Southwood Source Newsletter

The Southwood Source Newsletter

End of JUNE 2 0 2 4

IF Y O U R C H ILD IS A B SE N T O R L A T E P L E A SE SU B M IT A B SE N C E O N E D SB Y O R C A L L : 5 19 - 9 6 9 - 3 470.

School Bell Times

Entry - 8:15 am

1st Nutrition Break - 9:55 to 10:35

2nd Nutrition Break - 12:15 to 12:55

Dismissal: 2:35PM

Please ensure your children arrive at school on time each day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRINCIPAL AND VICE PRINCIPAL ...

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve in the role of Southwood’s principal for the last nine years! Together we have accomplished many great things! Thank-you for your partnership. It’s been an amazing journey working alongside Southwood parents, guardians, staff, and students. I take with me great memories as I come to the end of my time at Southwood. I wish you a restful, fun-filled summer and a great start to the new school year in September. - Mrs. Lowes

Thank you for the incredible learning journey and for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful school community. My time at Southwood has been filled with countless memorable moments. Watching our students grow academically, socially, and emotionally has been the most rewarding part of my role as Southwood’s Vice Principal. As I move on to new experiences, I carry with me the many lessons learned and the cherished memories from my time as a Sabre. I wish you all the best! - Mrs. Dugan

On behalf of the Southwood Public School team, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our departing staff members for their dedication to the Southwood School community. Congratulations to Mrs. Mamo and Ms. Dragicevic on their retirement. We deeply appreciate their leadership and commitment over the years. Their influence has not only fostered a love of learning in our students but has also set a high standard for excellence.

We extend our best wishes to Mr. Dunlop, Ms. Drouillard, Mrs. Hamadani, Mrs. McKane, Mr. Scherer, Mrs. Seibel, Mr. Fitzsimmons, Ms. Clark, Ms. Lopez, Miss Quinn, and Mrs. Tessier as they embark on new journeys. We wish you all the best in your new assignments and know that your new school communities will be as fortunate as we have been to benefit from your exceptional talents.

We are excited to announce our staff for the upcoming school year! Please refer to the Staff page of this website for the tentative teaching assignments for September. We appreciate your partnership regarding class placements and assure you that great care has been taken in creating the class lists. Class assignments are tentative until on Reorganization Day, September 16th, 2024. We look forward to welcoming all of our Sabres back on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024!

We would like to wish our families a fun-filled, relaxing, and safe summer. Please check the board/school websites and Edsby for information about September. We will miss everyone at Southwood Public School! #SabreProud!

(June 2024)

Dear Southwood Families,

Time flies when we are having fun! As we approach the end of another fantastic school year, we would like to express our gratitude for your continuous support. June is filled with exciting activities, celebrations, and important reminders. Let's make this last month memorable for our students! We thank you for your support in assisting your children in their learning this school year.

June is a very busy month here at Southwood with teachers wrapping up units of study and putting transition plans into place. Many exciting things are happening within the school. Students are working hard to complete all final assignments and assessments. Our grade three and six classes have completed EQAO. There are a lot of student-centered activities taking place throughout the school such as Welcome to Kindergarten Day and track and field training! We have several fun events to look forward to this month including the year-end assembly, class field trips, Kindergarten picnic, Grade 8 Graduation and trip to Niagara Falls, GAINS picnic, and individual end-of-year classroom celebrations.

Please note the following last days for food sales at school.

Pizza – last day will be Thursday, June 6th. NO PIZZA THE LAST 3 WEEKS OF SCHOOL.

Frozen Yogurt – last day will be Friday, June 21st. NO YOGURT THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL.

Popcorn – last day will be Wednesday, June 19th. NO POPCORN THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL.

Please send your students with lunch on Thursdays beginning June 13th as there will be no pizza sales provided!

We would like to remind everyone that Friday, June 7th is a P.D. Day, therefore, there will be no school for students. The last day of school for students this year is Thursday, June 27th.Report cards will also be going home on June 27th.

Finally, it is with a heavy heart that we announce our departure from Southwood Public School. Beginning in September 2024, Mrs. Lowes will be the principal of King Edward Public School. Mrs. Dugan will be joining Northwood Public School as their Vice Principal. Please welcome Mrs. Tracy Dempsey who is returning to Southwood from Roseville Public School as Principal. Serving as your incoming Vice Principal is Mr. David Crestan from Hetherington Public School.

We thank you for the honour of serving this incredible community. As we reflect upon our incredible journey at Southwood filled with triumphs, celebrations, and countless moments of joy and growth. We are excited for the future, both for ourselves and for the continued success of this school. We will always be cheering you on from afar! Once a Sabre, Always a Sabre!

