We wish a safe and Happy New Year to all of our students, families and staff – one filled with much learning and laughter! We are thankful to be back on the TRAIL!

There has been much attention to safety and the condition of the field this week where the fluctuation of temperature had created what amounted to a sheet of ice.  Several recesses have been ‘tarmac only’, and we even had to call an indoor recess when our Trailblazers were not safe to be outside.  Classes were asked to make a list of safe activities and behaviours in icy conditions, and we were pleased with many terrific ideas on how to be safe outside.  The field has been totally sanded and we hope that next week the conditions will be more conducive to safe play.  Please emphasize with your child the importance of making sensible choices to protect personal safety!

Letters went home this week for the WNBA, WTT National Basketball Association,  open to students in grades 1-6.  Seven of our awesome staff members are volunteering their time to coach! Of course, the hi-lite is always the student vs parent match!  Lego and sewing clubs are also beginning while many other extra curricular activities are continuing!

Collaborative learning began this week with a great brainstorming session with our grade 3 teaching team – our focus, how can we improve student learning?  While the grade 3 teachers were brainstorming the grade 1 teachers worked with the grades 1 and 3 students to share introduce our new WITS program! The WITS Programs bring together schools, families and communities to create responsive conversations that help children deal with bullying and peer victimization. The first picture book being shared is Walrus’s Gifts. Click on the links for further information.

Kindergarten registration is just around the corner.  Please call the office to make an appointment to register our future TRAILBLAZERS.

Save the Date! School council members are actively planning our next awesome community event – February Family Fun Fest on Saturday, February 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. here at school.  Vendors, silent auction, activities for the kids, bake sale and a book swap are all on the agenda. Follow WT Townshend PS Parent Council on Facebook or @WTTCouncil on Twitter to stay up to date.  Donations for the silent auction, bake table (peanut free of course) and book swap are needed.

If a picture is worth a thousand words you should follow us on twitter @WTTWRDSB!

Did you know? As of Jan. 1, a new law in Ontario indicates drivers and cyclists must now stop and yield the whole pedestrian crossover until the person is completely off the roadway. This rule also applies at school crossings where there is a crossing guard holding a stop sign. However, the new law does not apply at crosswalks, unless a school crossing guard is present.