January 2025 Newsletter

Principal Message

We hope that this newsletter finds you well, and you are enjoying the holiday season with us. As winter hits us, please ensure that your children are appropriately dressed for outdoor play at school. This includes our youngest and oldest students. As a reminder, if the temperatures dip below -20, we are required by board policy to keep students inside during break, however we will try to get students outside and active as much as possible. In addition, please keep in mind that supervision starts at 9:05 am, so students should not be arriving before then, and will not be permitted to enter the school until the 9:05 am bell.

Please see below for several reminders, announcements and celebrations as we head into 2024.

Mr. G. Donaldson

Principal

John T. Tuck P.S.

Creative Playground - Closed

This is a reminder that the Creative Playground will be closed during the Winter Months as it is not safe for use once the snow hits. Not only is there typically ice and snow on the surfaces causing a slip, trip and fall hazard, the winter boots that our students wear do not provide enough traction for the equipment to be safe. We ask that you help us by ensuring that your children are not accessing the creative before and after school as we dismiss during the Winter months. Thank you for your help in keeping all of our students safe at school. The Creative Playground Area will open again after March Break.

School Council Meeting

On Monday, January 13th, we have our School Council Meeting at 7:00pm in the Library Learning Commons. All parents are welcome to attend. We will be looking at the council and school budgets, allocating Council Funds and reviewing our PRO Grant application for parent events. We look forward to connecting with our Parent Council!

Grad Photos

Grad Photo Day is scheduled for Wednesday, January 29th in our Library. Grade 8 students will be asked to wear a white collared shirt or blouse, and may choose to wear a dark coloured tie. Graduation gowns will be provided. Students will be given the opportunity to purchase a Grad Composite and folder keepsake prior to photos being taken. More information to come.

Junior Ski Trip

We are excited to share that Tuck students in grades 4, 5, & 6 will once again be invited to learn to ski at Chicopee Resort in Kitchener. In the past we have had approximately 200 students participate in ski lessons, and most students had never skied before. This year, we look forward to giving junior students the opportunity to continue to develop their skills, as each year they learn a little more! The trip has been booked for January 29th, 2024. If you have any questions, please connect with Mrs. Hunt or your child's classroom teacher.

Holiday Giving

A big shout out to the John T Tuck community for your support in our Holiday Giving Collection. We raised $1200 in Tim Horton's cards for the Wellington Square Community Food Program and $1700 in gift cards for the "Open Doors" Charity. These organizations were so appreciative of this support and shared that so many families will have a merrier holiday with our help. Thank you!

Pediculosis

As we come back from a winter break, and in the winter months, it is very important that parents/caregivers check their children’s heads once a week for head lice. Please do not wait for itchiness as a sign of head lice. Children can have head lice for many weeks before they feel itchy. You know you have head lice if you see:

Live lice in the hair. Head lice are tiny, wingless, greyish brown insects. They are difficult to see, as they move quickly when you part the hair.
Eggs of the head louse. Freshly laid eggs are glued to the shaft of the hair and are laid very close to the scalp of the head. The eggs are smaller than the head of a pin, oval in shape and grey to brown in colour. These eggs will hatch in 7-10 days.
Although head lice can lay eggs anywhere on the head, favourite spots are around the ears and the nape of the neck.

Head lice have nothing to do with lack of cleanliness – anyone can get head lice. They are a nuisance, but they do not cause illness. Head lice are not a public health problem because they do not transmit disease.

Live head lice:

○ Are greyish, six-legged insects that are 2 mm – 4 mm in length (as adults)

○ Can be difficult to see because they move quickly on the scalp

Head lice eggs:

○ Are very small – about half the size of a pinhead

○ Can be whitish-grey, tan or yellow in colour

○ Are glued to the hair shaft less than ½ inch away from the scalp

○ Can take about 7 - 10 days to hatch

Should your child have pediculosis, please let the school know and get treatment as soon as possible.

Out of Area Requests

Halton students seeking placement at schools other than their home schools, do so by way of Out of Area transfer requests. Applications for other schools are being accepted at your home school from December 1, 2023 - January 31, 2024. Not all schools are open to Out of Area requests. John T Tuck is a closed school to Out of Area students. For a list of schools open to and Out of Area transfer and to obtain a copy of the registration form you can go to the HDSB website at www.hdsb.ca and view the Transfer Schools within Halton page. For an up to date listing, you can also put your address in the HDSB School Finder.

Inclement Weather

With cooler weather approaching, we are writing to provide you with information on how decisions are made on days of inclement weather. If your child is bused to school, please ensure you know which transportation zone you are located in. We encourage all families to review the HDSB Inclement Weather Reminders. A printable version of this information is also available.

Days of Significance this Month

Our newsletter includes all days of significance listed in our HDSB calendar at the bottom of each month's issue. We encourage families to share your traditions and celebrations with your child's classroom teacher, fostering a rich tapestry of learning, celebration and understanding.

1 - New Year's Day

1- Beginning of Tamil Heritage Month

5 - Twelfth Night

6 - Feast of the Epiphany/Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day)

7 - Orthodox Christmas Day/Feast of the Nativity of Christ

10 - Pausha Putrada Ekadashi

12- Baptism of Jesus

13 - Lohri

14-17 - Thai Pongal

14 - Maghi

14 - Makar Sankranti

14 - Orthodox New Year’s Day