June 27th, 2019
Dear Families,
Thank you for a great year! Our good-bye assembly was fantastic – it was a sea of red and white as the students sang O’Canada and performed our chant for one final time this year.
As we were saying goodbye to our friends and families, the fire alarm was accidentally pulled. Thank you to our staff members who helped evacuate and to our families who helped clear the schoolyard to ensure everyone’s safety. The fire department and the school board’s emergency team responded quickly and we were allowed to enter the building quickly.
At this time of year, we prepare to say goodbye to some of our students and some of our staff as well. To our grade 6 and grade 8 students going on to their new schools: all the very best! You have made us proud! Take your great memories of Jean Steckle Public School with you and don’t forget the lessons you have learned along the way.
For September, there are staff changes as occasional teaching terms come to an end, parental leaves are planned, and teachers take on new challenges at other schools. Good-bye to Mrs. Wolfe, Ms. Wolfe, Ms. Vasic, Mrs. Bruzzese, Mrs. Ruffo, Ms. Shatkosky, Ms. Sheldrake, Mr. Coffey, Mrs. Wiens, Mrs. Hamdard, and Mrs. Engel – all of whom have done a stellar job for the students and our school. A special thank you and congratulations to Mrs. Chabot and Mrs. Johnson as they begin their retirement.
Have a safe and relaxing summer. See you in September!
Sincerely,
Andrea Michelutti, Principal
Our Gardens
As you might have heard from your child, the school has beautiful vegetables in our gardens!
From beginning to end, the garden has been an incredible process. We had great partners within the community to help set them up. Thank you to Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate Institute, Tepperman’s, and Seeds of Diversity for helping us to get started. Throughout this process, students were all able to build frames, plant, water, and monitor growth and changes.
We tend to our plants and the students have shown great responsibility. As summer approaches, we are looking for families to take up the garden for a week at a time. This would involve watering every 2 or 3 days depending on heat and rainfall. Also, you would be able to collect some produce as it matures! The lettuce has been there for a while and the heat will start to make it more bitter (Also, packed with nutrients). The peas and radishes should start to be ready next week. Right around the end of the peas, the cucumbers should be ready along with a few cherry tomatoes. August should see some of the beets being big enough; However, we have an agreement with the restaurant Borealis that we would sell them some produce and It would be nice to have beets for this purpose. (Beets can keep maturing until the end of October, so we are not in a rush to pull these.) If you are unsure of how to harvest a plant, please contact us!
If you feel that you can commit to a week in the summer, it would be great to see two families sign up for the same period. Please sign up using the link below:
Class lists
Waterloo Region District School Board is committed to keeping your children safe. To comply with privacy legislation we are changing the way we communicate elementary students’ home classrooms. Class lists will no longer be posted on the outside windows or doors of your child’s school. Details about how to find your child’s class information can be found on the WRDSB website.
Upcoming events:
Tuesday, September 3 – First day of school
December 23 to January 3, 2020 – Winter Holidays
March 16 to March 20 – March Break