May 26th, 2016

Hello Parents/Guardians,

Here are this week’s updates:

Principal Message:
It is important to build the habit of good attendance early. Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school. Missing 10% of the school year, around 18 days, can make it harder to learn to read. Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks. Being late also leads to poor attendance. When your child is late or absent, the rest of the class is affected as the teacher has to slow down the learning or revisit important concepts. I encourage parents to send a positive message around lateness and absences. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves.

If you are finding it challenging to send your child to school on time, please contact me. We can work together to ensure your child has every advantage in school.

~Andrea Michelutti

EQAO:
Our Grade 3 students will be completing the EQAO assessment on Monday, May 30 through Wednesday, June 1 and our Grade 6 students will be completing the assessment on Thursday, June 2 to Tuesday, June 7. We encourage students to come to school on time and ready to demonstrate their learning by having a good breakfast, drinking lots of water, and having a good night’s sleep. If you have any questions about the assessment, please contact your child’s teacher.

Parking Lot Information/ Picking Up and Dropping Off Students:
Safety of students and adults is a great concern at arrival and dismissal times due to the high volume. We are fortunate to be designated a walking school and we are thankful for our families that walk to school every day. We are asking you to Please do not park in the school parking lot which is designated for staff. There are 2 available 15 minute parking spots available for picking up and dropping off your children. We are finding heavy congestion due to the many cars entering the school parking lot before and after school. We are finding children are being dropped off in front of the school and in non designated parking areas. Parents who walk to the school to pick up their children are asked to wait outside since our hallways are quite congested. Similarly, if you are bringing your children to school please say goodbye either in the school yard or outside at an entrance door.
These procedures are working very well in assuring that pedestrian and vehicle traffic are separate at these busy times and that staff (including itinerant staff) have a place to park. Drivers are expected to be very careful and drive slowly in the lot to respect the wishes and needs of our kind neighbours to assure the safety of your children and others. Thank you for your help in keeping everyone safe.

Family Fun Night:
The members of School Council have been planning for the upcoming Family Fun Night taking place on Thursday, June 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There are plenty of fun activities for the entire family. We are looking forward to seeing our community support this event.

Upcoming Events:
May 31 – Grade 8 High School Visits
June 2 – Family Fun Night
June 3 – Professional Activity Day (the school will be closed for students)
June 14 – Parent Council at 6:00 p.m.
June 28 – Grade 8 Graduation
June 30 – Professional Activity Day (the school will be closed for students)

Have a great week!