COVID-19 School Information for Parents/Caregivers Information updated on Thursday March 25, 2021 is available: HERE The COVID-19 Decision Tool for School Students is available: HERE

HEPA filters in all occupied classrooms and portables We are very pleased to share that every occupied classroom and portable now has an institutional grade HEPA filter. Two of our larger classroom spaces have two filters. Thank you to Ms. Mantia and Mr. Sattar for unpacking and delivering the HEPA filters to classrooms on Tuesday March 23rd.

Respecting our Public School Yard

With the arrival of warmer weather, more people are enjoying walks and visiting our outdoor play spaces at Bessborough. This is wonderful and we understand that everyone wants to enjoy physically distanced time outdoors. We do, however, want to encourage visitors to always discard their litter in the appropriate recycling or garbage bins. Our caretaker has been cleaning up many broken bottles and discarded waste all around the school. Please help us to keep our spaces clean and safe. Please also remember that there are no pets permitted in the schoolyard and especially on the turf field. The artificial turf does not biodegrade waste left behind by dogs. Even after being cleaned up, remnants of the waste remain on the turf that students use daily (e.g., sliding on the turf when playing soccer).

Bessborough Elementary & Middle School 211 Bessborough Drive Toronto, ON M4G 3K2

Safe Arrival: bessborough@tdsb.on.ca

416.396.2319

LN5 Superintendent: Andrew Howard

Ward 11 Trustee:

Rachel Chernos Lin

Principal: Dima Nijmeh-Mantia

Vice Principal: Frances Themeliopoulos

Office Administrator:

Renee Cronier Secretary: Toyin Bere

Upcoming Events: ● March 27 – Passover Begins ● April 2 – Good Friday ● April 4 – Passover Ends ● April 5 – Easter Monday ● April 12-16 – April Break

● April 19 – Parent Workshop from 6:30 – 7:30

Bessborough E & MS Newsletter Friday March 26, 2021

TDSB Conversation Series

Please follow this LINK to learn about upcoming topics including the one below. Access information will be added to the page closer to the date of each session.

Dr. Lisa Damour - Navigating Life’s Highs and Lows for Teenage Girls Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021, 6:30 p.m. Lisa Damour is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. She writes the monthly Adolescence column for the New York Times, co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, appears as a regular contributor to CBS News, works in collaboration with UNICEF, and serves on the Advisory Board for Parents magazine. Dr. Damour will deliver an insightful and informative conversation about guiding teenage girls through the seven transitions into adulthood.

Parent Workshop on April 19th

Zoom Link

Volunteers Needed! Bessborough Clothing Orders

We are still looking for 1 or 2 parents to help manage school clothing orders. If you’re interested in volunteering, please send an email to: bessboroughschoolcouncil@gmail.com

Thank you! The kids have had a fantastic week taking part in Bessborough’s Week of Adventure! Huge thanks to Ms. Backus, Ms. Buksner, Mr. Ivan and Mr. Pantopoulos for all of their hard work planning such a great week and really lifting the students’ spirits.

The School Council is looking for parent input on some similar fun, spirit-building activities we can do later this spring. We’d love to hear from you - maybe you’ve heard of ideas that worked well at other schools? Please share and drop us a note at bessboroughschoolcouncil@gmail.com.

Bessborough E & M.S. School

Council is on Insta

Follow @bessboroughschoolcouncil

Bessborough E & MS 211 Bessborough Drive

Toronto, ON – M4G 3K2

416.396.2315

Website: http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/bessborough/

● April 12-16 – April Break ● April 19 – Parent Workshop: Understanding

and Improving Sleep