News

News, announcements, and reminders from the council, school, and community.

This Website Is Inactive - Look on TDSB Website or Facebook Instead

Posted: 
Wednesday August 12

This website has been inactive since June 2019.

To contact Garden Avenue Junior Public School, use the info on the official TDSB website:
https://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/gardenave/

To connect with the School Council, try the Garden Avenue Jr. P.S. School Council Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/158936324541763/
(This is a restricted membership group, so you will need to find a current member to get an invitation to join).

If you are currently a parent/guardian of a student at Garden Avenue Jr. PS, and would like to take over responsibility for this website or domain, please reach out to me (Philip Kiff) by sending an email to webmaster@ this domain. I no longer have a child at Garden school, but I own this domain and I look after hosting and site management. I intend to maintain the site for another year or two until a parent from the current Garden community expresses interest in taking it over.

Philip Kiff.

School Year Calendar 2019-2020

Posted: 
Saturday August 31

The TDSB website has a full calendar for 2019-2020, including a list of all holidays and PA days, downloadable versions, as well as a link to a Google version of the Elementary 5 Day Cycle Calendar (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day5). On many devices, it is possible to add this version of the 5 day cycle as read-only dates that will appear in your own calendar.

Start-of-Year Forms Can Now Be Completed Online

Posted: 
Saturday August 31

From the TDSB Website:
School start up forms can now be completed online! This new model is easy, simple and secure and will help streamline the process of a number of standard forms as well as save paper and resources.

How does it work?
After your child’s first day of school, an email will automatically be sent to the parent/guardian that is the primary or secondary contact with an email address on file with the school. The email will come from TDSB Online Form (noreply@tdsb.on.ca) and will take you to a secure site to complete and submit your child’s forms.

More details, including FAQ, are available at the TDSB website link below.

Garden Avenue Fun Fair this Saturday! (June 1 from 10am-3pm)

Posted: 
Wednesday May 29

Join us on Saturday from 10am to 3pm for the Annual Garden Avenue Fun Fair.

The best FUNdraiser of the year! With bouncy castles, face painting, raffle baskets, games, entertainment, BBQ, book sale, bake sale, and more...it all happens here. Tell your friends, neighbours, and family. Everyone is welcome.

Garden Avenue Fun Fair poster

About the Fun Fair

The Fun Fair is the largest single fundraiser for School Council. Garden School Council helps foster a creative learning environment for our children by providing funds for a range of school activities, including teacher grants, arts performances in the gym, field trips, and more.

Author's Visit: Melanie Florence

Posted: 
Tuesday February 19

We are very excited to welcome Melanie Florence who will be visiting this Wednesday afternoon to present to all of our kindergarten to Grade three students. Melanie is an award-winning author of Cree and Scottish heritage based in Toronto. She will be presenting to our students about traditional storytelling and folktales, and will read her award-winning picture book Stolen Words. According to Melanie Florence's website, Stolen Words is the "story of the beautiful relationship between a little girl and her grandfather. When she asks her grandfather how to say something in his language- Cree- he admits that his language was stolen from him when he was a boy. The little girl then sets out to help her grandfather find his language again." This picture book has given many of our classes an understanding of the impact of residential schools and has allowed for rich discussions of this topic in an age-appropriate way. We are so honoured to have Melanie visit with our youngest students this week.

School Closed Today (Tues 12 Feb) Due to Weather

Posted: 
Tuesday February 12

Good Morning,

Due to significant combination of snow, ice pellets & freezing rain expected throughout the day, all TDSB schools & administrative sites are closed today. This includes Child Care Centres located inside TDSB schools.

See you tomorrow,

Lindita Guffin

TDSB Letter from Director About Winter Weather

Posted: 
Monday February 11

On Monday 11 February, the TDSB sent a letter to parents about Winter Weather using the School Messenger service. A copy of the text of the letter is reproduced below.

