September 2023 Newsletter

Dear Families,

Welcome Back! We are all so happy to be back in the school with students. We have a high number of students attending the school this year and I am excited to see all the learning we will do together. 

Students will be going outside as much as possible. When the weather is warm, students will be spending extra time in the field and on the play structure. As we have done in the past, we will also be going on community walks. We will be walking along the paths and occasionally visiting the open areas of the Forks or Upper Fort Garry. When students are registered, one of the forms includes permission for them to leave the school grounds for short notice walking trips. We will be sending home a note for parents and guardians to renew this permission.

Our Family Room is one of the best in the division. Ms. Tammy Shone is our full time Community Support Worker. She plans and organized many events that we have planned throughout this year. There will be Adult Painting Classes, Wellness supports, and Cooking Classes. The best thing about all our activities is that they are free! Make sure you follow the Family Room and School on Facebook for news and updates.

Throughout the summer, our Custodial Team worked hard at getting the school ready for another year. I would like to personally thank Mr. Colin Lewis and Mr. Karl De Vera their dedication and attention to detail. They were very busy moving furniture, waxing the floors and sanitizing the whole school. The school looks sparkling clean! 

We have noticed there have been some parents taking photos and/or videos of their children when they come to the school. While we understand that parents want to celebrate this moment please only take photos and/or videos of your children not any other children. It is important to respect the wishes of each parent in the school and not everyone wants their child photographed. Please make sure you can only see your child’s face in any photos or videos you may take while on school grounds.

This year, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is on the weekend, but we will be wearing orange and sharing during an assembly on Friday, September 30th. The theme this year is Honouring Survivors. Students will be learning in their classrooms in an age appropriate way.

If you have any concerns or questions, please call me at the school or email me at sedgar@wsd1.org.

Sincerely, 

Ms. Stacie Edgar
Principal

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School Supplies are purchased by the classroom teachers. 

Nursery & Kindergarten:  $20.00

Grade 1—6: $25.00

Please pay the classroom teacher by cash or cheque or you can pay by transfer. Please send payment to: fortrouge@wsd1.org (the number 1). You will not need to send a security question. Include the following information in the Message line: Child's Name and Room number

Example: John Doe Room 15 School Supplies

Times

8:55 AM  teachers  pick up students on the playground

9:00 AM  to 9:10 AM O’Canada and morning announcements

If your child is late for school please bring them to the school office to receive an arrival slip before heading to class.

Parent Advisory Council

We will have our first Parent Advisory Council meeting on October 25th. Please think about joining us to learn more about our school and community. This year, we would like to have at least one parent from each classroom. We will be having elections for seats on the council. Please think about joining us to talk about school issues.

Birthdays

We want to celebrate each student on their special day. This year, if you would like to send a treat to school, contact the classroom teacher by phone or email before the special day. We ask that you send an individually wrapped treat (with cutlery if needed) for each student in the class, with your child in the morning. 

Family Room 

The Fort Rouge School Family Room is open!

Hours: 9:00 AM—3:30 PM

Our food security program will be starting up towards the end of September. Please come and join Tammy for one of our free programs, to ask questions, or just for a chat over coffee!

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Safe Arrival

SafeArrival is Fort Rouge’s absence reporting system for students in grades Nursery to 6. Parents will phone 1-855-278-4513 BEFORE 9:00 am to report absences of any nature, early dismissals and late arrivals. This automated service will call the contacts of students who are marked absent. Student attendance is important! Consistent attendance is an essential component of a student’s success. Commitment to school attendance not only sets a positive tone for all students, but also helps them to efficiently manage their time, meet assignment deadlines, and develop good work habits. Please note, that students cannot leave the school during school hours on their own. A parent/guardian must pick them up from the office. 

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