It’s winter! It’s spring! It’s balmy! It’s snowing! We’re in t-shirts! We’re in parkas!
The weather has been crazy lately and it just makes us want to bring on crazy spring! To get you in the mood with visions of daffodil bulbs dancing in your heads, we want to get you thinking about a few great events coming up at Withrow!
Lost and Found Update ⚠️️
The first day of spring will be honoured by a time trusted task – spring cleaning. The lost and found will be cleared out on Tuesday, March 21st, 2017, so please check it when school resumes on Monday.
Silent Auction 🎉
Save the date, people – this year’s soiree of the season is on Friday, April 7th. Leave the kids at home, and come out to bid on your kid’s artwork, class baskets and wonderful donations from the local Riverdale community. We promise it will be a spectacular evening filled with laughter, music and cocktails!
We are still in need of more donations so if you have a special talent to share, please do so. Are you an In-house chef? Personal trainer? Dental hygienist? Chiropractor? Thai Masseuse? Think outside the box, and donate! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our silent auction committee chairs silke.willibald@gmail.com or ailidh.briar@gmail.com.
We also need volunteers to wrap room baskets, set up and host during the evening, so please consider donating a few hours of your time… it’s so fun! The sign-up sheet is HERE.
Schoolyard Climber 🏫
It is very exciting that the yard that we have been working on, raising money for and waiting upon will be open soon. Happily, about a month after the thaw we will have access to the whole school yard! Now for the next project… Our landscape architect has sent us five proposals for our new climber ranging in dollar value from $15 – 20,000 uninstalled. TDSB estimates that the total cost for the completion of the project would be approximately 2.5 times the cost of the climber, therefore this would cost us, at most, $50,000.
Before the end of March, we will have the children vote on which climber seems most appealing to them. We will also discuss this at our next H&S meeting. Money raised from events (such as the Silent Auction and the Fun Fair) goes directly back into the school. Our Annual Giving campaign this year raised $7,600 and it is imperative that at year-end we vote to ensure we have the monies allocated appropriately in order for this to be installed. It’s important to have as much input as possible, so we will conduct the voting process for our annual budget on the internet, making it easily accessible to all parents.
Fun Fair 🎪
At times it might seem like we are asking you to donate, donate, donate. But we always give you something great in return, something that is truly the highlight of every Withrow family’s end-of-school year experience. Yes, the Fun Fair is just around the corner. This year is going to be even bigger and badder, with more rides, a slime table, the return of the best barbecue and pulled pork sandwiches, the Erica Stark bake sale, face painting, rides, Kiddie Canyon and a kick-ass talent show. The kids are already starting to plan their performances, and we might even be able to convince our now-famous choirs to sing. Mark Saturday May 27th on your calendar.
If you would like to join the Fun Fair committee this year, let us know. We have openings! Our urban planner needs someone (ideally an architect) to shadow him – he draws the map we use on the day of the event and makes sure all the rides fit! We also need a talent show coordinator, and someone to help steer our sponsorship committee or our volunteers! Please don’t be shy – we really need you! All newbies are welcome to join this great group of Withrow parents who walk around with big megaphones!
School Council Meeting Minutes 📝
The last Home & School / School Council meeting was held on February 9th. Meeting minutes can be viewed here. Many thanks to Withrow graduates Addison, Ethan, Morgan, Parker, Grace and Ginger, for taking the time to share their middle school experiences with all of the parents and students in attendance.
Canadian Parents For French – Concourse d’Art Oratoire
This year recognizes the 33rd year of the Concours et Festival d’Art Oratoire for Ontario. It is a public speaking festival where students who have won their own schools competition continue to eventually the provincial level with a opportunity to present at york University. All our juniors in French immersion have had an opportunity to present and Sophie-Claire Nicklin has been voted to represent Withrow at the next level. Congratulations Sophie-Claire and good luck!
Parent Speaker Series
Our next speaker series will be held on Thursday, March 23rd in the Withrow Library. “Making Sense of Math” by Teri Courcheme will be an interactive presentation that covers essential math skills including: games and strategies to help kids enjoy math; effective and free learning tools for key math concepts, what you need to know as a parent to help your kids with math and strategies for overcoming math anxiety – in parents and kids! Teri is a former Withrow Parent, volunteer and recipient of the Withrow 100 Citizenship Award (2012).
Next Home & School Meeting
Our next meeting is Thursday, March 30th. We will be discussing our staffing model for the year of 2017-2018 and our fantastic new climber.
Come out, hear what’s going on and voice your opinion. We love it when parents are involved in the school.
Parents Are Partners Conference
The TSDB has a special one-day conference for parents. The 2017 TSDB Parents are Partners Conference takes place Saturday, April 1st. Planned by TSDB parents, for TDSB Parents, the event features workshops and resources to help every parent support their child’s achievement and well-being, both at school and at home. Registration is open – the event takes place at the All Stream Centre; and lunch and transportation are provided with bus pickups. Registration closes March 20, 2017; admission is free.
Thanks for reading,
Your School Council Executive
withrowparentcouncil.com 