Hello,

I know a number of students were hoping that the week would end on an early snow day but the November snow has created a lot of excitement.  A reminder to families about the HWDSB policy on severe weather. I encourage all families to review this before winter approaches Reminder about Severe Weather Cancellations at HWDSB

This week our Grade 8 students enjoyed a Day in the Life at Ancaster High School. It is the formal start of a number of different events that will help prepare students for the transition to high school.  Our Intermediate band went to Glendale Secondary School for a music festival. We also had Green Venture Environmental in for sessions on environmental sensors and pollution monitoring. Our younger science  students will have Venture Science presenting later this month.

All our students participated in bus safety presentations this week. While a portion of students ride the bus daily, all students may ride a bus for field trips or other school events. The presentations are one aspect of promoting safety.

In terms of safety, I have to be honest with parents that the behaviour of many drivers in our parking lot is a safety concern. After safety concerns in the parking lot earlier this week, the decision was made to close the parking lot to traffic on Friday. The topic of parking lot safety will be discussed at our School Council meeting this coming Tuesday evening.  In conjunction with some of the parents on School Council, a map of the area is attached to this message that indicates some areas away from the parking lot that parents can use for pick up and drop offs.

Walk to School Map

Our next School Council (6:30pm) and Home & School (7:30pm) meeting is Tues Nov 20th starting at 6:30pm.  A huge thank you to our Home & School volunteers for organizing a successful Buffalo Wild Wings dinner; it is a great fundraiser and a way for families to connect outside of school.

The Scholastic Book fair is coming the last week of November.

Like many other schools in the HWDSB and across the province, Ancaster Meadow continues to impacted by the ongoing driver shortage . The school shares the frustration of families when buses run late.  Unfortunately this has impacted the ability of the school to approve Courtesy Bus requests. The applications for the Lion bus are still on hold pending a change in the afternoon bus.

This week we had three sets of car keys handed into the office that are not accounted for. If you are missing a set of car keys/fobs please stop by the office.

Have a great weekend,

Simon Goodacre, Principal