instead

put whipped cream in her hair and

wrote “loser” in lipstick and eyeliner

across her face. They posted her

pictures on the Internet. Molly’s

message was one day “bullies and the

bullied will treat each other with

respect, love, patience and hope.”

There were also items to buy

at We Day, for example, bracelets,

which supports the makers’ family

and community. They receive fair

wages for making the bracelets.

I guess everyone came home

thinking of ways to change the world

and that you can make a difference.

The next step is to start “We Act” a

“year long educational initiative

connected to We Day.”

You don’t have to go to

We Day in order to get inspired to

make a difference. You can visit

the site to find other ways to get

involved with your school, or your

community. For more information

visit:

http://www.weday.com/take-action

Library The library will begin having classroom orientations later this week, although it is nice to see some teachers making use of the books and computers already. The position of teacher librarian is only half time this year but it is hoped that with the help of staff and students the library will continue to be used on a full time basis. Library monitor forms will go out this week; with a large group of trained monitors to assist with classroom check out and to help with maintaining the collection in an orderly manner the library will be as well used as ever. As well, we are lucky to have a team from library services who will be in the library over the next few days to reorganize and reshelve both the fiction and information books. Thank you to everyone for being so patient while this is happening. A big thank you to the volunteers and the Bowmore staff, students and families who supported the Scholastic Book Fair this year. With sales over $8000, it was a wonderful success raising money for library and classroom materials. Special thanks to Siubhan Perrin and Gayle Smith for their expertise and the many hours spent operating the fair. It could not have happened without their dedication and hard work. Special thanks as well to Beth and Shelley for volunteering many hours of their time. Prize winners of the family/classroom draws were Sadie in Mr. Goldberg's room and Ikeia in Ms Chang's room. Congratulations! Speaking of volunteers, if you feel you would like to help out in the library, please speak to me. I would welcome your help. A reminder that any volunteer position in the school requires a police check so please speak to the office regarding what that entails. Library hours have yet to be formalized but the library will be open after school until 3:30. Parents are always welcome to come with their children and take out books at this time. I look forward to meeting with many of you. Thank you, Sara Erskine, Teacher Librarian

Me to We by: Erika Bullen

On Friday September 20, I along with 12 students from

Bowmore joined 19 000 other students at the Air Canada Center for an

incredible, inspirational and educational event.

This amazing event is We Day.

We Day is the “movement of our time” according to the We

Day website. It was a one-day concert/movement to inspire people of

all ages to make a difference or try to make a change in the world,

such as stopping child labour, providing clean water for a village,

building schools, and many other things.

We Day takes place once a year in 12 different places in

Canada and will go global this year. This event brings together

musicians, inspirational speakers and the Founders of Free the

Children- brothers Mark and Craig Kielburger. Craig Kielburger was 12 years old when he read an article

about child labour and talked to his class about stopping the exploitation of

children, for manufacturing products, a serious issue in third world countries.

That is how Craig, Mark and 12 students started “Free the Children.”

Library News

Thank You for your support of the Soup and Bake Sale on Curriculum night. Please let us know if you are interested in being our Fundraising chair. Next council meeting is October 24th, 2013. First Pizza Lunch is Friday, October 18th, 2013.

Scan the QR code below and you’ll be connected to the website that allows you to sign up for our e-blasts!

Character Development

Throughout the year, we will

continue to focus on the 10 attributes

identified at the TDSB and we

encourage parents to reinforce these

attributes at home whenever

possible: Respect, Responsibility,

Empathy, Kindness and Caring,

Teamwork, Fairness, Honesty, Co-

operation, Integrity and

Perseverance.

Here is the 2013-2014 Bowmore School Council Executive!

