Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to the 2019 / 2020 school year! Our staff is looking forward to sharing many enriching learning opportunities in the months ahead. The beginning of each school year is always an exciting time as students develop new friendships and reacquaint with old friends. It is also a time when our teachers review the rules and routines and assist their students in setting goals for the school year: all of which are important tools to set them up for success.
Our office staff (Ms. Waicus, Ms. Roberts, and Ms. McCrimmon), our Caretaking Staff, and our Teachers have been working tirelessly to ensure that the school is ready for the first day.
In order for each student to reach their full potential, it is important that we work in
partnership and emphasize open communication between home and school. Although we are one of the biggest schools in the TDSB, we value each individual student, and support each family to meet the needs of your children. Our teachers will communicate with you throughout the school year on an on-going basis. Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher if you need information to support your child. Parents are encouraged to follow the TDSB parent concern protocol if any issues of concern arise.
While teachers at Runnymede do have high academic expectations, they also focus on social skills, learning skills, mental health and well-being. Our teachers also imbed multiple layers of character development in their programming. To do their part, it is very important that students make an effort to develop positive relationships with one another, and arrive to class on-time and ready to learn.
Staffing Update – We welcome the following staff who will be starting assignments at
Runnymede PS as of Tuesday, September 3, 2019:
Room 111 – Grade 1/2 F.I.- Mme A. Ceni
Room 239 – Grade 2 F.I. – Mr. Tsilfidis (O.T.)
Room 352 – 5A F.I. English – Mr. L. Rose (O.T.)
Room 126 B – ECE – Ms. J. Austin (O.T.)
Room B82 – ECE – Ms. Costanzo (O.T.)
Head Caretaker – Mr. Julio Silva
Over the summer, the School Board has had contractors working on updating the air conditioning unit in the Library, installing a new air conditioning unit in the Senior Gymnasium, and working on the South Parking Area (Adjacent to the front doors of the school) to ensure it is a safer walk-way for our community to get to and from the Kindergarten Adventure Yard. If this work is not completed by the start of school, Kindergarten children and their parents/guardians can enter the Adventure Playground using the Colbeck stairs or via the school’s North entrance between the senior wing and the portables.
We encourage parents to get involved in the activities that take place at Runnymede. The best way to be involved is through school council. Our first school council meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 25th at 6:30 in the Library. Curriculum night is scheduled for Thursday September 12th, 2019. More details to follow.
Please register on-line for our cashless payment system. All payments for any purchases or activities must be made through the online system. Teachers will no longer be collecting any money. The link to register is: https://tdsb.schoolcashonline.com
Please see the below diagram for our first day routines.
Reminder: Runnymede PS has many students with life threatening allergies. Please be mindful when packing snacks and lunches for school. Any food that contains tree nuts or peanuts is prohibited in snacks or lunches. Please do not send any treats to your child’s classroom without the permission of the classroom teacher.
The first day of school is very busy, and we do our utmost to have all students in the building promptly to start the day. Our staff will be focused on ensuring that all students are accounted for and settled in their classrooms. Our teachers will not be able to engage in long discussions this first morning as their focus will be on your children. Thank you for your understanding.
On behalf of the Runnymede PS Staff, best wishes for a successful school year,
Rob Hochberg Luc Gélinas Waheeda Khan-Fitzpatrick
Principal Vice Principal Vice Principal
Runnymede Public School Council 