Holbrook Weekly Memo – October 21-25, 2024
Holbrook Families,
Thank you to Ms. Gordon and Ms. Helm’s classes for their wonderful learning skills presentations and congratulations to all of our Learning Skills Award recipients at our assembly last week. Many of our students have been working hard on their learning skills and work habits (Responsibility, Organization, Collaboration, Initiative, Independent Work and Self Regulation) which you will see on the progress reports that will go home on Tuesday, November 19th. Meetings with teachers will be scheduled for Thursday November 21 from 3:30-6:00pm or Friday November 22 from 9-11:30am.
Our Halloween Parade will take place on Thursday, October 31 at 2pm. Students will parade out the front of the school where parents may gather to watch – please gather along the front walkway and the street but do not block the sidewalks as we will need a clear pathway for students to safely walk on. The students will parade east down Sanitorium to the cross walk and then continue to Idlewyld Manor for a parade outside of the courtyard and entrance where they will all receive a snack bag of plain chips and then return to the school for dismissal. If you do not wish for your child to participate in this parade or if you do not want your child to receive a bag of chips please let your child’s teacher know by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 30th otherwise we will assume that your child is participating and that they may take a bag of chips.
COSTUME REMINDERS:
A reminder for safety we ask that students not wear masks and avoid larger props that can be tripping hazards. Also we will not allow costume weapons, or costumes that depict any hate or violence. We encourage students to arrive to school in their costumes and wear them for the day and a reminder that staff will not be able to assist with costumes so keep this in mind when sending your child to school that day.
A reminder that cultural appropriation means taking or borrowing a look or trait from a culture that is not your own. Costumes that are based on people’s culture are offensive, harmful and insensitive. The following are suggested questions to reflect on when choosing a costume to avoid being disrespectful or offensive:
- Is my costume making fun of a group of people, their culture, religion and/or belief systems?
• Does my costume reinforce jokes and stereotypes about certain groups, cultures, religions and/or belief systems?
• Am I altering my skin color, facial/body features to make it like a particular race, ethnicity, or cultural group?
• Am I dressing up as a culture or borrowing from a religion that is not my own or is not part of my background?
Some students may not participate for religious or cultural reasons. We will ensure that we have a plan to accommodate these students.
SCHOO COUNCIL
A reminder of our school council meeting this Tuesday, October 22nd ,2024 from6-7pm in the library. All are welcome. You may also join remotely using the follwing link:
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teams.microsoft.com
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UPCOMING EVENTS AT HOLBROOK
Tuesday, October 22nd – Pizza Day – 2nd Nutrition Break
Wednesday, October 23 – Rm 10 JSKB Pumpkin Patch Trip
Friday, October 25th – Popcorn Sales at 2nd Nutrition Break ($2.50 – cash only)
Monday, October 28th – Bus Safety Presentations to all classes
Tuesday, October 29th- Pizza Day – 2nd Nutrition Break
Thursday, October 31, 2024 – 2:00pm – Halloween Parade to Idlewyld Manor – Parents invited to join out front for parade. Weather permitting- alternative arrangements will be made indoors.
Tuesday, November 5th – 2:45-4:00 pm Apple Order to be picked up on the back playground of the school
Friday, November 8th – Popcorn Sales at 2nd Nutrition Break ($2.50 – cash only)
See below for School Fundraiser opportunities that our school council has happening now at Holbrook! Thank you for all of your help organizing these!
School Fundraisers
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It is the last three days to order empire apples!
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Orders due this Wednesday October 23rd
- Price: $12 per 5lb bag and the school gets 50% back!
- How to order? Submit your total order via School Cash Online.
We are selling locally sourced empire apples at a fantastic price of $12 per 5lb bag!!
- To order, submit the total quantity of bags and your payment through School Cash Online before October 23rd.
- Parent pickup is on November 5th from 2:45PM to 4:00PM – Back playground of school
Mabel’s Labels
Timing: Open year round!
Support Holbrook with every Mabel’s Labels order you make! The school will receive a percentage back for all sales tied to our Holbrook School (Hamilton) fundraiser and the steps are simple!
- Visit https://mabelslabels.ca/en-CA/fundraising/support
- Search for Holbrook School (Hamilton)
- Make your purchase online as you normally would
View more information about all fundraisers on the website here. If you have any questions please contact the school office at 905 385-5369.
A reminder if your child is going to the park after-school, they aren’t allowed back in the building to use the washroom as no one is there to supervise them inside the school as the instructional day has ended.
A reminder that due to several allergies and medical conditions Holbrook is a Scent-Friendly environment. Please remind students that they should not be bringing scented colognes and perfumes to school and we respectfully, ask that students not apply these before coming to school. Thank you.
Please be mindful that our school parking lot has no parking or stopping so we will ask parents that are driving to enter the city park lot west of the school and walk your children over to the playground to meet their new teacher. For safety reasons we will not be allowing vehicles in the school parking lot unless they are staff. A reminder that the parking closest to the school along the fence is reserved for staff so please park on the very west side.
Our school day begins at 8:45 am but we will have supervision on the playground from 8:30-8:45 am if you need to drop off and leave. Our day ends at 3:05 so please be sure to be on time to pick up students at the end of the day. We will have supervision on the playground from 3:05-3:20pm.
We also ask that parents please avoid entering the school at playground or side entrances. If you need to enter please ring the buzzer at the front of the school and myself or Ms. Miles, ,our office administrator, will be happy to assist you. We ask this of parents and guardians to avoid interruptions to our staff while they are instructing and supervising large numbers of students. Our staff will happily spend some time on the first few days talking with you at entry or dismissal. If you wish to speak with the office or your child’s teacher at another time please call us at 905 385 5369 and we can set up an appointment. Thank you.
Please be sure to let your child’s teacher know if your child has any medical conditions or if they require any type of medication (puffers, epi pens, etc.) while at school. We have medical forms and plan of care forms that we will send home that need to be filled out and signed by the physician treating the child and the parent / guardian as we are unable to administer any medication ( this includes over the counter medications – tylenol, topical creams, cough/cold etc.) without a completed medical form and the appropriate signatures. Contact our school office at 905 385-5369 if you have any questions about medical forms or using the parent portal.
A reminder that if any of your contact information has changed (phone, email, address) or you need to add or delete those that can pick up your children or emergency contacts please let the office know as soon as possible as this ensures that we can quickly and accurately access contacts when necessary.
I will send a Holbrook Weekly Memo out each Sunday with details of the upcoming events and the week ahead so be sure to check your emails to stay updated. Pease be sure to register for our school website by visiting : www.hwdsb.on.ca/holbrook/ and click on the “REGISTER” tab at the top of the page to complete the registration process as you will receive notifications when any new posts are added to the school website.
Thank you,
Have a great week!
Mr. G. Carey, Principal
Holbrook Elementary School
Updated on Sunday, October 20, 2024.