Saturday 17 September 2016

Week of Sept 26th


A Message from the Administrative Team:
"Dreams are made possible if you try." 
                                                                                                                     ~ Terry Fox

Thank you everyone for signing up on our Parent Email list!  We have most families connected and just need a few more to receive our online school information.  Please visit http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/bessborough/SchoolCommunication.aspx if you still need to sign up.

We will have cooler weather this week!  Please make sure your child dresses appropriately for the weather.  Indoor shoes will help keep our classrooms and hallways clean during wet weather.  Make sure to label all clothing.

We would like to wish our Gr 7s a wonderful trip to Kilcoo! We are looking forward to seeing pics on our Twitter site!

Have an amazing week!
~ Ms Broderick and Ms Rosenbloom

Photo Day: Thursday September 29th 

Get ready!  This Thursday is Photo Day!  Students will be called down with their class to the library for their photos. Photo Re-take will be November 4th, however these are only individual students, no class photos.

Lice Squad
Every year we are fortunate to have the Lice Squad team come to our school to do lice checks twice a year.  This Friday will be our first check. 

If lice is found, the parent of the student will be notified.  A letter will also be sent home to the parents of the class just indicating there is a case of lice occurring in class.  Lice Squad is a great support for families if needed.
Sarah & Claire's Food Drive 
We are about to launch the 9th Annual Food Drive, previously known as Sarah’s Food Drive. This year is called “Sarah and Claire’s Food Drive” to acknowledge the involvement of Sarah’s younger sister, Claire.  The food drive supports the Daily Bread Food Bank.

As you know Bessborough participated in this school challenge last year as well. We managed to collect 2586 pounds of food. It would be great to at least match that donation.
The event engages thousands of students to give back to their community while bringing awareness to the issues of hunger in Toronto. 

Please donate non-perishable food items. We will be starting collecting them from September 26 to October 7. Boxes will be located just outside the school office.

We thank you very much for your generous support of the Food Drive.
Ms. Ciobanu and Ms. Angheloni
Sarah and Claire’s 9th Annual Food Drive has launched! 
Since its inception, Sarah and Claire’s Food Drive has raised over
215,000 pounds of food for Daily Bread Food Bank and is now the largest
community-based food drive that supports Daily Bread Food Bank! 
Check out our new website for the full details of Sarah’s story.
PLEASE DONATE NOW!
Here are some highlights for this year’s campaign:
  • We kick this year’s campaign off with a bang!  Join us today from 11-3pm at Grilltime for our kick off BBQ (details on our website or Facebook page), courtesy of Grilltime, Broil King, Cobs andAmsterdam Breweries. 
  • This year’s goal is to raise 50,000 pounds of food
  • This year’s School Challenge will involve 13 schools and approximately 6,000 students!
  • The Local Business Challenge is back for a third year!  Sarah and Claire are challenging numerous businesses and real estate offices to participate by buying Thanksgiving Holiday Hampers, making a donation, or holding their own promotion.  Please keep checking our website or Facebook page for a growing list of participating businesses.
  • This is the second year that we will also support our friends at Regent Park Community Food Centre, offering you the choice of where you want to donate your funds.  Information about this community food centre can be found on our website http://sarahandclairesfooddrive.com/how-you-can-help/
  • We have changed our logo, our name and our website to Sarah and Claire’s Food Drive to reflect all of the work and passion Claire has for the food drive. 
Sarah and Claire’s Food Drive in the Community: 
Once again, we have the tremendous support of South Bayview Valu-Mart (1500 Bayview Ave).  Please drop off any non-perishable goods in the specially marked bins in the store or buy a pre-bagged bag of groceries for Daily Bread Food Bank.
Please join us on Saturday October 8th for a community BBQ at South Bayview Valu-Mart (1500 Bayview). It will run from 11-3pm and feature a BBQ, cotton candy (donated by Councillor Jon Burnside), ice cream (donated by Patrick Rocca), a petting zoo from Pawsitively Pets, face painting and a visit from our local firefighters. Many thanks to both Mike Tufts (Valu-mart) and Patrick Rocca (Bosley Real Estate) for generously co hosting this event!
If you are looking to support Sarah’s Food Drive while you support a local business, The Leaside Pub will donate $2 off every kids meal until Oct 8th. SportClips are also donating $3 from each MVP haircut during the campaign and other businesses will be announcing their promotion in the coming days. Donation bins have also been set up at McSorley’sand Pawsitively Pets! 
Look for us at Longos Leslie Street on October 1st and Longos Leaside on October 9th as we will be selling their Families in Need bags.
Thanksgiving holiday hampers and hamper build:
Sarah and Claire have provided over 600 Thanksgiving Holiday Hampers to clients of Daily Bread, providing them with a traditional and nutritious holiday meal.  Our friends at Daily Bread have let us know that this is one of the most highly anticipated items that are delivered to their clients—we are very proud to continue this tradition.  This year we have secured 150 Thanksgiving hampers, if you are interested in buying a hamper, please go to South Bayview Valu-Mart or contact us. They are $25 each.
Corporate donations
And last but not least, we are thrilled to have the continued support of our corporate sponsor, Kraft Canada, who kicked off the campaign with a$10,000 donation!
 Many thanks to everyone...lets make this year’s campaign the best yet!


