As the 2020-21 school year draws to a close, I am reflecting on all the times we have heard, “We can do this . . . if we work together”. In fact, we have heard this so often that we get tired of it sometimes. Well, today I would like to celebrate being on “the other side” of this statement. Today, I can honestly say, “Together . . . .we did it!”. In September, we worked together to rethink how… Read More
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In honour of the 215 children who never returned home from a residential school in Kamloops, British Colombia, HSD will fly its flags at half mast May 31-June 3. We encourage our school communities to wear orange May 31. The flags at the Manitoba Legislative Building and Memorial Park have also been lowered and the Legislative Building will be lit in orange to honour the 215 children whose lives were lost, and all survivors, their families and all those who… Read More
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We are excited about the South Oaks Virtual Talent Show coming in May! Students can submit their video entries anytime from April 12 – 30, using this link to a Google form. Once we have all your submissions, our Talent Search Panel will choose a variety of talents to “share with the world” in a video presentation (if we have your permission, of course!) We know that there are a lot of talented students at South Oaks! We look forward to seeing your talents and sharing them… Read More
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On behalf of all staff and students, we just want to say a great big “Thank-you” for supporting our Chromebook fundraising event last month! The winner of the Asus Chromebook is Haley Stanowski, who sold 8 cases of chocolate! We also have a runner-up prize of a Fitbit fitness tracker, for Kasie Fehr who sold 4 cases! Congratulations to both winners! In total, this fundraiser provided $2880.00 for the South Oaks Chromebook project! This is a great start to the… Read More
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On behalf of all former and present staff and students of South Oaks, we offer our deepest condolences to the family of Traudi Guenther on her passing. Many of us in the school worked “shoulder to shoulder” with Traudi for many years and have a special place in our hearts for her. We also have some of Traudi’s relatives currently working in the school or attending as students, so we also want to keep them in our prayers as well.… Read More
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I hope you are all staying well. By this time you have most likely heard the news that all HSD schools are moving into the Red Level on Tuesday, Nov. 24. This news was just as sudden for us as it was for you yesterday. We did have a preliminary plan in place for the Red Level, but we are now working on fleshing it out and pivoting as needed. I cannot thank our staff enough for their ongoing commitment… Read More
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The province has announced that we are moving to the Orange Level in all Manitoba schools. We have a plan for the Orange Level in place. Staff will review plans on Monday, Nov. 2 and then we will spend the week preparing as needed, with the intent of implementing the Orange Level plans the following week. The main aspect of the Orange Level is striving for 2 meters of Physical Distancing for as much of the day as possible. See… Read More
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As we are starting to see a few students with symptoms at times, it is important that we all understand the guidelines from the province. The document COVID-19 Response in K-12 Schools (p. 5), speaks to a scenario where a child shows symptoms of COVID-19. Among the list of possible responses, it notes; ■ If they have had COVID-19 symptoms and tested negative for COVID-19, they can return to school/ child care 24 hours after symptoms resolve. If they do not get tested, they should… Read More
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What questions might you and your children have about COVID-19? Can they play outside? Can they have a sleepover? Tune in live to have these and other questions answered by health care professionals. The event is on Thursday, April 2 at 11:00 am and is hosted by Ace Burpee. Watch live at YouTube.com/ManitobaGovernment.
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I am currently reading a new book by Dr. Jodi Carrington called, “Kids These Days”. This Canadian author covers a lot of fascinating material about why kids do what they do. I really appreciated a whole chapter devoted to kids with a trauma history, including foster children. She says that the most important thing that we will ever teach our kids is to help them understand how to regulate their emotions. Without that, children cannot learn very well. The catch,… Read More
in: General