Woodlawn Early Years School

​ During the month of May the Woodlawn community will have the opportunity to attend two spring concerts showcased by our grade one and grade two classes. I would like to thank Mrs. Katie Schroeder, Mrs. Aimee Kroeker and the grade one and two teachers who are working hard in preparation for these events. I hope many of you will be able to come out and enjoy the creativity during the afternoon or the evening performance.

During May Woodlawn also has the privilege of greeting our 2019-2020 Kindergarten students. The school is hosting a welcome evening and stay and play days. I look forward to meeting all the new children and their families and welcoming them to our great school community.

Our annual volunteer appreciation event takes place on May 23 where we have the opportunity to pay tribute to all the wonderful people who support us throughout the year by giving their time and energy. Thank you for your partnerships along the way.

As always, please don‛t hesitate to contact the school should you have any questions or concerns regarding programs or activities at Woodlawn School. The staff and I are happy to have a conversation with you.

Karen Fraser

Our spring weather has finally arrived. Our teachers are taking advantage of getting outside to explore and play. Getting outside in the spring (and all year) is an excellent way to nurture curiosity in our children. This doesn't just have to happen at school. Nurturing curiosity in your children outside is very easy. Children naturally have questions about what they see and notice outside in the spring. You may hear questions like: Why does the grass grow? What will grow in our garden? Can we garden in the winter? Where are the flowers? How do flowers grow? When you hear these questions or when you see your child noticing something, lean into their curiosity. Ask them what they think and explore their question together. It will probably lead to more and more questions.

Tara Reimer

A friendly reminder, if your child will be away from school or will be late or will not be returning to school after one of the nutrition/activity breaks, please ensure you call the school at 204-326-6110 before 9:00 am or email woodlawn@hsd.ca to let us know. For your convenience, you may also leave a voicemail message before 8:00 am or after 4:30 pm. If you know ahead of time that your child will be absent please write a note in their agenda. When the school is not advised of an absence or late arrival, the office begins a call back procedure to parents and emergency contacts. Many of these calls can be avoided if parents call ahead to advise us of the absence.

This week teachers are reviewing traffic safety with all our classes and practicing crossing the street safely. Here are some excellent resources for you to talk about traffic safety at home with your children.

http://www.mbschoolboards.ca/images/Cross%20Safely.jpg

http://www.elmer.ca/safety-village/traffic-safety

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/ptu/education.html

Save the planet and earn money for Woodlawn School! We’re running a Colibri fundraiser to raise money for special events at Woodlawn and you can help by placing an order. It’s so easy, just add items to your cart, select our school/group at check out and all orders will be sent home with your student. Friends and family are welcome to order too - just enter the student’s name, grade and teacher and the orders will be sent home with them at the end of the campaign. Orders are due by May 6.

Click here to order: www.colibrifundraising.com

Spring picture day is Wednesday, May 8. Forms were sent home with students last week. All students will be getting their picture taken, however purchasing pictures is optional. If you would like a sibling photo of your children please be sure to complete the form (including names of siblings and their classroom) and return it to the school with one of your children.

If you have a Kindergarten child in KG2, KM2, or KN2 (attending on even days) and you would like their picture taken please bring them to the school between 9:30 and 11:30 for their photo.

Staff will soon be meeting to determine class lists for the 2019-2020 school year. This is a complex process and as in previous years we are seeking parental understanding and support of this process.

It is our strong belief that the learning atmosphere in the classroom must be the first consideration in the formation of class groupings. Classes are organized to ensure Appropriate Education takes place for all students. We make every effort to minimize the potential for negative student interactions.

