Principal’s Message
Happy New Year and welcome back from a holiday break. I hope you and your family had time to enjoy each other’s company and rejuvenate.
I’ve always liked the winter months in schools. Routines are established and students know what is expected from them academically. We usually see great progress from our students, regardless of the grade and age.
There are times when school is interrupted by poor road conditions that are unsafe for bus travel. We will try to keep the school open for those who can arrive safely but please check frequently for updates regarding the school being open or closed.
To see if a school bus is cancelled or delayed or whether the school is closed, please visit this website https://ourschoolbuses.ca/.
School Council Meeting
The next School Council meeting will take place Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. in the library. Childcare is provided and everyone is welcome to attend. Please contact Wendy Riehl the School Council Chair at [email protected] if you have an agenda item.
Border Crossing Renewals
The Border Crossing renewal request forms for current border crossing students will be going home soon and must be returned to the school by Thursday, February 1, 2018.
ME to WE News
Thank you to all the families who donated items to our WE FIGHT FROSTBITE campaign. Due to your generous donations we collected lots of winter clothing items for needy families in our community.
The Me to We Team will be selling their famous soup lunches in January to raise money for Free the Children. On Wednesday, January 31st they will be serving hot soup lunches to students that order. In February they will be selling spaghetti lunches on Wednesday, February 21st for primary classes and Friday, February 23rd for the junior/intermediate students. Order forms will be sent home soon and on-line ordering will also be available.
Warm your tummy and your soul by helping us raise money for Free the Children.
Winter Clothing
Now that the colder weather has arrived please remember to pack extra clothes such as mittens and socks. Warm hands and feet make such a difference!
Secondary School Transitions
At this time of year preparations begin to be made for the grade 8’s transition to the secondary schools. The dates for the special Open House parent/student night is as follows:
Stratford Central: Monday, January 15th 7:00 – 9:00
Snow date Tuesday, January 16th
Stratford Northwestern: Tuesday, January 23rd 7:00 – 9:00
Snow date Wednesday, January 24th
Safe Arrival Procedure
Parents/Guardians are reminded that success in school is directly related to regular attendance. The Education Act requires that all young people of school age must attend school. It also requires that schools track student attendance and the reasons for any student absences. If your child is going to be absent or late from school, the reason for the absence must be provided to the school prior to the commencement of the school day. If the school has not been notified of the absence a phone call will normally be made as soon as possible after the expected arrival time. If the reason for the absence is not provided the school is obliged to record the absence as truancy. We wish all of our students to be successful in their studies. One way of helping to achieve that success is through regular attendance at school.
Allergy Alert
Downie Central is a Nut Free school. Please do not send any food items that contain nuts or may contain nuts.
Downie Central is also a Scent Free school, which means students, staff and parents should refrain from wearing scented products. Thank you for showing consideration for those with allergies.
Head Lice – Pediculosis
Please check your child’s head on a regular basis and contact the school if you discover the lice. If a student is discovered to have lice/nits at school, parents will be called to pick up their child, to treat with medicated shampoo and pick out each nit individually. School staff will re-check before re-admitting to class. When a case of head lice is found, all students in the class will receive a letter, so that parents can check their child’s head and help us prevent the spread of these critters. We handle all cases of head lice with confidentiality.
Some other resources that may be helpful are the Lice Squad which is located at 370 Oxford Street East in London. The toll free phone number is 1-866-510-5423. The Nit Free Terminator comb is also very effective. There is also Shield 2 in 1 Shampoo & Conditioner that can be used as a preventative measure to repel head lice with the use of natural aromatherapy oils and it is gentle enough to use every day.