Woodlawn School

Attendance Matters

Regular school attendance plays a critical role in student success. Even small amounts of missed time can add up quickly.

• Missing 2 days per month equals about one full month of missed school per year.
• This is 10% of the school year.
• A student with 90% attendance has missed approximately 4 weeks of learning.

Under The Public Schools Act, school-aged children are required to attend school regularly. “Regular attendance” is defined as missing 5 days of school or fewer per year (unless a child is formally enrolled in homeschooling).

What is Chronic Absenteeism?
Chronic absenteeism refers to missing 10% or more of the school year, for any reason—whether absences are excused or unexcused. This level of absence can have a significant impact on a child’s learning and progress.

Planned Absences and Work Packages
We understand that, at times, students may miss school due to family vacations or other planned events. Families may request work packages to support learning during these absences. While teachers will try to accommodate when possible, please keep in mind:

• Preparing work packages adds to teachers’ workload and may not always be feasible.
• A work package cannot replace classroom learning.
• In-class instruction includes teaching new concepts, practicing strategies, and ongoing assessment—experiences that cannot be fully replicated at home.

Simply put, being at school is the best way for students to learn.

We’re Here to Help
If your family is experiencing barriers that make regular attendance difficult, please reach out to your child’s teacher or the school office. We are committed to working with you to find solutions and support your child’s success.

Together, we can ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive at school.

V. Hiebert - Principal

M. McEachern - Vice-Principal

Welcome back, Woodlawn families! We’ve missed those smiling faces and can't wait to see all the great learning this spring brings.

At Woodlawn, our classrooms use the Zones of Regulation to help students understand and manage their emotions. By using consistent, encouraging language, our staff practices co-regulation; providing a calm presence that helps children feel safe and capable.

Why Focus on Encouragement? Rather than just "correcting behavior," we focus on building skills. This helps children:

• Identify their "Zone" and validate their feelings.

• Learn safe ways to respond to big emotions.

• Build the confidence to handle challenges independently.

The Zones in Action Across the school, students hear familiar language to help them navigate their day:

• Red Zone (Overwhelmed): "I’m here to help you feel safe."

• Yellow Zone (Frustrated): "I see your body is in the Yellow Zone. Let’s find a strategy."

• Blue Zone (Sad/Tired): "I’m here with you—what do you need?"

• Green Zone (Ready to Learn): "I can see your focus and effort!"

By using this language consistently, we help our students build a strong emotional foundation for success; both in the classroom and beyond.

Mrs. Mackie

All students in grade 3 and 4 will have the opportunity to go skating on April 13 and 17. Class notices and informed consent forms will be sent home and parents are asked to have helmets fitted and skates sharpened in preparation for the fun. If you absolutely cannot beg, borrow or buy the equipment, we do have some basic skates and helmets as a back up at the school. We welcome any parents who have any extra equipment they may want to share to call me so that all students can join in the fun! Please be aware that hockey sticks are not allowed to be transported on the school division buses. If your child would like to bring a stick please make arrangements to drop it off and pick it up at the school.

We also welcome and need parents to come out and help with supervision, tying skates and possibly sharing your own expertise in the sport. If your volunteer information is up to date and you would like to help, please contact Mr. Adams at jadams@hsd.ca

** Please note that all helmets must be CSA approved hockey helmets.

Spring concerts are coming soon! Our Grade 1 Spring Concert will be April 28 and our Grade 1/2 and Grade 2 Concert will be April 30. More information will be sent out.

Hello Woodlawn Families,
We have had a great start to spring. And thank you to those who donated to the Taco Bar, the staff absolutely loved it.

Reminder that the order forms for the Sunshine and Chinos fundraiser are due April 8th. Pick up for the gift cards will be April 22nd from 3:30-5:00pm. Thanks in advance for supporting our school through PAC.
Our next meetings are April 7th and May 5th, at 11:50 in the Library. Everyone is welcome. As always if you have any questions or concerns about PAC please contact us at woodlawnelementarypac@gmail.com
Have a great day
Ang Plett
Your PAC Chair

With warmer weather, kids are starting to ride their bikes to school. Please remind your child to place their bike in the bicycle cage that we have in our playground and send a lock with them to lock up their bikes.