Staff teams strive to create classes that are heterogeneous and balanced in all respects. The following criteria (in no specific order) are considered when determining class lists:

· Student abilities

· Our knowledge of social interactions and dynamics between individual students and groups of students

· Student/teacher match

· Placement of students new to Woodlawn School

· Male/female ratio

· Parental information

· Approximately equal class sizes

Parents can assist the class formation process by:

1. Helping their children to understand the importance of class formation.

2. Supporting placements that have been made.

Given the criteria used to generate class groupings, it can sometimes be difficult to accommodate requests that we get to place a particular student with another student or group of students. It is equally difficult to accommodate requests for a particular teacher. We will do our best to accommodate requests, that are based on student specific needs, but we do not guarantee that requests will be honoured. Any such requests should be submitted in writing by May 15, 2019 to the school principal. Late requests will not be considered.

Given appropriate support at home and at school, it has been our experience that the vast majority of placements are successful. Where a placement is proving to be difficult, we ask that parents and students give it the time required for friendships and classroom community building to develop.

The name of your child(ren)’s teacher for 19/20 will be included with the June report card. Should you have any concerns, you are asked to put them in writing addressed to the principal. Concerns will be dealt with upon return in August 2019. Once the lists are compiled, administration tries not to make adjustments. However, certain circumstances may arise where placements need to be altered due to students leaving or enrolling, registration of new students with high needs etc. In these instances, parents will be notified in late August of the change in order to prepare your child.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to your child’s education at Woodlawn School.

Karen Fraser (Principal) and Tara Reimer (Vice Principal)

Mrs. Angela Martin K

Ms. Rachael Neal K

TBA K

Ms. Amanda Cipriano 1C

Mrs. Jennifer Cuppage 1JC

Mr. Chris Schroeder 1S

Ms. Amanda Bilevicius 1B

Ms. Kaitlin Flinta 1F

Mrs. Heather Penner 1P

Mrs. Marlene Funk 2F

Mrs. Courtney Gangloff 2G

Mrs. Pat Reimer 2PR

Mrs. Leah Read 2LR

Mrs. Kristen Sheffield 2S

Mr. Michael Bourget 3B

Mrs. Andrea Dick 3D

Ms. Jordyn Shaw 3S

Mrs. Elena Cornelsen 3C

Ms. Kristen Reimer 3R

Ms. Cathy Toews 3T

Mrs. Wendy Buhler 4B

Ms. Simmy Gandhi 4G

Mr. Shawn Kehoe 4SK

Mrs. Jerilyn Koslowsky 4JK

Mrs. Lisa Martens 4M

Grade 1 Presents:

The grade ones have been hard at work for almost a month already preparing for our Spring Musical "Barnyard Moosical!" We are looking forward to performing two concerts on Tuesday, May 7th. The first concert will be at 2:00 and the evening concert will be at 6:00. Thank you in advance for making time to bring your kids to the concert. I know it's a busy time with soccer, softball and other sports going on. The doors to the gym will open 15 mins prior to the concert starting. It should be a great event!

Grade 2 Presents:

Yee-Haw! Howdy y'all!

Tie up your horse and have a seat! Woodlawn's Grade 2 students are about to go on a Rollicking Western Adventure, and you're invited! We'll be riding the open ranges, square dancing around hay bales, sharing a tale or two around the campfire, and witnessing a good old fashioned western show-down!

Thursday, May 9th at 2:00 and 6:00 pm, Woodlawn School Gym

A Coin Collection supporting a local charity will be taken on your way out of the gym.

Parking: The church lot across from the school is available for parking, please do not block entrances to the lot.

This year we have moved to an online registration process so you won't receive a Kindergarten Registration Package in the mail. If you have a child registered for Kindergarten 2019-2020, you should have received an email from the school inviting you to our Kindergarten Welcome Evening on Thursday, May 16th. Please join us for a fun evening of activities and information. Activities will include arts & crafts, gross motor play, a tour, and even a bus ride. The Kindergarten Teachers, Learning Support Teachers, School Principals and our Speech Language Clinician will be available to answer questions. There are two sessions to accommodate our size so please read the email to see what time you need to come. If you didn't receive an email, please contact the school.

