Tackling Bullying and Other Obstacles to Kids’ Learning and Well Being

All Ward 7 Parents are invited to a presentation at Swansea Public School on the topic of Tackling Bullying and Other Obstacles to Kids’ Learning and Well Being on February 6, 2013 at 7:00 pm. This presentation is being given by Jennifer Kolari of Connected Parenting (www.connectedparenting.com) and should be an interesting and helpful session on how to help children surmount anxiety, bullying and other barriers to learning.
Please see the attached flyer for more information. Questions concerning the session can be addressed to swanseaps@gmail.com.

School is open today

The school is open today.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/01/11/ontario-teachers-protest.html

Petition: Help Fight Overcrowding in our Schools

Please sign the petition to show your support formoving forward with the planned school additions in our ward — and find out other ways to help the cause in the flyer at right.

Overcrowding in the public schools in our ward is a serious problem, and it will only get worse with the implementation of full day kindergarten in September 2014. The TDSB’s solution of building additions at Keele and Swansea public schools is on hold because the Ministry of Education has frozen funding for this much-needed capital expansion.

We need the Ministry of Education to release funding immediately for the planned additions. We’re asking you to send this message to our provincial government by signing this petition. An addition at Keele P.S. will allow students to stay at that school for Grades 7 and 8, rather than coming to Runnymede as they currently do. This change is key to alleviating the overcrowding at our school, and is necessary for there to be space for full day kindergarten.

The construction of these additions must start by early Spring 2013. If the ministry doesn’t release the necessary funding, the following could happen when full day kindergarten is implemented:

Portables added to the small play spaces in our schools, leaving little room for children to play outside during recess and lunch.
Some students could be bussed outside of our Ward to schools where there IS room.
Gymnasium space could be turned into classroom space, thereby limiting the manner in which our children receive physical education.

We need as many signatures as possible, so please circulate this to your friends, family and neighbours who live in this neighbourhood. Our children deserve better. They deserve the opportunity to learn in spacious classrooms housed in well-maintained buildings, just like other students in the province.

Ready to sign the petition? Click here. If you have any questions, please contact Krista Wylie.

Save our Fire Station

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!

Runnymede kicks butt at the FIRST LEGO League

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.”