Winona News – Feb 17

Upcoming January Days of Significance and/or Importance
February is Black History Month, African & Chinese Heritage Months
Feb 17 – Random Act of Kindness Week
Feb 26 – Pink Shirt Day (Anti-Bullying)
Feb 26 – Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)
Feb 28 – Mar. 29 Ramadan (Islam)

Upcoming Events at Winona
Feb 17 – Family Day – School Closed
Feb 18 – Crack the Code Begins – School Wide Math Game
Feb 18 – 20 – Afterschool Phonics Academy
Feb 19 – Feb School Council Meeting Rescheduled (6:30 pm)
Feb 20 – Pita Day
Feb 20 – Term 1 Report Cards Sent Home – Check your child’s backpack
Feb 25 – 27 – Afterschool Phonics Academy
Feb 26 – Pink Shirt Day – Wear Pink in Support
Feb 27 – Grade 8 Photos and Photo Retakes
Feb 27 – Pizza Day
Feb 28 – PA Day – No Classes

Parking Lot – We are expecting reduced parking due to the large amount of snow that will need to cleared for our walkways and parking lot.

Patience and Courtesy: Please be patient and courteous to one another. Avoid leaving your vehicle unattended in a space where it may block others from entering/exiting or parking in the drop and go area.

Bus Loading Zone: The area along the school yard fence is reserved for our 12 buses that load and unload each day. Please do not park in this area or ignore a staff member’s request to move your vehicle. This will only back up traffic further if we cannot move our buses into the parking lot.

Off Setting Your Pick-Up Times: Supervision is provided in the kindergarten area and school yard until 3:15 PM. For those with children (e.g., Grades 3-8) who can wait a minute or two in the school yard, consider offsetting your pick-up time. The parking lot is noticeably less congested by 3:05 PM.

Report Cards – Term 1 Report Cards will be sent home on Thursday, February 20. Please remember to check your child’s backpack. For our Kindergarten to Grade 2 students, the Early Reading Screening results from the beginning of the year will also be included. The purpose of this screening is to:

1. Monitor each child’s development in early reading skills.
2. Identify children who need additional support.
3. Guide classroom instruction.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher. Additionally, our board has developed a guide for families on how to further support reading at home. HWDSB-Early-Literacy-Family-Guide

Pink Shirt Day – Pink Shirt Day will be recognized next week on February 26. Originating from a high school in Nova Scotia, Canada, this day began when students wore pink shirts to support a classmate who was bullied for wearing one. This simple act of solidarity has grown into a global event that reminds us all to practice empathy, support each other, and create a world where everyone feels safe and respected. We encourage staff and students to wear pink as a way to demonstrate their commitment to interrupting acts of bullying and to support the work of building a community of care at Winona.