Island Breeze

June 2020

Dear Island Public School Families

With your patience, commitment and positivity, we made it to the end of the school year we won’t soon forget. To you, our amazing families, on behalf of IPS staff I would like to say THANK YOU. Thank you for supporting your children, our students, which in turn supported us; for persevering and navigating Google Meets and Google Classrooms; for helping keep everyone physically active – for this we are truly grateful. We proved this year that WE are definitely partners in education. Thank you because without your support none of this would have been possible.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our School Council for once again their hard work, dedication and organization to supporting the students & families of IPS (i.e. advocacy to secure a crossing guard, partnering with 52 community police division; school spirit events; well-being advocacy through speakers; fundraising for IPS Wish-List). Without their efforts and dedication, we would not have such amazing community engagement and the many wonderful events that they provide to the betterment of our school! Special thanks to our School Council Executive: Laura-Maria Nikolareizi (Chair), Walid Al-Hajj (Vice Chair) Lil Dronjak (Treasurer) Salma Hussain (Secretary), Tendai Mhute (Advocacy), Yulia Skripaleva (Special Events); Jennifer Yeung (Communications) and Joseph Hagopian (Director).

I know we are all wondering about September, and what it might hold, however, take some time to enjoy the fact we are inching towards a little more normalcy in our lives. Know that any initial announcements will be emailed to families directly from the TDSB. I will also remain in touch when necessary by re-posting on the IPS School Website or by email. All up-to-date information is located on TDSBWeb and the Returning To School: Planning Ahead for September 2020. I encourage you to Share Your Voice Parent Survey in the TDSB Survey by June 30th which will assist the TDSB in its planning.

On a personal note, I would like to thank all IPS Families for making my role as your Principal a most tremendous experience! Your support and commitment to ensure IPS remains the place where students feel valued is certainly a shared goal. I feel honoured to be given the opportunity to collaborate and work with each and every one of you to ensure your child’s success as we move forward through this unprecedented time. Please continue to reach out via email at Scott.Woolford@tdsb.on.ca - even as we break for the summer The first day of school is September 8th.

Stay healthy and well!

Regards, Scott Woolford Principal

School Website: http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/island

The Newsletter of Island Public School

School Phone: (416) 393-1910

(416) 393-9710

Island Public/Natural Science School 30 Centre Island Park, Toronto, ON M5J 2E9

Scott Woolford, Principal Elizabeth Stefanec, Site Supervisor

Jane Phillips-Long, Superintendent of Education Stephanie Donaldson, School Trustee

MANY THANKS TO ALL OUR SCHOOL SUPPORTERS

We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to James Dann, Shahid Sharif and Kamal Samarawickrama for their support and to all their staff at the ferry docks and special thanks to Bob, Marianna, Kim, Pooja, JT, Colette and Elaine at the Ferry Ticket Office. Their support has been invaluable to ensuring the safe travel of both students and staff on the ferry! Many thanks to Warren Hoselton, Don Sutherland and their team of amazing people at the City of Toronto Parks for their continued support of the school. They have worked closely with the school to provide support with our grounds keeping and have always been there when we needed the most. Thank you to Young People’s Theatre for allowing us to participate in both classroom and school-wide productions & workshops to further our Arts programming throughout the school year. Thank you to our partnership with Arts Express and Friendship-in-Action who support the well-being of our students and families. We look forward to our continued partnerships this fall!

TDSB Community Supports and Resources The Toronto District School Board is committed to the safety and well-being of our students and families, especially during the current health crisis of COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus). To ensure access to information on essential services and supports, we have developed a list of external community-based resources that we hope can offer assistance during this period. You can search for local resources at 211 (i.e. Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York, etc.).

If you have questions related to the specific supports and resources below, please contact the organization directly. For more information on COVID-19, such as remote learning resources, mental health and well-being supports and on-going updates on the impact to our schools, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/coronavirus.

IPS School Council Presenter Resources

Thank you to Nicole McSweeney, TDSB Social Worker who provided an overview of the Top 10 Strategies to Sustain Your Emotional Well-being during these Stressful & Challenging Times…and Always….

Also thank you to Jennifer Kay a Child & Youth Counsellor from Arts Express for sharing their passion around tackling stress and anxiety through creative arts as a unique approach to supporting families and empowering kids.

These resource were attached to the email!

TDSB Summer Well-Being Guide AND Mental Health and Well-being Resources

During the COVID-19

We care about the range of emotions and questions students of all ages may be experiencing in this uncertain and unprecedented time of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent school closures. The change in routines and feelings of separation from peers, educators and other important caregivers may cause distress. However, this time offers an opportunity to strengthen our resilience and pay greater attention to our well-being. As we move forward to the summer break, the TDSB has created a Summer Well-being Guide for families to explore. Also our very own TDSB Psychological Services Hearts & Minds Summer Newsletter for further resources.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY - Safety Tips for Parents

Children under nine should be accompanied by adults or older children when crossing the street. At this age, their judgment and

perceptual skills are still immature, yet they often eagerly try to cross streets on their own in order to demonstrate some independence.

