A Message from the Administrative Team:
" Without school, it's really hard to know what day it is."
This is our last week of school and the last Bulletin for the school year!
We have lots of celebrations with our Grade 6's having their end of the year party and our Grade 8's having their Grad party at the Breakout. We wish them a festive and fun celebration.
There are several trips and class parties happening this week. Please check with your classroom teacher for details.
Please make sure you begin to bring home items, including any medications from the office. Please check the Lost & Found in the front hallways for any items you might be missing! Left over items will be donated.
On behalf of our staff, we want to wish all of our Bessborough families a happy and restful summer break!
Did you know...
...that our Grade 7 Parent Grad Committee are the ones who organize the Grade 8 Graduation and reception? Our wonderful parents worked hard to make this day special for our Grade 8 parents so they can enjoy the event with their children. They did a beautiful job with our reception on Hanna as you can see, from individual flowers with student pictures to posters of the whole graduating class. The set up of the food, drinks and graduating cupcakes was a big hit with everyone! Thank you Gr 7 parents for making this day a very special one!
...that our parent volunteers help make our school a better place? We want to thank all our parents for all their contributions they have made to help out in our Bessborough community. For those who didn't get a chance to see, here is the video that our students and staff did to show their appreciation.
...that we can see STEM (or STEAM) in mixing music and art with technology? Our intermediate students created paintings using water colour and conductor paint. They connected the Makey Makeys to their art piece and then created music using Garage Band. Students composed music to match the mood of the art piece. It was so much fun listening to the music and seeing the art that goes with it!
...that our parent volunteers help make our school a better place? We want to thank all our parents for all their contributions they have made to help out in our Bessborough community. For those who didn't get a chance to see, here is the video that our students and staff did to show their appreciation.
Parent Volunteer Video
...that we can see STEM (or STEAM) in mixing music and art with technology? Our intermediate students created paintings using water colour and conductor paint. They connected the Makey Makeys to their art piece and then created music using Garage Band. Students composed music to match the mood of the art piece. It was so much fun listening to the music and seeing the art that goes with it!
A Message from Ms Rosenbloom:
I am honoured to be part of the Bessborough community and saddened to leave such a great school. As I move on to my new role as Principal of Owen PS, I want to wish all our students all the best and to continue being the dedicated, charming and fun group of students they are. Mr Mercieca, your new VP is lucky to be working at this school and I know you will welcome him with open arms as you have with me.
I want to thank staff for their continued dedication to our students, to being the most awesome teachers and leaders!
I want to thank Ms Broderick for her support, mentorship, laughter and friendship.
I want to thank parents for supporting my transition into your community and working as partners for your children.
And most of all I want to thank the students of Bessborough for making me laugh every day and teaching me how a VP can love their job!
All the best!
~ Ms Rosenbloom
All the best Grade 8 Grads!
We would like to wish our Grade 8 grads all the best as they enter Grade 9! Here is the video that was shown during the Grade 8 Graduation ceremony. Congratulations Class of 2017.
Report Cards:
If your child will not be at school between June 27 - 29th, please provide the office a self-addressed stamped envelope so your child's report card can be mailed to you. Report cards that are not picked up prior to July 1st will be available at the office in September.
Medication:
Students will be asked to pick up any medications (pills, puffers, Epi-pens) on the last day of June 29, 2017. The office will be open on June 30th but medication left at school past this date will be discarded.
School ClubsThank you staff for giving Bessborough Students these opportunities to be involved, lead and learn in these various clubs! Our programs are rich because we have you!
Name of Club
|
Teachers Involved
|
Student Grade/Division Applicable
|
Location
|
Day of the Week
&
Time of Day
|
Tech Committee
|
Ms Surdivall
Ms Collins
Ms Rosenbloom
|
5-8
|
Rm 10
|
All year - lunch (Mondays)
|
Smoothie Chat (Aka Girls’ Group)
|
Ms Angheloni
Ms Ho
|
7&8
|
Staff Room
|
Wed All year- before school
|
Movie Making Club
|
Mr King
Ms Reid
|
6-8
|
Library
|
Wednesday after school starting in January
|
Yearbook
|
Ms Thurow
|
6-8
|
Rm 17
|
Wednesdays after school
|
We Club
|
Ms Ciobanu
Ms Angheloni
|
5-8
|
Rm 31
|
Every Friday at lunch
|
Folkfest
|
Ms Cook
Ms Willoughby
|
3-6
|
Gym
|
Tues lunch Feb - May
|
Primary STEM
|
Ms Ho
Mr King
|
1-3
|
Rm 1
|
Wed October-May
|
Library ambassadors
|
Ms Surdivall
|
5-8
|
Library/
Rm 10
|
Tuesday, all year, lunch
Thursdays, all year, lunch
|
Junior Boys Club
|
Mr Baker
|
4-6
|
Rm 11
|
Thursdays @ beginning of lunch
|
ECO club
|
Ms Gamm
Ms Pornaras
|
1-8
|
Rm 2
|
Thursday @ lunch Jan-May
|
Concert Band
|
Mr McMillan
Ms Collins
|
7-8
|
Music Room
|
Thursdays after school (3:25-4:25), all year
|
Student Engagement
|
Ms Angheloni
Ms Ciobanu
Ms Wong
|
6 to 8
|
Rm 31
|
Thursday @ Lunch
|
Wellness Group
|
Ms Buksner
|
3-8
|
Rm 9
|
Wednesdays, Lunch
(November-June)
|
Junior Girls Club
|
Ms Wong
Ms Azodi
|
5/6
|
Rm 12
|
Tuesdays @ Lunch - 12 pm start
|
Farewell to a VIP - our VP
It is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to Caroline Rosenbloom, our amazing Vice-Principal, who is leaving to take on the Principal job at Owen P.S. Caroline has taught, guided and supported our students, staff and parents with kindness, grace and dedication. We will miss her but we wish her all the best in her new role at Owen. Thank you for everything over the last 3 years!
