South Oaks School
June 2022
A New Normal
I don't know about you, but I find myself feeling gratitude for some very "normal things" that I used to take for granted. Things like . . .
Seeing people again. It is wonderful to feel safe with people and not worry about whether we are spreading a virus or following public health orders perfectly, etc. Just seeing people freely again is amazing! Shaking a hand. Giving a hug. Being able to connect in these ways have a whole new meaning after the pandemic.
Hearing children sing again. This year, as restrictions lifted, it was incredible to hear the sweet voices of children singing again. In some ways, students experienced singing in a choir for the first time and had to "start again" to learn performance skills. However, once their fire was lit, the joy of singing quickly returned and now it is more precious than ever before.
Permission to be sick. Before the pandemic, people really didn't have permission to be sick. People often felt they needed to go to work even if they were very ill. Students were sent to school without considering whether it was in the best interest of themselves or others in the school. Hopefully we can continue to give ourselves and our children permission to take time off if we need to recover from illness.
I could go on . . . but you get the point. We are experiencing a new normal. This new normal definitely came with much sacrifice from all of us. However, I am grateful that these things that we used to take for granted have become more important. In this way, perhaps we can value the people we know, the music we hear and the care that we give to each other more than we used to.
Thanks for being on the school journey with us this year! I can see the many ways that learning and growth has occurred on many levels and I am thankful that we have gone through this together as a community. I hope you all have a wonderful summer with your kids. We are excited for next year as we hope for a great year in this "new normal".
Take care,
Dale Martens
Principal
. . . .
Dates to Remember - June Calendar
June 3: Grade 2's to MHV
June 6 to 17: Grade 2 Swimming Lessons @ Grunthal Pool
June 9: Kick into Kindergarten @ 6:30 pm
June 9: Grade 3/4's to the Forks
June 9: Grade 1's to Assiniboine Zoo
June 13: ADMIN DAY - No Classes
June 15: Grade 5 orientation at GVS @ 6:30 pm
June 15 & 16: Kindergarten field trips to Morning Sound Farm
June 17: Library closed for the rest of the year, books should be returned.
June 24: Grade 4 Fun Day at the Grunthal Park
June 27: Grade 4 Window Walk/Farewell (Gr. 4 parents invited)
June 28: Grade 4 students visit GVS in the morning
June 29: School Picnic Activity Day (staff and students only)
June 29: Last day of classes for students
June 30: ADMIN DAY - No Classes
June 30: Report cards posted on Parent Portal
Grade Two Swim Program
We are very grateful that the Division enables the development of students' swimming and water safety skills in this way. Students will be shuttled back and forth from South Oaks to the pool by bus each day and supervised by their teachers. Parents who wish to observe the lessons are welcome to do so from outside of the pool area. Thanks for your involvement and cooperation.
Getting Ready for Grade 5 at GVS
Grade 5 Orientation at Green Valley School:
All grade 4 students and their parents are invited to Green Valley School on Wednesday, June 15th to attend the Grade 5 orientation evening. The event takes place in the GVS gym and students and parents will have an opportunity to meet the grade 5 teachers, see the classrooms, see various parts of the school and interact with high school volunteers. We feel this orientation is a valuable event in preparing students for their transition to GVS and encourage all grade 4 students and their parents to attend. The event begins at 6:30 pm.
Please call GVS at 204-434-6415 or email their school counsellor, Cam Gerbrandt, at cagerbrandt@hsd.ca for more details if needed.
School Supplies for Refugee Students
Final Report Cards
Summer Activities at the Jake Epp Library!
There are a lot of FREE activities available through the Jake Epp Library this summer!
Summer activities include:
• Weekly Activities (Crafts, Improv, Puppets, Drawing, Lego, Board Games and more!)
• Story In The Park
• Friday movie nights
• Book clubs!!!
• TD Summer Reading Club
• Jake Epp Library Reading Challenge
A library membership is NOT required for any of the summer activities, and is open to Steinbach residents and non residents. We also offer a $20 Summer Membership (for non-residents) that is valid from June 15-August 31.
The summer brochure and activity schedule, and the link to summer registrations (registration begins June 15) can be found at
https://jakeepplibrary.com/for-you/kids/programs/summer-reading-club/
St. Pierre Library information for summer
PAC Report
Dear Parents,
The South Oaks School PAC has been busy at work this school year. We meet 5-6 times a year. We are involved in discussing matters that are relevant to education in the school and areas of concern to parents. We also do fundraising to support or enhance the learning experience at South Oaks School.
This years Parent Advisory Council is:
-Teresa Wiens (President)
-Caroline Smith (Vice President)
-Craig Froese (Secretary and Staff Advisor)
-Randy Fast (Treasurer)
-Dale Martens (Principal)
-Michelle Penner
-Ashley Malyk
Thank you to everyone who participated in the pizza and grocery gift card fundraiser. We raised over $6300! We plan to put the majority of the funds raised towards adding a few wooden playhouse type forts to the playground. There will also be a mud kitchen added to the sandbox area. These additions to the playground should encourage creative play for the students. The Carpentry students from Green Valley School will be building these items for us. We expect they will be added to the playground in the spring of 2023.
At the end of May, we provided the staff with coffee and baked treats for the staff appreciation event. We have usually provided a lunch for the staff in the past. This year we decided to go with a different idea. We always welcome new ideas!
We are planning on having a picnic for students at the end of June. The PAC plans to prepare hotdogs for the students again as we have in the past. The picnic will be limited to students only this year.
If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns you would like the PAC to address, please feel free to contact any of our members. The contact information is available on the South Oaks School website under the “Parent Council Info” tab.
Thanks,
Teresa Wiens
PAC President
School Supplies for 2022-23
So, how does this work? This year, we will wait until August to request payment. The school will charge a $50.00 fee for school supplies to your parent portal account on August 22. The deadline for paying the fee is the day school begins, on September 7. This gives each family sufficient time to pay at their convenience. Parents can pay online anytime or at the office with cash or cheque during office hours.
For the start of school, parents send a backpack, shoes, lunch kit, a box of Kleenex and headphones for their child(ren) and we take care of all other school supplies. The headphones are needed to reduce the sharing of items in school (including lice).
Please call our office at 204-434-6165 if you have any questions, anytime.