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For your convenience, we've provided the content from our January 2026 newsletter in plain text below.
MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE
Happy New Year! We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed some time with family and friends as well as some time to relax.
We are well into our winter weather already this season and have a lot of snow to deal with, the temperatures have not been too cold yet, but we know it can get quite cold in January in Canada. Please note that there is an extreme weather procedure within the Simcoe County District School Board that we must follow and we are constantly monitoring weather conditions. Students need to be dressed appropriately for outside time during the winter months. We only stay in for recess and outdoor education time if the actual temperature is -25 degrees or colder and/or the wind chill makes the temperature -27 degrees or colder. When the temperatures are close to those guidelines, we do provide a space for students to come in to warm up a bit for a few minutes and then return outside. Ensuring that your child has lots of layers and warm hats and mittens makes their outside time more enjoyable. In addition to being outdoors during nutrition breaks, classes also do enjoy some daily physical activity breaks throughout the day.
Many events and activities are happening this month at Emma King. Sport teams, clubs and interest groups are all running as well as field trips, high school visits and transition meetings. It is a good idea to ensure you are registered for notifications for School Cash Online so that you receive email notices regarding activities and hot lunches in addition to the ones from the classroom teachers.
Lastly, we would like to introduce our new Vice-Principal, Mr. Kirwan. He comes with quite a few years of experience as a Vice-Principal (VP) and we are excited to show him how great the Emma King E.S. community is. Please help us welcome him if you see him around the building.
Yours in Education,
Mrs. Cindy McNeice
Regular student attendance matters
There are many ways we can work together to get attendance back on track or prevent poor attendance habits from starting. Did you know attendance counsellors (available by referral) work closely with families, school staff, and community partners to support students to attend school? Contact your school for more information.
Learn more about why regular student attendance matters at scdsb.on.ca/attendance.
Snack bins
Emma King provides each classroom with a snack bin that is filled with a variety of nutritious snacks twice a week. These snacks are available to all students in their classroom each day, but they are meant to enhance school lunch, not to replace school lunch. Unfortunately, we have noticed that many of our students, specifically within the older grades, are not bringing a packed lunch, and are instead using our snack program in place. While we are very happy to provide nutritious snacks for those in need, we don’t have enough to provide to every student every day. If you require assistance with providing lunches during the day, please reach out to the office and we would be happy to support your needs. Thank you
SAFE ARRIVAL
With cold and flu season in full swing, we have noticed that unfortunately a lot of parents are still forgetting to call Safe Arrival to notify the office of student absences. We would like to remind parents to please call the Safe Arrival line when you know that your student(s) will be away or late for school. It is board policy for office staff to follow up with families of unknown absences. This can include emergency contacts, and in some cases, the non-emergency police line. The number for Safe Arrival is 1-888-885-8065 and is available 24/7. We appreciate your cooperation.
Information and updates from the SCDSB
This month, the SCDSB is sharing information related to the below topics. To read this information, visit the SCDSB website.
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Provide your feedback on the proposed SCDSB 2026-27 school year calendar
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Inclement weather and bus cancellation information reminder
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Kindergarten registration for September 2026 is open!
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Is your child turning four in 2026? Get ready for Kindergarten with us!
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How is your infant, toddler, or preschool child developing?
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Licensed March Break school age child care programs
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Check out the SCDSB News video series
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High school information events for Grade 8 students
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SCDSB families invited to explore math games and activities at Family Math Nights in February 2026
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What is mental health? Introducing By Your Side resource
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Culminating Task Days and Feedback, Recovery, and Improvement Days (secondary)
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Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication on Student Devices
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School playground structures are closed for the winter
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Character recognition nominations
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Interested in learning more about special education in the SCDSB?
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New year, new math activities!
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Your child’s immunization record
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January PA Days