Natalie

A number of parents and neighbours from Roden and Equinox have expressed concerns about traffic safety, especially during pick-up and drop off times. Many of our older students are particularly vulnerable as they walk to and from school unsupervised. While these issues are not limited to the school community, we would like to remind you that health and safety are everyone’s responsibility.

Reminders…
STOP junctions and restricted left turns along Fairford Avenue are well signed and should always be followed.

Always park as signed. Parking outside designated areas or double parking on the street puts students at risk. There is a school parking lot, located on the south end near Gerrard St. E,. which families may use for free during daytime hours when visiting the school. School Council is seeking an amendment to the parking restrictions on Hiawatha Road to provide additional spaces and we are consulting with Ms Pollock and Mr O’Shaughnessy about opening up a gate from the parking lot to improve access there too.

Please take extra care driving around the school in general – pulling into parking at speed, turning in the road, crosswalks, etc.

Smoking within 20 metres of a children’s playground is illegal, even if you are outside the school gates.

With the exception of service animals, dogs are NOT allowed onto TDSB property. Tying your dog’s leash around your waist or carrying your dog in your arms and then entering school property is still against the law. Please ALWAYS keep your dog outside the clearly marked gated area around the school. If you do not feel comfortable leaving your dog outside the gated area, then please do not bring them with you to school. Be sure to pick up after your pet to help keep our community spaces clean.

Thanks for helping to make our school and its surroundings a safe place for everyone.

This year, we tried a hot lunch program from an external provider. Although those who used the program gave it great reviews, we didn’t have sufficient take-up to sustain the program. Parent Councils from Roden and Equinox are working with Ms Pollock to investigate alternative options for the future. Please look out for more information, together with a survey to gather your input, which was sent out recently.
In the meantime, the school has made some slight changes to when our students eat. Instead of all Grades eating together in the gym, Junior students now eat in the gym during the first 20 minutes while Primary students go outside to play. Then the groups will switch over, before everyone has 10 minutes or so together before classes begin again. Kindergarten arrangements are unchanged.
Early feedback suggests these arrangements are already making lunchtimes a little less chaotic and more enjoyable for both staff and students.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed and/or raised money for our Direct Donation program back in November and again for the Dance-a-thon in February. Whether you raised $5 or $400, you helped us to hit our ambitious target of $6000 to contribute to supplies for all levels of students in the school.
Some of the money raised will go towards providing our younger classes with new and additional Leveled Reading books, which are vital to their progress in reading skill. Many of our previous sets have been lost or damaged, or are outdated.
The rest of the money will contribute to Technology education for our older grades. These classes are well-supplied with laptops, but need a secure and stable cart to carry them. They are also hoping to purchase document cameras to record some of their work and more Prometheus boards for classroom teaching.

Thanks to our fantastic volunteers and generous community, the 2017 Roden Summer Send Off raised enough money to pay for 3 professional performances during this school year. All students have the opportunity to attend during school hours at no cost and feedback from the first two has been extremely positive, with one still ahead!
B-Boyizm presents “The Evolution of B-Boying” – February
Cadence presents “4 Men, 4 Mics, No Instruments” – April
Dufflebag Theatre presents “Rumplestiltskin” – May
For the first time, this year Roden students from Grades 4-8 were invited to join Equinox in producing four performances of Shrek the Musical! Cast, crew and audiences alike enjoyed the shows and everyone is looking forward to extending Roden’s involvement in future years.

Some of you might have heard rumours about planned changes to the layout of our main floor. One of the Equinox Kindergarten classes has been based upstairs, away from the rest of the FDK classrooms, and with a long unsupervised walk to a washroom. During their outdoor time, they have left belongings and equipment just inside the Library.
To improve that class’s situation, the school is planning to move things around. This work is likely to take place during the summer break, which will minimise disruption and tie in with the replacement of the flooring for the rest of the ground floor.
Stakeholders from each area have been consulted in coming up with this plan, and no significant functionality will be lost.
Planned changes:
The Kindergarten class will move into Area [16], currently the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre, sharing washrooms and other facilities with the classes nextdoor.
The Parenting and Family Literacy Centre will move into the East part of the Library (closest to the windows overlooking the Equinox outdoor Kindergarten area), which will be partitioned off from the rest of the Library to control noise. Access will be through the Breakfast Club room, which will also provide indoor stroller parking and washroom facilities for the Centre.
The Library will reclaim the area currently borrowed by the Kindergarten class.