Laurelwoods Elementary School
Newsletter
February 2014
PRINCIPAL NEWS
On Friday, February 7th, students from Senior Kindergarten to Grade Eight will be bringing home their reports
to share all of their successes from first term. Hopefully, you will have some time to celebrate the hard work
your child has put into his/her schoolwork, plus, discuss goals that your son/daughter can strive towards for the
rest of the school year. Please take some time to fill out the comment section on the final page after reflecting
with your child about his/her strengths and next steps. Also, we also ask that you sign and return the final page
to your child’s teacher.
On February 10th and 11th, we will be having our school wide lockdown drills. The purpose of the lockdown is to
ensure that all staff and students know what to do in the event of an emergency. During a lockdown, all
classroom doors are locked, curtains are closed, and students are brought together into a safe location in their
room and are quiet. I will walk through the school and check for locked doors. The drill will last approximately 5
to 10 minutes.
After the cold, snowy weather that January has brought us, let us hope that February will be kinder to us in the
weather department. As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments please contact me at the
school.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Walker
Live Free Campaign
The Live Free campaign is coming up for the Food and Friends program that supports our Breakfast
Club. Laurelwoods ES is participating in the Live Free Campaign and we need your support! Students will
pledge to Live Free of something on February 28th, for example their favourite TV show, favourite food etc.
and will donate a toonie to the Live Free Campaign as a symbol of what they’re giving up.
For more information about this cause, and to support breakfast, snack and lunch programs in your community
please visit www.livefreecampaign.ca. For some children and youth, the food served in these programs is their
only meal for the day, so we appreciate any help you can give us! All proceeds raised by our school will stay in
our school to support our Breakfast Club program. More information will follow.
Remember Monday, February 17th, 2014 is Family Day.
Black History Month
Student Safety
Black History Month exists to remind us all of the
rich contributions within our society from people of
African and Caribbean decent, and of their ongoing
struggle for equity and social justice. It has been
celebrated in Canada since the 1950s and is an
opportunity for Canadians, like you and me, to
recognize significant contributions Blacks have
made to the life of Canada in education, medicine,
art, culture, public service, politics, etc. Black
History Month is a chance for us to understand the
role that the Black community has played in our
history.
Every year Canadians are invited to take part in the
festivities and events that honour the legacy of
Black Canadians, past and present, during Black
History Month. This is a time to celebrate the many
achievements and contributions of Black
Canadians who, throughout history, have done so
much to make Canada the culturally diverse,
compassionate and prosperous nation we know
today. It is also an opportunity for the majority of
Canadians to learn about the experiences of Black
Canadians in our society, and the vital role this
community has played throughout our shared
history.
Thank you for diligently using the sign in and sign
out procedures and wearing a visitor’s badge when
at Laurelwoods. Please also note that adult
supervision begins at 8:25 am each morning.
Children should not be dropped off prior to 8:25
am unless previous arrangements have been
made.
Procedures:
1. All visitors and volunteers need to check into the
office and obtain a visitor badge.
2. When leaving the school, all visitors and
volunteers must sign out and return their visitor
badge to the office.
3. All parents picking their children up during the
day need to report to the office to sign out their
children. Their children will then be called down to
meet them.
4. Any parents visiting the playground need to
check into the office and obtain a visitor’s badge.
They may also be asked to identify themselves to
staff/supervisors on duty.
Snow Safety
Forts and tunnels are fun to build.
However, forts and tunnels built
at the side of the road spell
impending disaster. Passing
snow plows and the debris and ice they push can
be dangerous for a child who can be buried or
struck indirectly or directly. These incidents often
happen in early morning or evening when it’s dark
and children are playing. Plows are loud and the
driver’s visibility is minimal. Never assume a plow
operator can see you. Please remind your children
to play safely, and tell them that tunnel building is
not a safe play activity. Let’s keep all of our
children safe this winter.
Parent Council Corner
In light of the winter weather that we have been
experiencing (this has been some winter!), please
be advised that in the event of a “snow day” or “no
bus day”on a Friday, we will reschedule the missed
Pizza Day to a future date and notify everyone
accordingly when that day will be. Please do not
assume that the following Monday will automatically
be a Pizza Day as this is not the case.
Attendance/Pick-up
Please telephone the school at 519940-3666 ext.100 if your child will not
be attending school on any given day or will be late
and include their teacher’s name and bus number.
It is extremely important that parents notify the
school if their child(ren) will be absent. If you are
picking your child up prior to 3:15 pm send a note
with your child or call the school before 2:30 pm so
that a bus slip can be completed. Please include
the teacher’s name and bus number. Thank you
for your cooperation.
