St. Margaret’s Public School 235 Galloway Road Principal: Ms. R. TohanaToronto, ON Vice-Principal: Ms. W. MartilM1E 1X5 Office Administrator: Ms. I. Nour416.396.6550 Superintendent: Ms. N. Persaud

Website - http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/stmargarets/Home.aspxTwitter - https://twitter.com/tdsb_smps

A Message from Your School Administration Team

The month of January has been incredibly busy at St. Margaret’s Public School. We have hosted several events and visitors, and have begun some new programs for our students.

The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, visited our school on January 16th. She is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Her intention was to observe the Aqua-Links program in Ms. Patel’s class, operated by the Toronto Zoo. The Lieutenant Governor, along with our intermediate students, observed a Toronto Zoo representative deposit salmon eggs into a specialized tank. When the eggs hatch in the Spring, the fry (young salmon) will be released by our students in a nearby river or creek. We are all excited to observe this process.

During the month of January, we also had the opportunity to host a professional learning session in mathematics for teachers from across the TDSB, including three of our primary teachers. The team explored high-yield teaching strategies and math resources. We are excited to watch their new learning impact student achievement at St. Margaret’s PS.

We appreciate your continued support, as we strive to provide our students with rich learning opportunities.

In partnership,

Ms. Tohana & Ms. Martil

January 2017

Upcoming DatesFeb. 8

(3:45 pm)Parent Council

Meeting

Feb. 14 “The Groove Experience” Workshops

Feb. 15 Report Cards and Term 2 IEPs

sent home

Feb. 16 Parent-Teacher Conferences (pm)

Feb. 17 PA DayParent-Teacher

Conferences (am)

Feb. 20 Family Day Holiday

Feb. 24 Recognition Assembly

During the month of February, the TDSB recognizes:

- African Heritage Month-Chinese Heritage Month

Visiting St. Margaret`s PSParents and guardians are always welcome to visit St. Margaret`s Public School. It is critical, however, that all adults begin their visit at the Main Office to sign-in with our office staff and pick up a ‘Visitor’ badge. Identifying exactly who is in the school building, helps to keep all of our children safe. We ask that all parents/guardians follow the above procedure whenever entering the school building.

If students are being dropped off late, parents/guardians are welcome to wait with their children in the front office to obtain a late slip. If young children require adult supervision to walk to their classrooms, a school staff member will be called. Parents/guardians are not permitted to walk through the school hallways to drop off late students.

Parents/guardians of students in Kindergarten are asked not to enter the Kindergarten outdoor learning area. Please drop off your children at the gate entrance. A staff member will be happy to receive your child.

We thank you for your co-operation in keeping all of our students safe.

February’s Character Trait

Fairness“Fairness does not mean

everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they

need”

(Rick Riordan)

School Advisory Committee (Parent Council)Our next Parent Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 3:45 pm in Room 104. All parent(s)/guardian(s) are welcome to attend. Please let the office know if you require childcare.

Kindergarten RegistrationFebruary is Kindergarten Registration Month.At the Toronto District School Board, our elementary schools offer Full-Day Kindergarten. We believe our youngest learners benefit from engaging in a variety of rich and authentic learning, both indoors and outdoors. Our classroom programs are designed to bring The Kindergarten Program 2016 to life by providing children opportunities to learn through play, inquiry, and exploration. Throughout the two-year Kindergarten program, classroom educators support the children in developing their sense of belonging, well-being, and problem solving skills. Throughout the day, children explore literacy, mathematics, science, physical education and the arts.To attend Junior Kindergarten in September, children must turn four-years-old by December 31. To register for Senior Kindergarten, children must be five-years-old by December 31.Visit the Kindergarten website at www.tdsb.on.ca/kindergarten to learn more about this program and how to prepare your child for school. Please call the Main Office at St. Margaret`s during February to make an appointment to register.Your child's lifelong journey of learning begins at the TDSB!

At school, the safety of your child is our most important priority. We remind you to keep our school staff up to date with your address, phone number, childcare arrangements, to whom your child may be released, etc. We also encourage you not to permit your child to make alternate arrangements over the lunch hour, if they are in a lunch program. We need you to let us know about any changes of routine and to sign your child in/out if they are arriving late or leaving early for any reason.

Your Community

Student Safety

Boys’ Basketball The Boys’ Basketball team played their first game of the year at General Crerar P.S., with Mr. Green as the coach leading the team. They won with a score of 32-30. The boys endured a defensive struggle during the first two quarters, which made the team try even harder. In the fourth quarter, Christopher made the last shot with the help of Dominique and Sean, causing the team to win by 2 points.

The Boys’ Basketball team played their second game at Meadowvale P.S. Before the game, Mr.Green said, “We will represent St.Margaret’s with pride, no matter if we win or lose.” The team was confident about winning the game and the players were very energetic. Even though the other team was very aggressive, our Boys’ Basketball team stuck together and won the game by 23 points. Congratulations!~ written by Saara, Gr. 7

Girls’ VolleyballThe Intermediate Girls’ Volleyball team played their first game of the season on January 23, 2017 at Clairlea PS. The girls and their coaches were really excited. We asked Mr.Vlaskalin, one of the coaches, what he thought. He responded, “As we keep on playing, we will get better and stronger.” Though the girls experienced a disappointing loss at Clairlea, they picked themselves up and learned from their mistakes.

We want to congratulate the team of Clairlea P.S. on their win, and remind all of our students: “Don't practise until you get it right, practise until you can't get it wrong.” (Unknown)~ written by Yordanos, Gr. 7

“Play Your Part” PresentationThe Play Your Part Presentation was held on January 24. It was led by Tyler, a representative from the organization, Right to Play. He taught us that ‘play’ can be used as a way to learn and teach others. For example, we learned to play games that can teach girls to stand up for one another. Right To Play has been everywhere around the world, and has helped many people to learn through playing games.

“You have the power to be a good friend and make people feel happy, the power to see the world through the eyes of others. You have the power to help those in need and be a voice for change. You have the power to make a difference. You have the power to play your part.” (Johann Olav Koss, founder of Right to Play)~written by Abenaya, Gr. 7

Recognition AssemblyThe month of January is recognized as Tamil heritage month. During our assembly, we enjoyed an amazing dance performance by students in grade 7/8, and watched a slideshow. This month, our school focused on the character trait, Teamwork. We would like to congratulate all of the students who received awards for being strong team players at St. Margaret’s. We would also like to congratulate Mr. Green and his class for winning the Golden Dustpan Award, which they can now display in their classroom for the month of February. Finally, we congratulate the top 3 winners of the St.Margaret’s P.S. Mascot Contest. We are really looking forward to being called, the “St.Margaret's Eagles”!~written by Samren

St. Margaret’s Public School235 Galloway Road

Toronto, OntarioM1E 1X5

416.396.6550Ms. R. Tohana, Principal

Ms. W. Martil, Vice-PrincipalMs. N. Persaud, Superintendent

School Website: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDSB TDSB Website: http://www.tdsb.on.ca

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