Current Newsletter

Principal’s Message – Outdoor Classroom Day

On October 11th, many of our classes at Avon will be spending some or all of the day outdoors. With our emphasis on natural, green spaces we can visit all year, you may be wondering why we would designate this one day in the year.

Our teachers learned about a global movement taking place on specific dates in the year, and we wanted to be a part of it! Our day is one day earlier because we didn’t want to interfere with the Cross Country Meet. This day may include some activities and teaching outside and some interaction with nature, but in all cases, it will help to further children’s connectedness to the natural world.

The organizers say:

“Anyone who has seen the impact that learning and playing outdoors has on children knows how powerful such experiences can be. Learning outdoors creates lasting memories, helps build a greater awareness of the environment, provides more opportunities to think independently, and gets children feeling challenged and excited by learning.

Children are more active when they play outdoors; it is essential for their healthy development and enjoyment of childhood…Our aim is to get millions of children around the world learning and playing outside!”

With such a powerful mandate, how could we resist!

Barbara Alken

Safety First!

Thank you to all our parents for following our pick up and drop off routines. Other than one day when the bus was left in the pick up zone, and it was pouring rain, and the buses didn’t arrive for 20 minutes, it has been a very smooth month!

Please remember that the parking lot is for staff only. We have staff who come and go at different times of the day, and we want to be sure they have a place to park.

Please time your arrival to school for 8:55- 9:05 a.m., as there is no supervision before that time.

Volunteering at Avon

It has been wonderful to see some of our established volunteers back at Avon this month! If you have indicated an interest in volunteering, teachers will be setting up schedules and contacting you about times that you can come in. We appreciate all your help!

We also need volunteers for our Regional Cross Country meet at Wildwood on October 5th. Please contact the office right away if you can join us!

Thank you to all our volunteers who have come in with a Vulnerable Sector Police Check, and those who have signed their Offence Declaration for this year.  Remember those need to be done for all volunteers.

We are always looking for more people to read with our students, so if you or a family member has some free time, please let your child’s teacher know.

Allergies

Remember to only send food within our allergy guidelines. No peanuts, tree nuts, kiwi fruit, fish, seafood, raw or undercooked eggs or anything made from these products.  Thanks for your help keeping everyone safe and healthy.

Avon School Council

School Councils provide a forum for making parents’ concerns heard, for learning about curriculum, and how we can work together to support students’ learning.

Our next meeting is Monday, October 30th at 6:30 p. in the Library.

At the last meeting in September, our co- chairs Kaisa Schneider and Andrea Allen were acclaimed to continue in the role. We also discussed sign in procedures and needs of students in our Avon family. We invite all Avon parents and community members who wish to get involved to attend.

Signing in at School

In keeping with procedures throughout AMDSB, we are asking all community members, parents, and visitors to the school to sign in when they enter the school. Mrs. Kelly, our very observant secretary, will be asking you to sign in if you have by-passed the office.

One new development from this was discussed at School Council last month. They agreed that procedures should be consistent no matter what time of day you are coming into school so that these procedures become a part of our daily practice. This means that if you are walking into the school with your child at the beginning of the day, you must stop at the office and sign in. The only time parents do not sign in is when they are dropping off at the Kindergarten doors, or for the before and after school YMCA programs, as they have their own sign in procedures.

Our expectation is that starting in Grade One, our students have the independence needed to walk into the school on their own in the morning. If you have a specific concern for your child, please come and speak to the Principal, Ms. Alken.

Calling All Three Year Olds!

It’s that time of year again when we begin to gather our new Kindergarten registrations for September 2018. If you have a child who will be 4 in 2018 or have a neighbour or friend who does, please note the CATYO date for Avon is November 8th, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Community Closet

Did you know that Avon has a Community Closet that provides clothes in case of an emergency, when someone has not come prepared for a change in weather, or just for children who might need something extra? As the weather changes and you are sorting through your own closets at home, consider sending along any of these items in good condition that your family has outgrown:

• Rubber boots
• Running shoes
• Avon Eagles Tshirts
• Splash pants
• Track pants for boys and girls
• We’d also be thankful for donations of new underwear or socks!

Before and After School Survey

As part of an on-going commitment to make the school day as seamless as possible for our families, each family will be receiving an information sheet in mid-October regarding Before and After School care. Families interested in Before and After school programs for their four and five year olds, and possibly older children in the upcoming school year, should complete an on-line survey by December 1, 2017. The link to the survey will be found on the Board website  starting mid-October.

We appreciate your assistance as we determine the feasibility of offering such programs. Should your require a paper copy, please contact the school after October 10th.

Cross Country Enthusiasm

On Tuesday, October 3rd fifty-five Avon Eagles raced through the first cross country run of the year at the Patrick Cook Memorial Cross Country Run at SERC with over 1200 runners from 28 different schools! All of our athletes made their coaches, parents and teammates proud as they ran their races with strong determination, great effort and admirable sportsmanship. Congratulations goes out to everyone who practiced hard and did their very best. Special mention goes out to the following medal winners: Chloe M. (2nd), Chloe S. (9th), Joshua B. (3rd), Sophie S. (4th), Vivienne K. (8th), Kadyn A. (6th), Will P. (7th),  Liam B.  (6th), Poppy C. (7th), Blair S. (7th) and Sam P. (2nd).

Caribou Math Update

Ms. Yantzi will be running the Caribou Math Club again this year starting in the next couple of weeks. The club is available to Grades 3 to 6 for students who would like an extra challenge in math outside their classroom work. The students will write 6 online math tests throughout the year. The club will meet after school 6 times to prepare for the tests but students should be interested in practicing at home as well. If your child is interested, please talk to their homeroom teacher or email Ms. Yantzi at [email protected]. You can try some sample questions from the test at www.cariboutests.com to see if the club is right for your child.

Terry Fox Run

Many thanks to the Avon Community for their generosity in raising just over $2,500 for the Terry Fox Foundation. The children had a wonderful time running together around the yard in beautiful weather—and all for a great cause!