BIRCH CLIFF PUBLIC SCHOOLBIRCH CLIFF PUBLIC SCHOOL  1650 Kingston Road, Toronto, Ontario M1N 1S2 Telephone: 416-396-6060 | FAX: 416-396-6061

Principal: Ted Vine | Superintendent: Peter Chang | Trustee: Parthi Kandavel

NewsletterNewsletter ** December 2018December 2018

Principal’s Message * Events * Reminders * Clubs * Council UpdatesPrincipal’s Message * Events * Reminders * Clubs * Council Updates  

From the Principal’s DeskFrom the Principal’s Desk  It is hard to believe that it is December already. Birch Cliff P.S. continues to be a very busy and productive place. Staff and parents have organized many events and activities for our students as outlined in this month’s newsletter. You will also find the numerous special events, school and community initiatives, and extracurricular activities planned for our students highlighted on our school calendar and website. We are all looking forward to all of our holiday events that are happening in the coming weeks. In particular, we have our Evening with Santa which is hosted by our SAC. We also have our Winter Concert on December 19th. Kindergarteners in the English stream will perform at 2:40. All French Immersion classes and Grades 1-8 will perform in the evening. We anticipate a 5:30 start for French Immersion and then we will have regular intermissions to allow parents of older students a chance to sit in the gymnasium as others leave. With all of your support and hard work, Birch Cliff continues to be a wonderful community! Let’s have a great final three weeks of 2018 and enjoy a well-deserved break! Happy holidays! ~ T. Vine 

  

Dates to RememberDates to Remember ~ Dec. 4: Meet with Santa, Vandermeer Pickup and Student Vendors ~ Dec. 7: P.A. Day ~ Dec. 19: K-8 Holiday Concert ~ Dec. 21: Kindness & Caring Character Trait Assembly AM

~ Dec 24 - Jan. 4: Break ~ Jan. 1: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019! ~ Jan. 7: Welcome Back!

There will be no classes from Monday December 24th -

Friday January 4th.

School will resume on Monday, January 7th, 2019.

Visit the TDSB public website at www.tdsb.on.ca to view the school year calendar or the Birch Cliff calendar for specific events.

2018-2019 TDSB Dates of Significance can be found here.

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From the OfficeFrom the Office  

If there are any changes in your home or business phone numbers, please inform us as soon as possible! 

Lates and Absences The Safe Arrival line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If your child will be late or absent from school, call the Safe Arrival number to let us know!

416-396-6062  Parent Visitors Please check in at the main office! Unannounced visitors often create concern for our students who might think a stranger has entered the building. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe school environment. 

Recess During Cold Weather From the TDSB Severe Weather Policy, when temperature and wind chill measure -28C͑ or lower, students are kept indoors. Recesses and the lunch hour may be shortened if the temperature and wind chill readings are between -28C and -20C.

During stormy winter weather, listen to your local radio station and The Weather Channel for up-to-date, accurate information: CFRB, CFTR, CHFI, CBC, CHUM, CISS FM, CKEY, CFRM, and Q107.

Dropoff and Pickup: Parking Lot Closed Everyone has done a fantastic job adapting to the change in the parking pargram. When dropping off and picking up students, please make sure to follow the street signs for parking. For safety reasons, please use the sidewalks and refrain from walking through the parking lot. Pylons will be left out blocking off the parking lot throughout the day. Thank you for adapting to the change and keeping all of our students safe!

TDSB Homework PolicyTDSB Homework Policy

At Birch Cliff, we encourage families to spend quality time together. To ensure there is a common understanding with parents and school staff, the TDSB has a Homework Policy:

3.9. No homework shall be assigned on scheduled holidays as outlined in the school year calendar or on days of significance.

3.5. Kindergarten Homework should not be assigned to Kindergarten students. There is a strong connection between parental involvement and student achievement. As a result, families are encouraged to engage in early learning activities such as playing, talking, and reading together in English or in the family’s first language. Teachers may provide resources to support home-based early learning activities.

3.6. Grades 1 to 6: There is a strong connection between reading to or with elementary children every day in English or in one’s first language and student achievement. As a result, homework assigned in the early Grades shall more often take the form of reading, playing a variety of games, having discussions, and interactive activities such as building and cooking with the family. In the late Primary and Junior Grades, effective homework may begin to take the form of independent work. In both cases, homework assigned for completion, practice, preparation, or extension should be clearly articulated and differentiated to reflect the unique needs of the child.

3.7. Grades 7 to 8: Completion of homework for middle school-aged students can contribute to improved student achievement. Homework assignments for completion, practice, preparation, or extension for students in Grades 7 and 8 shall be clearly articulated and carefully planned, in partnership among core and rotary teachers. Estimated completion time should be one hour or less.