Sarah, Claire, Mark and Lynda
Bessborough Cross Country Team

 Eat your wheaties and grab your running shoes because Cross Country at Bessborough is back! 

 Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, meet in the South Yard at 8:00 am to run for glory! Grades 1-8 will be split for separate coaching. Permission forms can be collected outside the school office. Go Bessborough!

Tony O Boot Camp For Gr 8 
  • Monday, Sept 26th: 9:00 - 11:40 
Our Grade 8 group will be the last ones to participate this year! Make sure your waivers are in to participate in this great event! Bring a water bottle and a good lunch and snack!

Terry Fox Run at Bessborough

 Bessborough is happy to be participating in this year's Terry Fox School Run.  

 We have booked our run for Oct 6th with the rain date scheduled for Oct. 13th.  We will be sending home pledge sheets shortly with details of our run.  As always parents are encouraged to come out and join us!

Second Kicks

DONATE YOUR OLD SOCCER UNIFORMS AND CLEATS TO SECOND KICKS
Second Kicks will find a home for all the soccer kits, balls and cleats that are donated.  Children all over the world play soccer but many do not have the basic equipment.  Please help us bring smiles to their faces. 
All it takes is collecting your used and unwanted, clean, uniforms including soccer shirts, shorts, socks, shin pads and shoes and bringing them to the drop spot in our school or at Grilltime on Laird Avenue (open until 7 most nights and weekends). All sizes for either children or adults are welcome. Well-marked boxes are located at outside the office.  By donating your unwanted uniforms, you’ll be making an important contribution to healthy living, sportsmanship and community spirit that benefits people of all ages.  
If you have any questions, please contact Second Kicks at info@secondkicks.com. or call me directly at 41165242995.

Get Personal … with your very own Jersey!
Now is your chance to get a personalized Bessborough jersey!  Show your school spirit and look like a pro doing it!  These jerseys are great for participating in school sports like Cross Country, Ultimate Frisbee and Football.  And who doesn’t love something with their name on it?  The shirts - personalized with your last name and number of your choice - are $26.50 including tax.  Shorts - personalized with number - are $16.50 including tax.  They can be ordered online at www.vintageapparelco.com - click on Store.  Any questions, please contact Michelle Rinaldo at mich_rinaldo@hotmail.com.  Orders are due by midnight on Monday September 26th so we can get them in time for the first Cross Country meet on October 17th.  There will be two other orders made throughout the school year.

