Elmdale School

What a February that was! Not only were there an unprecedented number of Snow Days, but even the days we were at school were too cold for outside recess! Thankfully the forecast is looking better and we anticipate outside recess for the foreseeable future! One day soon our playground will change from snowy-castle to muddy-valley!

With March comes changes to the Public Health Orders, and I think this will simplify some things we do here at Elmdale. Starting on March 1 the changes mainly affect staff, especially in regards to showing proof of vaccination or undertaking regular testing. Our anticipation is that on March 15, mask wearing for staff and students will no longer be mandatory, however will still be encouraged. We know that for some people this brings a sense of relief, while for others this brings some uncertainty and concern. Rest assured that those who still prefer to wear masks will be able to do so.

As mentioned in the email from the Superintendent on February 25, in Hanover School Division we will continue to take a measured approach to COVID-19 restrictions, and just like we did when restrictions were tighter, we will continue to follow all COVID-19 Public Health Orders as written.

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact the school.

Mr. Vince Hiebert

Principal: Elmdale School

Email: vhiebert@hsd.ca

Instagram: elmdalehsd

VERY IMPORTANT!! Please do not pass buses in our bus loop. Recently we have had several reports of vehicles passing school buses in our bus loop. A quick reminder of our drop off procedure in the morning:

• Parents should park in the Family Parking Lot and walk their children across the bus loop. We’re asking that the goodbyes happen at the fence and students head to the building without their parent. Supervision will be provided.
• If dropping off after 8:50 (once all buses are through the bus loop) parents may elect to drop their children off in the bus loop. This should be a drop off zone only! Please pull up against the fence on the right side of the bus loop, stop and help your child through the fence, then return to your vehicle and proceed through the bus loop, exiting onto Elm Ave.
  

Passing a bus with flashing red lights and its stop sign out may result in your license plate number being reported to the RCMP. This could result in a $672 fine and demerits on your driver's license.

Thank you for supporting our Book Fair this past month! It was great to see kids excitedly pick out some new books. A huge thank you to our Librarian, Mrs. Penner, for all of her hard work in making the Book Fair a success!

A HUGE thank you to all students who participated in our I Love to Read Challenges this month. 76 students met our mid-month reading challenge and completed their Reading Bingo Sheet by February 14. These students received a coupon for a free Booster Juice as their prize!

Students who hand in their Bingo Sheet by March 1 will receive a special treat - a Ring Pop provided by Red Apple!

Thank you both to Red Apple and Booster Juice for so generously donating prizes to these reading challenges. It's great to see our community encouraging students to read!

Have you ever wondered how you can get more involved at Elmdale School? Have you given any thought to joining our Parent Advisory Council (PAC)? This group of parents meets monthly with Mr. Hiebert to discuss what is going on at the school and to find ways to support the school. While fundraising is one part of their mandate, there are many other important things that our PAC does. Our PAC is a place where parents can make their voice heard and have constructive discussions with the school team; it is a place for the school to bring ideas and concerns that would benefit from a parent perspective.

If you are interested in checking this out, join us in the School Library on the Second Thursday of the Month at 6:30pm. Email elmdaleparentcouncil@gmail.com for more info!

Elmdale School is pleased to be holding a Heart & Stroke Jump Rope for Heart event on March 23rd and 24th, 2022. All money raised will support Heart & Stroke in their mission to promote children’s health and fund vital heart and stroke research.

Jump Rope for Heart encourages kids to get active by skipping rope while they collect pledges for heart disease and stroke research. They also learn the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and giving back to their community. This year Heart & Stroke is striving to get 1 million kids jumping in close to 4,000 schools across Canada. Let’s be part of it!

We need your help to reach our School fundraising goal of $1000.00!

Please help support your child’s fundraising efforts by registering them online at jumpropeforheart.ca and send out donation request emails to friends, family and colleagues.

Please visit jumpropeforheart.ca and start fundraising today!

Thank you for your support,

Mrs. K. Tufford

Tobias 1E; Nicol 1J; Jason 1/2H; Cayden 2S; Faith 3D; Hoshea 3F; Malachi 4M; Jaxon 4T; Jayden 1E; Carsten 1J; Maggie 1/2H; Nykolai 2G; Micah 2S; Zoe 3B; Delainey 3D; Tyrol 3F; Hurley 4M; Abdulmalek 4T.

Kindergarten registration for the 2022-23 school year is NOW OPEN. To be eligible, Children must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2022 (born in 2017). The registration process will take place online at www.HSD.ca. If you do not have access to the Internet, please visit the school office and we can assist you in completing the registration on a school computer. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to register their children soon after registration opens in January. Early registration will assist us in preparation and planning for the upcoming school year. Registering before March 1, 2022, will ensure there is sufficient time for school appointments and provide parents/guardians with the opportunity to participate in Kindergarten orientation activities. Visit www.HSD.ca for registration instructions.

Hanover School Division is still looking for more bus drivers. These positions would start off on the spare list - casual then when routes open up - full time positions might be available to them. We provide all the training for free with applicants only required to provide a few items for a small fee. If anyone is interested please email Robert at rwarkentin@hsd.ca or call the Transportation Department Office 204-320-2347 or check out the Employment Tab at HSD.ca for more information.

Is your child a picky eater? Check out this month's Nutrition Bits and Bites Newsletter from Southern Health for tips on how to deal with this. Click HERE to access it!

"Soup's On" provides daily school lunches to families in need. It can be started and stopped as needed. Contact our Learning Support Teacher Ms. Tara Klassen (tklassen@hsd.ca) to register your child.

Please check our website for information about school bus routes in HSD.
If your address has changed, please call transportation at 204-320-2347 to make sure that your children are riding the correct bus to and from school.

Elmdale's eNewsletter

Publisher: Mr. Hiebert

Email: elmdale@hsd.ca
Website: http://elmdale.hsd.ca/
Location: 160 Elmdale Street, Steinbach, MB, Canada
Phone: 204-326-3325
Twitter: @elmdalehsd