The roles are as follows:

1. Michelle Aarts, Co-Chair

2. Kristina Stergiou, Co-Chair

3. Elizabeth Grundon, Treasurer

4. Kathleen Sandusky, Communications Committee Lead

5. Connie Jeske Crane, Communications Coordinator

6. Monica Curtis, Communications Coordinator

7. Ruth Lee, Communications Coordinator

8. Cindy McGlynn, Communications Coordinator

9. Sarah Cabott, Co-Secretary

10. Stephanie Simmons, Co-Secretary

11. Krista Nolan, Movie Night Coordinator

12. Jennifer Hermanson, Ward 16 Co-Representative

13. Karin Sildam Eaton, Ward 16 Co-Representative

14. Karina Halminen, QSP Representative

15. Kim Antonius, Member-at-Large

16. Shelly Baboolall, Member-at-Large

17. Jennifer Beath, Member-at-Large

18. Nancy Botelho, Member-at-Large

19. Kyle Couch, Member-at-Large

20. Andrew Duff, Member-at-Large

21. Orla Kipling, Member-at-Large

22. Viviana Kohon, Member-at-Large

23. Lori Sears-Malik, Member-at-Large

24. Kelly Nhan, Member-at-Large

25. Jennifer Adams Peffer, Member-at-Large

26. Adrian Perpaul, Member-at-Large

27. Vashti Persad, Member-at-Large

Bowmore School Council www.bowmoresc.com

Guidance Dept. GUIDANCE NOTE…(from Ms. Miller-Caise)

Grade 8 Transitions

Recently, grade 8 students attended workshops on the high school. It

may seem early, but important information needs to be shared with

students and their families to support their decision making as they

select high schools.

Students should have brought home a package and brochure outlining

their choices for next year and the important dates for open house

events that are hosted annually at local high schools. These packages

will offer parents an insight into the transition process and the

requirements that are involved in this process.

Families are also welcome to attend a Bowmore 8 to 9 information

session on Wednesday, October 9th

@ 6pm in the senior gym. On

that evening they will hear about high school requirements, optional

attendance procedures and important timelines.

Families are asked to check high school websites for additional

information about application procedures if they are interested in

taking advantage of optional attendance. Each school has specific

deadlines and parents need to be aware of these to ensure timely

delivery of application packages.

Local open house evenings: Malvern C.I. – January 14 @ 7pm.

Danforth C.T.I. –November 12 (MAST program) and December 3 @ 7pm.

Monarch Park – November 20 @ 6pm Tour and 7pm Information

Riverdale C.I. – January 16 @ 7pm

Rosedale – November 21 @ 6:15 or 7 pm

Please contact the school Guidance Counselor, Kelley Miller-Caise if

you require any additional information.

What’s Happening at Bowmore!

Announcements that are made over the PA in the morning are now posted in

the main hallway so students/parents can find out when and where events

are happening…just in case you missed it. We have also posted PHE

schedules as they are released to us. They are also sent electronically. Stay

tuned!!!

War Amps Presentation

We had two War Amps presentations in Rm. 310 yesterday. Tiffany McCormick, a Public Awareness Officer, was a friendly and knowledgeable presenter. We learned about the various ways people become amputees. We learned that it is not caused by genetics. We also learned about many amputees who live very full and happy lives.

Tiffany provided our school with an informative DVD and resource kit. We would encourage every class to watch the DVD. It is 25 minutes and contains a series of inspiring music videos. Perhaps most importantly, it is a great way to engage students in a discussion about respect.

Plant Donation from local

Nursery

We were fortunate enough to have

a local community member drop

off plants for the school. They were

left at the curb side for our students

to plant. We were so happy to

receive them and to have the

opportunity to save them by

planting them in the front grounds.

Thanks so much!

Code of Conduct

One of the TDSB’s mission

statements is to provide learning

environments which are safe,

nurturing, positive and respectful.

The TDSB Safe Schools Policy and

procedures help us in our schools to

build a safe and caring environment.

All Bowmore students are expected

to behave in a respectful and

responsible manner. Students are

expected to resolve conflicts without

the use of force of any kind and to

seek the advice from a teacher or

supervisor. We all have a

responsibility to teach our children

(parents and school staff) this

important life skill using appropriate

strategies for the age or skill level of

the student. Our school’s Code of

Conduct and Dress Code are outlined

in the Student Agendas or classroom

information sent home at the

beginning of the school year. These

policies are in place to establish

expectations for student behaviour

and consequences for inappropriate

behaviour. Under certain

circumstances infractions can result

in suspensions.

