Welcome December!
This holiday season, let's see how many ways we can have festive fun as well as fill our hearts by helping others. There are so many ways to give: 1) Our School Day gift card/donation fundraiser 2) Our Jingle Bell Walk/Run/Roll Food Drive or 3) our Light up the Season cereal drive.
Our school is coming together to gather much needed non perishable food and jingle our joy though the community! Winston Bulldogs will be collecting food the week of December 8th to 12th and will celebrate our giving actions by enjoying a community walk and wheel while jingling bells and being together. It is also Jingle Jangle Friday spirit day so bells, festive clothing or noisemakers for our walk/run/roll are encouraged!
Please help us collect non perishable items for our local food bank if you can so families can receive the food they need to help fill their tummies and their hearts this holiday season.
-pasta
-canned protein
-canned vegetables
-baby food
-crackers
-peanut butter
-100% fruit juice
-cereals
-pasta sauces
-canned fruit
-apple sauce
-granola bars
-soups
On December 12th, at 2:00pm, we will enjoy a Jingle Bell Walk and Roll. Children are invited to bring bells, tambourines, and shakers to use during our walk and roll. We will be doing a community loop and then coming back to the school.
Thank you for giving if you can and joining us in being active and joyful together.
Next Week is Cabaret Club!
In March, we will be having a Cabaret Show!
This year’s Cabaret Performance gives you two fun ways to join in! You can audition to be part of the ensemble performance, where you’ll learn and perform a group routine — or bring your own prepared solo or group act, like a song, dance, or instrumental piece, to share your unique talents and to show Kristin and Larissa what you can do. They will then help us to craft a spectacular cabaret for our audience! We can’t wait to see what you create!
Coming Up next Week
Monday, December 1 (Day 1)
- Boys' & Girls' volleyball tournament - LCVI
Tuesday, December 2 (Day 2)
- Agnes Etherington walking trip - 5/6 A
Wednesday, December 3 (Day 3)
Thursday, December 4 (Day 4)
Friday, December 5 (Day 5)
- Cozy Sweater Day!
- Special Olympics at Duncan McArthur Hall (small, select group of students)
- Wellness Club
Looking Ahead....
December
Dec. 9th - Agnes Etherington walking trip - Grade 4/5
Dec. 10th - Molly Brant Chess Tournament
Dec. 12th - Jingle Bell Roll/Run/Walk
Dec. 16th - Light Up the Season evening art showcase - all welcome
Dec. 19th - last day before holidays
Jan. 5th - return to 2026 school year
Inclusive Playground Project
We continue to fundraise and collect donations for a large scale Inclusive Playground Project at Winston. If you wish to donate through our Charitable Trust Fund, you may do so HERE. Tax receipts are generated through LDSB. We appreciate your contributions in helping us achieve our goal for our school and community.
Winter is Coming! Be Prepared
Parent Council NEWS!
Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 20th at 7pm in the library.
Council is actively seeking a person to fill the position of Chair. Parent Council is a wonderful support and resource for our school and we appreciate all they do to support students, programming, staff and families. Questions for council can be sent to wcps.council@gmail.com
The position of the Chair's responsibility includes:
The chair/co-chairs of the council are elected by the council members and must be a parent or parents who are not employed by the school board. The chair/co-chairs are voting members who, in addition to performing the same duties as other council members, might:
- arrange for meetings;
- prepare agendas;
- chair council meetings;
- ensure that minutes of council meetings are recorded and maintained;
- facilitate the resolution of conflict; participate as ex-official members of all committees established by the school council;
- communicate with the school principal on behalf of the council
- Prepare the end of year report and PRO grant application
The 2025-2026 Executive Parent Council Members are:
Chair - To Be Determined - if you or someone you know would like to serve as council chair, please contact the office or parent council.
Secretary - Priscila Cabrera
Treasurer and Inclusive Education Coordinator - Michael Tkautz
Fundraising and Event Coordinator - Jessica Colgrave
Community Representative - Ben Eby
HOT LUNCHES
Our hot lunch program run by Parent Council. Orders are placed at through LunchBox at www.lunchboxorders.net and orders for the following week are due on Sunday at noon (no late orders). Lunch deliveries are Tuesday-Friday at our second nutritional break (1:05-1:25) Council has set up the following options:
- Tony’s on Tuesdays (subs, wraps, chicken fingers)
- Paradiso pasta Wednesdays
- Dominos Pizza Thursdays
- Edo Japan Fridays.
Click here for a full Lunch Box Guide on how to order. How to Order Guide
A HUGE thank you to our Parent Council for setting up this service for kids and families. If there is someone who would like to volunteer to meet lunches here to help with distribution, please contact council at wcps.council@gmail.com
Up and Coming Parent Council Meeting Dates
Meetings are on Tuesdays at 7:00pm in the school library.