If you live in Woodlawn’s catchment area and plan to send your child to Kindergarten in September 2019 but have not registered your child yet, please follow the link on our website. Please pass this information along to any friend, neighbor or relative who may have children eligible for Kindergarten and who might not be aware of the registration process. To be eligible for Kindergarten children must be 5 years of age on or before December 31, 2019.

We want to celebrate you!

On May 23 please join us for a light breakfast between 8:30 and 9 a.m. in the school library!

At 9:05 we will be having an assembly in the gym to show our thanks and appreciation for all of you!

“It’s so refreshing to have great volunteers like you”!

Stonybrook Middle School Orientation - Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 pm at Stonybrook Middle School

Clearspring Middle School Orientation - Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 pm at Clearspring Middle School

For the last 9 years, Woodlawn students and their families have been

involved in harvesting root vegetables for Southeast Helping Hands.

We started with a Woodlawn Community Garden, and have since transitioned to inviting our

families to donate from their own gardens, or to purchase and donate vegetables in the

autumn. These vegetables have benefitted families in need, from our local community.

We are inviting Woodlawn students and their families, to participate in our third annual: Grow

a Row for Those in Need gardening campaign. We are looking for root vegetables like:

potatoes, carrots, onions, turnips, beets and squash.

Participating families are asked to send an email confirmation to Miss Kristen Reimer

(krreimer@hsd.ca) pledging their donation of one or more rows of root vegetables for our

project. In the case of crop failure, you are under no obligation to provide produce, unless you

so desire.

If you don’t plan on having a garden, but would still like to donate some root vegetables, your

contribution is greatly appreciated. Please stay tuned in the autumn for more details.

Your child will be sent home with a reusable bag for our collection week in the autumn. Stay

tuned for details in our September newsletter.

If you are interested in donating vegetables, please send a confirmation email to

krreimer@hsd.ca by Friday, May 24.

Thank you for your willingness to participate! We are excited to continue Woodlawn’s legacy

of giving back to our local community and teaching children how to be generous, thoughtful,

and caring citizens.

Sincerely,

Karen Fraser - Principal

Kristen Reimer - Teacher Coordinator

On Friday, June 7th, the grade 1 to 4 students in Woodlawn School will be involved in a Jump Rope for Heart event at our school. This event will involve some optional fundraising for the Heart and Stroke Foundation with some of the proceeds going to our school. The fundraising will occur in the 4 weeks leading up to the event. Students will have the opportunity to win some fun prizes for their fundraising efforts, those prizes will be introduced during our kickoff event May 14th. May 14th will be the day that students take home their forms and can start their fundraising with June 7th being the deadline. I ask that the forms be returned even if no money was raised. Parents are welcome to accompany their child’s class the day of the event, just let their teachers know you are interested. More information about the event will come home with the forms after the kickoff event.

Jesse Adams - PE Teacher

Dear Parents,

To help make Back to School as easy as possible for parents, Staples offers School Tools—complete school supply kits for students containing supplies that have been selected and approved by your child’s teacher, school principal and/or parent-teacher association as primary choices for the year ahead.

The School Tools Program allows you to view and order the upcoming year’s required supplies list for your child, as specified by their teacher, and is a very efficient way to ensure that your child has all of the core supplies they need on their first day back.

Why choose Staples School Tools?

• It’s the quickest and easiest way to purchase your child’s teacher-selected items for class

• Guaranteed quality in all products chosen

• Competitive pricing means great value for your money

• School-year product guarantee – Enjoy hassle-free product replacement at any Staples store

• Packaged in a Reusable Staples supplies bag

Woodlawn and Staples are excited to partner this coming school year!

Stay tuned for more information coming up!

Email: woodlawn@hsd.ca
Website: www.woodlawn.hsd.ca
Location: 411 Henry St, Steinbach, MB, Canada R5G 0R1
Phone: 204-326-6110
Twitter: @WoodlawnHSD