Pink Shirt Day
Wednesday, February 26th is Pink Shirt Day.
Wear something pink to symbolize that you are
taking a stand against bullying. Orders for pink
shirts will be accepted until Friday, February 7,
2014.
2014/2015 Extended Day Program
Each school with full day kindergarten has been
asked to survey our parents of JK, SK and Grade
1’s to determine if there is any interest in an
Extended Day Child Care Program at Laurelwoods.
Parents are asked to complete a survey at
www.ugdsb.on.ca/extendeddaysurvey to express
their interest. The username and password are
edp.
Grade 8 Graduation Photos
Photographers from Edge Imaging
have rescheduled and will be in
the school on Wednesday, March 5th, 2014 to take
Grade 8 Graduation photos beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Students should wear a white blouse or dress shirt
on the day of their pictures.
Junior & Senior
Kindergarten
Registration for
September 2014
Kindergarten
registration will take
place the week of
February 3 - 7, 2014. Please come into the school
between the hours of 10:00a.m. – 4:00p.m. to
complete the required forms. Parents will need
their child’s birth certificate and immunization
records for registration. We look forward to
meeting you! Please inform other parents in our
community about this event.
Breakfast Club
Laurelwoods Breakfast Program continues to
provide the opportunity for students to have a
nutritional breakfast. With breakfast, students have
a great start to their day! Our program is
sponsored by Food and Friends grants and
supported by our School Council, and we continue
to be thankful for any donations parents or
community partners wish to make. If you have any
questions about the Breakfast Program, please
contact Danielle Cellucci at the school.
Soccer Registration
Registration for the Grand Valley Soccer
Club will be held at the Grand Valley Arena
on Saturday, February 22, 2014 between
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please bring your child’s
birth certificate to register. Volunteers are always
needed – Executive, Coaches and Referees.
Financial assistance and payment options are
available. For more information please contact
Judy at 519-928-2043
Kindergarten Learning Fair
Inclement Weather
If your child is beginning school in September
2014, then please join us for a very informative
evening. The evening is designed to give you
information to help your child get the best
possible start at school.
Date: February 24, 2014 (snow date:Feb. 26th)
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Grand Valley & District Public School
In Attendance: Grand Valley P.S., East Gary
P.S., Laurelwoods E.S., Ontario Early Years,
Grand Valley Library, Early Literary Specialist,
Grand Valley Wellness, Grand Valley
Midwives, and many other community services.
Come and also meet the Kindergarten
Teachers!
Laurelwoods is a school entirely
dependent on bussing. It is important
for parents to check the Board’s
website as well as www.findmyschool.ca for any
bus delays or cancellations. Schools dependent
entirely on bussing are closed to students on No
Bus days.
Carnaval 2014
Bonjour! It is that time of year again!
Carnaval 2014 will be held the week of
February 10th – 13th This year we will be
celebrating our second annual Carnaval. Our
primary students this year will also be joining
Bonhomme and the rest of the students in the
celebration. Please keep an eye on your child’s
agenda for upcoming news and information.
Win a Booster Juice Gift Card
After your family has read this newsletter, please sign and detach this coupon. “Our Family” must include at least one
parent/guardian who has read the newsletter. This coupon must be placed in the yellow mailbox in the front hall of the
school. A ballot will be drawn from the mailbox each month. This month’s draw will be held on Friday, February 28, 2014.
Our Family has read the newsletter corresponding to this draw.
Child’s Name: ___________________________________
Parent’s Signature: ____________________________
February 2014
Sun
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Sat
1
2
3
4
Cookie Day
Pita Lunch
Kindergarten
Registration
9
10
Lock Down Drill
16
17
5
Gibson/Kirk/Michels
Hot Lunch Day
Pizza Day
X-Country Ski
11
12
Carnaval de
Quebec
Scientist in School
Mr. Kirk
Hot Lunch Day
Cookie Day
Pita Lunch
24
14
25
15
19
Skating Int.
Downhill Ski
Pizza Day
20
Hot Lunch Day
21
Int. Downhill Ski
Primary Skating
Pizza Day
Cookie Day
Pita Lunch
X - Country Ski
8
Report Cards go
home
Pizza Day
13
FAMILY DAY
23
7
Spirit Day - Red
and Pink Primary
Cookie Day
Pita Lunch Lock
Down Drill
18
6
Theatre Orangeville
JK - Gr. 2
26
Int. Downhill Ski
Pink Shirt Day
27
28
LIVE FREE DAY
Primary Skating
Pizza Day
22