Friday, 16 October 2015

Ogden “LiveGreen Toronto” Playground Revitalization Day, October 22, 2015

Thank You Ceremony to LiveGreen Toronto

Thursday October 22, 2015 at 3:45 pm

With words from our City Councillor, Joe Cressy

Please join us in our school yard for this presentation and show of support for our Playground. We want to send a clear message of thanks to LiveGreen Toronto for supporting our Schoolyard Revitalization. We also want to emphasize the importance of our schoolyard as a beautiful ‘green’ space for our students as well as the local community! Ogden is a gem (that could use some polishing) in this fantastic city!

Gardening Help Needed!
Please talk to or email andreas.ghabrial@tdsb.on.ca if you are able to help!  Parents interested in helping us prepare our schoolyard for the winter are welcome to join us anytime next week with gardening gloves in hand.  We will do our best to clean out weeds and lay down mulch in preparation for our 1000 Daffodil Bulb Planting on October 22nd.    As a community we will plant 1000 bulbs between 2 and 5pm that will reward us with early spring colours!

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Reading with RAZ-Kids for Ogden Students
Please ask your child for their login information for this online reading resource. It will help your child with their reading! This information is being sent home in your child’s bag. If you do not receive it please check in at the office next week for login information.

Important Dates ahead…

Snack and Chat for Parents – Monday October 19, 2015 from 9am to 10:30am
Ogden ”LiveGreen” Schoolyard Revitalization Day - October 22, 2015
School Council Meeting; Thursday October 22, 2015 @ 5:30 pm
Family Pumpkin Carving; October 30, 2015 from 3:45 to 5:30 pm, Ogden Gym!


Friday, 9 October 2015

Ogden News Update - LiveGreen Toronto, Piano Lessons, Badminton and more...

Ogden “LiveGreen Toronto” Playground Revitalization Day, October 22, 2015

I welcome all families to join us in thanking LiveGreen Toronto for their generous grant of $25,000 that has gone into recent schoolyard improvements. We will have a thank you ceremony in our school yard at 3:45 pm. I will also update the community on the status of our planned playground climbing structure. Our local Councilor, Joe Cressy, will be in attendance. Parents interested in helping us prepare our schoolyard for the winter are welcome to join us with gardening gloves in hand between 2 and 4 pm. We will do our best to clean out weeds, laydown mulch, and plant 1000 bulbs that will reward us with early spring colours.

Small Group Piano Lessons at Ogden
Caleb Seguin, a local musician and piano teacher, would like to offer piano lessons to interested Ogden students.  To support the program a recommended donation of $10/lesson will get us started. As your children get to know Caleb Seguin better, we can explore longer individualized sessions starting in January 2016.  If you are interested in having your child participate please send an email to andreas.ghabrial@tdsb.on.ca including your child’s name and current level of piano knowledge. I will meet with Caleb early next week to create a schedule that will accommodate as many interested students as possible.

TAC Badminton School at Ogden
October 26 to December 14 from 3:45 to 4:45 every Monday. Go to http://www.tacsports.ca/in-schools/  Register for Parents…then Enter OGDEN15.

Ogden APP and Home-School Communication
Thank you to the Ogden Families that are using the Ogden APP to access school information.  This application now delivers key messages and event information to our community. Once our work situation settles, it will also provide information from your child’s classroom.  Please join us at our next Council Meeting for a quick tutorial of the APP and some of its hidden features.  
Get the Ogden APP at http://ogden.school2go.ca/

Important Dates ahead…

School Council Meeting; Thursday October 22, 2015 @ 5:30 pm
            Agenda items will include: Principal Report (10 min), Ogden APP Tutorial (10 min), School Budget (10 min), Code of Conduct (10 min), Playground Planning – Phase 2 – Playing Field (10 min)

Family Pumpkin Carving; October 30, 2015 from 3:45 to 5:30 pm, Ogden Gym!

Join us for an early evening of Pumpkin Carving Fun.  Any parents interested in helping in the planning of this event please join us at our School Council Meeting on Thursday October 22, 2015.

Monday, 28 September 2015

Dear Ogden Families;

With October approaching keeping communication open between home and school is essential. Please ensure that your contact information is up to date with our office. If you have moved or changed contact information please call Myla at 416 393-9110 or send an email to the Principal at andreas.ghabrial@tdsb.on.ca.

Please register for the Ogden App, available on the Web and as an Android or Apple App. Go to http://ogden.school2go.ca to get started. This application will ensure you have the most current information about what is and is not happening at Ogden!

Unsure how to get started with this application? Join us on Monday October 5th for our Parent Snack and Chat in the community room from 9am to 10:30 am. I will review the basic features of the APP and help you get started.


Sincerely,

Andreas Ghabrial





Essential School Communications


Friday, 25 September 2015

School Council Meeting Principal Report

School Organization, Classes, Programs and Supports

FDK
A - 22
B - 25
C – 15 (without ECE)

Primary
Grade 1 –  – 21
Grade ½ - – 23
Grade 2/3 –  22
Grade 2/3  – 23

Junior
Grade 4/5 - 28
Grade 5/6 – 25
HSP Grade 4/5/6 - 5

Total Student Population - 209

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Special Education, ESL and Library

Mandarin – JK to Grade 6.  2.5 hours of instruction a week.
This program extends the school day at Ogden by .5 hour.

Swimming – Grade 2 to 6 to take lessons once a week at Scadding Court Pool. This weekly excursion is currently not happening due to WTR.

Outdoor Classroom
Embedded outdoor and environmental education for FDK and Early Primary students.

Nutrition Program
Morning snack in class for every student

Music (Strings) for Grade 5 students
This program augments Music instruction at Ogden for students interested in String Instruments. Students are selected based on interest and ability. Information forms have gone out to all Grade 5 students.