Teach your children the rules of the road - start when they're young. Think of it as gradually training your children about safety until

all the connections are in place. By the time your child reaches age nine, and can act independently, the road safety rules will be

second nature.

Teach children how to cross the street safely.

Teach them to stop (before stepping onto the road), look left, right and left again, and listen for traffic before stepping out into the

street.

Teach children to wait until the street is clear and to keep looking until they have crossed the street. They should also look the driver

in the eye before crossing.

Teach children to recognize pedestrian crossing signals but not rely on them. Before crossing, children should also be sure the traffic

has stopped. Remind them to continue across if the light changes to "Don't Walk" while they are in the crosswalk.

Teach children to be extra alert when crossing at a corner with no traffic lights.

Teach your children to stop at driveways, alleys and areas without curbs and to never run out onto the street.

Teach children about the dangers of crossing the street between parked cars or when not at a corner. Children should cross only at

corners and pedestrian crosswalks, not diagonally or between parked cars.

Teach children to respect the role of the crossing guard and to understand his/her signals.

Teach children that wherever possible they should walk on the sidewalk. In areas without sidewalks, teach children to walk as far away

from the road as possible, facing approaching traffic (when there is no choice but to walk on the road).

Teach children that playing games at railway crossings or around trains can be deadly. Teach children that the only way to cross

railway tracks is to use designated railway crossings.

Follow the same rules that you want your child to follow. You may want to cut across the street in the middle of the block, but you want

your child to learn to cross at the intersection. Be a good role model.

Reprinted with the permission of Safe Kids Canada. Visit www.safekidscanada.ca for more safety tips on keeping children safe.

Make sure children wear the correct helmet properly when they ride. Ontario's bike helmet law requires all

children and youth under age 18 to wear an approved bike helmet when riding a bicycle.

Keep children away from traffic when they use wheeled sports equipment. Make sure they ride in a safe place.

Teach children how to: steer, brake and ride in a straight line; wear the right safety gear, and do a safety

check every time they ride a bicycle, scooter, skateboard, use in-line skates or wear shoes with wheels.

Be within arm's reach when your children are learning to ride any wheeled equipment.

Always walk a bicycle, scooter or skateboard across a street intersection, instead of riding across.

Tell children that you are happy when you see them riding safely.

Remind children of the safety rules when they forget.

Be a good role model - wear a helmet and safety gear yourself. Children copy what adults do.

BICYCLE SAFETY REMINDER

Now that the summer weather has approached children will be

participating in many outdoor activities like bike riding. The

Toronto District School Board and Toronto Public Health want

kids to be safe while playing outdoors this summer. Parents and

caregivers can "stay a step ahead" by protecting children when

they ride.

Here’s how:

An adult should always supervise children 10 years of age or

younger when they are using a bicycle or other wheeled

sports equipment. Even older children may need on-going

supervision when riding near the road.

8999998*99999u7

Elementary Summer School

Our elementary summer school program

focus is to close the achievement and well-

being gap and to continue student

engagement into July. Programs for

students in Grades 3 to 8 will be delivered

from July 6 to 31, 2020 from 9am to

12pm. Remote synchronous learning will be

offered. There is a possibility that

learning may move from remote learning to

in-class learning environments in

accordance with the ongoing guidance of

the Ministry of Education. Registration is

online and is currently open to the public.

More information is available at:

www.tdsb.on.ca/summer

Adult Summer Programs Community Programs

Adult General Interest courses will be offered in

July to continue to engage with existing learners,

while increasing the presence and awareness of

Learn4Life programs to new learners. Courses will

be offered from July 6 to 31, 2020 through a

synchronous online delivery model. Registration will

be available through our website at

www.learn4life.ca

Adult ESL

Adult ESL is planning on delivering a remote

synchronous learning model, with whole group and

small group instruction, from July 6 to July 24,

2020 from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Classes will be

five days a week for three weeks. We will also be

implementing a modified Portfolio-Based Language

Assessment program to include 1 to 2

assessments. The number of classes and levels will

be based on student enrollment, interest and

funding. More information is available on

www.ESLtoronto.ca

STUDENT REMOTE LEARNING

RESOURCES

Students and families can continue

to access the list of Online/Digital

Student Learning Resources and the

TDSB Virtual Library over the

summer months. To explore the full

digital resources, please use the

links within the second column. Have

fun exploring!

Getting kids outside and active is good for

their health but too much sun can have serious

side-effects, including burns, eye damage,

premature aging of the skin and skin cancer.

We encourage all children to practice “sun

safety.”

What exactly does Sun Safe Behaviour look

like?

• Cover up: Even on days with a moderate

UV index students should wear a hat and

sunglasses, especially if they'll be outside

for over 30 minutes

• Stay cool: Students should stay in shady

areas, particularly at midday when the sun

is strongest

• Use sunscreen: Choose sunscreens with SPF

30 or higher that include protection from

both UVA and UVB rays

SUN SAFE BEHAVIOUR

Revised Math Curriculum The Ministry of Education announced a

revised Math Curriculum to be

implemented September 2020. Click

the link to investigate.