Jan 20; Feb 24; Mar 24; Apr 21; May 19; Jun 16
SCHOOL SAFETY
Drop off/Pick up
Children and families are highly encouraged to use active transportation to/from school. This helps clear a crowded parking lot and street during peek times. Please remember that our streets are a no parking zone. If you must drive your child, please do not drop off children in the parking lot and have them walk through it as it is a congested area with traffic. Thank you for parking in the lot and then walking your child to the gate.
Please Close the Gates
We encourage families to drop children off at the school gates, rather than coming onto the school yard in the morning. For the safety of students, we are trying to ensure that the gates remain closed. If you do need to be on the yard, please ensure you close the gate (Earl Street Gate and McDonnell Street gate) when you leave.
SAFE ARRIVAL, School Messenger and School Day
Please continue to call in to Safe Arrival, or mark your students' late/absent in the Safe Arrival App to ensure that you don't get unwanted phone calls. The system will automatically call out if you have not marked your student as being away/late. Current contact information is necessary to ensure you get school emails/texts/calls and aren't missing out. Please call the office so that our Office Administrator can update your information as needed - thank you. Information for Safe Arrival, School Messenger and School Day (online payment and permissions) is below. .
Ontario Ministry of Education Human Development and Sexual Health Information
As part of LDSB's commitment to ongoing transparency and communication with families, please follow the link to Form 325-D on the LDSB website. It outlines the Human Development and Sexual Health curriculum expectations for Grades 1-8. Families can request to have their child or children exempted from instruction related to Human Development and Sexual Health expectations by completing and returning an exemption form for each child (Form 325-B) five school days before the start of instruction. Prior to instruction, your child's classroom teacher will inform parents/guardians when the expectations related to the Human Development and Sexual Health expectations in Strand D will be covered. For a more detailed overview of this process, please refer to Administrative Procedure 325: Exemption From Human Development and Sexual Health Instruction (listed under the Policies and Procedures section of the LDSB website), or contact the school.
Human Development and Sexual Health Expectations by Grade
Please find below a list of Human Development and Sexual Health Expectations by Grade as outlined in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education, 2019. The Ministry of Education provides additional information about Human Development and Sexual Health on its website at: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health.html
Human Development and Sexual Health Expectations by Grade
Request for Exemption from Instruction in Human Development & Sexual Health
Classroom teachers will be sending home a letter (Form 235-A). Form 325-A is a formal notification to families indicating when instruction related to Human Development and Sexual Health will occur.
Daily Schedule
Time | Activity/learning block |
|---|---|
8:45 to 9:05 a.m. | Supervision on the yard |
9:05 a.m. | Bell rings, students enter the school |
9:05 to 10:45 a.m. | First instructional block |
10:45 to 11:05 a.m. | First nutrition break |
11:05 to 11:25 a.m. | Recess |
11:25 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. | Second instructional block |
1:05 to 1:25 p.m. | Second nutrition break |
1:25 to 1:45 p.m. | Recess |
1:45 to 3:25 p.m. | Third instructional block |
3:25 p.m. | Dismissal |
How Can I get Information From the School?
LDSB schools and school board use School Messenger to send key messages, alerts, and general communication to families. Winston uses this platform and will continue to use our Bulldog Family Bulletin to provide updates to families. This newsletters are where we will share school-specific information and highlights of student work and events in the building and is generated on our school website. This newsletter is also sent out via School Messenger so that you receive it in your in-box (sign up for alerts - email or text).
SchoolMessenger App: Download the SchoolMessenger App to stay connected. Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app. *New families will be able to create their account after the first day of attendance.
The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account.
School Day Online Payments and Permissions
We are paperless and cashless at Winston. We use the platform School Day for online payments (field trips, milkshake days, etc) and for digital permission slip signatures. ALL families are required to sign up using their child's individual match key that will be provided within the first weeks of school. Please direct families to the office if they are having trouble signing up or registering with School Day.
2025-2026 LDSB School Year Calendar
A PDF version of the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar is available online.
Allergen Awareness - Nut-Free School
Thank you for packing nut-free snacks! Please communicate with teachers before sending any treats in for your student's class.
Bus Requests are Through Triboard.ca
Most children in our community are within walking distance to our school and we encourage active transportation (biking, walking, scooter). Bike racks are located on the grass outside the gate of the main playground. Please encourage children to NOT cut through the parking lot as this is a busy place in the mornings and after school. Children who are out of school boundary are not guaranteed busing and families should arrange for drop off at 9:05 am and pick up at 3:25 pm. There is no supervision on the yard after 3:25 so it is important that pick ups are punctual. Morning supervision begins at 8:45am.
