HSA / Parent Council Update – Jan 17

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR STEM PROGRAMS AT RUNNYMEDE!
The STEM Committee has exciting activities planned this year and we need parent volunteers to make them happen. 
SIGN UP TO HELP, AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH!  VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

STEM Fair Judges: Friday, February 27th
Help evaluate student projects. No science background required.
A Zoom pre-session will cover judging criteria.
Morning judges (15 needed): 8:50 AM–12:00 PM
Full day judges (10 needed): 8:50 AM–2:00 PM, includes selecting projects for city fair
The direct sign up to be a STEM Fair judge is HERE
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LEGO Club & Robotics : Weekly throughout the term (TBD)

Senior Robotics/FIRST LEGO League Challenge (2–4 volunteers)
Work with older students on competitive robotics
Primary and Junior LEGO Learning (6–8 volunteers)
Guide younger students through building challenges.
SIGN UP HERE AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH VOLUNTEER SIGN UP
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One-Day Spring Events:

Amazing Math Race

High-energy math activities for Grade 4 & 5 classes the last week in June (TBD)
(6 volunteers needed each day – you will be needed for the whole afternoon)
SIGN UP HERE AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

Angry Birds Math Challenge
Fun math activity for primary classes in June (TBD)
(4 volunteers needed per class)
SIGN UP HERE AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

These programs cannot run without parent involvement. Even one activity makes a difference. Thanks!



ART IS HAPPENING AT RUNNYMEDE!  

Thanks to your generous donations to the HSA/Parent Council, our Arts Committee has organized amazing 33 workshops starting this week!  Over the next month, all homeroom classes from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will be receiving Art workshops taught by a professional art educator Holly Wheatcroft, who has worked at Runnymede before and is well-loved by our community. This year’s menu includes 16 different creative art workshops including ancient Egypt, Georgia O’Keefe, Group of Seven, Joseph Cornell, and many clay projects that teachers can choose from.

We’ll also be hosting a school-wide arts event in the Spring (date TBD), to showcase your child’s beautiful creations from these workshops (and other teacher-led projects)!


Jan 26 – Runnymede Parent Council Meeting 
Join us from 7-9 pm in the School Library.  All are welcome to attend.
For more information check HERE: https://runnymedecouncil.org/about-2/about-the-school-council/council-minutes/


DOES YOUR CHILD WANT MORE PIZZA?

Next Pizza Day – Feb. 6th– Please ask your child if they need an extra slice!  We had a LOT of kids asking us for extra – add an extra slice to your child’s order HERE :
https://runnymedecouncil.org/school-fundraising/pizza-lunches/ or sign up to volunteer!


WANT TO ORDER WEDNESDAY HOT LUNCH ?
The Runnymede HSA (a.k.a. Parent Council) is partnering with local restaurant, Grillway, to bring our students and staff another day of hot lunches each week, on Wednesdays.

Orders must be in by Monday at noon for each week.
This link is saved on our ‘SHOP and SUPPORT RUNNYMEDE’ page on the HSA website if you ever need to find it!  https://runnymedecouncil.org/school-fundraising/shop-support-runnymede/

ORDER NOW: https://www.hotlunchrunnymede.ca/ 


WANT TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR CHILD’S HATS AND COATS, WATER BOTTLES AND MORE?

BUY MABEL’S LABELS and 20% of all sales go to Runnymede HSA/Council!

Experienced parent comment:
“Tag mates are great for clothes and don’t need to be ironed on, Rectangular labels are perfect for water bottles, electronics and desk supplies. And the shoe labels help keep track of indoor shoes!”

SHOP MABEL’S LABELS NOW!

WELCOME BACK! 

We hope you had a wonderful winter break and a lovely holiday season! 

After our first Pizza Day of 2026 yesterday, we want to say THANK YOU once again to all the amazing parent volunteers who organize and show up to make this the most efficient and fun way to serve 885 kids pizza in an hour! 

We are looking forward to a quiet month of January with just a few things to note:

Upcoming PA Day:  January 16th  There is no school for students on this day.


