It is tough to believe that one month of school remains. It seems like just yesterday that I had entered the school for the first time. The month of June is very busy and many fun and exciting events have been planned for students and their families. We hope you can join us for some of these events as we celebrate the year that has passed.

I wanted to bring your attention to an important date for our students. On June 24th, each of our students will be made aware of their classroom teacher for next year. In the afternoon on this date, our students will spend an hour with their new teacher and classmates. We hope that this time helps our students to transition successfully to next year.

[ View the June 2013 Newsletter (PDF) ]

Willow Road PS students and volunteer coaches showed off their energy and enthusiasm as they placed first overall at the annual Start2Finish 5K Run4Change on May 25, 2013 at York University. The students are members of the school's Run and Read Club. Each of the students involved in the reading challenge won an E-reader. This is the fourth year Willow has participated in the event. The event's 5K race is coupled with a Jeopardy-style Reading Challenge, followed by an awards ceremony celebrating the children’s accomplishments complete with medals, trophies and prizes, activities, and a barbecue for all of the kids. Thanks go to all of the volunteers and staff who have helped to make this program a success. [ More about Running and Reading Clubs ]

School expectations may differ from personal choices. Everyone should show common sense, good judgment, and dress appropriately for their age.

Students must be appropriately covered during the warm weather. Please note the following dress code regulations in the PDF below. Offending students will either be loaned appropriate attire or sent home to change. 

[ View warm weather attire information ( PDF ) ]

Spring has arrived! It is nice to see the greenery return and the temperature start to rise. The signs of spring indicate that we are coming close to the end of another school year. As this time approaches, we have a lot of work to complete and a lot of planning to do for next year.

We are currently going through our staffing process and I will let you know details of classrooms and staff as that information is finalized.

Recently we installed a new phone messaging system; a call was made last week to make you aware of the PD day and the WOW assembly. We will continue to send messages home to help keep families informed of important information about our school. In addition, we requested email addresses for those parents who wish to receive information via email. This will include the newsletter and other pertinent information.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the school.

Thanks,
Steve Viveiros

[ View the May 2013 Newsletter ( PDF ) ]

Need a Dress for Prom / Grad?

Get your prom / grad swag at the The Salavation Army at 1320 Gordon St., Guelph.

Friday, Aprtil 19th 4-8pm & Saturday, April 20th, 9am-12pm.

Dresses $10  - Shoes $2 - Purses & Accessories $1

[ View  the Princess Project Information poster ( PDF )  ]

I hope you had an opportunity to spend some family time with your children over the March Break. The students have transitioned back very well from their holiday and we look forward to the next few months ahead.

One of the goals and priorities of Student Council has been to improve on home and school communication. We have started the process of identifying methods for ensuring school information is shared with families. If you have some ideas and want to suggest them to the school, please feel free to contact me personally. In the newsletter you will find some information regarding the collection of email addresses.

At our most recent School Council meeting we discussed issues around traffic flow in our school. There have been numerous concerns raised from parents around the safety of students at arrival and dismissal. We are working through some infrastructure ideas; however, the following simple recommendations need to be followed:

1. Slow down
2. Follow the rules posted on the signs
3. Walk your children to school
4. Use pathways and sidewalks
5. Do not park in the staff parking lot

We appreciate the input we have had from parents thus far and look forward to the changes that will be made in the future.

Steve Viveiros

[ View the April 2013 Newsletter ( PDF ) ]

Winter has finally taken and the snow will be with us for some time. As March is quickly upon us, we look forward to the March Break and the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate in preparation for the remainder of the school year. I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy some family time during the Break.

We have had many phone calls of concern regarding our parking lot and the driveway at our school; especially during arrival and dismissal time. I wanted to remind you that there is no parking on site for students being dropped off in the morning or being picked up at dismissal time. In addition, please slow down when driving on school property. The speed of traffic and the congestion associated with the parked cars are contributing to an unsafe environment. We are currently working on some solutions; however, following the speed and parking restrictions are essential at this time.

As the spring approaches, we look forward to some of our upcoming Greening projects. I will update you as this time draws closer, however, we will be undergoing some renovations to our school property.

Have a wonderful March Break!

Mr. Viveiros

[ View the March 2013 Newsletter ( PDF ) ]