***Lunches Made Easy ***

Please call the school if your child is absent and you will be picking up their meal. Otherwise the meal will be given to another student.

Safe School Reminders

All adults and students begin visits at the office

We continue to explore

options for traffic. Please

continue to inform all

family and friends, who

may pick up your child,

the parking lot is closed

and is for buses & staff

only.

School Times Students should not be on the yard before 8:35.

8:35 Supervision

8:50-10:30 First Block

10:30-11:10 Break Time

11:10-12:50 Second Block

12:50– 1:30 Break Time

School Council Mon.,

Feb. 4

Barrie Colts Assembly—Jersey Day

Chinese New Year

Tues.,

Feb. 5

Global Play Day

Wed., Feb., 6

Int. Trip Parent

Meeting

Feb. 12

Dental

Screeing

Dance-a-thon,

Wear Pink ,

Red and White

Feb.12-

and 13

Feb. 14th

Report Cards Go Home

Barrie Colts Game

Pink Shirt Day UPCOMING: P.A. Day

MADD Canada

Fri., Feb. 15

Sat., Feb. 23

Wed., Feb. 27 Fri., March 1

Tues, March 5

Dates to Mark into your Calendars now!

Patriots Stay Connected!

Office 705-424-3317 and Safe Arrival Find us at http://pin.scdsb.on.ca/.scdsb.on.ca

Use Twitter, Remind, School Web Page and stay up to date with information about our school.

Kindergarten Registration

Do you (or someone you know) have a child who was born in 2015? If so, it’s almost time to register them for Kindergarten in the SCDSB! Beginning Jan. 28, 2019, Simcoe County’s public schools will register children for Kindergarten for the 2019-20 school year. New this year, the registration process begins online! Visit https://www.scdsb.on.ca/elementary/planning_for_school/kindergarten for more infor-mation.

High School Information Night at NPSS

Is your child starting Grade 9 next year? High school information nights happen throughout the winter. This event provides an overview of what’s new, what to expect, as well as a chance to check out the school and ask questions. Attend Nottawasaga Pine’s information night Wednesday, Feb. 20th from 6-8pm to find out what’s offered.

Check out the full schedule of info nights and more information at www.scdsb.on.ca/secondary/planning_for_high_school.

Request for Donations

We are looking for donations of new prizes (ie: gift cards, school supplies) to hand out during our Dance-a-thon on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14th. We are also looking for Checkers, Chess, Connect 4 and Bat-tle Ship for indoor recess activities. Please bring items to the office. Thank you!

Changes in Nutrition Break Schedules

In an effort to reduce crowding in classrooms during nutrition breaks and congestion on the yard at recess, we are working on a schedule which will flip the nutrition break/recess times for half of our students. Break times will remain the same, but half of our students will go outside for the first 20 minutes.

Pine River Elementary School “We believe that ever child can achieve”

PRES NEWS— February 2019

Twitter @pineriveres

SCDSB Character Traits

Caring, Cooperation, Courage,

Empathy, Honesty, Integrity,

Inclusiveness, Optimism,

Respect, Responsibility

Treats at School

Reminder: Class treats are NOT to be sent to school for celebrations such as birthdays and holidays. Please be mindful that food sent to school in your child(ren)’s lunch is peanut

and tree nut free.

Provide Input on Proposed 2019-2020 School Year Calendar

The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) invites public school communities to submit input regarding the proposed school year calendar for next school year (Sept. 2019 to June 2020).

Starting Jan. 21, input can be provided by visiting www.scdsb.on.ca, hovering over ‘Elementary,’ or ‘Secondary,’ then ‘Planning for School,’ and clicking ‘School Year Calendar.’ All stakeholders including staff, school council members, parents/guardians, students and members of the school community are invited to provide input.

The deadline to submit input is Feb. 15.

Host Families Needed for International Students

Our partner in providing homestay to the SCDSB’s international students, Canada Homestay Network (CHN), is recruiting host families to welcome international students into their homes.

Host families help international students realize lifelong dreams, and benefit from a unique experience with another culture. As a host, you also receive an allowance to offset expenses. Learn about a current homestay family here or get more details about the program on the Canada Homestay Network website.

Entering Grade 9 Next Year?