Runnymede Parent Council Meeting :  January 26th 
from 7-9 pm in the School Library.  All are welcome to attend. For more information check HERE: https://runnymedecouncil.org/about-2/about-the-school-council/council-minutes/

Next Pizza Day – Feb. 6th – Please ask your child if they need an extra slice!  We had a LOT of kids asking us for extra!  Please email RunnymedePizza@gmail.com with questions or changes, BUT you can add an extra slice to your child’s order HERE https://runnymedecouncil.org/school-fundraising/pizza-lunches/ or sign up to volunteer!



Safety Info –
Notice to Families of Children with TDSB Issued Devices

Student device program safety info – GoGuardian Parent App 

Families of students enrolled in the Student Device Program from grades 6-12 can now access the GoGuardian Parent App, allowing parents, guardians and caregivers to manage their children’s internet use outside of school hours including blocking specific websites and restricting internet access completely:
https://support.goguardian.com/s/article/GoGuardian-Parent-App-Features-1629773198659

Information about the app and a support guide have been made available to families through the December edition of the TDSB Connects communication for families: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/12VPEkQOsGWurkUKlYLomCmUMlI3dYNWeqzg0RLB_6JY/mobilebasic

What you should know:
GoGuardian Parent works only outside of school hours. Parents/guardians can make changes between 4:01 PM and 7:59 AM. During school hours, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, GoGuardian is managed by the teacher.  The application (for management) is available for iOS devices (iPhone/iPad) and Android devices (phone/tablet) only.
The TDSB School Community IT Support service is available to assist families with questions they may have about GoGuardian Parent: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/school-community-it-support
Each student can have a maximum of two parents or guardians connected to the application.

The Runnymede HSA’s STEM committee has been instrumental in getting this set up, and we want to make sure as many families as possible are aware, so we can protect as many kids as possible!

Thanks!


WANT TO ORDER WEDNESDAY HOT LUNCH ?


The Runnymede HSA (a.k.a. Parent Council) is partnering with local restaurant, Grillway, to bring our students and staff another day of hot lunches each week, on Wednesdays.

Orders must be in by Monday at noon for each week.

This link is saved on our ‘SHOP and SUPPORT RUNNYMEDE’ page on the HSA website if you ever need to find it!  https://runnymedecouncil.org/school-fundraising/shop-support-runnymede/


ORDER NOW: https://www.hotlunchrunnymede.ca/ 



WANT TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR CHILD’S HATS AND COATS, WATER BOTTLES AND MORE?


BUY MABEL’S LABELS and 20% of all sales go to Runnymede HSA/Council!

Experienced parent comment:
“Tag mates are great for clothes and don’t need to be ironed on, Rectangular labels are perfect for water bottles, electronics and desk supplies. And the shoe labels help keep track of indoor shoes!”

SHOP MABEL’S LABELS NOW!


– JOIN YOUR CLASS WHATS APP GROUP  : HERE

– ZOOM LINK FOR THE SAC & HSA MEETINGS : HERE 

VOLUNTEER FOR AN EVENT OR COMMITTEE : HERE

– VISIT THE RUNNYMEDE GOOGLE CALENDAR : HERE

– VISIT THE RUNNYMEDE HSA WEBSITE HERE 

CHECK IT OUT! HERE

Notice to Families of Children with TDSB Issued Devices: 

Families of students enrolled in the Student Device Program from grades 6-12 can now access the GoGuardian Parent App, allowing parents, guardians and caregivers to manage their children’s internet use outside of school hours.  

This includes blocking specific websites and restricting internet access completely.

This must be done proactively to enable the protections when devices are used at home or on non-TDSB wifi – this is not automatic.

https://support.goguardian.com/s/article/GoGuardian-Parent-App-Features-1629773198659

Here is more information about the app and a support guide made available to families through the December edition of the TDSB Connects communication for families:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12VPEkQOsGWurkUKlYLomCmUMlI3dYNWeqzg0RLB_6JY/edit?usp=sharing

The Runnymede HSA’s STEM committee has been instrumental in getting this set up, and we want to make sure as many families as possible are aware, so we can protect as many kids as possible!

Thanks!