October 9th, 2020

October 9th, 2020

BI-WEEKLY UPDATES

What’s happening in October:

  •     Monday October 12th – Thanksgiving – No School for Students
  •     Wednesday October 28th – First Virtual School Council Meeting
  •     Friday October 30th – Halloween Celebrations
  •     Sunday November 1st – Daylight Savings – Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour

October is Gratitude Month

We would like to say a sincere Thank You to all of our families and students for making Sandhills School such an amazing place to be!  We have a lot to be thankful for this year!  

We are grateful to all our students, families and staff for making our transition back to school such a smooth one. Whether it is in class or online, everyone is doing a fantastic job of adhering to our new health protocols and new routines.  Thank you for embracing everything with incredible grace and resiliency as we continue to navigate through this year together! 

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to all our families for adjusting to our new arrival and dismissal routines.  Thank you for using our Drive to 5 locations at drop-off and pick-up and for keeping our parking lot clear of traffic and safe for students and staff. 

School Council Update

School Council will get underway on Wednesday October 28th this year with a virtual online meeting at 7pm.  Elections will be held for the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer positions.  Anyone interested in helping to improve our school community is welcome to attend. Please refer to the School Day message that was posted on October 8, 2020.

Terry Fox Update 

We would like to congratulate our Sandhills Suns on another very successful year of participation in the Terry Fox Run.  In honour of the 40th anniversary of the Run, our staff and students logged an incredible total of 5,776km of walking, running or jogging and raised $455.00 through online donations in Terry’s honour! 

Possible Changes to Your Child’s Classroom/Teacher

Recently, families were offered the opportunity to request a change to their child’s mode of learning from in-person to distance learning, or the opposite. Many families have requested a change and as a result 119 educators with the WRDSB will need to move from in-person to online learning. Some students will have a new classroom teacher, and some students will be moved into a new classroom with different students. For most students, there will be no change at all. 

We understand that this reorganization could create a change to your child’s learning environment and established routine. This realignment is essential for us to provide all of our students with equitable access to learning opportunities. No matter what, your child will continue to receive quality instruction from our caring educators who will ensure they are supported in their learning journey – each and every one.

Halloween Celebrations at Sandhills this Year 

Halloween is fast approaching and we thought it would be a good time to share with our families what that will look like at Sandhills for this year.  First, we would like to begin by stating that families are not obligated to participate or recognize Halloween in any way. For those students who wish to recognize this holiday they may wear the colours of BLACK and ORANGE, wear our school colours of BLUE and YELLOW to show off their School Spirit, or dress up in a simple costume.  

Please remember the following guidelines: 

  • Students will not be permitted to change into or out of their costumes during the school day. As a result, please refrain from wearing anything large or bulky that may not be suitable for a whole day of learning inside the classroom or outside on the school yard. 
  • According to Covid Health and Safety guidelines, educators are not permitted to assist students with their costumes, including dressing, undressing, adjusting or altering.
  • We are asking that students please refrain from wearing any makeup or face paint that might interfere with the proper use of our facemasks for COVID Health and Safety protocols. 
  • Please leave all costume accessories at home (i.e. wands, tiaras, hats, ears, etc). 
  • Please dress in a respectful manner that is free from violent or frightening themes.    

Thank you for your cooperation as we try to make this a fun day of celebration for all our students!