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AthleticsAthletics Sr. Boys The Senior Boys Volleyball team just completed its season last week. They have worked extremely hard the last month to improve their skills, learn the game, and play together as a team. They are to be commended for their commitment to the team, waking up at 7:30 three days a week, practising the game they love. Team players include - Eric, Garrett, Nate, Colby,Owen, Xavier, Carson, Noah, Tate, Jackson, and Jesse. Well done boys! ~ Miss Secher  

Jr. and Sr. Girls The Girls Varsity Basketball Team, after losing in the finals of the Sir Alexander Mackenzie Early Bird Tournament, followed that up by going 5-0 in the Blantyre Tournament. As a result, they qualified as a #1 seed advancing to the 1/4 finals where they continued their dominance with a 20 point win over Eastview. Good luck in the semis. Not to be outdone, the Jr. Girls Varsity Basketball Team hosted its own tournament, losing in the finals by 5 to Courcelette. They have advanced to the 1/4 finals as a number #2 seed. Good luck. Go Bobcats! ~ Mr. Butler and Mr. Inglis

Holiday ConcertsHoliday Concerts

The B.C. Winter Concert will take place on:

Wednesday, December 19th.

Our English program Kindergarten classes will perform in the afternoon prior to dismissal. All French Immersion classes and classes from Grades 1-8 will perform in the evening. Classes will be grouped and we will have five smaller concerts with intermissions to allow parents whose child(ren) are finished to leave and allow the next group of parents a seat to enjoy the show.

More specific details to follow!

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From the LibraryFrom the Library Thank you to everyone that supported the school book fair as we were able to raise just over $700 for the school library. So far, we have purchased many new books and are continuing to look at updating our collection, as needed. A special thank you goes out to Ellaminnow bookstore. They were kind enough to co-host the book fair and, as usual, were fantastic to work with!

Thanks again for your support of the Birch Cliff Library! ~ Mr. Brown 

Extended Day ProgramExtended Day Program

Space is still available in the Extended Day Program (EDP) at Birch Cliff! The EDP provides seamless learning experiences and programming for children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 before school starts and at the end of the school day. The program is delivered by TDSB Designated Early Childhood Educators who engage children in various explorations and learning opportunities to support the development of skills such as collaboration, responsibility, problem-solving, creativity, citizenship, and leadership through interesting activities. Two nutritious snacks per day are also provided during the program. For more information and to register, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/edp or contact the EDP Team at 416-394-2072 or EDP@tdsb.on.ca

Parent CouncilParent Council

With the Holiday season approaching quickly, the School Council would like to wish all of our Birch Cliff families a safe and fun-filled Holiday season. Our Meet With Santa event will be held on Tuesday, December 4th, 3:30 - 7:00 in the school gym where you can buy crafts from our student vendors, purchase raffle tickets for our themed baskets, pick up Vandermeer orders, enjoy food from our hot food room, or get your picture taken with Santa. We will also be collecting donations for The Bluffs Food Bank. Baby items are currently being requested. The winter MunchaLunch session, which will run from January to March, will be up and ready for orders on MunchaLunch on December 10th. Thank you for your support in 2018 and we look very forward to sharing 2019 with you.  

~ SAC

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Monthly Character TraitMonthly Character Trait

KINDNESS AND CARING Dear Parent, Guardian, or Caregiver: Every month the TDSB staff and students focus their attention on a specific character trait. Your child is involved in learning activities designed to develop good character and help children make good choices. Our focus for December is KINDNESS AND CARING.

What does “kindness and caring” mean to you?

Your child can show kindness and caring by:

● demonstrating these attributes toward themselves and others, including family, friends, and pets ● being aware of others’ feelings without teasing or using put-downs ● helping someone who is having a bad day

Questions to discuss with your child: ● How do we show kindness and caring toward each other in our family? ● What other things could we do to show kindness and caring toward our family members? ● What kinds of things can we do to show kindness and caring toward our friends? ● What does it mean to be kind and caring to animals?

Projects to do together: ● Engage your child in being kind and caring toward others by reflecting on his or her behaviour and

identifying his or her acts of kindness. ● Write thank-you notes to those who have shown kindness and caring toward your child/family. ● Do something that shows kindness and caring for someone less fortunate.

Encouraging kindness and caring in your child: ● Show your child the importance of being kind and caring by displaying kindness and caring to your

child and others.

● Share your feelings with your child, which provides him or her with the opportunity to be kind and caring.

● Expose your child to the power of kindness through random acts of kindness toward people, animals, and the environment.

● Read and discuss media stories that depict acts of kindness and caring. Thank you for supporting our Character Development program.