Bessborough Bounces!
The always fun Social Series event Bessborough Bounces at Sky Zone is happening THIS Monday June 26th from 4:30-6:30pm.
If you already have Sky socks, please bring them with you and don't forget to fill out a waiver online at https://torontostore.skyzone.com/waiver
The ticket cost includes a pizza slice and drink. Additional pizza, snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. Parents are required to stay for the event.
Lost & Found Donated
All the Lost & Found items that were not claimed have now been washed and donated. Outerwear is going to very appreciative Flemingdon Park school (which has a dress code and can’t take other clothes). Thanks to Sue Jamieson and Leila Baghdadi for organizing our Lost & Found this year and to Ms. Angheloni for delivering everything to Flemingdon.
Outreach Initiative
In the spirit of helping other schools and our wider community, we have formed an Outreach Committee who will devise and implement initiatives that allow us to help those less fortunate.
We’d like to celebrate our commitment thus far. Bessborough will be funding the Empower Reading program for 2 schools next year - Flemingdon Park & Victoria Park. This program - developed at Sick Kids Hospital - has helped struggling readers in our school reach grade level and beyond, and we are excited to share the gift of literacy with other children in this way.
We will reach out in September to ask for new members to join us and to get ideas from our parent population on what they do/would like to do to give back and how we can adopt initiatives school-wide that involve both parents and kids.
2016/17 Wrap Up - What a great year!
It’s been a very busy and wonderful year at Bessborough. Home & School is an important aspect of our school, bringing our community together to support everyone in our school community - kids, staff and families. It’s a lot of work and an invaluable contribution. Pause and consider our year:
- We published 38 weekly bulletins, 11 class parent emails, and maintained a current and helpful website.
- We held 4 General Meetings, 6 Executive Meetings (and published minutes for each!), spent many hours in community outreach, committee, superintendent, ward, staff, student and administration meetings.
- We supported our staff, appreciating them with cookies, flowers, candy apples, turkeys and with classroom funding.
- Through our PRO grant we had Kendra Fisher give us powerful and very personal insight into mental health awareness.
- We had 358 registrations for 30 lunch programs.
- We brought our parent community together with Street Crawl, Men with Axes, Lawn Bowling and Ladies’ Night.
- 203 kids ate 1015 sub lunches, and everyone ate pizza!
- Our families came together at our Welcome Back BBQ & Movie Night and at Mayfair.
- We supported the celebration of years of growth at Bessborough with grade 8 graduation ceremonies.
- We reached out to the community around us, donating to New Circles, supporting the Georgia Walsh Memorial, and committing funds so that children at two schools will get the gift of literacy next year with Empower Reading.
- We enhanced our kindergarten learning with great new yard facilities.
- We gave necessary financial support to kids who would otherwise have missed out.
- We welcomed new families to Bessborough - adults and kids in kindergarten and grade 7.
- We supported our kids: with technology for next gen learning accommodating all learners, with books and reading programs, new instruments, a fun science day, arts education and performances, club funding, and socials like teacher events, Sky Zone and the Danceathon, as well as physical activities like Kilometre Club.
- ‘We’ wrote many, many cheques, made many deposits, and processed expense reports and budgets to go with.
- We supported the staff who teach our kids perspective on being citizens of a bigger world.
- We carefully considered, budgeted and planned for our expenditures, and for the fundraising activities that allowed us those.
- We welcomed volunteer coordinators to help everyone find a way to be part of our efforts, and supported the class parents who in turn support our teachers and kids.
- As a core committee, we formed, stormed, normed and performed, working together sharing history, perspective, enthusiasm and experience to be effective.
High fives and sincere thank you’s all around!
Planning for Next Year!
We may not be on summer holidays quite yet, but H&S is already preparing for the 2017/ 2018 school year. There are many opportunities to share your time with the school. If you’d like to be a part of H&S or want to learn more about how you can get involved, we’d love for you to join us. Please feel free to contact Robyn Israel at robyneisrael@gmail.com with any questions.
Appreciation Corner
An extra huge THANK YOU to Lisa Suutari & Robyn Israel for putting in many, many hours of hard work in their roles as Home & School co-chairs. After 2 years as co-chair, Lisa is stepping down to take on our Treasurer role. Thank you for your dedication and leadership. Also a big thank you to all the members of the H&S/C Executive for their work throughout the year, the staff for their support and all the parents who volunteered their time to help make Bessborough even better!
We wish you a lovely and safe summer and look forward to great things in 2017/18.
Don’t forget to visit www.bessboroughhomeandschool.com in September for everything you need to know about coming back to school!
