October 2024 News

Principal Message

We have a great month of September, and it is amazing to see our students transition to their new grades and get involved across our school. It was also great to see all of the parents come into the school for our Open House and BBQ to check out all of the neat things our students have been up to, and show off their classrooms. The school is alive and buzzing, and it is awesome to be back!

Please see below for some important updates for the week. This is a lengthy newsletter and we appreciate your attention to each item. Have an outstanding October!

Mr. G. DonaldsonPrincipalJohn T. Tuck P.S.

Pizza Sales - Due Oct 1

We are pleased to offer Pizza Days every Thursday starting on Thursday, October 10, 2024 (at first nutrition break). The first Pizza Term will be 17 weeks long, commencing each THURSDAY from OCTOBER 10, 2024 to FEBRUARY 13, 2025 inclusive. Please note: the first term excludes the 2 week holiday break in December.

PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR PIZZA ORDER BY: Tuesday, October 1 at midnight; late orders will NOT be accepted. https://hdsb.schoolcashonline.com

The fees for 17 weeks (at $2.50 per slice) are as follows:

ONE slice $42.50 - TWO slices $85.00 - THREE slices $127.50

Should your child be absent on a pizza day, please note our appreciation in your child's pizza slice donation to the school. All school fundraising proceeds will be directed to support student based initiatives at John T. Tuck through our School Council. We thank you for your support!

Halloween Parade

This Halloween season, we plan to continue our tradition of having a Costume Parade for all of our students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 on October 31. Students can come to school dressed in their costumes for the first two periods of the day, or can wear Orange and Black. It is expected that students in costume have a change of clothes so that they are out of their costumes by the end of first nutrition break. As a rule, students should not be wearing any masks during the morning, except for during the parade itself. In addition, please think carefully about the props that you send with costumes to ensure that nothing gets damaged, or nothing is too scary for our younger children, could be used as a weapon, or is insensitive to ethnic, religious, racial or gender identity groups. If you do not wish to have your child participate in the Halloween parade, please let your child's teacher know in advance so that we can organize an alternate activity. More details will follow closer to the date on how parents can watch the parade of students.

Extracurriculars at JTT

We are off to a blistering start, and our students are engaged in many extra-curriculars so far this year. We have Lunch-Room Helpers, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Intermediate Volleyball teams, Flag Football Teams, Cross Country, Grade 7-8 Run Club, Grade 2-5 Run Club, Grade 7-8 Basketball Club, Primary Art Club, Leadership Team, Terry Fox, Student Senate, Kids’ Lit Quiz and Battle of the Books. Students can find out more about these opportunities by listening to the morning announcements and connecting with their teachers. You can also find information on upcoming events at our school at jtt.hdsb.ca on the link to the School Calendar.

Community Donation Collection

Over the past few years, John T. Tuck has shown their overwhelming generosity and kindness by donating a variety of items to Halton’s “Community Food Programs”. In past years, we collected over 55 bins of items! This year, students in Grade 4 will be organizing our annual collection to support this wonderful initiative that will run from Tuesday October 8th to Thursday October 10th. A detailed email will be sent to families shortly with more information about donations.

Traffic Safety

We would like to remind our parents to be extra careful if they are driving in the school zone. While we hope you can walk to and from school with your children, we ask that you follow by-laws and street signage if in your car. This would include not making 3-point turns on Spruce Avenue. Please note that the front of the school is a no stopping zone and we ask that you park on side streets and walk to grass area to meet your children after school or drop them off in the morning. Not only is our parking lot on the wrong side of the school for pick up and drop off, it is only built to accommodate staff cars and volunteers who are working in the building. Thank you for your diligence in keeping our roads, and our students, safe!

Truth and Reconciliation Day

In honor of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, we participated in meaningful learning activities both in our classrooms and as a school community. A heartfelt thank you to our Equity and Well-Being team leads—Mrs Moskal, Ms Brauseweter, Mrs Shaw, and Mrs Swire—who collaborated with our Intermediate Student Leadership Team to plan this significant day. Our Intermediate student leaders facilitated three virtual read-aloud sessions for Kindergarten, Primary, and Junior/Intermediate classes. Thought-provoking questions were shared, and discussions took place in classrooms to honor this day of remembrance. Additionally, our staff and student teams created a Google Slide Presentation that all classes can contribute to throughout the school year, sharing our commitment to Indigenous Learning and providing valuable resources for staff and students.

Intermediate Leadership Team

We are excited to announce that our Intermediate Student Leadership is off to a fantastic start, meeting Thursdays during the second break. This dedicated group of Grade 7 and 8 students will amplify student voices and take action to nurture a safe and inclusive school culture that prioritizes well-being and mental health here at Tuck. Moreover, the Leadership Team will provide valuable feedback and suggestions to strengthen our ongoing bullying prevention and intervention initiatives throughout the school year. Stay tuned for updates in November, when we will focus on our progress in Bullying Prevention and Intervention strategies at the board level, throughout the school, and within our classrooms.

Parent Equity Feedback Group

We will also be hosting our first JTT Parent Equity and Well-Being Team meeting of the school year in early November, and we will invite all parents and guardians to join us if you are able to join. Look out for a separate email later this fall detailing the meeting date and time. We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support and partnership in making JTT a place of belonging and connection for everyone in our school community.

