February 18th, 2025

Dear families and caregivers:

My apologies for not sending this out last Friday. Things have been very busy in the office as of late, with these massive snowstorms, which bring an incredible amount of snow for us to work with here in our school – while it is exciting, it is also complex to manage in terms of reminding students to be safe with each other and all the unpredictable behaviours that can be triggered by this much snow on the ground.
I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend, and that shoveling was not too cumbersome. Please see some notes below of things to look forward to or keep an eye out for.
Have a wonderful week,
Ms. Carolina Miranda

Attendance Matters: 

Regular attendance is essential for student success, and we appreciate your efforts in ensuring your child is at school each day. Our office carefully monitors student attendance, and we kindly remind families of the following protocols:

  • If a student has 15 consecutive absences, we are required to submit a referral to our school social worker.
  • If we notice a pattern of absences that raises concerns, even if they are not consecutive, we will reach out to families via email to check in and offer support.
  • If your child is experiencing a prolonged illness, please provide a medical note so we can best support their return to school.

We understand that each family’s situation is unique, and we are here to work together to support your child’s well-being and learning. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your partnership in making every school day count!

Boomerang Lunches:  

We are proud to support EcoSchools Canada in fostering sustainable habits within our school community. As part of this initiative, we follow a Boomerang Lunch policy, which means:

  • Any uneaten food, packaging, and waste brought to school will be sent back home.
  • This encourages students and families to be mindful of reducing waste, using reusable containers, and making eco-friendly choices.
  • It also helps families see what their child is eating (or not eating) during the day.

By working together, we can reduce our environmental impact and teach students to care for our planet. Thank you for your support in making Blair Rd a greener school! 🌍💚

By-Law and Parking: 

To keep our school safe and running smoothly, we kindly remind families to follow parking regulations:

  • No overnight parking is permitted on school property at any time. Vehicles left overnight may be ticketed or towed as per bylaw enforcement.
  • Please avoid parking in designated bus zones—when buses cannot get through, it causes delays for everyone.
  • To help with traffic flow, we encourage families to use our Drive-to-5 locations, which provide safe drop-off areas within a short walk to school. Bylaw officers have been notified and will be monitoring these areas.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe and accessible for all!

School Website: 

As we look ahead to next year, we would love to hear from you in regards to our School Website. How can we improve it? What would you like to see on the website that would help us make our school website a portal that is useful to our community? We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to get in touch with either Ms. Miranda or our School Council to share your thoughts.

Kids Ability Resources: 

We are thrilled to announce KidsAbility’s School Readiness, an Occupational Group Therapy Session! These sessions are a half day, week long summer group led by a pediatric Occupational Therapist, where your child will have lots of fun while developing new motor skills to support success at school. Activities may include: crafts with friends, sensory play, colouring, printing, pencil grasp, scissor skills, manipulating fasteners on clothing, tying shoelaces and more! There are two groups being offered:

Communication Devices: 

At Blair Rd PS, we are committed to creating a focused and engaging learning environment. As per the Ontario Ministry of Education, personal communication devices—including cell phones, smartwatches, and other electronic devices—are not permitted during school hours unless used for an approved educational purpose.

To ensure safe and clear communication, students who need to contact their families during the school day must do so through the main office. This helps us maintain a safe dismissal process and ensures that students remain fully engaged in learning.

We appreciate your support in reinforcing these guidelines with your child. Thank you for helping us create a positive and distraction-free learning space!

Shared Success – Decline in vandalism by Caring for Our School: 

I am happy to share that vandalism at Blair Rd PS has seen a steep decline! This is a true testament to the power of community care and involvement. By staying engaged, keeping our school active, and fostering a sense of pride in our shared spaces, we have created a safer and more welcoming environment for everyone.

A huge thank you to our parent community for your ongoing support! We encourage you to continue walking through our school grounds on weekends, enjoying the space, and helping keep it a place we can all be proud of. Your presence makes a difference, and together, we are building a stronger, more connected community.

Community Flyers:

The WRDSB offers community organizations and not-for-profits the opportunity to share information on their programs and services with our schools on our Community E-Flyers website. Each week we will share the most recent flyers shared with the Board in this newsletter in hopes that you share this information with your community if you deem it appropriate.

Dates happening this week: 

  • Family Day, February 17, 2025
  • World Day of Social Justice, February 20, 2025
  • International Mother Language Day, February 21, 2025
  • Canada’s Human Trafficking Awareness Day, February 22, 2025