Laurelwoods Elementary School
Newsletter
January 2014
PRINCIPAL NEWS
On behalf of the staff at Laurelwoods I would like to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy New Year.
It was wonderful seeing so many parents attending our Crafty Christmas and Holiday Assembly last month. A
special thank you to the students and teachers who worked diligently preparing for the assembly. Also, the
assembly could not have run without the amazing AV team who got the gym set up and ready. Well done
team!
As the New Year begins, we head into the final few weeks of the first term of the school year. Teachers will
soon be writing report cards which will be going home on February 7th. I encourage all of our students to get
back into the homework routine and to follow the deadlines set out for them by their teachers. Our dedicated
staff is always providing effective and creative programming for our students.
As we have seen during the past few days, winter is in full bloom with extremely low temperatures. Please
ensure that your children are dressed appropriately to be outside with boots, snow pants, winter coats, mitts,
and a hat. If you need assistance providing any of these items for your children, please contact the office.
Jonathan Walker
Laurelwoods C.A.R.E.S – During the months of January and February, students will be discussing issues related to
RESPECT. In their classes, students will engage in conversations about respect for themselves, for others, for property
and for the environment.
Allergies at School
A reminder that many children have allergies, and a few, are Life-Threatening. There are students and staff at
Laurelwoods who are severely allergic to: peanuts, peanut products, tree nuts, wheat, shellfish, mango, cashews,
pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds and kiwi.
One of these children may be in your son’s/daughter’s classroom. Regardless of which classroom they are in, all of our
students use the same library, gym, washroom, computers, etc. Food residue on fingers and hands can have serious side
effects.
I would like to thank all our families for ensuring a safe environment for all our students. In our busy daily schedule it is not
always an easy task to pick and choose the foods that our children can bring to school.
I realize this request to not send food items from the list above may pose an inconvenience; however, I wish to express
my sincere appreciation for your support and understanding of Life-Threatening allergies at Laurelwoods.
Knowing that your child has allergies and knowing how to deal with them is our best defense. With your help, we will do
our best to prevent mishaps and to make sure that all our students and staff are safe & healthy.
P. A. Day – There will be a Professional Activity Day
on January 17, 2014. There will be no classes for
students on Friday, January 17, 2014.
Electronic Equipment
Thank you for ensuring that
electronic equipment (IPods,
Gameboys, cell phones, etc.) are not
brought to school. We recognize that
electronics can be used as an
excellent learning tool and will be incorporated into
learning programs. When technology is being used
for classroom learning outcomes, teachers will
provide the students with specific instructions and
guidelines for their use at school. The reason for
this rule is to encourage physical activity at recess
time and imaginary and organized play with friends
and classmates. Thank you for your continued
support.
Head Lice Checks
Winter seems to be a bad time for head lice. Please
check your children under bright lights, parting and
lifting strands of hair. Let us know if your child has
lice. Please treat your child and remove all nits.
Thank you for your help.
School Records
Please notify the school if there are any changes in
your child’s information (such as your work
numbers and emergency contact numbers). It is
extremely important that we maintain current
information in the case of an emergency.
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 our children safe this winter.
Indoor Running Shoes
Parents are asked to send indoor
shoes or an extra pair of running
shoes for their child. We want
students to be prepared in the
event of an emergency where we have to quickly
exit the school building.
Student Safety
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 a.m. each morning.
Children should not be dropped off prior to 8:25
a.m. 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.
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.
Grade 9 Information Night at Westside
Parents of grade 8 students are invited to attend a
Grade 8 information night being held at 7:00 p.m.
on Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 at Westside
Secondary School. Westside staff will also review
course selection procedures for the 2014-2015
school year.
Carnaval 2014
Bonjour! It is that time of year again! Carnaval 2014 is
just around the corner! We will be celebrating our
th
th
second annual Carnaval from February 10 -13 . This
year our primary students will be joining Bonhomme and
the rest of the students in the celebration. Along with our
much anticipated outdoor activity day, we have a few
more surprises in store for Laurelwoods! This will be a
great opportunity for our students and staff to experience
and celebrate a great Quebecois tradition and to practice
our French! Please keep an eye on your child's agenda
for upcoming news and information!
Merci!
School Bus Code of Conduct:
Inclement Weather
Our school bus drivers are trained
professionals who are committed to
providing a safe environment for
your child while they are travelling to
and from school. Please share the following
information with your child(ren) and encourage
them to respect safety first when travelling on the
bus. The Upper Grand District School Board
endorses the following bus protocol:
With the colder weather coming, the snowflakes are
not too far away. Please note how school closures
are announced to the public. If buses are cancelled
or delayed in the morning due to icy roads or snowy
weather, the following radio and television stations
will be notified:
Toronto: CBC FM 99.1, CHFI FM 98.1, CFTR AM
680
Guelph: CJOY AM 1460, MAGIC FM 106.1
Kitchener: CKGL AM 570, CHYM FM 96.7
Barrie: CHAY FM 93.1 and THE New VR (TV)
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Follow the direction of the bus driver
Be at your stop at least 5-10 min. before
your pick up time
Stay seated when the bus is in motion
No eating, drinking or using inappropriate
language
Keep books, lunch bag and school bag on
your lap
PARENT COUNCIL CORNER
Welcome Back – and best wishes to all for a healthy and
happy New Year.