February 11, 2019

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Environment Canada is once again calling for a winter storm for Toronto and surrounding area with a wintery mix expected on Tuesday. With this in mind, I wanted to provide you with some important information about how the TDSB makes the difficult decisions surrounding the cancellation of school buses, programs, and/or the closure of schools due to winter weather.

A number of factors are taken into consideration when making these decisions. On days with severe weather, staff are up very early to look at current and forecast weather conditions, road conditions, and advice from our bus carriers, among other pieces of information. In consultation with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the decision on school buses is then made. The decision about school buses is sometimes made because it has been determined driving conditions are too unsafe. The decision is sometimes made to avoid having students wait for unusually long periods of time in inclement weather for a bus or remain on that bus for hours due to weather-related traffic delays. It is important to note that, unlike other school boards across the Greater Toronto Area, a vast majority of TDSB students — more than 90 percent — do not use school buses. Also, as the Greater Toronto Area may have different weather and road conditions, the decision made for one area will differ from the decisions made in another area.

As I hope you can appreciate, the decision concerning whether to keep schools open or closed has a major impact on the lives of thousands of families across Toronto and that is why we strive to keep them open whenever possible. Should all schools be closed, it causes significant hardship for many families, some of which have no other options readily available for their children.

Parents/guardians make the final decision whether they wish to send their children to school during days of extreme weather. The TDSB supports whatever decisions parents/guardians make on these days. Students will not be penalized.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this important information. While days of winter weather like we are expecting tomorrow may result in delays getting to and from school/work, I want to reassure you that the safety of our students and staff is always top of mind when making these difficult decisions and we would never put that at risk.

As always, for all the latest information and updates about possible cancellations/closures, please check the TDSB website, @TDSB and tune to local media.

Sincerely,

John Malloy
Director of Education

African Heritage Month - Parent Information Sessions: February 13 and 27

Posted: 
Friday February 8

 During the month of February the TDSB recognizes African Heritage Month.

A Parent Information Session on the topic of #the talk...Talking Race & Racism With Your Child and parental warnings on how to handle racial discrimination has been organized. The session will be facilitated by Michelle Munroe, Manager, Parent and Community Engagement.

Parent Information Sessions: #the talk..Talking Race & Racism With Your Child: 

  • Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the TDSB Boardroom at 5050 Yonge Street
  • Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in Meeting Room 3 & 4 at the Scarborough Civic Centre (140 Borough Drive).

Parents as Partners Conference 2019

Posted: 
Friday February 8

The Parents as Partners Conference 2019 is on Saturday, March 30 and all parents are welcome! This free conference – planned by parents, for parents – includes a variety of workshops and resources that will help any parent support their child in their achievement and school and at home. Transportation, food and translators are all provided, as well as free day camp for children ages 4-12 to support participants attending the conference. Registration opens mid-February at www.parentsaspartners.ca.

Wednesday January 30th is Bell Let’s Talk Day

Posted: 
Wednesday January 30

Let’s Talk: Mental Health and Well-Being

Good mental health and well-being play a critical role in the success of our students. Promoting good mental health is an important part of our everyday interactions in our school communities. Our efforts need to focus on positive and supportive relationships; having a caring adult that our children can turn to and helping them develop optimism, a positive sense of self, self-confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 is Bell Let’s Talk Day. 

One of the most important things we can do to help our children is to connect with them. A simple, but genuine conversation can have lasting impacts. Below are suggested questions that you  and my staff can use to engage students on this day and beyond:

  • What do you like to do in your spare time?
  • If you could have a super power what would it be?
  • How do you know when someone cares about you?
  • Who or what inspires you to be the best you?
  • What makes you laugh so much you snort?
  • How would someone know if you were stressed?
  • If you were to describe yourself what is the first thing you would say?
  • If you could trade places with anyone for a day who what that be? Why?
  • Would you rather take a picture or be in a picture?
  • What physical activity do you like to do?
  • If you could talk to anyone in the world, who would that be? Why?
  • Who is the person who makes you feel safe? What is it about that person or relationship that makes you feel safe?