Hats Off to Great Bessborough Style!
You can also show your Bessborough spirit with a limited edition hat!  And feel good doing so as money raised goes back to the school!  Hats are $20.  Choose from red flat or curved brim.  Click here for an order form.  Please make cheques out to Bessborough Home & School and hand in with your form to your child’s teacher.  Contact mary.holmes@rogers.com if you have any questions.
We Need You!!
Please consider getting involved to help make Bessborough even better for our kids.
Walking Wednesdays:  We are looking for a new family to run the Walking Wednesday program this year.  It involves organizing student helpers to tally students by classroom, counting each classroom's participation, announcing the results and motivating the students.  
Dance-a-Thon: We need 3 to 4 volunteers to coordinate this fun event and oversee it the day of. This year it’s happening on Halloween on Monday October 31st.
Please contact Liz Speller at ejspeller1@gmail.com or Stacey Niman at staceyniman@gmail.com if you are interested in taking on either of these important roles.
Save the Date!  
We are fortunate to have Kendra Fisher coming to speak to our parent community on Thursday, October 6th at 7pm in the library.  Kendra spoke to students in the spring and they sat in complete silence listening to her story.  Kendra achieved great success in her hockey career.  But when she was about to realize her dream of goaltending for Team Canada, Kendra was diagnosed with a Severe Anxiety Disorder coupled with Severe Panic Attacks, Depression and Agoraphobia; forcing her to leave the National Program in order to seek help.  Kendra now shares her personal journey in an effort to bring mental health issues to the forefront.  Every parent will find her talk interesting and worthwhile so please come out on October 6th.  Open to all parents.  Babysitting will be provided.  For more info on Kendra, you can check out her website: Kendrafisher.com
Appreciation Corner
A huge THANK YOU to the Shepard family who has been in charge of the Walking Wednesday program.  We appreciate all your hard work making sure this great initiative always ran smoothly.
And, another big THANKS to Sue Jamieson who has kindly offered to take over our Lost & Found. Thanks Sue!
Visit www.bessboroughhomeandschool.com now for details on all of this and more!  

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Week of Sept 19th


A Message from the Administrative Team:
"The man who never made a mistake never made anything." 
                                                                                                                                                 ~ Unknown

We survived two weeks of heat but the heat is not yet done!  Please make sure your child has a water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the day.

We have a busy week with our Boot camp for Grades 5/6's and Grade 7's.  Students should wear comfortable clothing and pack a good lunch and snacks!  Our Grade 4-8 students also have an opportunity to see Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield at Fan Village on Thursday.

This Thursday September 22nd is our Curriculum Night from at 6:45 pm - 8:00 pm. It's a great opportunity to find out class routines, student expectations, program overview and ways to support your child.  Since it is early in the year, teacher presentations will be about their classes as a whole and not about individual students.  As always, if you have concerns about your child, feel free to contact your teacher via email.

Have an awesome week!
~ Ms Broderick and Ms Rosenbloom


Parent Email List - We need your help!

We are generating our parent email list to ensure all families receive our online school communication both from teachers and the office. If you know of parents who have not yet signed up, please direct them to http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/bessborough/SchoolCommunication.aspx to complete the online form.  The sooner we have emails, the quicker information gets out to the community.

Lates & Absences
We want to thank parents for following our safe school procedures. Just a reminder to those parents who are volunteering in the school to sign in and pick up a visitor’s pass in the office prior to going to the classroom.

Lates: 
If your child arrives after 8:55 am, please take them to the office to receive a late slip before entering class.  Students in Grades 5-8 who are late 3x or more will be asked to stay in the detention room after school until 3:40 pm.  The school will follow up with parents of students who are routinely late to discuss ways to support the student.

Absences:
If possible, please arrange appointments after school or on PA Days to avoid missed classes.  If your child is absent, please send an email to bessborough@tdsb.on.ca or call the school at (416) 396-2319.  Clearly state your child’s first and last name, grade, teacher and reason for their absence.

If your child is being picked up for lunch, please send an email to bessborough@tdsb.on.ca  or a note to school in the morning so we are aware of the change.

Just a reminder to parents and caregivers that during recess, only staff and children are permitted in the school yard.  Parents and caregivers may stay in the yard at lunch 10 minutes prior to entry.

Sarah & Claire's Food Drive 
We are about to launch the 9th Annual Food Drive, previously known as Sarah’s Food Drive. This year is called “Sarah and Claire’s Food Drive” to acknowledge the involvement of Sarah’s younger sister, Claire.  The food drive supports the Daily Bread Food Bank.

As you know Bessborough participated in this school challenge last year as well. We managed to collect 2586 pounds of food. It would be great to at least match that donation.
The event engages thousands of students to give back to their community while bringing awareness to the issues of hunger in Toronto. 

Please donate non-perishable food items. We will be starting collecting them from September 25 to October 7. Boxes will be located just outside the school office.

We thank you very much for your generous support of the Food Drive.

Ms. Ciobanu and Ms. Angheloni

Bessborough Cross Country Team

 Eat your wheaties and grab your running shoes because Cross Country at Bessborough is back! 

 Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, meet in the South Yard at 8:00 am to run for glory! Grades 1-8 will be split for separate coaching. Permission forms can be collected outside the school office. Go Bessborough!

