Southwood School Newsletter

On June 28th, Southwood School will be hosting the annual school picnic. Students will spend half of their day enjoying the picnic games led by their classroom teachers. The other half day the students will be entertained by a performer sponsored by our school Parent Council.

Parents are encouraged to bring a lunch and enjoy a family lunch on the school grounds from 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm. Students will return to their classes after the lunch period and resume their picnic day activities. There will be no food options for purchasing at this years picnic, so please remember to pack a lunch.

Please note there is no parking in the bus lanes as Kindergarten and end of day busses continue to need access to this lane. In the event of rain, all activities will be moved indoors.

Students will return to their classes at the end of the day for a final “treat” and clean-up. We anticipate another great community event and hope to see you there.

This year we want to celebrate the accomplishments of our grade four students and have an opportunity to say farewell. On June 27th, we are inviting families and friends to attend a short and casual farewell in the school gym at 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm.

After the grade four farewell, the students and teachers will go to Boston Pizza for a celebration meal followed by a movie at Keystone theater. Students will return at 6:15 pm for some fun activities in the school. The evening will finish with an ice cream bar and parents should pick up students at school at 8:00 pm. Feel free to contact the school if you have any questions about this event.

We will be taking a rooftop photo of all students and staff on June 6th in the morning. Order forms have been sent home. If you are planning to place an order, please make sure your orders are into the office by June 3rd - 4:00 p.m.

Report cards will be emailed to those families who have selected this option. Other parents may pick up their child’s report cards in the front office foyer on June 30th from 9 am to 10 am. Report cards that are not picked up on June 30th by 10 am will be mailed out If you have moved or changed email addresses, please make sure you have updated your email or mailing address at the school office.

Notice - Religious Exercises - Southwood School, 2016-2017

The Board of Trustees of the Hanover School Division has received petitions requesting that religious exercises be held in Southwood School during the 2016-2017 school year.

The petitioners have specified their desire for the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and the reading of a Bible passage or story from the Bible.

As the petitions bear the signatures of parents representing more than 60 students in the school, the Board of Trustees of the Hanover School Division has authorized religious exercises, as specified above, to be held before the official instructional day, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:05 a.m., in a designated common area of the school.

Provincial and divisional guidelines will be followed. These guidelines are available from the school office, the divisional administration offices, or on the web site at www.hsd.ca.

Only children of parents who have signed or joined the petition may participate. Parents may join the petition by forwarding a signed note to the Board of Trustees of the Hanover School Division (forward to Southwood School), indicating the name and the grade of the students they are signing for.

Notice - Religious Instruction - Southwood School, 2016-2017

The Board of Trustees of the Hanover School Division has received petitions requesting that religious instruction be held in Southwood School during the 2016-2017 school year.

The petitioners have specified their desire for the Discovery Time program offered by Child Evangelism Fellowship.

As the petitions bear the signatures of parents representing more than 25 students in the school, the Board of Trustees of the Hanover School Division has passed the required by-law permitting religious instruction, as specified above, to be offered by volunteers during designated half-hour per week classes.

Provincial and divisional guidelines will be followed. These guidelines are available from the school office, the divisional administration offices, or on the web site at www.hsd.ca.

Only children of parents who have signed or joined the petition may participate. Parents may join the petition by forwarding a signed note to the Board of Trustees of the Hanover School Division (forward to Southwood School), indicating the name and the grade of the students they are signing for.

Practice of Religion in Hanover School Division

As a Manitoba public school division, The Hanover School Division is obligated to comply with the provisions of The Public Schools Act and provincial guidelines governing the implementation of religious exercises and religious instruction. The Public Schools Act states that public schools must be non-sectarian. Religious exercises and religious instruction in public schools may only be implemented by school boards in a manner consistent with the Act and departmental guidelines after a parent petition is presented to the school board. Petitions must be submitted annually. The Hanover School Division will continue to provide for appropriate religious exercises and instruction consistent with provincial and divisional guidelines.

Southwood School is looking for babies born between March 2016 and June 2016 to take part in our roots of empathy program for 2016 - 2017. If you have a newborn or know someone who does, we need you!!

For more information please contact Mr. Kehler or visit http://www.rootsofempathy.org/ for more information.

Southwood School Parent Advisory Council (PAC) would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to ALL volunteers who gave their time and energy to PAC functions throughout the school year.

