South Oaks School
April 2019
Principal's Message
Placing your child in the right class for next year is a very important decision. That is why our staff will meet in May, to carefully make the classes for next year. We consider many factors when we do this, such as your child's age, friendships, social skills, academic ability, gender, language ability, special needs, etc. There are many factors that are taken into account. We also carefully consider the match between the child and the teacher, since we know this relationship is the key to learning. So, we do take the process very seriously.
However, if you have a strong educational rationale for why your child should be with a specific teacher for next year, please contact the office no later than April 30 to make your request. Please also note that next year we will have grade 1-2 and a grade 3-4 multi-age (split) classes. So, let us know if you want those particular classes. We will do our very best to accommodate your requests, however we do reserve the right to make the final decision based on the bigger picture.
Also, if there are specific children that you feel your child should (or should not) be in a class with, please let your child's teacher know and they can plan for that.
Thanks for your trust and your feedback as we begin to prepare for next year's classes. Our hope is to set up every student for a successful year in 2019-20.
Dale Martens
Dates to Remember
April 4: Assembly at 9:15 am
April 5: In-Service Day - No Classes
April 18: Assembly at 9:15 am
April 19: Good Friday - No Classes
April 30: Deadline for class placement requests.
South Oaks Spring Concert
South Oaks will once again be having a Spring Concert this year! All the grade 3 & 4 students will be involved, and we want to invite the parents of the students in those grades especially. Of course, all South Oaks families and friends are also welcome to attend. The concert will be held at 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 2, in the school gym.
We hope to see you at our Spring Concert!
A Couple of Reminders
In April many students wear rubber boots to school. Please label boots with your child(ren)'s name(s) inside so they don't get mixed up. In many cases rubber boots look the same and are easy to mix up.
As the snow starts to melt, clothing also gets wet at recess. Please ensure your child has a change of clothes in his/her backpack during this spring season.
With the warmer weather, children are anxious to ride their bikes. We stress bicycle safety at school, but would like to request that parents also review bike ridership with children, as it is important for their safety. All students riding bikes should wear helmets. Also, please remind your children that the bike racks are in new locations and we will do the same.
Stars of the Future
Children born between July 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015, together with their parents, are invited to attend a Spring 2019 Stars of the Future clinic. Stars of the Future is a FREE screening program for children that live in SouthEast Manitoba. It is a one time appointment, designed to find out how your child is doing in the areas of speech & language, hearing, growth and development. The appointment is one hour long. Appointments may be booked by calling 204-346-6136 and leaving a message. For more information on Stars of the Future go to www.healthychildcoalition.ca. Appointment times do fill up quickly, so we encourage you to book your appointment early. Registration is open now.
Clinics will be held in the following communities:
Steinbach: April 11, 12, 30; May 1
Vita: May 30 PM
Grunthal: May 7
Sprague: May 30 AM
Ste. Anne: April 18
Niverville: May 22
Lorette: April 16
Indigenous Education
The workshops are still in the planning phase, so more details will come as the year progresses. We look forward to providing these appropriate cultural experiences for our indigenous students.