If your child is eligible for Kindergarten Registration (must be five years of age on or before Dec. 31, 2026), our online registration is now available. Our new online registration process takes only a few minutes to complete. To begin, visit the HSD Kindergarten Registration page at https://hsd.ca/schools/student-registration/

If you do not have access to the Internet, please visit our school and we will assist you in completing the registration form on a school computer.

Registering early will assist our school in preparation and planning for the upcoming school year. Early registration also provides parents/guardians with the opportunity to participate in upcoming orientation activities.

Please pass this information to any friend, neighbor or relative who may have children eligible for Kindergarten and who might not be aware of the registration process.

We will soon begin creating class lists for the 2026-2027 school year. We use a thoughtful, team-based process focused on building balanced and supportive learning environments for all students.

When creating classes, we consider:

• Balanced class composition
• Social and behavioural needs
• Group dynamics
• Learning styles
• Parent input

Parent Requests
If you would like to request a specific teacher or peer placement, please email Mr. Hiebert (vhiebert@hsd.ca) by May 1, 2026. Requests must:

• Be submitted in writing
• Include clear academic or learning-based reasons

Please note:

• Not all requests can be accommodated
• Late or incomplete requests will not be considered
• Teacher assignments may not be finalized at the time of your request

Student Input
Later this spring, students will have the opportunity to identify up to three “good fit” learning partners. We will do our best to ensure each child is placed with at least one of their choices.

Placement Information
Class placements will be shared in your child’s June report card. We are unable to provide placement information before June 30 (with the exception of incoming Kindergarten students, who will be notified in mid-June).

With the right support at school and at home, most students adjust well and are successful in their placements. If challenges arise, we encourage families to allow time for relationships and classroom communities to develop.

Woodlawn Teachers 2026-2027 (Subject to Change)

Principal

Mr. Vince Hiebert

Vice Principal

Ms. Marla McEachern

Learning Support

Ms. Katrina Hamilton

Ms. Glenda Maendel

School Counselor

Ms. Rebecca Mackie

Literacy Support

Ms. April Harder

Ms. McAuley Friesen

Kindergarten

Ms. Angela Martin

Ms. Rebecca Friesen

Grade 1

Mr. Chris Schroeder

Ms. Andrea Lepp

Ms. Angela Gosselin

Grade 1/2

Ms. Jennifer Cuppage

Ms. Jessica Klassen

Grade 2

Ms. Pat Reimer

Ms. Kristen Falk

Ms. Leah Read

Grade 3

Ms. Kristen Reimer

Ms. Jerilyn Koslowsky

Ms. Kendra Friesen

Grade 3/4

Ms. Lisa Martens

Ms. Jordyn Arcand

Grade 4

Ms. Marlene Funk

Ms. Simmy Gandhi

PE

Mr. Jesse Adams

Music

Ms. Joelle Boese

Music & Movement

Ms. Aimee Kroeker

For nearly 20 years, Woodlawn students and their families have been involved in harvesting root vegetables for Southeast Helping Hands. We started with a Woodlawn Community Garden, and have since transitioned to inviting our families to donate from their own gardens, or to purchase and donate vegetables in the autumn. These vegetables have benefited families in need from our local community.

We are inviting Woodlawn students and their families to participate in our annual: Grow a Row for Those in Need gardening campaign. We are looking for root vegetables like: potatoes, carrots, onions, turnips, beets, pumpkins and squash.

Participating families are asked to bring their produce to Southeast Helping Hands in the autumn, located at 525 Main Street in Steinbach.

If you don’t plan on having a garden, but would still like to donate some root vegetables, your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your willingness to participate! We are excited to continue Woodlawn’s legacy of giving back to our local community and teaching children how to be generous, thoughtful, and caring citizens.

Students will also take part in a school-wide clean up - date to be announced!

Email: woodlawn@hsd.ca
Website: www.woodlawn.hsd.ca
Location: 411 Henry St, Steinbach, MB, Canada R5G 0R1
Phone: 204-326-6110
Instagram: @WoodlawnHSD