Important Dates
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Days: 1 2 3 4 –
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Wed, Jan 18 - 6:30pm
2017 Gr.4 Extended French Info Night
Fri, Jan 20
PA Day - No School
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Wed, Jan 25, 6:30pm, Staff Room
SAC Meeting (Agenda)
Thu, Jan 26, 5:30pm (Snacks at 5pm)
Grade 6-8 Movie Night
Fri, Jan 27, 10:45 - 11:15, In your child's classroom
Teddy Bear Literacy Picnic (Gr. 1-3)
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Grade 6-8 Mystery Movie Night
On Thursday, January 26th, grade 6-8 Duke students will have a movie night just for their grades (with a movie more suited to their age group). As with other movie nights, the movie will start at 5:30pm with pizza & snacks being served starting at 5pm. (We'll pass on the details about what the movie is when that's been settled.)
Teddy Bear
Literacy Picnic - Jennifer Mowat
Families of Duke of Connaught students in Grades 1-3, please join us for the Teddy Bear Literacy Picnic on Friday, January 27th from 10:45 -11:15 in your child’s class.
To celebrate family literacy day, Duke classes from grades 1-3 will be opening their doors to show literacy in action. Please drop in to your child’s class between 10:45 and 11:15 to see literacy in class. Students are invited to bring in their favourite book and a stuffed animal to help celebrate!
SAC Meeting Next Week
The next SAC Meeting is *Wednesday*, January 25th at 6:30pm in the Staff Room. You can follow what will be discussed on the posted agenda (note: changes up to a few hours before the meeting). If you have items you'd like discussed at the meeting, it's best (though not required) to email us to have them added to the agenda. As always, childcare will be provided, and arrows will mark the way from the front doors to the staff room.
Skate Library By Appointment
Haute couture skate librarian Aron McGrath has announced that the latest trends in foot-borne chef's knives are now only available to be experienced by appointment. These stylish kitchen implements are so sturdy you can even ice-skate on them! Duke doesn't want you or your kids to fall out of fashion this season, so if you want to keep up with the Gretzky's, book your appointment today! (Borrowing skates from the school is totally free and only requires a small refundable deposit.)
Lost & Found
Did you know Duke has a lost and found? It's true! And there's so much stuff in it, even if you don't think you're missing something, you probably do have something there. (Think of taking the time to drop by like playing the lottery, but with much higher odds that you're going to get something back that's worth more than your investment.)
Save our Pool Update - Angie Law
The City of Toronto is proposing to CANCEL all aquatic programs at SH Armstrong Community Centre. If this happens, they will also withdraw $140,000 of leasing revenue to the TDSB which helps the TDSB pay for the pool’s maintenance. This will no doubt impact Duke’s ability to offer swimming as part of the curriculum in the future. It looks like despite Penny Oleksiak's tweet and the Mayor’s encouraging response, we’re not out of the woods yet, so help is still needed to save our pool. Here's how:
1.) Read the overview of what's going on with the pool. [pdf]
2) Send an email to City Councillor. An optional sample email and a list of who to send it to follows below.
If you have already sent an email, please forward your email to the Executive Committee and Budget Committee members:
To Executive Committee Members:
Councillor_Ainslie@toronto.ca; Councillor_Bailao@toronto.ca; Councillor_Crawford@toronto.ca; Councillor_DiGiorgio@toronto.ca; Councillor_Holland@toronto.ca; Councillor_McMahon@toronto.ca; Councillor_Minnan-Wong@toronto.ca; Councillor_Palacio@toronto.ca; Councillor_Pasternak@toronto.ca; Councillor_Robinson@toronto.ca; Councillor_Shiner@toronto.ca; Councillor_Thompson@toronto.ca; Mayor_Tory@toronto.ca
To Budget Committee Members:
Councillor_Burnside@toronto.ca; Councillor_Campbell@toronto.ca; Councillor_Carroll@toronto.ca; Councillor_Crawford@toronto.ca; Councillor_DiCiano@toronto.ca; Councillor_Layton@toronto.ca; Councillor_Nunziata@toronto.ca
Please CC:
Sheila.Cary-Meagher@tdsb.on.ca; Jennifer.story@tdsb.on.ca
3) Come to the “Save our Pool” party at S.H. Armstrong on Saturday, January 21 at 1PM
4) Join the Facebook group where you will also receive up to the minute information and learn about other ways to help.
5) Use the pool! You can still register for courses (you have to do it in person) even though sessions are underway (your cost will be pro-rated) and/or Go to Leisure Swim (which is FREE) on Saturdays from 1PM to 2PM or on Thursdays (ladies only) from 6:45 to 7PM
6) Complete the survey and help those who are fighting to save the pool in providing more data.
EMAIL TEMPLATE FOR FIRST TIME EMAILS
Email To:
Mayor_Tory@toronto.ca; Councillor_Crawford@toronto.ca; Councillor_Ainslie@toronto.ca; Councillor_Bailao@toronto.ca; Councillor_Crawford@toronto.ca; Councillor_DiGiorgio@toronto.ca; Councillor_Holland@toronto.ca; Councillor_McMahon@toronto.ca; Councillor_Minnan-Wong@toronto.ca; Councillor_Palacio@toronto.ca; Councillor_Pasternak@toronto.ca; Councillor_Robinson@toronto.ca; Councillor_Shiner@toronto.ca; Councillor_Thompson@toronto.ca; Councillor_Burnside@toronto.ca; Councillor_Campbell@toronto.ca; Councillor_Carroll@toronto.ca; Councillor_DiCiano@toronto.ca; Councillor_Layton@toronto.ca; Councillor_Nunziata@toronto.ca; Councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca; Councillor_davis@toronto.ca; Councillor_mcmahon@toronto.ca
Please CC:
Sheila.Cary-Meagher@tdsb.on.ca; Jennifer.story@tdsb.on.ca
Please also BCC:
janie.romoff@toronto.ca; judy.skinner@toronto.ca; councillor_colle@toronto.ca; councillor_mihevc@toronto.ca
Subject: Budget 2017: S.H. Armstrong Pool Funding
Dear Councillors,
I am writing to you as a member of the S.H. Armstrong and Duke of Connaught Public School community because I am concerned about the upcoming budget changes that will affect our community’s pool. I understand that the City has proposed to discontinue its partnership with the TDSB that help with costs related to the maintenance and use of the pool. The city appears to have taken a “divide and conquer” approach by only defunding programs at a few pools each time to help mitigate the public outcry that happened during the last time the city attempted the same thing with more pools.
I do not agree with this reduction in programs, especially one that will not just impact programs at S.H. Armstrong, but will also impact nearly 900 students at the Duke of Connaught Public School (from Kindergarten to Grade 8) as well as the students and Torontonians affected by the other 2 pools being cut. For Duke students in particular, our proximity to the lake means that knowing swim basics and water safety is critical. Non-renewal of the lease agreement with the TDSB jeopardizes aquatics programming at Duke of Connaught since The City knows how tight TDSB budgets are. We are all part of the same community, and the funding is all from the same pockets, so we should all be in this together.
I hope that you will stand with us and fight to keep the great programs and facilities we currently have. I am specifically requesting: a 2-year deferral of the $140,000 proposed budget cut which would lead to the cancellation of aquatic programming (and withdrawal of funding) at S.H. Armstrong. In these 2 years, I would ask for strong community consultation with our S.H. Armstrong Recreation Centre staff and through discussions around programming for the pool, implement a solution that allows increased use of the pool which both meets the needs of our community while meeting the enrollment and revenue requirements for the City of Toronto.
Sincerely,
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