Volunteer Readers
Reading support for emergent readers in Grade 1. Community and parent volunteers form the support team and read in our community room on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Jump Math and Lunch Mentors
Big Brothers/Sisters mentoring students in Library on Tuesdays

Terry Fox Run – September 30 at 1:30 pm. Students will be asked to bring a coin.
Art Cart
Mobile cart filled with Art Supplies to enhance Visual Art instruction in classrooms

Mobile Technology Project
Focus on observation, inquiry, documentation, creation, presentation.
Use of Twitter and online classrooms
IPads – at least 5 Ipads in each Primary Classroom
Laptops – Access for students in Grade 3 to 6 in all classes
Academic Workplace and Google Classroom

Cross Country Runners
70 students are participating in our Team this year. Meet is on October 8th. Parent volunteer drivers are needed.

Lego Robotics
Ogden Team of 10 Junior students are getting ready to compete again this year!

Welcoming Communities for TDSB Newcomers – Tuesdays to 4:45 pm.

Ogden School Playground

Phase 1, $115, 000 – Planned Starting Date – August 1, 2015
At this point an encroachment agreement is in the works. Legal from both the TDSB and City of Toronto are working out the arrangements. Transportation and Parks and Recreation have a stake in the outcome. School will notify community as soon as there is an update. Councilor Cressy and Trustee Malik are involved and supportive.

Phase 2, $100,000 – Work with School Council to determine priorities on Master Plan that can be covered with this second allocation of Section 37 monies. Planning to begin when Phase 1 is complete. Construction to begin in Summer of 2016.

LiveGreen Grant – 25,000 – Final report is due to City of Toronto in October. There is budget room for seating (benches or rocks) and gardens. Live Green monies will also be used based on the Ogden School Revitalization MasterPlan.


Work to Rule

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced that Phase 3 of its work-to-rule campaign will begin on Monday, September 21, 2015. The new actions include not:
§  Filling in for absent teachers
§  Participating in interviews with parents, unless there is a concern about a student's progress
§  Updating or distributing classroom blogs, websites or newsletters
§  Updating Individual Education Plans by the deadline
§  Preparing report card comments
§  Running extra-curricular activities on Wednesdays
ETFO has indicated that if sufficient progress is not made, it MAY implement rotating one day strikes in October. Read more on ETFO's website.

The union representing school support staff began job-related action in the form of a work-to-rule on September 10, 2015. CUPE, Local 4400 members will continue to report to work and perform their regular duties but will not perform any additional duties. For example, staff have been instructed to work only their regular hours, to take all breaks and lunch, and not to attend unpaid meetings.

School Communications


Thursday, 24 September 2015

Meet the Teacher for Monday September 28 Cancelled

Dear Ogden Families;

RE: Meet the Teacher on September 28th from 12:45 to 1:45 has been postponed.

I continue to be optimistic about a resolution to the current WTR Campaign by the Elementary Teachers of Ontario(ETFO). Until that time however, any Meet the Teacher events will be postponed.
You are welcome always to arrange a meeting with your child's teacher to enhance the home school relationship. I encourage you to arrange this with the teacher during pick up or drop off if convenient or by leaving your child's teacher a message with Myla in our office at 416 393-9110.

Sincerely,

Andreas Ghabrial

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Dental Screening at Ogden - September 23 to 25


Dear Ogden Families;                                                                                School Year 2015-2016

Toronto Public Health (T.P.H.) provides dental programs to children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.

To identify children with oral health problems, a screening program is offered to students in accordance with the Ontario Ministry of Health requirements for mandatory health programs. The screening is an assessment by a dental hygienist using sterilized instruments. The dental hygienist will assess the need for topical fluoride, scaling, sealant and any other obvious dental needs.

As a follow up to the screening, only parents whose children are identified as requiring dental services will be notified. A note to that effect will be sent home with your child/ren for your information and action. You may also receive a phone call from T.P.H. dental staff to assist you in accessing care.

Please be advised that this screening assessment does not replace the dental examination done by a licensed dentist.

The dental screening dates for Ogden Junior Public School will be on September 23, 24 and 25, 2015.

If you do not wish your child/ren to be screened, please inform the school.

For additional information, please contact us at the phone number listed above or visit us at http://www.toronto.ca/health/dental/children_youth.htm.



Dr. Hazel Stewart
Director

Dental and Oral Health Services

Friday, 18 September 2015

September 18, 2015 Update about School Council, Parent Snack and Chats, Cross Country and Lego Robotics

Reorganization of Classrooms – September 18, 2015 is count day
We have had a healthy registration for our school this year and may need to balance classes. Our count for September 18 has been done and we will find out early next week about next steps. I will communicate any developments to our School Council at the meeting on September 24th .

School Council
Please join us for our first meeting on Thursday September 24 at 5:30 pm.
This first meeting will include the formation of council, student safety at school, activity planning and a playground update.  All parents welcome.

Monday Parent Snack and Chat
First session planned for September 28th from 9am to 10:30am. Please contact lynne.martens@tdsb.on.ca (416 884-2870) for more info or to share your ideas.

Nutrition Program
Thanks to Hala Toubal Our Nutrition Program has begun. Volunteers are always welcome. Please contact her by leaving a note in the nutrition mailbox in our office.

Cross Country Team
Cross Country will continue practicing on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning at 7:55 AM in the schoolyard. Parent volunteers are welcome to support our morning runners whenever you can.

Lego Robotics
Our Lego Robotics team is off to a great start with some new applicants today. We wish the team success in their programming goals!

Meet the Teacher

At this point all meet the Teacher/Curriculum events have been postponed.