Lateness A student who arrives late interrupts the

teacher, fellow students and the office.

As well, children are not adequately

prepared for the day and may miss

important instructions or messages at the

start of the school day. Children should

be in the schoolyard 10 minutes before

the entry bells at 8:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m

for the Junior School. Senior school

students need to arrive by 8:40 a.m. each

morning and return at 12:15 p.m. from

lunch. Students who are late must sign in

at the office and pick up a late slip before

going to class.

It is also important that students are

picked up promptly at dismissal time.

Primary students are only dismissed to

their parent/guardian. If a

parent/guardian is not on time at

dismissal, the child will be brought to the

office to wait.

Terry Fox National School Run Day

On Friday, September 27th, Bowmore supported the nation wide Terry

Fox campaign by participating in a run. All classes from JK to Grade 8

were scheduled during the day to run as many laps as they can around the

field. Grades JK-3 are asked to support the campaign by bringing in a

Toonie and Grade 4-8 will be taking home Pledge forms. Anyone can

donate by going to www.terryfoxrun.org. Be sure to register your donation

under Bowmore P.S. We have raised more than $30,000.00 in all the years

that we have participated in this event! Wow! The Terry Fox run has been

a long standing tradition at Bowmore and parents are always welcome to

come run with us and cheer on our classes. Thanks to the parent volunteers

to lend a hand. We showed our Bowmore spirit by wearing BLACK and

RED clothes or Bowmore spirit wear. Leading up to the event, teachers

have been looking at books and videos, making daily announcements and

discussing why Terry Fox is a true Canadian Hero!

Dropping off and Picking up students

The safety of our students is of paramount importance to all members of

the Bowmore community. Please make sure that you drop off your

children within the drop off zone on Wrenson Road and use the pathway

between the parking lot and the tennis courts to enter the school yard.

Do not use the school parking lot or the bus loading zone in front of

the school to drop off / pick up your child. The school parking lot is

only for TDSB staff/volunteers between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00

p.m.

SafeArrival - Reporting Absenteeism

If a child must miss school due to illness or appointments, parents/

guardians should phone the school and inform the office staff of the

absence. The school Safe Arrival phone number is 416–393-9450 and

you may leave a message 24 hours a day. Please leave a message with

your child’s name, room number and reason for absence. According to

TDSB policy on Safe Arrival, if you do not inform the school of your

child’s absence by telephone or note, we will need to call you at home

or at work. Therefore it is very important to have current phone

numbers at school.

With a school the size of Bowmore, you can appreciate the number of

phone calls we must make twice daily and this is very time-consuming

for our staff. You can help! If you know in advance that your child will

be late or absent, please inform the school either by calling or by

sending a note to your child’s teacher. Thank you for your help.

Your Community

Health & Wellness

Bowmore students, teachers and parents worked hard last year to earn our school an "Eco-Platinum" certification! School lunches are a major source of waste in Ontario with the average student’s lunch generating a

total of 30 kilograms of waste per school year. This means that an average of 8,500 kilograms (18,700 lbs) of waste is trucked to landfill from each school every year- that's the weight of two full-grown elephants!

Please help by ensuring that your child brings a litter-free lunch to school each day. Avoid ziplock bags and foil-wrapped individual packaging: Reusable containers, washable cloth napkins, refillable bottles and simple metal cutlery are healthier & cheaper over time. Save money, and the planet too! Please help by continuing to support this important initiative and promoting the “Three R’s” (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) when packing

your child(ren)’s lunches.

Children are asked to return any garbage or compostable waste home. This is called a “boomerang” lunch because what the

waste produced as result of lunch comes right back home.

Visit http://www.wastefreelunches.org for ideas about packing waste-free lunches.

Looking to volunteer in the Classroom!!All individuals from the community who wish to come in to Bowmore PS to volunteer with a teacher in the classroom or in a sporting activity or on a field trip need to certified by the TDSB through completing the Police Reference Check Application.

