Principal’s Message
I would first and foremost like to thank all the families of Downie Central for supporting the staff and students in making our first month of the school year a positive and productive one. As I visit classrooms and talk with students, I have been impressed with how quickly they have immersed themselves back into the routines of the classroom and school life.
As we move into October, staff will continue to work with students to further build and maintain the positive working relationships that serve as the foundation for our positive, inclusive school culture.
In the classroom, students will be engaged in a variety of assessment tasks as teachers prepare for the Progress Reports, which are currently scheduled to go home at the end of the month. Outside the classroom, congratulations to our Intermediate Boys soccer team who won the regional tournament! Congratulations to our Intermediate Girls and Junior Mixed teams for both placing second. There are also cross country competitions scheduled, opportunities to be involved in intramurals, and a variety of other clubs, events and activities.
As Thanksgiving approaches, we can definitely be thankful to be part of a school community that supports the interests and learning needs of our students on so many different levels.
Mr. Bevan Moir, Principal
Engage, Inspire, Innovate … Always Learning
Lions Vision and Hearing Screening for JK/SK Students
In partnership with local Lions Club organizations, we are pleased to offer hearing and vision screening for JK and SK students. We understand the impact of having healthy eyes and good hearing on your child’s overall health, wellbeing, and education. This screening event will be coming to Downie Central on Thurs., October 18th.
School Council
Downie Central is very fortunate to have an active and dedicated School Council, as well a number of caring volunteers who support our school in a variety of ways. If you are interested in supporting the council or volunteering to help with the work they do, please let us know. We greatly appreciate your support. The next meeting will be Wed., November 14th at 6:30 p.m. in the library. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Kindergarten Registration – Calling All 3 Year Olds
Sign up your child for kindergarten during November 2018 at all schools across Huron and Perth Counties, for all children eligible for Junior and Senior Kindergarten in September 2019. Kindergarten Registration for Downie Central is Wednesday, November 14th from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Please call Dianne Noeske at 519-393-6196.
Before and After School Program
As part of our on-going commitment to make the school day as seamless as possible for our families, we ask parents/guardians to share their tentative childcare needs for September of the next school year (2019) by completing an online survey. The survey will be available October 1, 2018 and can be found on the AMDSB website:
Families that are interested in Before and After school programs for their Junior/Senior Kindergarten children and/or grade 1 to 6 children are asked to complete the survey by December 1, 2018. We appreciate your assistance as we determine the feasibility of offering such programs.
Inclement Weather
If buses are delayed or cancelled due to inclement weather, cancellations will be announced on the radio, and posted to the ourschoolbuses website
as early in the morning as possible. You can also follow us on Twitter @downieps. The school will remain open for those who can arrive safely, unless posted otherwise.
Attendance
Regular attendance is essential for student success. Please advise the office if your child will be absent or late arriving to school. When arriving late, students must report to the office for an admit slip. If you are picking up your child early or at the end of the day please remain at the office while waiting for your child.
Allergy Reminder
At Downie Central we do all we can to ensure a safe environment for every person in our school. A significant issue schools deal with is environmental allergies. At Downie Central we are no exception. There are those in our school who suffer from sensitivities and life-threatening allergies to scents (perfume, cologne, body spray etc.) and foods (specifically peanuts and tree nuts). We respectfully ask for your consideration when packing lunches and please ensure to read food labels. Thank you for making Downie Central an allergy safe environment for all our staff and students.
Facebook Link for Downie Central
The Facebook link for our school is:
https://www.facebook.com/downie.central.75
Parents are also reminded to join School Messenger if you have not already done so.
News from the Library
Mrs. Tweddle would like to thank all the families who visited our Scholastic Book Fair. It is fantastic to see parents helping to develop lifelong readers. Thanks to you our net sales were over $3100.00 and we were able to purchase $1880.00 worth of books for our library. Thanks also to the parent volunteers who helped out during Open House. Congratulations to Mrs. Klassen and one of her students who each won the $25.00 door prize. Keep reading!
Me to We Update
The Downie Central Me to We team will be holding our annual We Scare Hunger campaign during the month of October. We ask that you send in to the school as many non-perishable food items as your family is able. Your donations will help feed families in our community who are struggling. Check out the Stratford House of Blessing for donation ideas.