November 10th, 2016

Dear families,

Thank to our families for keeping all of our students safe by having children walk their bikes, scooters, and skateboards on the school property. We appreciate your support.

We have several students with severe allergies. We are asking you to refrain from sending in peanuts and nut products. We also have a latex allergy and remind families that we cannot have latex products or latex balloons at the school.

Andrea Michelutti, Principal

Progress Reports and Interviews

Progress Reports for students in Grade 1 to Grade 8 will be sent home on Monday, November 14. Please review this report and contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

Friday, November 18 is a Professional Activity Day for teachers. There will be no school for students. Teachers will be participating in professional activities dealing with mathematics.

Attendance and Late Concerns

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 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 your child’s teacher. Families and schools can work together to ensure your child has every advantage in school.

Pizza Day Orders

Pizza orders are posted on School Day for December and January.

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 continue to notice the 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.

School Council Agenda

Please join us on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. for our next School Council Meeting.

School Council Agenda

  1. Greetings
  2. Items to be purchased for Fundraising
  3. Boomerang Lunches
  4. Principal’s Report
  5. Treasurer’s Report

Next meeting:  February 28, 2017

Gardening Committee

We are excited to announce that our School Council has organized a volunteer gardening committee. The focus of the committee will be pruning and weeding. Please email lizostin@rogers.com if you are interested in joining this committee.

Families in a Digital World

Please join other parents for this year’s Digital Citizenship Summit on Saturday, November 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Bluevale Collegiate Institute (80 Bluevale St. N., Waterloo). This event is for adult families members of children who attend WRDSB schools. The day will focus on presentations and discussion about the world of Digital Technologies and Social Media, as it applies to our children.

Please register as soon as possible by following this link http://dcsummit.weebly.com/

Upcoming dates:

November 14 – Progress Reports will be sent home (Grade 1 to Grade 8)

November 15 – School Council 6 p.m.

November 16 – Schneider Haus 1B, 1C

November 17 – Schneider Haus 1E

November 18 – P.D. Day – the school will be closed

November 21 – Grade 4-6 Choir performing at the City Council meeting

November 28 – Kindergarten Vision Screening; Photo Retake

November 30 – Dental Screening – Kindergarten and Grade 2