École St. Matthew's School Gazette

We are pleased to share our first newsletter of 2024, and we hope it finds you all rested and rejuvenated for our return to classes. Please enjoy these final moments of the holiday break, as well as the notes and news shared with you below.

Here's to a wonderful month and year ahead,

Charmayne & Allison

Charmayne Rumbolt, Principal

Allison North, Assistant Principal

Classes will resume for all students on Tuesday 02 January. It will be Day 5 of our 7-day cycle.

School Lunch will be available to all those who have placed orders beginning tomorrow, January 2.

Ordering for the month of January closed on December 13, however, if you missed out on orders for January, you can still register and place an order for February once ordering opens on Tuesday, January 9. Registration is available online only and is required to order meals. To register please visit https://schoollunch.ca/. We also ask that you attempt to select menu options that your child will eat to reduce food wastage.

You can also access the ordering calendar HERE.

Our next Silly Squad Day will take place on Friday 19 January. We are all invited to mix it up by wearing our clothes backwards, and spare change collected will be donated to The Gathering Place.

Our 2023-2024 KinderStart families should have all received correspondence via email regarding our upcoming sessions. Our second KinderStart session will take place on Friday 26 January. As a result, there will be no classes for Kindergarten students that day.

Wintry weather is upon us, so it is very important that your child is prepared for outside learning and wellness each day as we will continue to go outside for movement breaks and learning as the seasons change. We ask that you encourage your child to check our Lost & Found if they are missing items, and to keep a spare pair of socks in their backpacks should their boots fill with snow while outside.

St. Matthew’s is collecting recycling used eyeglasses in conjunction with the Lions Club. The Lions Club will pick up the glasses, clean and repair them and then send them on to a country in need. Your used glasses will be matched by a professional optometrist to a person in need and your support will help them with reading and learning.

Ms. Ryan’s Kindergartens enjoyed the first snowfall in our outdoor garden area winter wonderland! We also made sealskin keychains with Ms. Trudy and learned about the senses with Let’s Talk Science. Finally, we travelled to many countries around the world on our very own Celebration Airlines to learn about several different celebrations. We really enjoyed a yummy Gingerbread Day with Ms. Hodder! Thanks for baking all those cookies, Ms. Hodder. Not one ran away! Season’s Greetings to all!

Ms. Taylors Grade 4/5 class enjoyed taking part in the ArtsSmarts Program with Ms. Trudy Flowers. Our grade 4s had an absolute blast during their week at The Rooms, while the grade 5s enjoyed the first snowfall and presented their artifacts from home. The students are also very engaged during our science labs and are loving the sound and force labs!

The grade six classes head outside to collect data used to create their graphs. A great way to learn, socialize, and catch some fresh air!

Mr. Taylor’s grade six class working on a craft with our buddies in Ms. Bursey’s room.

Our 2023-2024 School Council looks forward to working in partnership with all members of our school community to ensure engagement and learning for all.

A list of current council members, together with meeting minutes and upcoming meeting dates can be found on our ÉSMS website. Should a member of the school community wish to attend a Council meeting to speak to a particular matter, please send along a note to charmaynerumbolt@nlesd.ca including name and topic for discussion. This information will then be forwarded to Council Chair John Cowan for inclusion in the next meeting agenda.

The next meeting of the ÉSMS School Council will take place on January 17, 2024 at 5:30 pm.

Feedback Required:

School Council would like to proceed with process for official renaming of St. Matthew's School to École St. Matthew's School as a means to reflect our English and French Immersion streams and our dedication to the promotion of both of Canada's official languages. Any feedback on this initiative can also be forwarded to the above address for consideration by Council.

Policy Corner:

Each month, School Council will highlight an NLESD policy of pertinence and interest. Please find our Janaury selection below:

School Athletics Policy

Tuesday 2 January

School reopens (Day 5 on 7-day Cycle)

Wednesday 17 January

School Council Meeting at 5:30 pm

Friday 19 January

Silly Squad BACKWARDS Day

Friday 26 January

KinderStart Session #2 - No classes for Kindergarten students