General Conversation based Resources:

  • Kids Help Phone at kidshelpphone.ca (call, text, live chat)
  • What’s Up Walk in at www.whatsupwalkin.ca (Immediate, no fee mental health counselling for children, youth and their families. Depending on location specific nights services are offered in a variety of languages, or via telephone interpretation)
  • Mental Health TO at www.mentalhealthto.ca (connecting children you and their families to mental health services in Toronto – 1-866-585-6486)

General Mental Health Resources:

  • School Mental Health ASSIST smh-assist.ca (steps and strategies for promoting student mental health and well-being)
  • Everyday Mental Health Practices  smh-assist.ca/emhc/ (easy to implement daily practices and activities that promote good mental health and well-being)

Supervision and Inclement Weather

Posted: 
Monday January 21

Dear Parents/Guardians/Caregivers,

This is a friendly reminder that student supervision starts at 8:45AM. The school does not provide supervision before this time, therefore we are not able to ensure your child’s safety if you drop off your child before 8:45AM. If you bring your children to school before 8:45AM, please stay with them in the school yard until 8:45AM.

In addition, during inclement weather (on rainy or very cold mornings), we encourage you, if possible, to drop off your children at 8:55AM, to assist us with their supervision in the gym. The gym is small, so it will help if it is not packed with children in the morning. It will make for a much smoother and calmer start to the day for them.

Thank you for your co-operation,

Lindita Guffin

Kindergarten Registration

Posted: 
Monday January 14

Registration for all TDSB Kindergarten programs begins in February. Children who will be four by December 31, 2019, can start Junior Kindergarten in September 2019. Families have the option of registering their child in-person at school or beginning the registration process via online registration (OLR) at www.tdsb.on.ca/kindergarten. Regardless of which process caregivers select, they will be required to visit the school to validate registration information. Please visit the TDSB website for more information.

January is Tamil Heritage Month

Posted: 
Monday January 7

The following information is copied from the TDSB news posted on December 27:
TDSB Recognizes Tamil Heritage Month

The TDSB is celebrating Tamil Heritage Month in January 2019 with the theme of “Remembrance. Resilience. Recognition.”

In October 2016, the House of Commons voted unanimously to recognize every January as Tamil Heritage Month. This month was chosen as it coincides with one of the most important celebrations for Canadians of Tamil heritage, the Thai Pongal Harvest Festival. Millions of Tamil people around the world, irrespective of their religion, celebrate Thai Pongal, and offer thanks for an abundant harvest. TDSB proudly marked Tamil Heritage Month for the first time in 2016.

As Toronto has the largest Tamil populations outside of the South Asian subcontinent, this committee aims to ensure that the objectives of TDSB’s January’s Tamil Heritage month are reflected in the curriculum and learning objectives for students. To explore these themes, the planning committee will be inviting students to learn about the rich culture of the Tamil heritage and how their own respective ancestry can be used to shape their future through essays, original artwork and public speaking contests. The poster for the month was designed by committee member and Wexford CI student, Ganga, and has been shared with schools across the system.

TDSB Tamil Heritage Month poster

Lost and Found - On Friday Items will be Cleared Out!

Posted: 
Tuesday December 18

Lost and Found: There are LOTS of items waiting to be "found". Please check out the Lost and Found table and clothes rack, located in the EAST stairway. Your perfect day to check the Lost ad Found is today before or after the Holiday Concert. The lost items will be cleared out and donated by this Friday.

Gingerbread Creations from the Elves of Garden Avenue

Posted: 
Tuesday December 18

The elves of Garden Avenue have really outdone themselves this year!

There are some amazing gingerbread houses to be won at the raffle tonight (Tuesday, December 18) and today is the last day to buy tickets, before and after school. Tickets are $1 each or 12 for $10.