With heartfelt appreciation and best wishes,

Mrs. Lowes Mrs. Dugan

Principal Vice Principal

Welcome!

Tracy

Dear Southwood Public School Family,

I hope this message finds you all well. My name is Tracy Dempsey, and I am thrilled to rejoin Southwood as your Principal. Some of you may remember me from my tenure from September 2021 to February 2022, during which I served as Vice Principal and had the pleasure of working with and getting to know many of you.

I am excited to return to a place that feels like home and to reconnect with a community that has always held a special place in my heart.My return to Southwood is driven by my fond memories of our time together. In addition, I look forward to teaming with Mr. Crestan once again, further serving students and families. We understand that Mrs. Lowes & Mrs. Dugan have left big shoes to fill.

As I step back into this role, my primary goal is to build on our past successes and to introduce new initiatives that will benefit our students, parents, and staff. I am committed to fostering an environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. I look forward to working with our dedicated teachers and staff to create innovative and inclusive educational experiences.

I believe that the strength of our community lies in our ability to work together. I encourage open communication and welcome your ideas, feedback, and collaboration as we strive to make Southwood an even better place for our students. Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any thoughts or suggestions.

Thank you for your warm welcome. I am eager to reconnect with each of you and to embark on this exciting journey together. Let’s make this year upcoming year memorable and impactful for all.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Tracy Dempsey

Incoming Principal

-----

David

Hello Southwood Families,

I'm looking forward to meeting and getting to know the Southwood community as I begin this journey as a Sabre!

As your incoming Vice Principal, I am excited to work alongside each of you to create a supportive, engaging, and enriching environment for our students. This year promises to be filled with numerous opportunities for growth, learning, and fun. I encourage you to reach out with any questions, ideas, or concerns you may have.

Warm regards,

Mr. David Crestan

Incoming Vice Principal

Upcoming Events @ Southwood

June 27, 2024- Last Day of Instruction for Students - Report cards go home!

September 3, 2024 - First Day of School for all students (Kindergarten to Grade 8).

School agendas will be sold the first day of school for Kindergarten to Gr 8 students. This is a beneficial communication tool between home and school and includes our school handbook. Agendas are $6.00. Our preferred method of payment is SchoolCashOnline, which will be ready for September.

Please check our Twitter Feed, Edsby, and our Board and School websites over the summer for updates for September. If you need to reach the school during the summer closure, please call and leave a message at (519) 969-3470.

To our Graduates of 2024!

Congratulations on your achievement! The staff at Southwood Public School wish you all the best as you move to your new high school. If this is your last child to leave Southwood, the staff would like to thank you for your support and for the guidance that you have provided for your child(ren). We look forward to hearing from the graduates in the future and we hope that each of them will have gained a firm foundation for their education while at Southwood. Once a Sabre...Always a Sabre!

Southwood Graduates

School Advisory Council News

We would like to take this opportunity to invite parents and guardians who are interested in being a part of making Southwood a great place for our students, to join the school council. The school council helps to provide our students with new experiences, fresh resources, community growth, and to represent the families for some decisions at school.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 @ 5:30pm in the library.

SAC meetings occur 4 times a year in the school library! Please contact the school if you are interested in joining. All are welcome to join!

School Advisory Councils have 3 main goals:

1. Support Academic Achievement

2. Improve School Climate

3. Strengthen Family Engagement

Student Attendance Procedures

At the Greater Essex County District School Board, “Every Day Counts”. Ensuring that your child attends school regularly and arrives on time is the best way to get the most out of our programs. If your child will be absent, please call the school at (519) 969-3470. You can leave a message before and after school hours, 24 hours a day on our attendance line.

Edsby is also available 24 hours a day to report absences and planned absences. If it is necessary for your child to be dismissed early, please send your child’s teacher a note or call the office. If you are picking up your child before dismissal, please come to the office to sign your child out. Thanks to our parents for helping to make our school a safe and secure place to learn!

Please ensure that the school has at least 2 emergency contacts for your child. If your information needs to be updated, please contact the office at (519) 969-3470.

Personal Electronics at School

Southwood Public School reminds students to take responsibility for the safety of their school and board devices. Use of Personal Electronic Devices during class time is at each teacher's discretion, following our code of conduct and intended for educational purposes. Students may only use technology under the supervision of a teacher during school time.

The school phones shall be used by students only in special circumstances, such as in the case of an emergency, and in all such cases, permission must be granted by staff and/or office personnel. This includes the use of classroom phones. Cell phones are not to be used by students on school property. School phones will be made available to students for emergencies. Should a student have a cell phone in their possession, it is to remain off and secured in their backpack during the school day.

