Woodlawn School
January 2026 Newsletter
Everyday we work hard to ensure that all 420 of our students are dropped off and picked up in a safe and efficient manner. We rely on parents and caregivers to act in a safe manner when picking up and dropping off their children at Woodlawn School.
Unfortunately this week we have had many concerns raised by both staff and parents about drivers acting in an unsafe manner in and around the school. We are especially noticing that some drop offs are happening in a very unsafe manner.
Please remember the following:
- No unloading in the bus loop or school parking lots and especially not on the street in such a way that you are blocking the bus loop entrance or exit
- No unloading on the opposite side of the street or pausing in traffic to allow your children out
- Please don't park your vehicle the wrong way along Henry Street. This creates a hazardous situation for other students and our crossing guards
- Students should never cross the street alone. If you drop off after crossing guards are done, parents MUST walk their children across the street
- Students should ONLY cross at the crosswalk. Do not allow them to cross in front of the bus loop entrance or other unsafe locations
- Please remember that the speed limit in front of the school is 30km/h
- Please respect the no stopping/no parking zones
Finally, it is important that this information is shared with individuals who don't normally drop your kids off (grandparents, friends, uncles/aunts, etc), as they are expected to follow these drop off rules as well.
If your child needs medication, please note that over-the-counter medication is not be be sent to school in your child's backpacks or lunch kits. All over-the-counter mediation (including Advil and Tylenol) needs to be administered by a parent/guardian.
In order for prescription medication to be administered by staff, parents need to bring it in the original container/box with the label on. There are forms at the office for parents/guardians to fill out. We ask that as much as possible, medication be administered at home rather than at school.
Online Registration for Kindergarten
Kindergarten registration for the 2026-2027 school year will open on January 5, 2026. To be eligible, Children must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2026. The registration process will take place online at www.HSD.ca.
If you do not have access to the Internet, please visit the school office and we can assist you in completing the registration on a school computer. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to register their children soon after registration opens in January. Early registration will assist us in preparation and planning for the upcoming school year. Registering before March 1, 2026, will ensure there is sufficient time for school appointments and provide parents/guardians with the opportunity to participate in Kindergarten orientation activities. Visit www.HSD.ca for registration instructions.
If your child is sick and will not be attending school, please let us know before 8:40 am. You can either use our parent portal, email Woodlawn@hsd.ca, or call the school at 204-326-6110. Your help in letting us know your child will be absent is greatly appreciated!
Additionally, please read over the following information about sending your child to school after an illness. It is important that you do not send your children to school if they are sick. Some general guidelines we encourage are:
- Please keep your child home if they have a fever. They should be fever-free (without medication) for 24 hours before sending them back to school
- If they have thrown up in the last 24 hours, please keep them home
- If they are on antibiotics, they need to be home for at least 24 hours in order to no longer be contagious
These guidelines help prevent the spread of sickness as well as ensure that your child is able to participate in school while they are here.
Finally, we know that there are some coughs and colds that are lingering for long-term. If you feel that your child has met the above-listed guidelines and can come to school without their cough/cold affecting their learning and those around them, they can return to school. However, please remember that we do not have indoor recess supervision, and students will be expected to go outside for recess. Exceptions to this can only be made with prior approval from a principal and would be in extreme cases such as a serious, chronic health condition or similar.
At Woodlawn, we believe it is important for all students to spendtime playing outside every day. It is important to get fresh air, be exposed to sunshine (Vitamin D!) and to have some unstructured, fun play in their day.
Our goal is to get students outside every single day, while also ensuring they are doing so in a safe way. Hanover School Division's Cold Weather Protocol is included below and we do our best to stick to it.
How can you help? Ensure your child is dressed for the cold weather. Even if it looks like it may be too cold for outdoor recess, please continue to send your child with the proper outer wear as if the temperatures warm up enough to go outside, we will do so!
In addition, our belief at school is that if children are too sick to go outside, they are also too sick to be at school. We will send all children out for all applicable recesses. Exceptions are rare and must be approved by the school principal.
If local conditions indicate that with the wind-chill the temperature is -30 or colder we have indoor recess. When temperatures with wind-chill range between -25 to -29 we normally have a shortened outdoor recess during the activity block.
As we all know the weather in Manitoba can change from one moment to the next. The main reasons students find winter outdoor recesses too cold is that they do not dress warmly enough or they do not get active enough. Please send your children dressed to deal with the elements. Good boots, mittens, and a hat added to ski pants and a parka makes all the difference between a child enjoying the outdoors or tolerating it. Please label all your child's outwear items as our young students often lose or forget items in various places!
When extreme weather or road conditions call for a school closure you will receive a recorded phone call from Superintendent Joe Thiessen beginning at 6:45 am. This additional communication effort is to help ensure that all students will be aware of school closures and no students will find themselves in an unsafe situation where they may be facing extreme weather unnecessarily. When school is cancelled due to weather and road conditions there are no staff members at the school. If your phone number has changed since the beginning of the school year please call the office at 204-326-6110 to update your information.
Schools will be closed due to extreme cold when the temperatures in most locations in the division are –35 degree Celsius or colder or –45 degree Celsius or colder wind-chill.
Follow THIS LINK for further information.
We're excited for the Book Fair!
YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR!!
Wednesday, February 4 - Friday, February 6, 2026 in the library
MORE DETAILS WILL BE COMING AT THE END OF JANUARY!!
February 2... PD Day - No Classes
February 4-6... Book Fair
February 13... Festival du Voyageur Day
February 16... Louis Riel Day - No Classes
February 27... HTA PD Day - No Classes
March 13... Admin Day (Report Card Writing Day)
March 19... Student Led Conferences
March 20... Report Cards Issued
March 23-27... Wacky Week
March 26... Community Pancake Breakfast
March 27... Last Day of School Before Spring Break
April 6... First Day Back After Spring Break
April 10... PD Day - No Classes
April 28... Aft/Eve Spring Concert - Grade 1
April 30... Aft/Eve Spring Concert - Grade 1/2 & 2
May 18... Victoria Day - No Classes
June 26... School Picnic and Last Day of Classes
June 30... Report Cards released on Parent Portal
June 29/30... Admin Days
About Us
Email: woodlawn@hsd.ca
Website: www.woodlawn.hsd.ca
Location: 411 Henry St, Steinbach, MB, Canada R5G 0R1
Phone: 204-326-6110
Twitter: @WoodlawnHSD