Carol Night starts at 6pm, and will feature the Junior Choir & Junior Strings, as well as our annual community sing-a-long and the gingerbread house raffle draw.

Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy some holiday cheer. You might even leave with one of these beauties!

Thank you to all of the families who baked and created.

gingerbread house 1Gingerbread House 5Gingerbread House 7Gingerbread House 8Gingerbread House 9Gingerbread House Unknown Number - AGingerbread House Unknown Number - BGingerbread House Unknown Number - CGingerbread House Unknown Number - DGingerbread House Unknown Number - E

Gingerbread House Raffle - Draw is This Tuesday!

Posted: 
Monday December 3

There are some very awesome, beautiful gingerbread houses that are anxiously waiting to join some of your homes and make your kids happy. Please stop by to purchase raffle tickets. The more you buy, the more chances your kids have to enjoy their dream gingerbread house in their own home.

Tickets are $1 each or 12 for $10. Winners will be drawn at the Carol night on Tuesday December 18!!

Tickets are on sale in the school office or from the School Council on Monday and Tuesday:
from 8:30-9:00 am
and
and 3:15-3:45 pm

Gingerbread house with two gingerbread people. One says, "Dude, Check out our new house!" The other replies, "Sweet!"

Sock Drive

Posted: 
Monday December 3

Room 205 students are taking the initiative to help the homeless by participating in a sock drive through Socks 4 Souls Canada. The Sock Drive will run between November 26th and December 17th.

This organization is run by volunteers who are committed to contributing warmth, comfort, dignity, mobility and health to approximately 5000 people who are homeless by providing them with new, clean socks. Since many homeless people do not have access to laundry facilities, multiple pairs of socks are needed for each person.

We are asking students to bring cotton adult socks and to put the donated socks in the box located in the front foyer. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Something Wonderful!

Posted: 
Sunday December 2

It's not always easy to be in the know about the great things that are happening at school. So, in case your kids haven't shared this with you, take a moment to read about "Something Wonderful" - a school-wide program set up by the amazing Ms. Cox, which will be running throughout December. The TDSB character trait focus for December is Kindness and Caring. Please talk to your kids about Something Wonderful and help them come up with ideas for their acts of kindness!

Something Wonderful: Student and teacher partnerships

Something wonderful is here, Garden! From December 3 through until December 21, every person within our Garden community, staff and students alike, will be paired with another person or two. As an entire school we want to spread the idea of sharing conscious acts of kindness with each other while also introducing you to students in different classes that you might not yet know, and so, throughout the month of December, you can think of and do a kind act (or two, or seven!) for your partner.

As you complete these kind acts, you can then write what you did on a special star that will go up on the 1st floor display outside the office. Your classroom teacher will have the stars for you to fill in. As an added bonus, we’ve paired up classes, so that your class may choose to do a kind act for the class you’ve been partnered with.

Some ideas could be:

  • Making a card for your partner
  • Playing a game with your partner at recess
  • Reading a book together at recess
  • Tidying up their classroom as a class

Our challenge to all of you is to fill up our display with stars from all of your kind acts!

Food Drive for Parkdale Community Food Bank

Posted: 
Sunday December 2

This year, Garden Avenue will be supporting the Parkdale Community Food Bank for our Annual Holiday Food Drive. From December 3rd through to December 18th, please send in any non-perishable food items with your students that you can donate to this important cause. There will be donation boxes set up in the front foyer of the school. Also, please consider bringing a donation to Carol Night on December 18th, which is the last day for donations. Thank you so much for your generous support!

The Food Bank is also looking for fridges and cleaning supplies. In case you want to donate your old fridge, please see the link below. They will arrange for pick up.
http://www.pcfb.ca/how-to-help/current-needs

Junior Choir and Strings Winter Concert - Tuesday, December 18

Posted: 
Sunday December 2

Garden Ave’s Junior Choir and Strings (Grades 4-6) Winter Concert will be on Tuesday, December 18th at 6PM. Please ensure that your child wears white tops and dark bottoms (any dark color will do and skirts and pants are fine) and arrives at school for 5:30pm in the music room, so that they have time to warm up. The Choir will perform 3 songs which will be followed by the Strings performance. Caroling will be after the Choir and Strings performance.