If you are a current volunteer with Bowmore PS and you have submitted a completed Police Reference Check Application and payment, you need to come to the main office to sign an Offence Declaration form for the 2012-13 school year in order to update our data base for this current year.

If you are a new volunteer to the school, you will need to come to the main office to request to fill out the Police Reference Check Application and submit a payment payable to the Toronto Police Service in the form of a certified cheque or money order. The fee is $ 16.95.

Student SupervisionOur students’ safety is always

our number one concern. We would like to remind you of supervision starting time: 8:30 a.m. Please ensure that your child comes to school at the appropriate supervised time, not before. Arriving earlier can put their safety at risk. We also would like to remind you that students are expected to leave for home promptly at dismissal, unless they are involved in remedial support or extra-curricular activities. School yard supervision ends at 3:25 p.m.

QSP Magazine FundraiserIt's back! Friends and families are invited to purchase or renew magazine subscriptions from over 600 magazine titles through our school program. Last year we raised over $12,000, putting the funds towards wonderful programs such as Scientists in School, Prologue Theatre and buses for school trips. This fundraiser is a terrific way to encourage reading while helping our school! Look for a catalogue and more information to come home with your child on October 2. The campaign will run from October 2-16th. If you need to renew any subscriptions before then, go to www.qsp.ca and you’ll be

supporting the school before we even kick off the campaign!

Bowmore’s Eco-Corner Our eco-heroes are:

Avery Hill

Alex Baziw

JellyFish Project – Mindle Beach Markets

On Monday, September 23rd The JellyFish Project came to Bowmore.

This group used music to connect with youth on environmental issues.

They are connected to the Climate Reality group sponsored by Al Gore.

This group came two years ago to Bowmore. The group played for

Bowmore students and continued to show that we are making gains with

emission reductions. Our students applauded, and then offered

strategies for students to take action.

It was an incredible show that made a huge impact with us. It inspired us

to work towards our eco-efforts for this year. Our students thought it

was fantastic. A huge group of kids came around at lunch trying to

engage the band and they were SO gracious with their time!

The band Mindil Beach Markets will be touring all of Canada this Fall and

only a few Toronto schools have the opportunity to host their

presentation/musical performance. Bowmore was lucky to be one of those

schools. Two of the band members were trained by Al Gore to deliver

climate change presentations with Climate Reality Canada. However, their

performance was very different typical presentations! It is a Rock

musical performance intertwined with a conversation on environmental

issues, including pollution, ocean acidification, overfishing and climate

change. Please visit their website for more information:

http://thejellyfishproject.org/ We were so excited to have them deliver

such valuable messages about environmental issues.

Girls Club!!!Calling girls that are in Grade 5 & 6! Want to join a club that is all about YOU? In October, we'll be starting "Because I'm a Girl" club. We will meet once a week at lunch. We'll learn about each other, have fun with crafts and games and will learn about the rights of all girls around the world. Stay tuned at the beginning of October for the start day. Mrs. Jarvis and Mrs. ObokataSafe Welcome Program/Secure Access Systems

Over the summer, our school received funding under the Ministry of Education Safe Welcome Program and we have installed devices that give our school staff more control over who enters our school. This means that when you arrive at our school the outside doors will be locked and a buzzer system will need to be used to gain access to the school. Using this system will provide a safe and welcoming environment and a single point of entry where visitors will be welcomed and directed to the main office. As indicated in the letter that went home, please refrain from trying to access the buildingunnecessarily, for items like forgotten books, lunches, swimming gear, etc.This will ease the need to buzz in high numbers of adults.

Did you know?

It is TDSB policy that dogs

and smoking are not

permitted anywhere on school

property at anytime!

Please help us to look after

the comfort and safety of our

students by respecting these

rules.

Follow the TDSB on Social Media! We also have some new additions with our Instagram and Pinterest accounts. We want to hear from you and share your pictures and stories. See you there!Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/tdsbFacebookhttp://www.facebook.com/toronto.dsbInstagramhttp://www.instagram.com/torontodsb

Pinteresthttp://www.pinterest.com/tdsb