The Eagles' Nest

Welcome to October!  This term is zooming, like our cross country runners.

School Council Meeting:  Our October meeting is this Wednesday the 21st at 7:00 in the Music Room. Childcare available as always. All are welcome, it’s safe to attend now, the elections were last month…..But there are still open positions if the longest Federal Campaign ever has caused you to want to seek office.  Here is the agenda for Wednesday night’s meeting. 201510_Agenda.doc

Future Council Meeting Dates: Wednesday, October 21; Tuesday, November 17; Wednesday, January 20; Tuesday, February 16; March – Potentially if needed;  Wednesday, April 20; Tuesday, May  17; Wednesday, June 15.

Pumpkin Patch:

Earl Haig’s annual pumpkin and bake sale is this Thursday, October 22, from 7:30AM onwards. Last year the pumpkins sold out by 9:30, so don’t hesitate on your purchase. Pumpkins can be labelled and left in the kindergarten yard for after school/after work pick up.

Aside from the pumpkin sales we rely on the bake sale to raise money for the services funded by School Council. If you can bake, please contribute to the bake sale. Items should be nut free and related to breakfast. (No cupcakes, save those sprinkles for February!). Baked goods can be dropped off in the office on the 21st or at the Pumpkin Patch early on the 22nd.  If you would like to unload or help sell pumpkins and muffins, please sign up here: http://vols.pt/BM748N

Pumpkins are $6 each and baked goods $1.

Cross Country:

Tremendous thanks to Mr. Taylor, Mr. Salsman, Ms. Roknic, and all the other staff, parents and guardians who supported all the children running in the South District Qualifiers and Finals on October 9th and 16th. An awe-inspiring 125 students from grades 1-8 ran in the first meet, and 22 grade 3 – 8 students  ran in the South District Finals.  Later in the month 6 students will be representing the school at the city championship at Centennial Park. Congratulations to every student who participated and ran countless laps in the schoolyard and then on the sand and boardwalk at Ashbridge’s Bay.

Getting to know…Silvia Delgado

You only have to spend a few minutes with Silvia Delgado in Earl Haig’s kitchen to see how deeply she cares about providing the children of Earl Haig with delicious and nutritious snacks and lunches.   From ensuring just the right pairing of fruit and yogurt for the kindergarten classes to creating chow mein from scratch for the day’s hot lunch, Silvia pours her heart into her work at our school.

Silvia has been running the Earl Haig nutrition program for four years.  But before being a chef for hundreds of our kids, Silvia honed her skills by cooking for her own twelve children!  And she is now a proud grandmother to seven granddaughters and four grandsons – two of whom are students at Earl Haig!

Silvia programs the lunches so that meals are only repeated every two months – unless she knows it is a student favourite: our kids love her macaroni and cheese so she schedules it twice monthly!  For the grade 1 to 8 students, she plans one “sweet” lunch a month when she cooks pancakes or french toast.  On the last week of each month, she bakes cupcakes to help celebrate the birthdays all of the kindergarten kids that month.

Silvia’s kitchen at Earl Haig is a vibrant space – she loves to listen to classical and pop music while she cooks.  She is welcoming and grateful to all of the volunteers who help her keep our nutrition program running.  If you are interested in volunteering in the kitchen with Silvia, please email earlhaigschoolcouncil@gmail.com.

High School Information Nights:

Do you know the difference between IB, Extended French, French Immersion, Math and Science Focus and Arts Focused high schools? Fortunately there are a number of open houses to help grade 8 students make the high school choice that will meet their interests. Our guidance counsellor Tracie Lambers runs a blog with all the information you need.  Check out http://guidancecorner.weebly.com/ for news you can use.

Stay in touch – You can get all sorts of updates on our Blog and via our Twitter and Facebook pages.

The first school council meeting of the year got off to a great start with 50 parents and guardians in attendance alongside new Principal Mr. McLachlan and Vice Principal Ms. Shea. A new council for 2015-2016 was elected at the September 22 meeting.  Andrea Szego is settling into the role of  Chair, Cheryl Biswas  is tackling the tasks of Secretary, the indefatigable Stephanie Little returns as Treasurer,  and Hilary Gray takes on the role of Past Chair and Sharer of Acquired Wisdom.  There are a significant  number of dedicated parents serving as Members At Large and still some open positions – all are welcome!

The new Communication Team is settling into a schedule, learning the technology,  and we present to you the first official blog post of the year.  We will aim for a new post every two weeks and welcome news and updates from everyone, we are hungry for content! For the most up to date info follow us on Facebook or twitter (@EarlHaigCouncil) . Don’t forget to subscribe to the Earl Haig School Council google calendar, https://earlhaigschoolcouncil.com/calendar/

Let’s get started with some hellos and goodbyes from the incoming and outgoing School Council Chairs.

