Community Weekly Time Lion Sept. 25-29

Community Weekly Time Lion September 25-29

HRE-Invitation-Parents-2023-24

Important Updates

Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be recognized this year on September 29^th at SWL.  Students will learn about the history of Orange Shirt Day.

At HWDSB, we respect the longstanding relationships with the neighbouring and host nations, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Six Nations of the Grand River. We also acknowledge the vibrant and diverse urban Indigenous community in Hamilton.

Saturday, September 30, 2023, is Orange Shirt Day, which is also known as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage HWDSB students and staff to wear orange to school and work on Friday, September 29 to honour survivors of Residential Schools and to center the importance of intergenerational healing and wellness.

For students and staff who do not have an orange shirt, and wish to participate, an Orange Shirt Day sticker will be available at the school.

Please click below for further information regarding the significance of this day.

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

 

School Reorganization

Each fall, HWDSB reviews elementary student enrolment in schools, and reorganizes staffing if actual enrolment differs from spring projections. It is normal for student enrolment to fluctuate a little. This year, our school enrolment is higher than the spring projections.

Specifically, at our school, the reorganization will mean:

• Creating an additional Kindergarten class and primary class.
• A slight change in our junior and intermediate classes (i.e., Straight 4 to a combined 4/5 and a combined 6/7 to become a straight 7)
• A slight decrease in class sizes across all grades

Throughout the next two weeks our educators will re-examine classes.  A small portion of our student population will be moved to a new class to meet Ministry cap class sizes across the school.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

As always, our team of dedicated educators will work with you to ensure your child is well supported and experiences educational success.

Previous Updates

Safe School Procedures

SWL will be holding 6 fire drills this year, 1 evacuation drill, 1 Shelter in Place drill, 1 Hold and Secure drill, and 2 lockdown drills.  Some of these drills will be announced prior to the drill occurring and shared with community, while others may be more spontaneous so we can help better prepare our students and staff in the event of an emergency.  Our first fire drill will occur on Tuesday, September 19 during our morning and our first hold and secure drill will occur on Wednesday, September 20.  We will continue to practice two more fire drills through the month of September and three more during the spring.  One of the two Lockdown drills will occur in early to mid October and the second in the spring as well.  The remaining drills will occur throughout the fall.

An announcement will be made to students the day of the first fire drill and when we initiate other secure procedures for the first time.  The Principal or Vice-Principal will review important safety procedures for students and staff prior to beginning the drill.

You can also learn more about HWDSB’s secure schools’ protocol at https://hwdsb.info/secureschools

School Council

Every school in Ontario is required to have a School Council and work collaboratively with the Principal to improve student achievement and enhance accountability of the school with parents.  Information about School Councils can be found here:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/school-councils-guide-members

We welcome all parents/guardians who are willing to volunteer their time to participate on our School Council for the 2023-2024 school year.  School Councils must hold an annual election to identify voting members which will occur at our first meeting.

Our 1^st School Council first meeting and elections is scheduled for September 28^th at 6PM.  School Council forms are attached in this update for parents/guardians interested in joining our council this year.  All families are welcome! Families do not need to be on council to attend our meetings.  We encourage parent/guardian voice.  Meetings will occur in-person and virtually throughout the year to accommodate families’ schedules.  Please see our website, School Council Page, for further details about Council.

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.

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.

Re-Imagining Wellness First 30 Days and

Top 5 Bullying Prevention Lessons this month

 Educators will instruct and engage students in a variety of lessons this month to support student wellness and bullying prevention.  Mental Health Literacy will be covered in October. Themes of these lessons will include the following;

1. Healthy Relationships – Human Rights
2. Mental Health Literacy in the Classroom – Thoughts, Emotions and Actions
3. Introducing Bullying Prevention – Teasing, Aggression and Bullying
4. Collaborative Classroom Agreements
5. Barrier-free Reporting – HWDSB Helps