Bulldog Bulletin

Hello, Bulldog Families!

As we head into the holiday season, I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the HBPS community. I am consistently inspired by the dedication and support that you show our students every day. Your efforts in all areas, from athletics, to the arts, to academics and everything in between, have a meaningful and lasting impact on both the school itself and the community in which it exists.

We now look forward to celebrating a variety of holidays together this season. By fostering an environment that is compassionate and inclusive, where curiosity is able to flourish, we know that we will be able to share an understanding of the importance of diversity as it pertains to the cultures and traditions represented within our student body.

My wish for you this season is that you have a restful and restorative holiday; one filled with joy, love and meaningful connections with those that you hold dear.

As a staff, we look forward to spending these next 3 weeks with our students, enjoying all the magic that this time of year brings.

Sincerely,

Jason Huffman

Principal

This is the time of year when we begin to anticipate bus cancellations due to weather. We recommend our families download the “BusPlanner Delays” app in order to check for changes to busing, whether delays or cancellations. This is updated in real-time and will always give you the most accurate information.

In the case of bus cancellations, those students riding the bus will be given a “general” absence day, which does not count against their overall attendance record. If you wish for your child to attend on one of these days please know that you are responsible for both their drop off and pick up. The day starts at 9:00 am, and students MUST be picked up by 3:30 pm.

Students who are not provided busing are expected to attend on these days, as the school is open. If you wish to keep your child home please ensure you enter their absence into School Messenger, either on the app or by calling 1-844-434-8119.

If the school is closed you will be informed, and all students will be marked with a general absence.

This past month we received two very generous donations. One came from The Havelock Lions Club and the other from Cordova Mines Recreation Association. These donations will help support our nutrition program here at HBPS. It will allow us to continue to offer nutritious snacks throughout the day to our students. Thank you to these wonderful community partners for helping us support our learners in this extremely impactful and important way.

Students can fall behind in their academic, social and emotional learning if they are absent just one or two days every few weeks, including both excused and unexcused absences. If you are concerned about health issues that are preventing your child from attending school, please let us know so that we can ensure that they are not falling behind.

Meetings with teachers are now underway for our families. Please look for communication from your child's homeroom teacher to set up a time to meet and discuss their progress.

We understand that some mornings, our learners may be late for a variety of reasons. If you are dropping your student off late, please check in at the office to ensure that their attendance has been adjusted. We then ask that you do not accompany your child to their classroom. Arriving late can create stress for your child who has to enter the classroom during learning, and having a parent at their classroom door often adds to this feeling. If your student is not able to walk themselves to their class we will have a support staff accompany them. The best way to ensure they start off their day in a positive way is to have them arrive at school before the bell.

This time of year is often one that brings an abundance of baked goods and purchased sweets. If you wish to send treats to your child’s classroom, please ensure they are nut-free. As an added precaution, you can also touch base with their teacher to ensure that there are no other allergies in the classroom that you need to be aware of.

Please note: Timbits and other food products from Tim Hortons are noted as possibly containing nuts and will not be able to be consumed at school.

Thank you to all of those who volunteered for our recent skating day. Our next one will be Thursday, December 19th. All students and adults are required to wear current, CSA approved helmets as well as mittens or gloves on the ice.

Outdoor Clothing: As the weather turns cold we want to remind our families to send their students in full winter gear. We also recommend sending a spare pair of mittens, as these tend to get wet once the students begin playing more in the snow. All items should be labelled to reduce lost items.

Indoor Shoes: If your child needs to bring home their indoor shoes for the break, please ensure that they bring them back in January! It is imperative that students have shoes to wear indoors in case of fire drills, or other emergencies.

As we head deeper into this cold and flu season we would like to remind you of the policy that we follow, provided by Peterborough Public Health. Students with a fever are not to return to school until 24 hours after the fever has broken. Those students who may experience vomiting and diarrhea are to remain out of school until 48 hours have passed without a gastro event. These guidelines are put in place by PPH to limit the risk of spreading illness throughout the student body and we ask that you be mindful of them when deciding if your student is well enough to attend school.

Once again, our wonderful School Council will be providing each and every student with a hot, festive meal on Friday, December 13th. All students will be gathered together at the Lions Hall and the meal will be served by our volunteers.

We are always happy to welcome volunteers into our school to assist with class trips and in-school activities. In order to volunteer, we need to have your up-to-date Vulnerable Sector check on file in the office. If you wish to have this completed, please contact the office, and we can provide you with a letter to submit for the free police check, now done online!

Monday: Holiday Colours!

Wear your best blue, silver, red, green or gold!

Tuesday: Festive Fun!

Wear a decorative sweater, hat, socks etc.

Wednesday: Holidaze

Dress like you're heading to the beach (please wear proper outdoor gear)

Thursday: Solstice Sparkle

Shimmer and shine!

Friday: PJ Day

December 12: Holiday Concert , PM (Homeroom teachers will send out performance time). Evening concert held from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. in the gym. Further details to come.

December 13: Festive Feast

December 19: Skating

December 20: Last day of school before winter holiday

January 6: Students return to school