The Point

Just a reminder We want to remind those parents dropping off your children in the morning that class begins at 8:45 a.m. so children need to be here by at least 8:40 a.m. in order to be ready for class on time. There is a lot of important information being shared in story circle and children benefit from the full group time where routines are reviewed and reinforced and new material introduced. An important reminder about the drop off point – please drop your children at the bottom of the steps. For courtesy sake we would ask that this drop off be done fairly quickly. If you have to attend to instructions for your child, please park your vehicle and accompany your child to the steps. We realize that there are parents trying to drop off children on their way to work so it’s important to keep the traffic moving. It is also advisable that children get out of the vehicle on the same side as the steps. Some children are getting out on the opposite side of the vehicle and are potentially in the path of drive through traffic. We cannot have children dropped off anywhere else and walking across the parking lot between moving traffic without adult accompaniment. We’re sure you can appreciate the potential safety hazards in such practices. If you plan to accompany your child into the building, park your vehicle away from both the drop off point and the drive through traffic line. It is as difficult to see small children from some of the larger vehicles as it is for bus drivers to see them from the buses. We do want to thank you for the much improved driving practices on our bus parking lot. Most vehicles are respectful of the fact that the upper parking lot is for buses only.

Penny Drive It’s hard to believe but our annual penny drive is almost here. We will be collecting pennies in each classroom from February 1^st – 14^th, buckets and buckets of pennies! The teacher of the class with the most penny weight is crowned Penny Queen or Penny King! The pennies are used to fund the causes we support, among them - Juvenile Arthritis, Juvenile Diabetes, Epilepsy NL, Janeway Children’s Hospital, and our international project a well to supply drinking water to a village in India.

Harbour Breeze Catering Students in Grades 1, 2 & 3 have been provided with a copy of the school’s lunch menu, a daily hot meal service provided by Harbour Breeze Catering. The kitchen staff makes every effort to accommodate your child’s needs. Orders need to be placed first thing in the morning or, for your convenience, you can order for the week. We strongly recommend the hot, healthy, nutritious lunches our catering service can provide. Please note: Cookies are available on Fridays only. Due to time restraints and the possibility of burns we cannot provide microwave service for students at lunchtime.

Dress for the Weather Winter has arrived. Children need to come dressed for the weather – a warm coat, hat and mittens, snow pants, winter boots. Besides lunchtime outdoor play, gym classes are held outside as often as the weather permits so always be prepared! We encourage outside play as much as possible. An extra pair of mittens is always a good idea. Dress for winter!

Head Lice Health experts tell us that head lice spread easily, especially when people are in close contact and are very common among school-aged children or children attending Day Care. We remind parents to regularly check your children for head lice and strongly recommend that girls’ hair be kept up (pony tail, braid, etc.). We do have information at the office highlighting the importance of regular checks and proper treatment procedures. A booklet entitled Managing Head Lice at Home promotes the practices of checking weekly, treating properly, and letting your school know. The booklet is available on the Eastern School District and Eastern Health websites. For further information call Community Health at 786-5214.

Allergy Alert A directive from Eastern School District restricts use of any peanut butter replacements. Given the similarities in appearance, texture and taste, these products will be restricted in schools where a student has a peanut allergy. While recognizing that these products present no risk of anaphylactic allergy, having these products in our schools does undermine our capacity to enforce our restriction of peanut butter. Teachers on duty would not be able to distinguish between the two products; therefore, both products will be restricted at Coley’s Point Primary where we do have students with peanut allergies.

Skating Schedule Because of our close proximity to the local arena, skating is offered as an extension of physical education programming for our students. Details for each class are provided by your child’s classroom teacher. Common to each grade level is that permission slips are required for each skating time and cost to each student is $1.00. If your child requires skates, please see Ms. Woodman, our Phys. Ed. Teacher who may be able to help you. Helmets must be approved as skating helmets; bicycle helmets are not permitted.

Parking Lot Reminder Parking, dropping off, or picking up children is not permitted from the side of our building (Sod Lane). This area is designated as a bussing zone and staff parking. The lower parking lot is for parent/caregiver parking where we have a supervised pick up point at the base of the stairs closest to the main door. PLEASE DO NOT PARK AND LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS – IT PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM DROPPING OFF THEIR CHILDREN.

Recycling We recycle and compost at Coley’s Point Primary. It’s a great way to teach children the importance of being good stewards of the environment as well as a way to raise additional revenue for operating expenses. We have an account at the Green Depot if anyone wishes to donate recycling rebates to the school. Just inform them at the Depot that you wish the rebate to be credited to Coley’s Point Primary.

Community Announcement Looking for a new, social way to introduce music and dance to your preschooler? Harbour Music will be offering a new session of Kindermusik, a group music class for preschoolers on Saturday mornings beginning January 28. Classes will be held at Bayshore Day Care, 14 Bayshore estates. 10am Village (0-18months), 11:00am Imagine That! (3-5 Years), 12:00pm Our Time (18months - 3 years). Call or text Calvin at 697 2157 or email harbourmusic@live.ca for more info or to try a class out.~

Tuesday, May 8, 2012	Kindergarten BLUE Classes Graduation
Wednesday, May 9, 2012	Kindergarten RED Classes Graduation

Mon., Jan.30^th	Tues., Jan.31^st	Wed., Feb. 1^st	Thurs., Feb. 2^nd	Fri., Feb. 3^rd
		Grade 2 Skating PENNY DRIVE BEGINS!	Will the groundhog see his shadow?

February 1	Grade 2
February 8	Grade 1
February 15	Kindergarten
February 22	Grade 3
February 29	Grade 2
March 14	Kindergarten
March 21	Grade 1
March 28	Grade 2
April 4	Grade 3