Woodlawn Early Years School

This is a hard newsletter for the two of us to write. We love our Woodlawn community and we are going to miss everyone! We thank all of the parents and families for your support over the years.

There are so many people involved in making sure the school year is a success. Thank you to all of the parents who work in partnership with us. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you to our amazing PAC. They work so hard to help all of our students and staff have a positive school experience. Thank you to Mrs. Thiessen and Mrs. Penner in the office. You do so much to ensure that things run smoothly and you always do it with a warm, welcoming smile. Thank you Mrs. Loewen for keeping our library running smoothly and for helping everyone find books they love. Thank you Ms. Holly for keeping our school in such great shape. Thank you to the educational assistants who make sure that ALL students are included and engaged. Thank you to all of our amazing students. You are the best! Finally, thank you to all of our teachers who work day in and day out to ensure that all of the students in their classes are engaged socially, intellectually, academically, and emotionally. You are the reason Woodlawn is such a great place for Our Kids!

To all of the grade 4s we wish you wonderful, new adventures in middle school. To students and their families who are moving or leaving Woodlawn, you will be missed. Congratulations to Sandy Caners who is retiring this year after over thirty years in the Hanover School Division. Thank you to Shawn Kehoe, Amanda Cipriano, and Jessica McKinney for your dedication to your students. We wish you all the best in your future teaching endeavors. We appreciate you! To some of our Educational Assistants who are leaving us, you will be missed. We wish all of you well in your future endeavors.

We wish all our families an amazing summer. Be safe, play hard, and explore!

Karen Fraser & Tara Reimer

Everyone is welcome to join us for our drop in Meet the Teacher event on Tuesday, September 3 from 4:30-6:00. We hope to see you all there!

** PLEASE NOTE:

On Wednesday, September 4, (the first day of school) there will be an early dismissal at 3:15 pm for all non bus students.

All bus students are asked to stay in school for the regular dismissal. Due to our large number of bus students, all teachers will be involved in helping students locate bus lines.

The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) will be holding an AGM in September. We will announce the date in our back to school newsletter. All parents are encouraged to attend.

Kindergarten

• Angela Martin

• Andrea Lepp

• Allison Antonio

Grade 1

• Ashley Green

• Glenda Maendel

• Chris Schroeder

Grade 1/2

• Jessica Klassen

• Jennifer Cuppage

• Angela Gosselin

• TBD

Grade 2

• Pat Reimer

• Kristen Falk

• Leah Read-Schroeder

Grade 3

• Monica Martens

• Kristen Reimer

• Cathy Toews and Melissa Hiebert

Grade 3/4

• Lisa Martens

• Andrea Dick

• Erin Leath

• Mark Wiewel

Grade 4

• Marlene Funk

• Simmy Gandhi

• Jerilyn Koslowski

Dear Parents,

At Woodlawn we collect a School Supply Fee of $40. Our teachers order the school supplies for all of the students. This way all of our children have the same supplies. All fees can be paid on parent portal.

As parents you will need to supply the following:

• 1 pair of labeled indoor running shoes
• 1 labeled plastic water bottle
• 1 extra change of clothes (for accidents or if they fall outside in the mud/water)
• 1 labeled backpack
• 2 boxes of Kleenex

At the end of August / beginning of September, please check the Hanover School Division website for updates on the urban bus schedule. Website: HSD.ca - go to Schools and Department - then Transportation - Urban Bus Routes - then click on the appropriate map to view routes.

If you move during the summer please notify the Hanover School Division transportation office at 204-320-2347. The transportation office is open all summer.

The Woodlawn School office closes on June 28 and will re-open August 19.

Report cards will be available on June 27at 3:45. We will not be printing report cards. They can be viewed on the Parent Portal. Parents have the option to download the report card and save it or print it at home if they wish.

Strong Connections Program at Woodlawn For Grades 1-4

(Kindergarten classes will take place as usual.)

September 13 and 16, 2024.

Strong Connections will take place once again at Woodlawn School. This program has been implemented for several years now in Hanover School Division. Strong Connections is a program designed to build the relationships between teachers and their students as well as enhance the beginning of the year assessment of each child. Strong Connections activities are designed to help us get to know our students and how they learn in order to know where to begin with instruction. This provides an opportunity for teachers to extend and

consolidate their understanding of each child through one to one interview/assessment times. This will facilitate teachers in planning for instruction that will effectively address learning needs early in the year.

What will teachers learn through Strong Connections?

Teachers working individually with their students in an atmosphere of support and

encouragement have an opportunity to collect first hand information about such things as:

· How they learn

· Their confidence as learners

· The learning strategies they possess

· Their reading, writing and mathematical skills

· Their approach to problem solving

· Their attitudes toward school and learning

· Their ability to reflect upon and set goals for their learning

How will it work?

On either September 13 or 16, 2024, students will attend school one day out of two. With half of the students present, homeroom teachers will have the opportunity to meet one on one with each student to participate in relationship building activities and assessment which revolves around literacy and numeracy. This is an opportunity for teachers to gather information about each child’s learning that may not be evident during whole class instruction. It is also an opportunity to further develop the teacher-student relationship. While some students are with the teacher, others will be participating in a variety of stations which include music, physical education, literacy, technology, art, and character building.

During these days, there will be no regularly scheduled classes for students. Students will arrive at school in their normal manner (bus or other) for their scheduled day. Parents will be notified during the first week of school as to when their child’s scheduled Strong Connections day will be.

We look forward to using these days to provide us with a deeper understanding of each student. More information will be sent out via email at the end of August regarding your student's date. Please keep an eye on your parent portal, as this is where the date will show up.

Notice of Approved Petitions for Woodlawn School

Petition for Religious Instruction - The Hanover School Division Board of Trustees has received a petition requesting that religious instruction be held in Woodlawn School during the 2024 - 2025 school year. The petitioners have specified their desire for the Discovery Time program offered by Child Evangelism Fellowship. As the petition bears the signatures of parents/guardians representing more than 25 students in the school, the Board of Trustees of the Hanover School Division has passed the required by-law permitting religious instruction, as specified above, to be offered by volunteers during designated half-hour per week classes.

Parents/guardians who did not sign the original petitions are eligible to join at any time by submitting a signed note to the HSD Board of Trustees (forward directly to Woodlawn School). The note must indicate the name and grade of student for whom permission to participate is being given. Only children whose parents/guardians signed the original petition, or have subsequently joined, may participate in the exercises and instruction as described above.

As a Manitoba public school division, HSD is obligated to comply with the provisions of The Public Schools Act and provincial guidelines governing the implementation of religious exercises and religious instruction. The Public Schools Act states that public schools must be non-sectarian. Religious exercises and religious instruction in public schools may only be implemented by school boards in a manner consistent with the Public Schools Act and provincial guidelines - after parent/guardian petition is presented to the school board. Such petitions require annual submission, and must be received by the HSD Board of Trustees no later than April 30 (previous to the school year for which the petition applies).

Additional information regarding the Public Schools Act, HSD policies, and provincial guidelines governing these petitions can be viewed on the Woodlawn School website.

Ron Falk, Board Chair

Hanover School Division

Shelley Amos - Interim Superintendent/CEO

Hanover School Division

Hanover is a student-centerd school division striving for excellence while developing skills and promoting values for a productive and wholesome life.

The staff of Woodlawn School would like to wish all students and their families a safe summer holiday! See you in September!

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