As we approach the end of another year at South Oaks, I would like to thank all staff, parents, and volunteers for all your efforts to provide the best possible school experience for the kids. We love your kids and they are the reason South Oaks exists. Looking ahead to next year, I thought it would be interesting to make a list of all the new and exciting things that are on the horizon for next year. I am sure… Read More
in: General
South Oaks is growing steadily and will likely rise to 400 students by September 2025. This growth is due partially to our inclusion of grade 5 classes, but also to a steady trickle of students being registered at our school. It is exciting to see this growth, but also challenging for us to manage at times. Thankfully, the HSD Board recognizes the need for more support and has decided to add a Vice-Principal to our leadership team for next year.… Read More
in: General
Recently, we had a parent meeting at South Oaks to discuss the possibility of including grade 5 classes in our school next year. This has been discussed with Manitoba Education and Hanover School Division, and it was time to gather feedback from parents. A few parents showed up to the meeting. The superintendent, Joe Thiessen, led the meeting and several members of the HSD School Board were there also. Mr. Thiessen also received emails from parents who couldn’t make it… Read More
in: General
Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! We are busy getting everything ready for the students and we look forward to meeting them all very soon. I am pleased to say that we have an excellent staff once again, and I am sure your kids will have a great school year. Thanks to an increase in staff funding, we were able to return to a full time PE teacher, as well as a half-time Literacy Support teacher for students who need that… Read More
in: General
I am very grateful to everyone who made it possible for us to do hard things this year. It was about a year ago now that we grappled with the highest staffing cuts in Hanover School Division at that time. The only way we could manage these cuts was to plan for a lean year and tighten our belts. This meant that staff had to be willing to flex in their roles, lean more on our parent volunteers and have a heaping… Read More
in: General
A couple of weeks ago, South Oaks received some very good news. Thanks to increased provincial funding for 2024-25, our school will see 1.5 additional teaching positions next year!! This is the best news we have received in a long time and we are excited about it. I want to thank everyone who has worked hard to keep the school functioning in an effective and professional manner this year, despite the lean staffing. Thanks to parents for understanding when changes… Read More
in: General
There is a certain spark that happens when we collaborate on a project. Our staff, on their own, could not make big projects a reality. Parents, on their own, would struggle in the same way. The school division also has their own financial limitations. However, when all parties come together for a common goal, amazing things can happen for our kids. For several years, I have wanted to gift our students (and the community) with a special piece of playground equipment called… Read More
in: General
I hope the holidays have been a time of rejuvenation and reconnection with your kids, family and friends! These breaks are so important to recharge and prepare for the next part of the year. What we are doing as parents and teachers is not easy! It is challenging work, but it is also the best work in the world, in my opinion. We are doing our best to prepare the children for their future, while helping them deal with their… Read More
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This Christmas I am extremely thankful for the gift of partnership. In June 2023, as we wrote goals for this school year, we wrote the following; “We will explore ways to include parents in our school community, so they have a stronger sense of partnership with South Oaks”.This goal was written because our PAC reported that parents were feeling disconnected from the school. The pandemic was difficult in many ways and it definitely kept parents very separated from school life. So,… Read More
in: General
October is commonly known as “safety month” in school. This is the month that we teach students about fire safety, bus safety, personal safety, playground safety, etc. This is done early in the school year because safety is so important to all of us. In our school, staff recognize that when your child is with us, we are responsible for their safety. We do our utmost to maintain a safe environment for the students in the building, on the playground,… Read More
in: General