For the 2016- 2017 school year, there are positions available on PAC. As part of the parent council, parents and staff meet once a month for one hour to discuss topics that affect our children, organize the hot lunch program, plan special events, fund raise for specific projects, and bring forward parent ideas.

If you would like more information about PAC or are willing to engage in your child's education in this way, please contact Mr. Rod Kehler or Mrs. Tracy Beaudin.

We wish you all a wonderful summer!

With the start of the 2016 2017 school year, Southwood School will be introducing a house colour system. The house colour system is designed to help build our school community, citizenship, and give students a sense of belonging and ownership. Each student is assigned to a house colour, identified by one of six colors: Red, Yellow, Purple, Orange, Green or Blue.

Within their house colour designation, students participate in special events like house hooplas, house colour day, assemblies, and other cross grade activities throughout the year. Each house color is made up of students from grades kindergarten to grade four and provides opportunities for positive interaction among the grade levels.

Our aim of the house system will give students a focus of identity outside of their classroom. This approach would meet the “need for belonging” which is one of the needs identified within the philosophy of Real Restitution. By mixing the students from across the grade levels in a house, it provides opportunities for students to meet peers with whom they may not otherwise interact. It also allows our older students to build skills related to citizenship, responsibility, and mentorship.

Students earn points for their house by participating in school activities, community service, and adhering to our school motto – CARE, LEARN, GROW. Houses are also awarded points for positive behavior and citizenship. Over the course of the year, color house teams will be drawn to participate in house hooplas led by the school principals. All staff members are also part of the house colour teams.

A limited number of house color t-shirts will be on sale starting September 6, 2016 at Meet the Teacher Night at the low price of $10.00 per t-shirt. Kindergarten students for the 2016-2017 school year will receive a free house color t-shirt as a gift from the staff at Southwood School.

The house color system is meant to get all students and staff involved in school activities and build school community and a sense of belonging. When all students feel they can make a difference, it creates a positive climate, making the house colour system a win-win opportunity.

The last regular Hot Lunch date is Wednesday, June 22nd. Any Hot Lunch tickets should be used up before the end of June. Please remember Hot Lunch tickets expire at the end of June 2016 and do not carry over to the 2016/2017 school year.

WISE Program at the

University of Manitoba Presents:

WISE Kid-Netic Energy Science & Engineering day camp is coming to Steinbach again this summer!

When: August 15-19, 2016

Where: Southwood School

WISE Kid-Netic Energy will be in Steinbach soon! Spots are filling, so this may be your last chance to register for this science and engineering day camp. Every day, campers will explore a new and exciting field of science or engineering. This year’s theme days include At the Heart of Science, Construction, Forensic Science, Marine Biology and Plants & Fungi. Come and join the fun!

There are 40 camper spots available for the week, open to kids ages 9 – 12, by December 31, 2016. Registration fees are $100 for the one-week camp. Registration is available online at www.wisekidneticenergy.ca.

For more info:

Phone: 1-204-474-9340

Toll Free: 1-800-432-1960 ext. 9340

Fax: 1-204-474-7644

Email: wise@kidneticenergy.ca

Facebook: facebook.com/wisekidnetic

Twitter: @WISE_KidNetic

2016/2017 HSD CALENDAR: Are you wondering when Christmas and Spring Break are for the 2016/2017 school year? Check the Hanover School Division website for all 2016/2017 in-service and holiday dates. http://www.hsd.ca

MOVING? - If you are planning to move locations during the summer please call our Southwood School office at 204-326-3518 as soon as possible or the school division transportation office at 204-320-2347 after June 30th.

BUSSING FOR SEPTEMBER 2016 - Urban bussing times will be changing over the summer months. Some stop locations will change as well. At the end of August / beginning of September, please check the Hanover School Division website for updates on the urban bus schedule. Website: HSD.ca - go to Schools and Department - then Transportation - Urban bus Routes - then click on appropriate map or view routes.

6 - Roof Top Photo - 9:10 am

10 - Assembly - 9:10 a.m.

22 - LAST HOT LUNCH DATE

24 - Assembly - 1:00 p.m.

27 - Grade 4 Farewell

28 - School Picnic & Last Day of School

29 - NO SCHOOL

30 - NO SCHOOL

30 - Parents who requested printed report cards may pick them up between 9 am - 10 am