South Oaks School
June 2024
We Did Some Hard Things . . .
Our students also did a lot of hard things this year. They needed to work hard at closing the learning gaps that remained from the pandemic. They needed to work hard to sharpen their social skills, which have lagged for some. For students struggling with significant personal challenges (i.e. family stresses, ADHD, Autism, etc.) small things can feel absolutely massive and overwhelming to them. Students do hard things too.
This year, we saw parent volunteers, especially during the strike in the fall, do some hard things. They demonstrated their commitment to the school community in practical ways, standing on crosswalks with their flags waving, supervising the playground with many children needing attention, monitoring students during lunch time, etc. I will always remember the time when South Oaks parents "carried us" when we needed them. Thank-you.
We all did some hard things this year. I am so thankful for all your efforts. I sincerely hope next year you won't all need to face quite so many hard things. Take care and have a wonderful summer break.
Dale Martens
Principal
Dates to Remember - June Calendar
June 6: Community Health Clinic in Hut #1
June 14: Run, Jump & Throw Day
June 17: Library closes - return all books
June 19 - Assembly at 9:30 am - Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day (parents are welcome)
June 20: Community Health Clinic in Hut #1
June 25: Grade 4 Fun Day at the Grunthal Pool/Park
June 27: South Oaks Community Picnic (rain or shine)
June 27: Last day of classes for students
June 28: ADMIN DAY - No Classes
June 28: Report cards posted on Parent Portal at 4 pm
A Note from Transportation
School Fees Still Owing?
A reminder that school fees can be paid online on the Parent Portal, or by cash or cheque at the school office. Our school office is open between 8:00 and 4:00 pm daily. Please make every effort to ensure student fees are paid before the end of the school year, especially if your child isn't returning to South Oaks. Thank you!
Final Report Cards
South Oaks Community Picnic - June 27
We are excited to invite parents back to the South Oaks picnic event this year! The plan for this year is for students to spend half the day enjoying fun picnic activity stations (led by their teachers but parents are welcome to join their child's class) and half the day doing some year end activities in their classes. Lunch hour is a chance for all students and parents to enjoy a picnic lunch together on our lovely school grounds. Here is the schedule;
9:20 - 11:50 am - 1GR, 1BJ, 1/2CE, 2JD, 2MC, KJL - visit picnic activity stations with their teachers/parents.
11:50 am - 12:50 pm - Picnic Lunch for everyone (pre-orders only).
12:50 - 3:20 pm - 3/4KB, 3/4BT, 4AP, 4CH, 3CF, 3LJ - visit picnic activity stations with their teachers/parents.
In order to provide efficient food distribution at the event, we are looking for up to 10 parent volunteers to help distribute the food. Please let the office know if you could help us!
We want to include younger siblings at the picnic lunch. So, please feel welcome to bring the whole family for lunch. However, the picnic activity stations are intended for South Oaks students only as this is their special day. Thanks for your understanding. We look forward to a very fun day at the South Oaks Community Picnic! The picnic will proceed rain or shine.
When arriving for the picnic at 11:50 am, please meet your child in the location that your teacher has chosen. You can pick up your orders at the tables outside on the playground, based on the grade of your oldest child, either gr. 3-4 or K-2 tables. You can pick up all the orders for your family from that one table. Once you have your orders, enjoy your picnic on the playground. Kids can play when they are done. Parents are in charge of supervising their children during the lunch hour. Then, at 12:50 pm, a bell will ring and students should line up as usual and teachers will welcome them back to class and then proceed with plans for the day. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket as needed.
PAC Report
Hello South Oaks Families,
The Parent Advisory Council has been working hard this year to enrich the school experience for our students. Here’s what we were up to this school year:
-Rocco's Pizza and Grunthal Grocery fundraiser this winter.
-Provided cookie decorating kits for students for Winter Fun Day.
-Supporting the snack program.
-Staff Appreciation lunch.
-BBQing lunch of the year end picnic.
There are a few positions to fill on the PAC for next school year. We are looking for both Moms and Dads to volunteer. We usually meet every other month, depending on what projects we were working on. It's not a huge time commitment to be involved. I’ve learned a lot about what goes into planning our children's education while serving on the PAC. Duties as a PAC member include attending and participating in meetings, helping with PAC projects like fundraisers or appreciation events, and offering ideas. If you’re interested in more information, please reach out to any of our members. The contact information is listed on the school website.
Thank you to all parents who have been able to volunteer at South Oaks this year, whether on the parent council, in your child's classroom or during the strike earlier this year. The kids love to see their parents at the school, and the school relies on volunteers at times, so thank you for volunteering!
Have a great summer,
Teresa Wiens
South Oaks School PAC Chair
Hanover Parent Child Community Program
We are so excited to be coming back to South Oaks School! We are the Hanover Parent and Child Community Program: a play based program for parents and their children (ages 0-5) to come, play, enjoy a snack, and learn through a variety of experiences with a trained Early Childhood Educator (ECE)! Keep your eyes on the student services website for a blog post about our program that we are so excited to share with you! It’ll be posted in early June. For the 2024/2025 school year we will be at South Oaks on Tuesdays from 9:00 to 11:30 am and Thursdays from 9:00 to 11:30 am. We will be using Hut #2. We look forward to seeing you next year. Wishing you and your families an incredible summer!
School Supplies for 2024-25
So, how does this work? The school will charge a $50.00 fee for school supplies to your parent portal account at the end of August. The deadline for paying the fee is the day school begins, on September 4. This gives each family sufficient time to pay at their convenience. Parents can pay online anytime or at the office with cash or cheque during office hours.
For the start of school, parents please send a backpack, indoor/outdoor shoes, lunch kit and box of Kleenex. Grade 1-4 students also need headphones of their own. We take care of all other school supplies.
Please call our office at 204-434-6165 if you have any questions, anytime.
Getting Ready for Grade 5!
All grade 4 students and their parents are invited to Green Valley School on Wednesday, June 12th to attend the Grade 5 orientation evening. The event takes place in the GVS gym and students and parents will have an opportunity to meet the grade 5 teachers, see the classrooms, see various parts of the school and interact with high school volunteers. We feel this orientation is a valuable event in preparing students for their transition to GVS and encourage all grade 4 students and their parents to attend. Please call GVS at 204-434-6415 or email their school counsellor, Cam Gerbrandt, at cagerbrandt@hsd.ca for more details if needed.
Kindergarten Info for September
Also, for any parents who are wondering what days of the cycle your child will attend school, the following information should be helpful;
Students in KDR: odd days of the cycle (1, 3, 5)
Students in KLW-1: odd days of the cycle (1, 3, 5)
Students in KLW-2: even days of the cycle (2, 4, 6)
To see a calendar with the days of the cycle, please visit our South Oaks website and click on the big "Calendar" button on the main page. This will make it easy for you to determine your child's schedule.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Hanover Summer Camps
The dates for summer camps are:
July 15-19: Wilderness Explorers Camp (Mitchell)
July 22-26: Culinary Camp (Kleefeld)
July 29-August 2: Creative Discovery Camp (Blumenort)
August 12-16: Investigating Science Camp (New Bothwell)
August 19-23: Adventure Camp (Grunthal)
Please click the link to register or for more information: https://app.univerusrec.com/hanoverpub/index.asp