McMusic

A big thank you to all the staff, parents and members of our community that attended the McMusic Event! A great time was had by all! If you have any photos you would like to share, please send them (or a link) to the Communications email address. If you have won a silent auction item, don't forget to pick it up!

Special thanks to all of the volunteers, planners, organizers and musicians! It couldn't have been done without you!

PE Student of the Month and the Golden Shoe Award!!!!

Congratulations goes to the May PE Students of the Month:

Primary - Jelani (Rm 207)
Junior - Shamar (Rm 202)

Congratulations also goes to Room 206 for snagging the Golden Shoe Award for the most laps in May!!! They performed 955 laps for an average of over 50 laps per student!

The June activity is Burpees - can't wait to see who the final winner of the school year will be! Get moving!!!

Track Meet - May 25th

If your child is involved in the Track Meet on May 25th or if you are interested in participating as a spectator, please refer to the McMurrich Sports page for important information!

McMurrich Fun Fair - June 3rd!

The McMurrich Fun Fair is only two weeks away! Everyone is welcome - students/parents, staff and community! The Fun Fair starts Thursday, June 3rd at 4:00 pm and ends at 8:00 pm in the McMurrich backyard and playground. There will be lots of fun for everyone including - BBQ, inflatables and games, dunk tank, bake table, cotton candy and prizes!

See you there!!!

McMusic Event Reminder!!!

McMusic

McMurrich is holding a very special fundraising night next Wednesday, May 26th. It is a concert/variety night, showcasing McMurrich teachers & local bands, with a couple of special guests - Danny Marks, a renowned blues guitarist and Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo. It's a great opportunity to hear these musicians in an intimate setting. The date is Wed, May 26 from 6:30 - midnight. There is food and drink and it is just around the corner at the Hungarian Cultural Centre and tickets are only $25.

Here is the blog link for further information and tickets. You can also get tickets at Ecoexistence (21 Vaughan Rd), Playful Minds (657 St. Clair Ave W) , Ferro (769 St. Clair Ave W) & at the school office.

Winona Pool Party - June 5th

Due to some pool maintenance issues the BBQ/Pool Party originally scheduled for May 15th has been moved to June 5th. The party will start at 10 am with swimming, live music and a chess tournament. Please refer to this link for more information.

International Languages Survey

If you have a child that is currently in grades 1 - 5 you should have received your IL survey to complete. Please ensure you read the material and return the survey by May 21st. For the classroom with the most returned surveys by the earliest date this week they will win a Pizza Lunch!

Make sure your voice is heard!

Home & School Meeting Cancelled

Please note that the Home & School meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 18th has been canceled. Please join us at the next Home & School meeting June 18th!

St. Alban's After School Program at McMurrich!

As some of you may have heard at the Spring Concert last night and through notes home, St. Alban's is offering their after school program at McMurrich starting September 2010. Refer to this link and look under Programs, Programs for School Age Children, STARS After School Program for more information and a link to the registration forms.

International Languages Update

At McMurrich School, the International Languages (IL) program has been offered within each school day as an integrated day program for students in Grades 1 - 6. Other schools offer the program in 2.5 hr sessions either after school or on weekends. On May 6th a meeting was held where TDSB IL staff members were present to address questions and concerns regarding the current status of this program at McMurrich.

The format of the program at McMurrich has been modified over the past several years to try and address challenges including time-tabling, transitions within the school, and the type and quality of the programming. Unfortunately, a lot of these challenges have persisted. Due to these challenges, the May 6th meeting was held and the TDSB IL will issue a survey to parents of students in Grades 1 - 5 to determine if the program should be modified. This survey will be issued the week of May 17th with approximately one week for your response.

If you feel strongly about keeping or removing the integrated International Languages program from McMurrich please ensure you fill out and return the survey! The board requires 50% of the surveys to be returned before any program modifications can occur. Please refer to this document for more information on International Languages at our school.

