As you may know, Runnymede Fire Station 424 is slated for closure in January. This Fire Station is a beloved part of our community and it would be a shame to lose it.

Here are a few things to know:

• There has been no analysis done of the impact of the closure on public safety, even though closing the station will mean longer response times.
• The current mayoral administration promised no cuts to service.
• The beautiful 1929 building is a treasured part of our neighbourhood’s heritage.
• The Station is one of the most generous in the city in terms of hosting schools and community groups (nursery schools, Beavers, Cubs, etc)
• It is one of the busiest Stations in terms of responding to cardiac arrest calls.
• It is in close proximity to 7 schools.
• If the Station is closed, the site will be privately developed.

Here’s what you can do:

• Send a letter to City Hall, explaining why the Station should remain open. It doesn’t have to be long, but the more letters to the Budget Committee from residents, the better. Send it to the Budget Committe Clerk, Kelly McCarthy, and she will distribute
• Sign Councillor Doucette’s petition
• Speak at the Budget Committee meeting on January 8th.
• Become a member of the Facebook Group and keep checking for updates. And share it!
• Attend the RALLY TO HELP SAVE OUR FIRE STATION on Thursday December 13th at 7pm!

On Sunday, December 2, two Runnymede teams competed in FIRST LEGO League (FLL)’s senior league tournament, held at Runnymede C.I. FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a non-profit organization designed to inspire kids about science and engineering fields. Last year, the Runnymede School Council funded the school’s purchase of several LEGO NXT robotics sets to kick off our participation in the FIRST LEGO League., where students use interchangeable LEGO parts, computer ‘bricks’, sensors, and software, to build reasonably complex models of real-life robotic systems.

Our two LEGO League teams showed up in full force at Sunday’s tournament. The first team, made up of children in grades 4 and 5, was one of nine teams (out of 24) to be called back for a second judging on their robot design. What an outstanding result for a first-year team with Grade 4/5 students!

The senior team of Grade 6-to-8 students shocked the tournament, getting callbacks in all three areas (robot design, project, and core values). To follow that up, they captured the rookie of the year award and earned a spot in the provincials in January (finishing 6th out of 24 teams).

Says coach Jerry Tiessen, a Runnymede parent and former president of the School Council, “All this is unbelievable and I am still finding it hard to believe how hard the kids worked and how well they did.  I am incredibly proud of both teams and feel privileged to be their coach.”

Huge congratulations to Jerry and the teams – fantastic work!

Grade 6 students at Runnymede are embarking on a very exciting project that will see them communicate electronically with students at the Moshono School near Arusha, Tanzania.  Using e-mail letters, photo journals, mapping activities, and other computer programs, our students will have the opportunity to learn about their counterparts in this east-African community, all the while sharing their own personal experiences in their urban environment of Toronto.

Runnymede has already developed a connection with this community.  Five years ago, a few of our classes raised money to help build the school from the ground up.  Now that the construction is complete, the next development phase for the school is to supply laptop computers and to secure Internet access for their use.  Runnymede can continue to support this venture in the following ways:

1. If you have any laptop computers that you no longer use, please consider donating them to the Moshono School.  Their contents will be deleted and new programs reloaded.  Our liaison, Isabel Litwin-Davies, will personally take all of the donated laptops to Africa when she next visits on December 12.  You may simply bring the laptop computer to Runnymede and leave it in the office for pick-up.
2. Our Grade 6 students will be organizing a number of events in December to raise money for Moshono School’s Internet access.  One event in particular, the Tanzania Toonie Tuesdays, will involve a collection of spare change from students throughout the school on three consecutive Tuesdays: December 4^th, 11^th, and 18^th.

Runnymede has received much technological support for their part in this project.  Through the Mobile Computing Strategy, we have received a large set of laptop computers of our own to pursue our goal of communicating electronically with diverse international communities.  This project dovetails closely with our current Grade 6 Social Studies unit examining Canada’s Links to the World.  We, in turn, would like to extend a generous hand to our “twin” school in Tanzania by contributing laptop computers and funds to ensure their full partnership in this project.  Many thanks for any contributions, laptops or money, that you are able to make.

Overcrowding in our schools has been getting some media attention lately – check it out.

Parents say overcrowding at two Toronto schools is harming students
CTV Toronto (November 29)
Summary: Parents are blaming overcrowding in some GTA schools on provincial budget freezes. Naomi Parness reports.  [Features Runnymede]

(click to see a larger version)