Elmdale School

We have just completed a wonderful I Love to Read Month! Many students completed their monthly reading goals to earn rewards and prizes throughout the month. We also had some special guest readers join our classes and some even presented at our assemblies. Check out some of the pictures below.

Reading is such a vital and foundational skill and one of our main goals at Elmdale is to ensure that every student becomes a reader! As Corny Rempel reminded us, reading doesn't come easy for everybody, but it is still important to do our best and try to grow as readers. I always say that if you don't enjoy reading, you just haven't found the right books yet. So, if that's you, check out the library, have a chat with your teacher or with Mrs. Penner and keep looking, because I know that if you find the right books, you'll start enjoying reading!

Now that I Love to Read month has come to an end, we still encourage everyone to keep reading, keep striving to reach your reading goal, and keep doing your best as you keep on learning!

Mr. Vince Hiebert

Principal: Elmdale School

Email: vhiebert@hsd.ca

Instagram: elmdalehsd

It was another record year at our Scholastic Book Fair. Thank you for buying books to build your home libraries as well as supporting our Library. We were able to purchase nearly $2300 worth of books with the proceeds from the Book Fair.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Penner for all of her hard work to organize this great event!

Term 2 Report Cards will be available on the Parent Portal for all grade 1-4 students on March 15. Please login to your Parent Portal account starting at 4pm on March 15 to see a snapshot of how your child is doing at school.

If you have any questions about your child's report card, please be in touch with their teacher as the teacher will be able to explain and clarify the information on the Report Card.

Elmdale students are learning how to protect their heart and brain by participating in this year’s Jump Rope for Heart!

Please join us and help create a healthier future for kids across Canada. Click the link below to show your support and cheer us on.

Thank you so much.

jumpropeforheart.ca

A quick reminder that we have planned our annual spring Celebration of Learning on March 21 by appointment from 4-6pm (NOTE: KP's Celebration of Learning will take place on March 14).

This is a chance for your child to show you their classroom and some of the learning they are doing. You will need to make an appointment in the Parent-Teacher Scheduler tab of your Parent Portal account. These appointments will open for booking starting on March 4. You are also invited to check out the gym and music room to connect with Mrs. Tufford and Ms. Turton in those areas - no appointment needed.

We look forward to seeing you all at school on March 21!

Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open. To be eligible, Children must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2024 (born in 2019). 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 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.

This month we are going to work with students to learn about purpose and their meaningful contribution to the world. As we always say at the Umbrella Project, all of the skills are important and work best together! The happiest kids are able to understand their own needs and their contribution to the bigger world around them.

How will a sense of purpose help my child?

Purpose is the feeling that the things we do and the choices we make have meaning and make a difference. This makes us feel happier and more confident and gives us a set of guiding principles that help us make decisions. When kids have a sense of purpose, it is easier for them to keep going when things get difficult because they can see a bigger picture. This can make them less likely to get stuck in the small trivial details that don’t matter in the long run. The journey of life isn’t linear so it’s important to live each day with a bigger set of goals and values that can make even the toughest of days feel worthwhile. Having a sense of purpose is so important that it can actually help your children live longer, healthier lives.

Make your child a participating member of the family

The ultimate goal of parenting is to help your child develop into a person who can independently self-regulate, make good decisions for their wellbeing and care for themselves without you. Like it or not, when your child becomes an adult, they will have the independence to make whatever choices they want for their lives. A big part of our role as parents is supporting the development of our child's capacity for good decision making.

One of the best ways to guide your child to healthy independence and purpose is to give them a voice in your family as early as you can.

Here are some examples of how you can make their voices heard:

1. Ask them how to best solve the parenting difficulties you face. Here’s an example of this from my life: How can we get out the door in the morning without me having to give the kids so many reminders? Their solutions: No leisure reading until all morning tasks are complete, checklists on the fridge with everything that needs to be done, and getting dressed for the day before coming downstairs. By getting kids involved, they are learning to solve problems, are more likely to comply and feel more like participating members of our family.

2. Get them involved in travel planning. This one can be a lot of fun. If you are a family who likes to travel, start to include your child in the decision making. Tapping into a kid's intrinsic curiosity about the world builds purpose and really helps them to feel engaged. You could alternate through each family member getting to pick your final travel destination (after narrowing down the list to reasonable options) or let them plan one of the days while you are away. If you don’t travel, you can use this when planning out your weekend or weeknights when you have family time. Make sure everyone feels like they have a say.

Giving kids a voice is empowering and feeds the development of their sense of purpose. When everything is planned, scheduled and reinforced for them, they miss out on the development of some of these critical skills.

A reminder that our Thursday Pizza Hot Lunches are continuing in January. We alternate between Cheese Pizza and Pepperoni Pizza for $2 a slice. Orders are placed first thing in the morning so that enough pizza can be ordered. Please note the schedule for the coming weeks:

March 7 - Cheese Pizza

March 14 - Pepperoni Pizza

March 21- Cheese Pizza

Cairo H 1J; Jaxson B 1M; Sayer R 1/2F; Emily Neufeld 2E; Princess R 2G; Avery T 3R; Noah D 3/4B; Da’Niyah D 4M; Simeon K 4T; Reed Neufeld 1J; Zachary N 1/2F; Gevonni R 2E; Adrian L 3R; Jax T 3/4B; Emerson C 4M; Breslin L 4T; Atila M 1J; Antonino S 1M; Aaliyah E 2G; Marvin W 2E; Natalie H 3R; Samantha G 3/4B;Elyas M 4M; Janyze C 4T

"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 bus transportation.

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.

Click HERE for this month's Nutrition Bits and Bites Newsletter from Southern Health.

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