Child & Youth Counsellor

At John T. Tuck Public School we look for opportunities to enhance student skills in the area of mental health and well-being that reflect their ability to sustain good relationships with one another. We are very lucky to have a Child & Youth Counsellor (CYC) attached to our school to work with educators to enhance our students' well-being. Our CYC, Amanda Mascola, supports staff and students in the implementation of mental health and wellness initiatives, as well as the development and co-facilitation of class and school wide learning opportunities.

School Cash Online

In the HDSB Multi-Year Plan, it states a goal that “90%+ of all funds received through schools will be collected through a Board approved online system.” Here at John T Tuck, we have dropped below this threshold as new families have arrived. If you are one of those families, please contact the office for instructions on how to get registered. By collecting school funds online, we eliminate the risk involved in collecting money at the school through loss or theft, or NSF cheques. In addition, it frees our teaching staff up to focus on teaching each morning, rather than collecting money and forms. We will no longer be sending home forms, unless we require a signature, and ask that all parents register at https://hdsb.schoolcashonline.com/ to ensure that you don’t miss out on anything this year! Thank you, John T Tuck, for your prompt attention to this. We have started with some field trips already to be paid online as well as food service days with more to come soon, including Subway Tuesdays!

Library Volunteers Needed

Would you like to volunteer in the library for this school year? No experience necessary! Your child’s school library needs you. It would be great to have your help at shelving books and keeping the library tidy. You would need a police check which needs to be given to the office, or an Offence Declaration if you have a police check on file already. If you would like to find out more please contact our Library Technician Blanche Mills (millsb@hdsb.ca) who is at the school on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Thank you!

Notification of Delays to Families

Every September, when students and drivers are getting accustomed to new routines, there tends to be a higher frequency of delays. We thank families for their ongoing patience and understanding during this time. We expect Bus Operators to promptly communicate any delays and provide updates so that families have the chance to make necessary adjustments to their plans. We encourage families who have not already done so, to sign up for a Parent Portal account and add their child(ren). This will ensure they are automatically signed up to receive email notifications when delays are posted. For detailed instructions please click here.

We highly encourage anyone with a mobile device to download the free BusPlanner Delays app and sign up to receive instant notifications of route delays affecting their family. For detailed instructions please click here.

Calling all three-year-olds!

Calling all three-year olds to the Halton District School Board! In October and November, the HDSB will be hosting Kindergarten Open Houses in Acton, Georgetown, Milton, Burlington and Oakville to answer any questions families may have and help future students feel comfortable and confident as they start their educational journey. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3XAvm4n

Indigenous Rights and Education

The Indigenous Rights and Education Team of the Halton District School Board is focused on supporting Indigenous students and families toward student achievement. The Team can be easily accessed by connecting with the school. Please note, the process of self-identification with the school board is completely voluntary and those who choose not to self-identify are still able to access the support of the Indigenous Rights and Education Team. If you choose to self-identify for a family/kin member please do so by contacting your school or a member of the HDSB Indigenous Rights and Education Team:

System Principal - Gabriela Echeverria (echeverriag@hdsb.ca)

Program Lead - Tammy Hardwick (hardwickt@hdsb.ca)

Instructional Program Lead - Karie Hanson (hansonk@hdsb.ca)

Instructional Program Lead - Rob Rooksby (rooksbyr@hdsb.ca)

Instructional Program Lead - Tracy O’Connell (oconnellt@hdsb.ca)

Student Support Coordinator - Tanya Vardy (vardyt@hdsb.ca)

Prescribed Medication

There is a board policy on dispensing prescribed medication to students. As with epiPens and inhalers, all prescribed medication to be dispensed at school requires a Physician’s signature. Therefore, if you are heading to the doctor’s office, and think that your child may require medication at school, please ensure you get the physician’s signature on the correct form before you leave. These forms can be found in the Student Health Page of our school and board website. If you are not sure which form to use, please contact the office. Over-the-counter medication (e.g., tylenol, advil, cough syrup) will not be dispensed by school staff at any time. If you wish to provide this to your child, please come to the front doors of the school and we will call them down for you to administer. Students should not be carrying any medication on them while at school, other than epiPens and inhalers.

Grade 6 Field Trips

The grade 6's have two fantastic Field Trips planned this month that will support the Science curriculum. On the 9th we will be travelling to Cedarvale Park in Georgetown, to participate in the "Branch Out" program, where we will study and help manage invasive plant species in the park, as well as plant trees. Be ready to get muddy! On the 16th we depart for a trip to the Canadian Warplane Museum in Mount Hope to participate in the "Flight" program. It's our favourite trip in grade 6, as we learn, hands-on about the mechanics of flight, but also the rich history and stories behind the airplanes in this world class museum.

Days of Significance this Month

Here are the days of significance listed in our HDSB calendar this month. We encourage families to share your traditions and celebrations with your child's classroom teacher, fostering a rich tapestry of learning, celebration and understanding.

1 - Beginning of Canadian Islamic History Month, Beginning of German Heritage Month, Beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, Beginning of Hungarian Heritage Month, Beginning of Korean Heritage Month, Beginning of Latin American Heritage Month, Beginning of Women's History Month

2-3 - Rosh Hashanah

2 - Custodial Workers' Recognition Day

2 - Megregan

3-12 - Navratri

5 - World Teachers' Day

9-13 - Durga Puja (Day 1/5)

10 -World Mental Health Day

11-12- Yom Kippur (Day 1/2)

11 - International Day of the Girl Child

11 - PA Day

12 - Dussehra/Vijayadashami

14 - Thanksgiving Day (Schools Closed)