Use of School Parking Lot

Due to student safety concerns, our school parking lot is not to be used for student drop off or pickup at arrival or dismissal times.

It is the responsibility of the driver to respect the signs along the road and the safety of our students and guests. Please do not stop along Cabana Road or Mount Carmel Road to pickup or drop off your student. Please use the Kiss and Ride! Our special education buses use the parking lot entry to pick up and drop off students.

Please refrain from parking at the bus bay area located along Mount Carmel Road. If you are dropping off or picking up a student outside of arrival and dismissal times, please use the “short term” parking spots near the front of the parking lot as they are the closest to the front doors of the school.

School Parking lot images

Kiss and Ride/Pick-up & Drop-off Safety Routines

If you are using the Kiss and Ride please fully stop at the stop sign at the end of the Kiss and Ride before proceeding and watch for pedestrians using the sidewalk. There are a lot of students and other pedestrians who are walking near our school grounds during our drop-off and pick-up times.
It is very important that all drivers wait their turn in our Kiss and Ride. Weaving in and out of the line to pull into a closer spot in the Kiss and Ride creates unsafe conditions that endanger children, parents, and staff who are in the area.
For safety purposes, please ensure your children exit the vehicle from the door that is on the same side as the sidewalk. Exiting from the left-hand side and walking to the other side of the vehicle may cause unsafe conditions.
Please do not use the parking lot if you are picking up or dropping off your child during pick up and drop off times. Students and parents should not be accessing the parking lot during this time as it is reserved for school and board personnel and not safe for students to be traversing due to traffic that may be in the parking lot.
Please ensure that students are coming to school in the morning between 8:00am and 8:15am. Supervision does not start until 8:00am. Students will not be permitted on the yard prior to 8:00am and should not be gathering at the gate before 8:00am. We encourage students to come closer to 8:10am if possible. To avoid congestion we remind our Sabres to use their designated entrance when coming to school. We thank our parents/guardians for waiting at the gate when they are walking students to and from school.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time as we continue to work together to make school a safe place for everyone!

Southwood Outside school map

Allergy Aware & Scent-Free Southwood & GECDSB

Within our school community there are several students who have potentially life-threatening allergies (anaphylaxis) to foods. Food allergies are predominately to peanuts and/or nuts, but may also include eggs, egg by-products, fish, and berries. Parents/Guardians are asked to please check the ingredients of all the foods your children bring to school (snacks and lunches), and avoid sending peanut butter or products with peanuts or nuts listed in the ingredients.

We feel the best way to reduce the risk of accidental exposure to these students is to respectfully ask for the co-operation of the parents/guardians within this school community to NOT send in any food for special events, birthdays, etc. The only food that should be coming to school should be for your child’s own personal consumption. Thank-you for your assistance in keeping all of our students safe! We appreciate your co-operation and understanding. For more information regarding these types of allergies, please visit www.anaphylaxis.ca.

Medical Conditions and Medications

If your child has a serious medical condition, please contact the child’s teacher and the office. We need to be provided with up-to-date information and medication. If your child receives medication on a regular basis, GECDSB Policy (Administration of Prescription Medication Policy R-AD-17) requires that you complete a consent form and complete a form with your doctor. This policy outlines the roles and responsibilities for all in the educational community to support students with possible life-threatening medical conditions. The prevalent medical conditions covered under this policy are Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Diabetes, and Epilepsy/Seizure Disorders. If your child has one of these or any other life-threatening medical conditions, please contact the school as soon as possible.

The forms and information from families will be used to complete a Plan of Care for students who have medical conditions or require medication (e.g., inhalers, epi-pens). We appreciate your assistance in ensuring all of these forms are completed and submitted to the school. Please contact the school if you have questions or require forms (519)969-3470.

Parents/guardians should administer medication at home whenever possible. When oral medication is administered by school personnel it will be kept in the office. Non- prescription oral medication as well as prescription medication requires the completion of an authorization form by a medical practitioner before medication can be administered. This form is available at the school office. The bus company also requires a copy of life-threatening forms.

Before/Afterschool Childcare Providers

Here are the licensed child care providers for Southwood Public School. Should you wish to contact them, the numbers and information are listed below.

Before and Afterschool Childcare Providers
Childcare Centre	Onsite	Contact Information
YMCA of Windsor and Essex County	YES	(519) 969-8686 www.ymcawo.ca
Delta Chi Early Childhood Centre	No	(519) 566-8316 (519) 250-4410 360 Curry Ave., Windsor, ON http://deltachichildcare.com