South Oaks School

South Oaks is growing steadily and will likely rise to 400 students by September 2025. This growth is due partially to our inclusion of grade 5 classes, but also to a steady trickle of students being registered at our school. It is exciting to see this growth, but also challenging for us to manage at times. Thankfully, the HSD Board recognizes the need for more support and has decided to add a Vice-Principal to our leadership team for next year.

It is a pleasure to introduce the first Vice Principal of South Oaks School! Some of you may know Helen Robidoux. Helen started her career at GVS in 2004 and taught there for about 12 years. Many parents, staff and students will remember her from that time. In her career, Helen has worked as a classroom teacher, Guidance Counsellor and Learning Support teacher. Helen was also one of the Hanover School Division Learning Coaches from 2016 - 2020, where she worked in a variety of areas to support teachers and implement divisional initiatives. Her leadership ability has been well established already. Currently, Helen is working at Mitchell Middle School as a Learning Support teacher. Please join me in welcoming Helen back to the Grunthal community when you are able. Helen says that it feels like "coming home" and we are looking forward to working with her.

Dale Martens

Principal

April 1: Community Health Clinic in Hut #1

April 7: First day after Spring Break

April 10: Aunt Sarah's Chocolate Fundraiser begins

April 14: Staff Admin/PD Day - NO SCHOOL

April 17: Community Health Clinic in Hut #1

April 18: Good Friday - NO SCHOOL

April 24: Chocolate Return Day - to repackage and redistribute chocolate to those who want to sell more

April 24: Grades 1-4 Open House from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

April 30: Final Chocolate Return/Payment Day - for unsold chocolates

We are on the final stretch of fundraising for the new Apollo playground structure, now scheduled for a July 2025 installation! For this year, we have found a new product, in order to keep the price point at a reasonable level for our families.

Introducing Aunt Sarah's chocolate bars! On April 10, the oldest child in your family that attends South Oaks, will bring home a case of 30 bars. If you don't want your child to participate, just let the office know by April 8, end of day. The bars can be sold to family and friends for $3.00 each. We don't recommend children going door to door, unless they are with an adult. If you have other creative ways to sell the bars, great! You will have until April 24 to sell the bars or return what is not sold.

Mrs. Brittany Falk, librarian, will be the manager of this fundraiser. So, if you sell out and want another case, please let her know and we will provide that, as long as supplies last. After we receive any partial cases back on April 24, we will repackage and make those cases available to those who are still wanting to sell more. All payments and unsold chocolates will be due back at school by April 30. Once again, we are offering some great prizes to the top 3 sellers. See below for more information about prizes. The student with the top sales will get to choose their prize first.

Thanks for your participation in our fundraiser! I hope you and your family and friends enjoy the new chocolate treats! Together, we will see a new Apollo on our playground for next year and that will be enjoyed by South Oaks and Grunthal kids for years to come.

On Thursday, April 24, we will host an "open house event" for grade 1-4 classes. This is a "come and go" event where students will be ready to share some of their learning with their parents. Students will have the chance show their parents around the classroom, Music room, Gym and Library. We will also have some snacks for you to enjoy. Please join us anytime between 4:30 and 6:00 pm. Staff will be around to help you to find your way around. This is a chance to celebrate your child and what they have been learning, and to see where they spend much of their time during the week. Hope you can stop by!

As we are beginning to see students riding bikes once again! This is just a reminder that wearing a bicycle helmet is the law in Manitoba. We recommend that students wear bicycle helmets to protect their brain, in case of a fall or a traffic accident. Also, South Oaks will host the MPI Bike Rodeo on May 28 and 29, to provide further instruction about bike safety. More detail to come.

If you have a child born in 2020, please register for Kindergarten as soon as possible! We'll be hosting Kindergarten interviews in May, and registration now will ensure your child can participate in this valuable introduction to school. Registration is done online and a link is available on our school website. Please pass this information on to friends and neighbours who might be eligible for kindergarten in fall. If you have any questions, you can call the school at 204-434-6165.

The new classes for the 2025 - 26 school year will be made in May. Just so parents are aware, we take teacher requests for Kindergarten, since we don't know the students yet. However, for gr. 1-5, the teachers will make the classes, using a variety of criteria to strive for balance. We consider academic ability, social behaviour, support requirements, etc. Thanks for trusting us with this.

Please note that parents are welcome to make friend requests directly with your child's teacher. Please do so by the end of April. Thank-you!

As the snow melts and puddles begin to form, we recommend that parents send an extra pair of socks and pants along with their child in their backpack each day. If your child happens to fall into a puddle, they would be able to change into dry clothes at school without calling home each time. Just something to consider as things get messy on the playground. Thanks!