Central Weekly Memo – September 25-29, 2023
Central Families,
A reminder that Saturday, September 30th is Orange Shirt Day, also known as National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. We invite everyone to wear ORANGE on Friday, September 29th to honour Survivors and families of Residential Schools and center the importance of intergenerational healing and educational wellness.
This Friday is also our first pizza day. Please have students bring in their money and orders by Thursday, September 28th ($1.00 per slice / cheese only and will be delivered to students during the second Nutrition Break -12:45pm this Friday).
Thank you to Ms. Jude and Ms. Cochrane for organizing our Terry Fox Run. All of our staff and students participating in our annual Terry Fox Run on Friday afternoon. It was a wonderful day and thank you to everyone for contributing to our Toonies For Terry initiative. We raised just over $450.00 to contribute to Cancer Research. All of our students received custom made Central water bottles that they can use at school to keep hydrated. We ask that parents label their child’s water bottle with their child’s initials so that if lost we can easily track down who it belongs to.
Thank you to everyone for making our first few weeks of school so successful. We have been very busy settling in and we appreciate your patience and flexibility as we organize our classrooms and school. The reorganization process occurs until the end of September so we will keep you posted if there are anymore class changes happening. Our apologies for this disruption and please know that we do everything that we can to make these transitions as smooth as possible for our students.
A reminder students are not to be on the play structure during morning entry and must have an adult supervising them at the end of the day. Our day begins at 8:45 am so please support us by coming on time to prevent disruptions in the office and classrooms. We do have supervision on the playground and in the Kindergarten area from 8:30-8:45 am and from 3:05-3:20 pm and we ask that parents be sure to arrive on time at dismissal as we have very limited supervision after 3:20pm. Thank you!
The gym is still under construction and starting to look like a new gymnasium with all of the painting and a new scoreboard installed. I will keep you updated but for now out Physical Education classes will take place outdoors where possible and our students in the portables will use the student washrooms on the second floor instead of the washrooms in the gym.
Upcoming Events at Central:
Friday, September 29 – Orangs Shirt Day (details will be coming soon) & Pizza Day ($1.00 per slice – cheese only) delivered to students at 12:45pm.
Thursday, October 5 – Meet the Teacher – 3:30-5:00pm
Tuesday, October 10th – School Council First Meeting – 6:30-7:30pm – nominations for school council membership – hard copies are available at the school office and a link will be sent out to all families soon. If you wish to become an elected member or if you wish to nominate someone as a candidate (make sure the individual is aware that you have put their name forward please) please complete the nomination form online or request one from the school office (905 522 9690). Here is the link to the 2023-24 Central School Council nomination form:http://Central School Council Nomination Form 2023-24
The Love of Reading program is happening between October 10-31, 2023. This means that any donations made at the check-out at the Coles Jackson Square location or purchases made through the Love of Reading website during this time will go to Central School.
As per our school board Health & Safety policy we will need to practice a number of lockdown, fire and bomb threat drills over the next few weeks so please let your child’s teacher know if there are any sensitivity issues or concerns and like our teachers and staff pleas discuss the importance of practicing these drills with your children to ease any anxiety or stress. Thank you.
Unfortunately the garden at the front of the school is still off limits due to ongoing safety concerns. We are continuing to work towards opening up access to the garden as soon as possible. Stay tuned for updates.
Please support us to ensure the safety of all by exercising caution in our parking lot which becomes a very busy area during arrival and departure. As we have school buses that need to enter the lot and families that need to park in our Accessible Parking spots to drop off students please be sure to not park in these designated parking spots and do not block other vehicles in. If you are dropping off or picking up students please do not block the driveway (either park in a spot or drop off where the entry is at the fence near the front door and then exit as soon as possible). A reminder that there is 10 minute parking on Park St and parking on Bold St. as well.
Please drive in to the school from Bay St. and make an immediate right turn and follow a circle around the parking lot as it is one way traffic only. Drop off /pick up students, make sure that they get to the playground at entry and to your vehicle safely and then circle around the parking lot to exit on Bay St.. Please avoid backing up as this creates a lot of congestion and can be unsafe as many students enter the school through the Bay St entrance. Dismissal is at 3:05pm so please be sure to be at the school to pick up your child or children on time. The alternate is to park on Park St. as there is a 10min drop off zone.
An important safety reminder to families that we have a crossing guard at Bay and Bold Street every morning and afternoon. Please cross where the crossing guard is for everyone’s safety. Thank you!
Please be advised that the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board communications department will send messages directly to families if the weather results in schools closing early and students needing to be picked up.
A reminder that if you need to come to the school please be sure to ring the door bell at the entrance and the office staff will assist you. We ask that parents not enter the building without informing the office. Students and staff have been informed that they are not to allow anyone to enter and as our students from the portables come and go through this entrance we want to ensure the safety of all and secure access to the school at all times.
We invite families to keep up with communications from HWDSB by subscribing to email updates on our website: https://[email protected] . Check out the HWDSB Back-to-School page for general information about the start of school at: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/back-to-school/ If you have school-specific questions, please reach out by calling us at 905 522-9690 or emailing us at [email protected].
Here are some important points to remember as students prepare for the start of the school year:
We know the return to school can be stressful but we are here to support every student’s back-to-school experience. If you think your child might struggle with school, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Supporting a Positive Return to School, HWDSB will continue to offer a wide variety of mental health supports for students. This is especially important during the return to school, which can be stressful for some students. See some supportive tips in our recent We Help Update on our blog. Explore our We Help web page for more evidence-based and timely school-based mental health services and supports at : https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/blog/we-help-update-back-to-school-2023-24/
Across HWDSB, we are also reintroducing a welcoming, inclusive initiative to help students as they return to school. Reimagining Wellness 3.0 is a series of lessons and activities for elementary students which address needs that have arisen in the past few years.
Transportation If your child qualifies for transportation, please follow the steps listed to access your child(ren)’s information via the online portal. Please keep in mind that last minute changes sometimes do occur and that it is important to re-check the information prior to sending your child(ren) to their assigned pickup location on Wednesday, September 6, 2022. Go to: ww.hamiltonschoolbus.ca and click on the “Parent’s Portal” on the Home page, OR “Bus Stop Finder” on the landing page. Learn more here: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/blog/new-student-transportation-portal/
School-wide concerns can be addressed by the principal. Addressing a Concern : click here – Addressing-Concerns-HWDSB .
Please be sure to subscribe to our school website for update and notifications. You will automatically receive emails though our school messenger account if you have provided our office staff with your email address. Please be sure to keep updated by checking your emails for messages from the school. For assistance using the parent portal or the website please contact our school office at 905 522-9690.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. G. Carey – Principal, Central Elementary
Updated on Monday, September 25, 2023.