Goodbye – I first joined Council in 2009 when my eldest daughter, Pamela, entered JK, in Mr. Bush’s class. I was looking for a way to be involved with my kid’s school and at the same time, help out in our community. As a result, I’ve met so many great parents and children through my involvement with Council. It also gave me a chance to work with the great teachers, staff and caretakers at Earl Haig and members of our community outside of the school.
I would like to thank the Earl Haig community for all of the support they have given to the school over the past 7 years that I have been involved with School Council. I would encourage any parent or guardian who wants to be involved with their children’s educational experience to jump in and sign up to help out with any activity at Earl Haig – you won’t regret it and your child will be so thrilled to see you at their school! I may be stepping down as Council Chair, but still plan on being around helping out where needed. See you at the Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 22!

All the best for a great school year ahead, Hilary Gray

Hello –  For those I haven’t personally met yet, my name is Andrea Szego, and I am the newest Chair of our School Council. It’s my second year on the Council; last year I was Ward Rep, which took me to a few schools in the area, and gave a sense of what was happening in our larger community. I saw other Councils in action and heard their suggestions and ideas. Though I’ve only been on Council for 2 years, I have been around the school for many more:  I have two kids at Earl Haig, Emmett, in Grade 3, and Eve in SK, and have volunteered in their classrooms or on various trips and activities as well as in the snack program and the lunchroom. (I can’t help it.)

Thank you for an awesome turnout for our first meeting, in September. I know that as school/activity/family lives move faster, it gets tough to turn out for events that require time and commitment. And, this year will not be without challenges and constraints. While we may need to adjust and regroup,  I feel really lucky to be part of a community that is so invested in our kids’ wellbeing and education. I’d love to hear your ideas. You’ll find me most days on the playground, primary side, trying to convince my kids it’s time to go home. Or often in East Lynn Park, doing the same. Or, find me via email: Andrea.researcha1@gmail.com.  Or drop me a note in the School Council mailbox in the office.

Until next time, Andrea

Cross Country – The first meet of the year will be at Ashbridge’s Bay on October 9th. Get your runner to the school for 8:00.  If you have never been to cross country it is truly a joy to watch the students give their all on the sand and boardwalk.

The tentative race schedule is as follows: Grade 1 girls: 10:00, grade 1 boys: 10:10, grade 2 girls: 10:20, grade 2 boys: 10:30, grade 3 girls: 10:40, grade 3 boys 10:55, grade 4 girls:11:15, grade 4 boys: 11:30, grade 5 girls: 12:00, grade 5 boys: 12:10, grade 6 girls: 12:25, grade 6 boys: 12:40, grade 7 girls: 1:00, grade 7 boys: 1:30, grade 8 girls:1:40, grade 8 boys: 2:00. Race times can change and be pushed back by 30 minutes, plus there can be human transcription errors, check the photo on Facebook to verify times.

Picture Day is October 19th, and Picture Re-Take Day on November 10th in the morning.

Pumpkin Patch is coming! The first fundraiser of the year will be held on October 22nd. Remember that awful Sting song ‘Fields of Gold?’. No?  That’s okay. The Kindergarten playground will be transformed into a Field of Orange with pumpkin sales starting at 7:30. Baked goods, honey are also available for purchase as well as the fortifying  nectar of coffee. Pumpkins are $6 each. We need your donations of baked goods….see Volunteer Request #3 below.

Volunteer Request #1 – School Snack and Lunch Program.  Want to see true kitchen wizardry? Can you chop fruits and vegetables, deliver snack to the Kindergarten classes or help with lunch serving and clean up? We need you!! Drop by the kitchen to speak with Silvia, or email us at earlhaigschoolcouncil@gmail.com

A gentle reminder that the snack program and lunch program are partially funded by parent donations. The suggested sum for the Lunch program is $52.50 with milk and $42.00 without milk for the month of October, and $21.00 for the month of October for the FDK Snack program. Cheques can be made out to the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, (cash is also welcome!).

Request #2 – We  need your forks. The forks for the lunch program have a habit of stowing away in backpacks and other places cutlery isn’t meant to roam. If you closed up a cottage, bought new cutlery, or found an all fork estate sale, we need those forks!!

Request #3 – Pumpkin Patch! Sign up here http://vols.pt/BM748N to unload pumpkins, sell pumpkins and baked goods, or to donate muffins, loaves and other *Nut Free* breakfast type items. Please, no cupcakes.

The  TDSB International Languages Program   Did you know  Spanish and Cantonese instruction is available in the school on Mondays from 3:30 – 6:00? The classes are seeking to add more young students  or they will have to merge with the older students. Do you have a Dora lover in your house who already knows abre and Hola Dora? Help them help Boots evade Swiper by expanding your child’s vocabulary! Classes are $20 for the year and registration forms are available in the School office

Finally, have an idea for a post? Can you explain Borden Ball? Want to interview a student about Me to We club? We welcome ideas and submissions.

Coming soon…an introduction to Mr. McLachlan. See you next post!