Weekly News – Oct 15

Upcoming Dates

• Oct 13 – Jr. Swim Team
• Oct 16 – Junior Swim Team
• Oct 17 – ECE Recognition Day
• Oct 17 – Fire Drill #3
• Oct 17 – Sr. & Jr. Boys Volleyball
• Oct 18 – School Council –  6:30 PM, Library, MS Team Link
• Oct 19 – Pita Day
• Oct 19 – Sr. Boys Volleyball
• Oct 20 – PA Day – No Classes (CORRECTION)

Next Week

• Oct 24 – Jr. Boys Volleyball
• Oct 25 – World Spinal Bifida Day (Wear Yellow)
• Oct 26 – Pizza Day

Thank you to all the families who were able to make it to our Meet the Staff event.  For staff, it was a great way to make face-to-face connections with families.  For our students, it was fantastic to see the pride they showed in sharing their school experience.  A big thank you to our School Council for selling snacks and helping to support parent involvement and engagement.

Halloween – Tuesday, October 31 is Halloween. For students who choose to wear a costume on this day, we ask that they come to school wearing their costume and keep it on for the day.   A “school costume” should be simplified, allowing your child to participate in the full day (i.e. recess, physical education, music etc).  We recommend that extra accessories be left at home. To help with planning, you may want to talk to your child about the difference between their school costume and their special home costume (also consider cultural appropriation, offensive and insensitive costumes, weapons, masks that might impede vision, inappropriate images, etc.). We recognize that some families in the school community may not participate in Halloween. Our goal is to plan for an inclusive day that allows for learning and routines to continue for all students. 

PA Day –  A reminder that Friday is a P.A. Day for elementary schools in HWDSB.  There will be no school for students.  All staff will be engaged in professional development focused on supporting learning for all students and the implementation of our new language curriculum. Parents interested in learning more about our new curriculum can visit Language, Grades 1 to 8: a guide for parents (gov.on.ca). 

French Immersion Information Night – The French Immersion program at HWDSB is specifically designed for parents who do not speak French but want their children to speak both official languages. The program is open to HWDSB students starting in Grade 1. Families of Senior Kindergarten students considering the French Immersion program are invited to a virtual information session on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at 6 p.m. ahead of the 2024-25 application process.  Follow the links, to find out more about the French Immersion program.  French as a Second Language | Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (hwdsb.on.ca)  Click here to register for the French Immersion Information Night.

Elementary Focus Programs – HWDSB elementary schools offer a wide range of learning opportunities to prepare students for success in high school and beyond. The following Elementary Focus Programs will be accepting applications for the 2024-25 school year. Applications will open on Monday, October 30, 2023 and close on December 1. Families interested in learning more about the Elementary Focus Programs are invited to a virtual information session on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 6 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Click here or visit hwdsb.info/2023-focus-night to register.