Tony O Boot Camp For Gr 5-8

Grades 5-8 students will be participating in our Boot Camp again this year. 
  • Monday, Sept 19th: 9:00 - 11:40: GRADE 7s
  • Monday, Sept 19th: 12:00 - 3:00: GRADE 5/6s 
  • Monday, Sept 26th: 9:00 - 11:40: GRADE 8s
Make sure your waivers are in to participate in this great evernt!  Bring a water bottle and a good lunch and snack!

Terry Fox Run at Bessborough

 Bessborough is happy to be participating in this year's Terry Fox School Run.  

 We have booked our run for Oct 6th with the rain date scheduled for Oct. 13th.  We will be sending home pledge sheets shortly with details of our run.  As always parents are encouraged to come out and join us!

Second Kicks

DONATE YOUR OLD SOCCER UNIFORMS AND CLEATS TO SECOND KICKS
Second Kicks will find a home for all the soccer kits, balls and cleats that are donated.  Children all over the world play soccer but many do not have the basic equipment.  Please help us bring smiles to their faces. 
All it takes is collecting your used and unwanted, clean, uniforms including soccer shirts, shorts, socks, shin pads and shoes and bringing them to the drop spot in our school or at Grilltime on Laird Avenue (open until 7 most nights and weekends). All sizes for either children or adults are welcome. Well-marked boxes are located at outside the office.  By donating your unwanted uniforms, you’ll be making an important contribution to healthy living, sportsmanship and community spirit that benefits people of all ages.  
If you have any questions, please contact Second Kicks at info@secondkicks.com. or call me directly at 41165242995.

Volunteers Needed!
We are always looking for people who want to get involved with H&S to help make Bessborough even better for our kids.  Here are some roles that need to be filled:
- Lost and Found
We are looking for someone to take charge of Bessborough's Lost and Found!  You would help display lost and found items, arrange for washing of items, create opportunities for students/families to view items regularly and donate unclaimed items twice a year.
- Walking Wednesdays
Every Wednesday morning, Bessborough families/students are encouraged to walk, run, bike or scooter to school to stay active and help reduce the number of cars on the road.  We are looking for a new family to run the Walking Wednesday program this year.  It involves organizing student helpers to tally students by classroom, counting each classroom's participation, announcing the results and motivating the students.  
- Lunch Program
We are also looking for a new Lunch Program Coordinator.  Bessborough offers a wide range of amazing lunch activities including chess, guitar, coding, Lego Robotics, arts and crafts and more. The Lunch Program Coordinator organizes programs for all 3 terms, liaises with the different external providers to ensure we are offering the best programs for our students, and visits the school once in a while to ensure the programs are running smoothly and meeting the required standards. The Fall Lunch Program is already in place although details will need to be finalized and information sent to parents.  A big thank you to Celine Smith for doing such an amazing job with the Lunch Program last year and for organizing the Fall Program.  Please contact Liz Speller at ejspeller1@gmail.com or Stacey Niman at staceyniman@gmail.com if you are interested in taking on any of these important roles.
- Rep Role
Home & School is looking to fill the role of one more Intermediate Rep to represent the grade 7 & 8 division.  If you are interested, please contact gieselle@serranoimports.com.



Save the Date - Dynamic Speaker!
We are excited to tell you that Bessborough was successful in getting a Parent Outreach Grant so we are fortunate to have Kendra Fisher coming to speak to our parent community on Thursday, October 6th from 7 to 8pm in the library.  Kendra spoke to students in the spring to great reviews, and now it’s the parents’ turn.  Kenra achieved great success in her hockey career.  But when she was about to realize her dream of goaltending for Team Canada, Kendra was diagnosed with a Severe Anxiety Disorder coupled with Severe Panic Attacks, Depression and Agoraphobia; forcing her to leave the National Program in order to seek help to learn how to live with what had become a crippling disease.  Kendra now shares her personal journey in an effort to bring Mental Health issues to the forefront.  
Babysitting will be provided.  For more info on Kendra, you can check out her website: Kendrafisher.com
Appreciation Corner
Thank you to our Kindie Reps Alison Steinman and Andrea Jeffery and their volunteers for a successful Kindergarten Welcome Coffee last week.  It was a great way to kick off a new school year and welcome all our Kindie families new and old!

Don’t forget to bookmark our site and visit www.bessboroughhomeandschool.com for important details on all of this and more!  We have all you need to know to stay in the loop!


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