South Oaks School

Recently, we had some property damage at the school. When this happens, I usually learn that it occurred on the weekend and involved young adults. However, this time I learned that the damage had been done by some of our own students, after school hours. This was a first for me and, honestly, it was disappointing to hear because we work hard to teach our kids to be good "citizens".

Since the incident occurred after school hours, I reached out to several parents with a suggestion. Would they consider using this as a learning opportunity? Thankfully, the parents all agreed that this was a chance for their child to learn something important. So, several families met at the school on a Saturday and the parents showed the students how to fix their mistakes.

The parents' response to this situation was inspiring to me. I am sure they all had other things to do on a Saturday. Yet, they invested their time in teaching their child an important lesson about what to do when we make mistakes. They demonstrated how to "make things right", when we have done something wrong. This is such an important life lesson for kids.

I want to thank the parents of the South Oaks/Grunthal community for, well, . . . parenting! Parenting is one of the most challenging jobs we will ever have! Parenting perfection is not possible, but if we all do our best, work as the "village", have good intentions, etc. our kids will learn to be respectful and responsible community members, in and out of school. Thank-you again.

Happy November!

Dale Martens

Nov 1: Picture Retake Day at 1 pm

Nov 7: Community Health Clinic in Hut 1

Nov 8: Admin Day - NO CLASSES

Nov 8: Parent / Teacher conferences in the morning

Nov 11: Remembrance Day - NO CLASSES

Nov 14: Wear blue for World Diabetes Day!

Nov 19: Community Health Clinic in Hut 1

Nov 22: Admin Day - NO CLASSES

Nov 29: Grades 1-4 Report Cards on Parent Portal at 4 pm

Lifetouch photographers will be back at South Oaks for picture retakes on Friday, November 1 at 1 pm. If you'd like retakes done, please call the office and your child will be added to the list. Note that the original picture proof will need to be returned at the time of retakes.

There are a number of students with outstanding/overdue accounts. Please pay these as soon as possible via parent portal or cheque/cash at the office. If payment arrangements are needed, please call the office at 204-434-6165. Thank you!

On Friday, Nov. 8 in the morning, parents will have the opportunity to meet with their child's teacher in person. We have set up meeting times in the Parent Portal and any parent who feels the need to meet with their child's teacher can sign up for a 10 minute meeting to touch base. If you have any trouble signing up, please call the office for assistance. If, for some reason, Nov. 8 doesn't work for you, please contact your child's teacher to arrange an alternate way to connect. If you feel that you have sufficient communication with the teacher already and things are going well for your child, there is no expectation to meet at this time.

South Oaks School is partnering with Grunthal Community Christmas this year to make this season special for all kids. During the month of November, we will be collecting new, unwrapped gifts for children of any age (up to 17 years old) at the school. The recommended value of a gift is $25.00. If you are in a position to donate some toys/gifts for kids this season, please drop them off at the office when you are able. Thanks for your generosity during this Christmas season.

Thanks to all parents and students who gave a "Toonie for Terry" at last month's Terry Fox run. Our school raised a total of $450.00 for the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research. Every Toonie makes a difference and we thank you for participating in this way.

Our annual hearing screening event will happen on November 20 and 21. We do this screening annually for our younger students to ensure that their hearing is sufficient for learning and communication. Hearing screening will include:

● All kindergarten students

● All grade 1 students

● All other/new students, at Teachers’ request

The screening is provided by a technician that is trained by the Southern Health audiologist at the Bethesda Hospital. If your child is flagged for a potential hearing concern, then they would participate in a second round of screening in December at our school. If that is the case, we will let you know in advance.

Diabetes affects one in ten people worldwide so it is highly likely that you and your children know someone who has diabetes. This year, South Oaks School wants to highlight the efforts made by the International Diabetes Federation through their World Diabetes initiative. We encourage our South Oaks families to learn more about Diabetes on their website:

https://worlddiabetesday.org/about/understandingdiabetes/

South Oaks will commemorate World Diabetes Day on Thursday, Nov. 14 by inviting everyone to wear blue on this day. Thanks for supporting World Diabetes Day and our students and families who live with the challenges of Diabetes.

All bus routes are posted on the HSD website with times and maps. Any bus that will be late due to weather or mechanical issues will be listed online as well. Go to hsd.ca, to services, then to transportation services. Any bus that is late is posted there with the approximate delay time. Thank you for checking this prior to calling the transportation department!

Head Lice - As mentioned in the parent handbook, it is requested that children's heads be checked periodically for lice. If at all suspicious, call the school immediately, so we can take the necessary precautions to prevent the lice from spreading. If live lice are found, children must be treated with specific lice shampoo. Once the child is treated, they are able to return to school. Children will then be checked when re-entering school.

Remember that having lice is not a cleanliness issue. Anyone can be in contact with lice, either at school, at a sports complex, or even trying on headgear in a store. Please also note that lice combs should be used in addition to the recommended shampoo to deal with lice. Once the lice shampoo has been used, a lice comb, such as the LiceMeister or the Nit Free Terminator, will help get rid of the rest of the head lice that may remain. If you have any questions or concerns, call our Public Health Nurse, Yvonne Hiebert, at 204-346-7013.

Email: southoaks@hsd.ca
Website: southoaks.hsd.ca
Location: 202 Southwood Street, Grunthal, MB, Canada
Phone: 204-434-6165
Twitter: @SouthOaksHSD