Thursday 8 January 2015

Thursday, January 8th



WELCOME BACK
We hope that you all enjoyed a great holiday spent with family and friends. This looks to be a busy year for Hawthorne as we plan for a variety of events and activities.  We are particularly excited about the Spring Fair that will be hosted on Friday, May 8th. This is a wonderful community event that his held every two years at Hawthorne. Special thanks to Helen Sigouin for spearheading our efforts.  Happy New Year everyone!  

HOUSE FIRE IN LADNER
As you are likely aware of by now,  Mrs. Robinson lost her home in a fire on December 30th.  Fortunately, her family was able to escape unharmed but the damage is extensive.  We have been accepting financial donations at the office on behalf of the Robinson family and there is also a website that has been created for those who would like to donate online.   Mrs. Robinson and her family have been very moved by the support shown by the Ladner community.

MONTHLY VIDEO
You can view the latest monthly video by clicking here. It features highlights from the month of November.

HOMEWORK
During the fall our staff was engaged in a number of discussions regarding homework.  This topic has long been a controversial one in education and we are hoping to engage our parent community and students as well.  With this in mind,  we would like to invite parents to attend the next PAC meeting where Mr. Carruthers will be hosting a "discussion" on the merits of homework. Through these discussions we hope to create "homework guidelines" for teachers, students and parents. The meeting is set for Wednesday, January 28th at 6:30pm in our library and we hope that you can join us.  In the meantime,  here are some related articles that may be of interest: parent's perspectivethe case against homework and the case for/against homework.

TRAFFIC CIRCLE
Please note that community volunteers will be on site (bright yellow jackets) for a number of weeks working in concert with Delta Police's traffic safety program.  They will be monitoring parking/driving habits and issuing warning tickets to any traffic violators.  With this in mind,  please consider the following traffic guidelines.

 DROP-OFF / PICK-UP RULES IN SCHOOL DRIVEWAY:
  • The curved lane in front of the school has been designated for "drop-off and pick-up" only.  This is a FIRE LANE and there is NO PARKING ALLOWED, however, we are allowing only drop-off, pick-up and exiting.  Do not leave your vehicle unattended, including Daycare providers
  • Please note that the elevated area and the end of the roundabout is RESERVED for Daycare Providers
  • Enter the “Drop-off – Pick- up” lane and proceed forward as far as possible to the next car ahead so that other cars can enter the lane
  • Do not leave your vehicle (NO PARKING), as this blocks others from exiting
  • Keep your place in the line up. Do not cut in front of another vehicle
  • Please do not idle your car
  • When driving, please do not use your cell phone
  • Follow the correct flow of traffic indicated by the arrows on the road
  • Children should use the passenger side car doors that open to the sidewalk
Our parking lot is restricted to staff for 30 minutes before and after school. The existing parking stalls are needed for school staff as well as district staff who arrive and leave our school at different times throughout the day. If possible, please consider having your child(ren) walk to school or walk to school with them. We will continue to participate in initiatives and events that promote walking to school, teach environmental responsibility and reduce car dependency.  Our next “Walk to School” event is scheduled for Friday, January 16th.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Please note that kindergarten registration at Hawthorne will be held on Tuesday, February 24th from 9am-Noon.  More details to follow in our next blog post.

IMPORTANT DATES

Friday, January 16
Monthly Assembly
11am Gymnasium

Friday, January 16th
Walk to School Day

Wednesday, January 28th
PAC Meeting
6:30pm Library

Friday, January 30th
Hot Lunch Day