Happy New Year and Welcome Back!

I hope this message finds you well after a wonderful Christmas break. As we prepare for the return to school on Monday, January 6th, this week's Gazette will be short but hopefully helpful in planning for the week and month ahead. Two friendly reminders: Please ensure that students bring warm winter wear back to the school on Monday. Winter wear includes mitts, touque, snow pants, warm jacket and winter boots. Outdoor play and learning are cornerstones to our daily routine so it is important to be prepared and to dress for the weather! Also, we know that students will be excited to get back with their peers and classmates! We are excited to see them too! In order to ensure we can do that safely, please remind your children about expected behaviours on the bus to and from school.

Safety while riding the bus includes helping students to remember to:

• Always listen to the bus driver..
• Sit down in their assigned seat as quickly as possible and remain seated, face forward, throughout the entirety of the ride.
• Do not walk around inside the bus while it is moving and keep aisles clear
• Be courteous and kind to other people in actions and words while riding the bus.
• Talk quietly and not shout or scream on the bus so the driver can concentrate.

Thanks for attending to these two reminders as they will help us all to start off the new year in a positive, prepared way. A couple other notes I wanted to share: Our first Fun Lunch of 2025 is January 31 from Mabel and Marie's. Ordering is now open and will close on Sunday, January 26, 2025. Also, with the new year, we resume monthly activities such as our monthly School Council Meetings. These meetings are a really great time to hear about what is going on at the school and provide your voice and input into Council decisions. We hope to see you January 15th! Finally, our grade eight students are beginning to prepare for their grade eight farewell by kicking off the new year with a bottle drive. Check out the flyer included in this week's Gazette for details.

Looking forward to seeing everyone back on Monday. Enjoy the weekend and Happy New Year.

Mrs Moore