We will also hold the draw for the wonderful gingerbread house creations.

Everyone is welcome!

illustration of children singing carols

Gingerbread House Raffle - Only A Few Spots Left!

Posted: 
Sunday December 2

Do you like building tiny houses out of gingerbread and decorating them with icing and candy while your small children clamour at your heels asking if they can EAT IT NOW? 

Then have we got a job for you!

The Annual Garden Avenue Gingerbread House Raffle is a kid-favourite. 15 families have the opportunity to build and decorate a gingerbread house and deliver it to school on Monday, December 10. The houses will be displayed on tables in the main hallway and you can buy raffle tickets to win your favourite creation.

Raffle tickets will be on sale from December 11-18 and the draw for the 15 winners will take place at Carol Night on Tuesday, December 18. 

If you would like to build a gingerbread house please email Katherine Ball at kanddball@gmail.com. Kits are available or you can go your own way - there are no rules for building other than it has to be edible!! 

 "Sweet!"

Holiday Movie Night - This Thursday!

Posted: 
Sunday December 2

Come out for some family fun at Holiday Movie Night on Thursday, December 6. Doors open at 6pm and the movie will start at 6:15pm. We will have pizza for sale for $2 a slice (including vegan and gluten-free options), and juice and popcorn for $1.

"Arthur Christmas" is an animated family comedy that at last reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child's question: 'So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?' The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic - a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.

Trailer on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tk-WZSqIGQ

Arthur Christmas movie poster

Holiday Movie Night - Thursday, December 6

Posted: 
Sunday November 25

Mark the calendar for Holiday Movie Night on Thursday, December 6.

There will be pizza and popcorn for sale, so put on your elf hats and jingle bells and come out for some family fun.

The doors open at 6pm and the movie will start at 6:15pm

movie night poster

Gingerbread House Raffle 2018

Posted: 
Sunday November 25

It’s time for Garden’s annual Gingerbread House Raffle!

The first 15 families to sign up can take part in building and decorating a gingerbread house for the annual raffle. 

  • Information on how to sign up will go home on Monday, November 26.
  • Gingerbread houses will go on display at school on December 10 and raffle tickets go on sale on December 11.
  • Raffle winners will be drawn at Carol Night on Tuesday December 18.

Two gingerbread cookie people standing beside a gingerbread house. One says "Dude check out our new house". The other says "sweet!".

TDSB Recognizes Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Posted: 
Sunday November 18

The following message was copied from the TDSB website:

Providing safe, inclusive and positive spaces accepting of all students is a priority in the TDSB. Our schools should be communities where all students are respected, welcomed, nurtured, engaged and encouraged.

This week is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week – another opportunity remember the impact bullying can have on a school community and that we should all stand up to bullying and say, No!

The 2017 TDSB Student Census results provided detailed bullying-related data. Grades 4-6 students experienced the highest proportion of students reporting physical bullying at 19%. About a 1/3 of students from Grades 4-8 reporting being verbally bullied and about 27% reported being socially bullied (i.e. being excluded). Cyber bullying was highest for students in Grades 7-12 impacting 10% of students.

Bullying prevention and intervention is about more than just eliminating bullying; it’s about promoting healthy relationships and positive school climates. When students have healthy relationships in their lives and feel connected to their school community, they are less likely to bully others and are more likely to support students who are bullied. Promoting healthy relationships is a key way to prevent bullying and create a safe and accepting school climate.

The TDSB is committed to working to strengthen relationships between students and school adults and improving overall school climate to create inviting and engaging learning spaces where student want to be.

Learn more about the bullying prevention programs that we offer, and the TDSB Caring and Safe Schools Policy and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Procedure.