Get a step ahead with summer school! (elementary schools only) Attention graduating Grade 8 students! Did you know you can earn a high school credit before you start Grade 9? Students entering Grade 9 are eligible to reach ahead and take Civics and Career Studies online during the month of July. Simply download and complete the Summer School registration form from www.thelearningcentres.com, have your principal sign the front and drop it off at your local Learning Centre. Grade 8 grads are also eligible to reach ahead and take part in Civics and Careers or Canadian Geography EduTravel courses. Registration information for these programs can also be found on The Learning Centres website.

Your Child’s Immunization Record

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is required to keep up-to-date immunization records for all students who attend elementary or secondary school in the County of Simcoe and the District of Muskoka. Parents are responsible for reporting immunizations to the health unit each time their child receives a vaccine from their health care provider. The immunizations that the health unit requires records for include:

Diphtheria, tetanus, polio and pertussis

Measles, mumps and rubella

Meningococcal

Varicella (chickenpox) (for those born in 2010 or later)

It’s easy to update your child’s immunization status. Go to www.smdhu.org/immsonline to update your child’s record or call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 (toll free).

Parents/Guardians Invited to Information Sessions About Special Education

The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) is hosting a series of information sessions for parents and guardians to learn about special education in the SCDSB, and how to support students with special education needs. Topics include building a plan for the summer, understanding the Special Equipment Amount (SEA) and applied behaviour analysis (ABA).

Sessions will take place at the SCDSB Education Centre, located at 1170 Highway 26 in Midhurst. Participants may also access the sessions online via Google Meet. More information, including dates, times and links to register, are online at https://www.scdsb.on.ca/elementary/special_education.

Bus Cancellation Information

All information regarding cancelled buses in Simcoe County is posted on the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium bus information page at www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca. Our school is in the Central zone. When buses are cancelled, schools remain open for student learning, unless otherwise noted. The Consortium try to make the decision to cancel school buses before 6 am and make every effort to post announcements before 7am. Inclement weather cancellations are effective for the whole day and buses cancelled in the morning will not run at the end of the day. Follow the Consortium on Twitter @SCSTC_SchoolBus for cancellations and other information. You can also subscribe to receive bus delay notifications here: https://scstc.ca/Subscriptions

At Pine River if the buses are cancelled on a Hot Lunch Day (Pizza & Lunches Made Easy) these will be re-scheduled to another date. If you send your child to school please make sure you send snacks and a lunch.

Train as a Personal Support Worker

Train as a Personal Support Worker (PSW) – many employment opportunities available! For elementary and secondary schools The Learning Centres offers an accredited PSW program, taught by qualified teachers with health science backgrounds. Be finished in six months, receive a PSW certificate and earn up to six secondary school credits! Free information sessions are scheduled throughout the year. Visit www.thelearningcentres.com or call 705-725-8360 ext. 45149 for dates and times.

National Engineering Month

National Engineering Month competition takes place March 23. Students in Grades 5 to 8 are invited to submit a model bridge, catapult or grabber for the National Engineering Month (NEM) event. Models will be tested for design, strength, quality of construction and functionality.

Students of any age are invited to attend to check out 3D printers and robots, Raspberry Pi computer coding demos, crystal radio construction and CNC machine coding.

The event takes place on March 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Georgian College, and is jointly organized by the Georgian Bay Chapter of the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) and Simcoe-Muskoka Chapter of the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO), under the banner of NEM Ontario. For more information and to register for this free event, visit

https://nemsimcoe.wixsite.com/nemsimcoe.

Is Bedtime Stressing you Out?

Kids need 10-12 hours of sleep every night, but sometimes getting them to bed can be frustrating. You can help create a regular sleep schedule for your child by setting a clear bedtime and sticking to the same time every night. Start getting ready an hour before bed; turn off the TV, computers and phones. Spend quality time talking or reading stories to help them unwind. Agree on how many you’ll read before you start! Keep their room dark, cool and quiet - a nightlight is fine. Remember, making sure your child gets enough rest will help improve their mood, behaviour and ability to learn. For more bedtime tips, contact Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 to speak with a public health nurse, or visit the health unit website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

School Council FUNDRAISING Information

Lovable Labels are always available for purchase at www.PineRiver.lovablelabels.ca

Please spread the word that Pine River is participating in the Boston Pizza rewards program.

Simply enjoy your meal at BP as you normally would, then bring your receipt to the

PRES office within 28 days of your meal. We earn 10% of all sales!

Please remember…If at Bradford Greenhouses, say “Pine River E.S” before you

check out at the register.