Dear Manhattan Park Families,
It is hard to believe that we are almost in November of the 2026-2027 school year. Thank you to students and parents of Manhattan Park!! Your support of the Beguiling Books Graphic Novel Book Fair has allowed our library to add over $400 worth of new books to our library collection! There are many things happening at Manhattan Park. Students in Grade 3 have been working to complete their Universal Screening Test. Thank you, Mr. Millard, for organizing the assessment sessions. Congratulations to all our Cross Country Runners who represented Manhattan Park well at the Thompson Park Meet on October 14. Bravo to Charlotte, Pano, Srafe, and Alexi! Thank you, Mme. Maier and Ms. Amanda for organizing, and all our parent volunteers for driving students and supporting the athletes. Our Intensive Support Program is continuing Music Therapy every Monday. Thank you, Ms. Amanda, for organizing and to Ms. Victoria for the music lessons.
The Kindergarten to Grade 2 trip to Round the Bend Farm was delightful. Students had a lot of fun with hands-on activities while learning about animals and plants, and experiencing the farm firsthand, using their 5 senses. Thank you, Ms. Shorey, Ms. Rankin, Ms. Ayaka, Ms. Afomia, and parent volunteers for supporting the learning of students during the trip! The Grade 6s also had a wonderful overnight trip at Mono Cliffs. More details below. Thank you, Ms. W, for organizing and supporting the outdoor learning experience!
Thank you, Parent Council, for a successful first Pizza Lunch on October 22. We are looking forward to upcoming initiatives from the Council. Each student received a pumpkin to decorate. We love this annual tradition as it is a lot of fun! We cannot wait to taste the pumpkin soup that the Council has prepared for us as well! If you are interested in supporting the Parent Council in any way, please sign your name on the sheet posted on the bulletin board next to the front office. The sign-up sheet to volunteer on Council will be up in the coming days.
The goal of the Safe and Caring Committee at Manhattan Park is to help support all students so that they feel a sense of belonging and joy at school by exploring ways in which students can be involved in various aspects of school life. Committee members consist of two student representatives, Alex and Isabella; our School Public Health Nurse, Ms. Tse; our School Social Worker, Ms. Knutsen-Somigli; a parent representative, Ms. Mansfield; and staff members, Ms. Meraglia, Ms. Shepherd, and Ms. W. Please take a moment to read
the website for Strong Minds, Strong Kids, particularly resources related to stress management here: https://www.strongmindsstrongkids.org/programs/stress-management.
As part of our commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment, schools across the TDSB regularly practice routine safety procedures. In addition to our usual fire and lockdown drills, this year we will also be conducting two bomb threat drills. As you know, at Manhattan Park, safety is always our top priority; therefore, it is important that students are familiar with emergency preparedness plans, including how to safely evacuate. Teachers have shared evacuation plans with students in an age-appropriate way, as practicing these routines helps to ensure that both students and staff feel confident, calm, and familiar with our safety plans.
While on the topic of safety, parents/guardians, please sign in and wear a lanyard (can be picked up at the office) before entering the school for volunteering purposes. For Kindergarten parents/guardians, please refrain from going down the ramp by the front foyer to drop off your child, deliver food/water, or use the Kindergarten washroom. Instead, please check in at the front office. Let us work together to tighten this process to keep our students safe. As you can see, there is a lot of heavy machinery and vehicles in our school parking lot. Everyone is strongly encouraged to use the walkway and refrain from walking through the parking lot.
On Tuesday, November 11, Manhattan Park will have a Remembrance Day Ceremony at 10:30 a.m. You are welcome to join. Thank you, Ms. Wojtowicz, Mme. Maier, Mr. Chen, and Ms. Karim, for organizing this special ceremony and all the staff/students who will be contributing.
There is much to be thankful for, especially your partnership with the school.
Stronger Together,
Ms. Lin
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UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES:
Report Cards go home - November 17
Parent-Teacher Interviews - November 19 (3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
PA Day; no school for students; Parent-Teacher Interviews - November 20 (9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)
Council Meeting Dates: November 12, January 14, March 11, May 13
Parent Council Meeting Link: https://meet.google.com/hum-vnfr-hcg at 6:30 p.m.