Note that there will be one survey PER student issued to your family - every survey should be completed and returned. The International Languages Program is not associated with the French classes beginning in Grade 4.

Upcoming Events

As noted earlier, the Winona Pool is having a fundraiser BBQ on Saturday, May 15th. Click here for more information.

Hillcrest Public School is holding their Funfest on June 5th if you want to participate. Click here for more information.

Home & School Meeting Minutes - April 15, 2010

You can access the minutes from the latest Home & School meeting here.

The next Home & School meeting is May 18, 2010 starting at 7 pm. Child care will be provided in Room 103.

McMusic Tickets

If you haven't purchased your tickets yet at our McMusic site, you can purchase them this week at the Spring Concert! Cash only please! Tickets are still available online and can be purchased with credit card or PayPal.

Fun Fair - Volunteers

Volunteers are needed for the BBQ and Fun Fair on Thursday, June 3rd - please consider helping out for at least one hour to ensure that our event is a success! If you did not see a sign up sheet come home from school, please sign up on the list posted on the Home & School board (by the back entrance) or in the front hall. You can also email the Home & School Chairs to sign up.

The BBQ classroom donation competition begins this week. We especially need grocery/Costco/Walmart cards, but cash or non-perishable BBQ supplies (napkins, juice boxes, snack-size chips, etc.) are also happily accepted! The class with the highest number of donations wins a pizza party.

Thank you for supporting the Fun Fair!

May 28th PLAYDAY - Looking for Parent Volunteers

On Friday, May 28th we will be having a PLAYDAY with separate times for primary and junior students. Schedule will be forthcoming but we are looking for parent volunteers! If you are interested please contact your Class Rep or the Communications group.

Track Practice Sessions

A number of students are involved in track. For your reference these practice dates have now been added to a McMurrich Sports calendar. The Area Track Meet is scheduled for Monday, May 25th at Birchmount!

Reminder of Swim Classes for Grade 2 to 6

Just a reminder that swim classes are continuing at the Winona Pool with a new "wave" of classes beginning this week. Each student is expected to bring full equipment to each class including swim suit and towel. Students may wear a t-shirt over their bathing suit if they wish during swim class. The dates for the remaining classes are below:

Room 100 (Ms. Ritchie) - May 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 17
Room 213 (Ms McKenzie) - May 13, 14, 18, 25, 26, 28
Room 206 (Ms. Rambaran) - June 3, 4, 8, 14, 15, 17
Room 207 (Ms. Davidson - Grade 2 only) - June 3, 4, 8, 14, 15, 17

Additional Reminders

McMusic - May 26th. Remember to order your tickets soon - they are selling fast! Tickets are available online at the McMusic site and will also be sold at the IL Information Night on May 6th and the Spring Concert on May 12th. Note tickets will be available on these two nights only if there are still tickets available and for CASH sales only. (Credit card purchases are available online).

Kinder Open House - May 6th during the day.

McMurrich Spring Concert - May 12th, come early if you want a seat!

Winona Pool Fundraising Event and Community BBQ - Sunday, May 16th.

Home & School Meeting - May 18th - All welcome! Child care provided.

McMurrich Fun Fair - Thursday, June 3rd!!!

Grade 6 Graduation - Friday, June 25th at 1:00 pm

International Languages Meeting - May 6th

A reminder to parents there is a meeting regarding the International Languages (IL)program at McMurrich on May 6th at 7:00 pm. Staff members from the TDSB IL program will be present to provide more information on the current program and answer any questions you may have. Please refer to the letter that has been sent home regarding this meeting for more information. Immediately following this meeting, a survey will be issued to families in Grades 1 to 5 to assist in programming decisions for the coming school year. Child care will be provided for the meeting.

Winona Pool - Bronze Medallion Course

There is a Bronze Medallion course starting at Winona PS Pool May 19, 2010! This is the first course needed to be a lifeguard and swim teacher - the only prerequisites are strong swimming ability and candidates must be 13 years of age by June 17, 2010.

For more information, please see brochure and registration form.