Did you know that Pizza Fridays are administered by the
Parent Council? And that they are one of our biggest
fund raising activities? We raise approximately $4000 $5000 every school year and the funds are used to
sponsor such activities as:
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Scientists in the School
Arts Day
Purchasing books for the library
Playground maintenance and equipment
Purchasing new electronic devices
(Chromebooks)
Pizza Fridays are also a great break – for both the
students and the parents! And for these reasons we
owe a huge “thank-you” to those families that take
advantage of Pizza Fridays and to those parents that
volunteer their time to help organize and support this
project.
NEXT PARENT COUNCIL MEETING – NEW DATE
ST
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 , 2014
7:00 – 8:30 PM
in the school library
We encourage your participation and look forward to
seeing your there!
We are always looking for new ideas and suggestions.
Please listen for the following:
All school taxis and buses serving the Upper Grand
District School Board in Dufferin County will not
be operating today. When buses are cancelled
Laurelwoods E.S. is CLOSED. Please do not send
or drop off your child when the school is closed.
Parents can also check the Board’s website as well
as www.findmyschool.ca for any bus delays or
cancellations. The Transportation website is
www.stwdsts.ca
UG2GO
Don’t forget about our board’s wonderful resource
for students in SK-grade 8 that can be accessed
from school or from home. It’s called UG2GO and
includes Learn360 (educational video streaming),
Student Link (a site children use at school that
gives them access to web sites that are kid friendly
and relate directly to their current units of study),
Tumblebooks (a site that has hundreds of books
children can click on and have read to them),
Noodletools ( gives children help making
bibliographies), Knowledge Ontario ( a variety of
approved encyclopedias, magazine articles suitable
for elementary students), and much more. When
students are at home they can go to the main
address: https://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ug2go which
will prompt them to enter the same Windows
username and password that they use at school to
get onto the school network. Once they enter their
Windows username/password they will enter the
site and they can then click on any of the resources
and be taken directly to the individual resource
without the need to login.
UG2GO is an important tool that will aid them in
their education, and may make your life easier
when it comes to homework, projects and snow
days.
Junior & Senior Kindergarten
Registration for the School Year
September 2014
Kindergarten registration will take place the
week of February 3rd -7th, 2014. Please come
into the school between the hours of 10:00
a.m.- 3:00 p.m. to complete the required forms.
Parents will need their child’s birth certificate
and immunization records for registration as
well as proof address. We look forward to
meeting you! Please inform other parents in
our community about this event.
Winterfest – Town of Mono
The Town of Mono is holding their
annual Tree Chipping Winterfest on
January 12, 2014. It will be from
12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Mono
Community Centre. Bring your Christmas tree
to be chipped. There will also be sleigh rides,
snowshoeing and cross country skiing, as well
as indoor activities. For more information, call
Judy at 519-941-3599 ext. 224.
Breakfast Club
Start the day right!
Chime Choir
Once again this year Mrs. Moritz has been at
Laurelwoods every Thursday at second break
supporting the music curriculum. She has three
groups of students that are continuing to
enhance their musical skills. Our Senior
Chimes Choir performed at Montgomery Village
Seniors Community in December. All three of
our chime choirs performed at our Winter
Assembly. Thanks to Mrs. Moritz for providing
our students with this great musical experience.
Online Newsletter Information
Please check the Laurelwoods
website to read the Monthly Newsletter online.
Laurelwoods is trying to reduce the number of
paper copies of the newsletter going home and
we are excited about going paperless. If you
have not signed up online to receive notification
of our Newsletter, please do so at;
www.ugdsb.on.ca/laurel. If you would still like
to receive a paper copy of our monthly
newsletter, please let the school office know if
you have not already done so.
Students wishing to attend the Breakfast Club
need to have the Breakfast Club letter signed
by a parent / guardian. The Laurelwoods
Breakfast Club is held every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Primary Skating
Our Primary students will have the opportunity
to go skating at the Grand Valley Recreation
Centre on January 24th , January 31st ,
February 21st and February 28th, 2012. The
bus will depart from Laurelwoods at 10:50 a.m.
and return at 1:15 p.m. All children from K to
grade 3 must wear a helmet. We strongly
recommend that all children wear a properly
fitted CSA approved hockey helmet. Bicycle
helmets do not offer the same protection as
CSA approved hockey helmets for ice activities.
They are not designed for multi-impact activities
or sub-zero temperatures. All children must
wear gloves or mitts on the ice.
Win a Dairy Queen Gift Card
After your family has read this newsletter, please sign and detach the 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 yellow mailbox each month indicating the winning family for the month. This month’s
draw will be held on Friday, January 31, 2014.
Our family has read the newsletter corresponding to this draw.
Family Name: ____________________________________________
Parent’s Signature: ________________________________________
January 2014
Sun
Mon
5
Tue
Wed
6
Thurs
7
Fri
1
2
8
9
Cookie Day
Pita Day
12
13
14
Cookie Day
Pita Day
Skills Canada Presentation
19
20
21
Cookie Day
Pita Day
School Council
Mtg. 7:00 p.m.
26
27
28
Cookie Day
Pita Day
Sat
3
4
10
11
Inter. Ski Trip
15
Gr. 9 Night at
Westside S.S.
22
Scientist in School
Gr. 5/6
16
X-Country Ski Trip
23
Spirit Day
Western Day
17
P.A. DAY
18
24
25
Inter. Ski Trip
Hot Lunch Day
29
30
Gr. 8 Graduation
Photos
31