Elmdale School
February Newsletter
Principal's Message
Have you been looking for a way to get more involved in your child's education at Elmdale? Our Parent Advisory Council is a great place to get involved - it can be as simple as attending our monthly meetings and providing your voice. Or you can get involved in the PAC fundraisers, take on a committee role, or just help out when you can.
Currently we meet once a month, alternating between Monday evenings and Thursday evenings, at 6:30 in the Elmdale School Library. Our next meeting is February 12 and all Elmdale parents are invited to attend.
Several of our long-time PAC members will be having their last Elmdale student move on to middle school next year, so we are looking for some interested people to fill in some of those gaps. Specifically we will be looking for a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Hot Lunch Coordinator, and possibly a Staff Appreciation Coordinator.
Stop by our next meeting (Feb 12) or email elmdaleparentcouncil@gmail.com if you are interested in more information.
Mr. Vince Hiebert
Principal: Elmdale School
Email: vhiebert@hsd.ca
Instagram: elmdalehsd
Safety Reminder!
Just a reminder that parents/caregivers should not be using the grade 3/4 (gym) doors to enter the school. We understand this may be near your children's classrooms, but all pick up and drop offs should be done through the office.
For all drop offs and pick ups that happen during the school day, it is important that parents check in at the office and wait for their children there, or say their goodbyes there. Parents should not be walking down the hallways or visiting their children in their classrooms during the school day.
I Love to Read Month
February is I Love to Read Month at Elmdale. Here are some Special Events coming up this month:
Feb. 5-9 - Staff Guest Readers
Feb. 9 - Corny Rempel Guest Reader Assembly
Feb. 9 - Dress as Your Favorite Book Character
Feb. 16 - Wear Pink or Red
Feb. 20-22 - Book Fair
Feb. 22 - Blue Bombers Guest Reader Assembly
Feb. 28 - Pistons Guest Readers
Mar. 1 - PJ Day
We also have several reading challenges that include weekly and monthly prizes for students who reach their reading goals! Let's get our Read On, Elmdale!!
Blue Bombers Assembly
On February 22 at 10:30am we will have a special visit from some players from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They will be reading and doing a brief Q & A time at our assembly. Parents are welcome to attend - please note the time is different than our usual assembly time.
All guests to our school assemblies must sign in at the office before proceeding to the school gym.
A Huge Thank-You to All the Local Businesses who Sponsored I Love to Read Month!
Book Fair
We are planning our annual Scholastic Book Fair for the week of February 20-22. We look forward to partnering with Scholastic to give students the opportunity to buy books (and some fun stuff as well). Did you know that we get to keep some of the profits from the book fair to directly benefit the school library! This is a great way to increase your book collection at home while also supporting the Elmdale Library.
More information about extended buying hours and buying days will be shared in the near future. If you have any questions, please contact our librarian, Mrs. Penner at anpenner@hsd.ca.
Celebration of Learning
A quick reminder that we have planned our annual spring Celebration of Learning for the evening of March 21, 2023. More information will follow in early March in regards to the setup of the evening, how to book appointments, etc., but we want to make sure all of our Elmdale families mark this down on their calendar as it was not in our original Calendar that was sent out in September.
We look forward to seeing you all at school on March 21!
Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for additional volunteers to help out with our Thursday Pizza Hot Lunch. It involves about one hour (or a bit longer) on Thursdays to help sort pizzas by class, deliver them to the classrooms, and count the money. If you are able to help one (or more!) Thursday per month, please email elmdaleparentcouncil@gmail.com for more information
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open. To be eligible, Children must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2024 (born in 2019). The registration process will take place online at www.HSD.ca. If you do not have access to the Internet, please visit the school office and we can assist you in completing the registration on a school computer. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to register their children soon after registration opens in January. Early registration will assist us in preparation and planning for the upcoming school year. Registering before March 1 will ensure there is sufficient time for school appointments and provide parents/guardians with the opportunity to participate in Kindergarten orientation activities. Visit www.HSD.ca for registration instructions.
UMBRELLA SKILL FOR FEBRUARY: SELF EFFICACY
Welcome to Self-efficacy month at the Umbrella Project!
So you might wonder, what is self-efficacy and how will it help my child?
The easiest way to think about self-efficacy is as our “I can do this” or “I cannot do this” skill. It’s the belief in ourselves and our ability to succeed or manage situations. As you can imagine, self-efficacy has dramatic effects on our children’s behaviour, effort, learning and achievement.
When your child doesn’t feel that they can do something, they are unlikely to give the task a lot of their time and energy and thus are unlikely to succeed at that task.
Self-efficacy is a big part of motivation. This skill gets stronger the more we overcome difficulties and challenges related to our goals. As your child's self-efficacy increases, they will feel a greater sense of positive control over their lives, which is a critical part of their wellbeing!
Provide regular positive encouragement
One of the ways we can improve motivation and self-efficacy in our children is social persuasion. Social persuasion in the form of positive encouragement is the concept that your child can be persuaded to believe in themselves by others around them and this can be a powerful tool in parenting for wellbeing.
“Believe you can and you are halfway there” may sound cliche, but research shows it is true. People who believe in themselves are much more likely to achieve their goals. When it comes to self-efficacy, we can actually help our child believe in their ability to handle new tasks or take on challenges, just by giving them regular positive encouragement. Your confidence in them will help your child overcome their self-doubt and grow this very important skill.
Small tasks and goals are a great place to start because they provide quick feedback to your child on their abilities and help them gather evidence that they can accomplish many different things.
Pizza Lunch Reminder
A reminder that our Thursday Pizza Hot Lunches are continuing in January. We alternate between Cheese Pizza and Pepperoni Pizza for $2 a slice. Orders are placed first thing in the morning so that enough pizza can be ordered. Please note the schedule for the coming weeks:
February 1 - Pepperoni Pizza
February 8 - Cheese Pizza
February 15 - Pepperoni Pizza
February 22 - Cheese Pizza
February 29 - Pepperoni Pizza
January Princi-Pals
Samarth P 1J; Jomiloju O 1M; Gianna P 1/2F; Mariela D 2E; Carter M 2G; Carsten B 3R; Samuel G 3/4B; Theo O 4M; William M 4T; Rowyn Chisholm-Pott 1J; Aniketh S 1M; Sofia M 1/2F; Credence C 2E; Hannah W 2G; Andrea C 3R; Azariah W 3/4B; Luke S 4M; Elijah F 4T; Ari T 1J; Hezekyah W 1M; Jesse J 1/2F; Walter M 2E; Charlotte T 2G; Jackson R 3R; Corbin F 4M; Kyren D 4T.
"Soup's On" School Lunches
Bus Times, Routes & Address Changes
Please check our website for information about bus transportation.
If your address has changed, please call transportation at 204-320-2347 to make sure that your children are riding the correct bus to and from school.
Opportunities from Steinbach Arts Council
Nutrition Bits and Bites - Intuitive Eating
Elmdale Early Years School
Publisher: Mr. Hiebert
Email: elmdale@hsd.ca
Website: http://elmdale.hsd.ca/
Location: 160 Elmdale Street, Steinbach, MB, Canada
Phone: 204-326-3325
Twitter: @elmdalehsd