PRINCIPAL ADDRESS
Dear families,
We are all excited as we move into the final term of the school year! By now, you should have
received your child’s report card, and if your child has an IEP, you will receive this next week. If you
have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s teacher to discuss.
As we approach spring weather, please check the weather and send your child with outdoor
gear for the day. I imagine we will have a messy thaw this year! Please send extra clothes
(socks and pants in particular) as well for our younger students. There are many items gathering
at the lost and found. If you are picking up your child, please check for any missing items!
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.
Have a great March break!
Erin Hills, Principal
Battle of the books
Mrs. Hall has been hard at work planning battle of the books for junior and intermediate
students at Irwin. Students will be joining teams of 4 in their classes, reading from a
selection of 10 books (to be shared later this month), and then “battling” with other
teams with their knowledge of the books. We hope to have everything ready for
students to select their first book to read over March break. Happy reading to our
students!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
4th – School Council virtual meeting 7pm
6th – Ski Race #2
7th – 50/50 draw 7/8 fundraiser
7th – Battle of the Books
7th – Last Swim to Survive for grade 3’s
10th to 14th – MARCH BREAK!
18th – Dental screening for JK, SK, grades 2, 4, 7
20th – Hot lunch
21st – World Down Syndome Day
21st – Alphabet of Science field trip to Algonquin Theatre
25th – Volleyball game @ Irwin
25th – Zoo to You speaker
April 1st – Volleyball game @ Irwin
PARENT COUNCIL
Happy March everyone!
February has flown by, but it has been a rewarding and heartwarming month for Parent council!
Our Valentine’s Day hot lunch of heart shaped pasta, cucumbers and strawberries (also cut into
hearts) and a heart-shaped cookie raised $550 that will go directly back to our school. The students
LOVED it! Thank-you to Henrietta’s Bakery for donating the cookies, and to our sponsors of H.O.L.D
and Robinsons/Baysville general stores! Another huge thank you to the Township of Lake of Bays
and Library for allowing us to use the commercial kitchen at the Community Center to prep food! Of
course, these hot lunches are not possible without the many parent volunteers that make them
happen, so we send much gratitude to them and also to all of our families that support these
fundraisers!
Exciting news! Our school has been approved to be a recipient of the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie
Campaign this spring. We are collaborating with 5 other Huntsville schools and will be providing
volunteers to help decorate the cookies with smiles. This will be happening in April, and there will be
information coming out beforehand regarding bulk orders. If you are interested in helping in any way
with this fundraiser, please reach out to Sarah at [email protected] or sign up on our google
document
here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kYCFhDKaqdo_Lh95lxIYJmDAaJH_oFb_GLj3SFpSKg4/
edit?tab=t.0
This month Mrs. Connors Grade 1/2s were able to start enjoying some learning resources and games
that the council provided money for. We also purchased 6 brand new hockey helmets for the school,
and Canadian Tire donated 2 extras! Thank you Canadian Tire! These helmets will enable our
students to use the skating rink on our property safely when there are opportunities to do so.
The next parent council meeting will take place on Tuesday March 4th at 7pm. All are welcome to
attend with no commitment necessary We keep the meetings to one hour, and appreciate input and
feedback from everyone who would like to provide it. If you would like the virtual link, or to learn more
about Parent Council and other ways that you can be involved, please reach out to Sarah
at [email protected]
Have a great month of March everyone!
Last chance to buy 50/50 tickets and support our grade 7/8 trip to Montreal! The jackpot is almost at a
full $2500 and Tickets are $5 each. The draw will be held on Friday March 7th at Irwin Memorial.
Please contact Sarah at +1705-783-5011 to buy yours!
SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOL COUNCIL!
Sarah R.
- What is your favourite memory of March break when you were in elementary
school?
My favorite memory of March Breaks when I went to Irwin was skiing every day at TallyHo and getting “helicopter rides” on the pomma lifts! - How did you show kindness to someone who seemed different than you?
I showed kindness once to a Syrian family that moved into Huntsville by dropping a
Welcome card and small poinsettia off at their house. They invited us in for coffee and
we became very good friends even though we had to communicate using google
translate at first! - How were you a good friend in elementary school?
I hope I was a good friend when I went to Irwin but nothing in particular stands out to
me. I do remember however that I didn’t stick up for a girl in my class who was being
bullied and I will always regret that.
Dana S.
- What is your favourite memory of March break when you were in elementary school?
I remember one March Break that my parents, twin sister and I traveled with “cottage”
family friends from Kawagama Lake. My older siblings were likely working. We traveled
to Florida and I recall going to Busch Gardens. I still remember our first cottage friend
Dave, who was the same age as us (and now a principal), started screaming songs out
loud on a scary roller coaster when it went upside down. I thought it was funny but it
actually helped us calm down! Happy to say we have been friends for 42 years now. - How did you show kindness to someone who seemed different than you?
I try to do this all the time, as I think everyone feels different than others at some point
in their life (including me!) I’m naturally curious, so would probably ask some random
questions wanting them to feel heard and included. Sometimes this leads to great
friendships!
I think using a bit of humour helps sometimes while showing kindness too. - How were you a good friend in elementary school?
I was lucky enough to grow up with a twin sister so I had a friend everywhere I went.
I think I was a good friend to one of our oldest friends (we met in nursery school) who
didn’t have a sister. We said she could come to us to vent or stay over whenever she
needed to. She always liked having 2 friends for the price of one! We are all still friends
to this day.
