Royal Oak School
March 28th, 2024
February/March Updates
Dear Royal Oak Families,
It is hard to believe that it is the third term and our March Break has come and gone. The school year has gone by so quickly and now we are in the push towards summer break. The students have been having fun in their classes learning about wonderful topics such as; life cycles, financial literacy, newspaper articles and persuasive writing. Our classes have been spending a lot of time outside lately and with the warmer weather comes rich outdoor learning that allows the students to not only have a personal connection to the topics and themes, but to explore through hands on or in the beautiful setting that is our courtyard. It might be a good idea for all to have a change of clothing and a good pair of outdoor boots for this time of year.
A lot has been happening these past few weeks- We have had our annual Newark Neighbours Easter Food Drive, which saw some great contributions and donations from our wonderful families. We would like to thank everyone for the big bucket of non-perishable food supplies that was given to this valuable organization this past Wednesday.
There are a few reminders of items coming up that are of importance- Re-enrollment and bursary applications are due by end of day Sunday, March 31st. Families will need to make their intentions known by then so that we can accurately prepare for new enrollment for classes and to know staffing needs for September. I have been very busy with interested and prospective families at the school and classes seem to be filling up quicker than expected this year, especially our Lower School classes (PreK to 4). You can access the re-enrollment form HERE and the bursary form HERE . Please let me know if you have any questions about either of the forms.
Monday, April 8th will be a half day because of the Solar Eclipse. Pick-up time will be at 12:30pm and there is no aftercare or afternoon camp that day. This is to ensure the safety of all the students and staff. The school will be closed at 12:30pm and reopen Tuesday, April 9th at 8:30am.
Finally, I want to thank everyone for their continued support of the ROCS community, staff and teachers. I will try my best to keep things the same and continue the mission and values of this fantastic school while Ms. Julia is enjoying her sabbatical. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns and I will be happy to chat about them. My door is always open.
Laureen Dennis, Acting Head of School
Royal Oak Fundraiser for Heart and Stroke
This past February 14th, ROCS students participated in Jump Rope for Heart and Stroke. This was to raise awareness of the devastating disease and it was to empower the students to build healthy habits for a healthy life and learn the importance of giving. Our school community was able to add this as part of our Valentine's Day activities that will now be a yearly event. So many of our families are affected by Heart Disease and Stroke that we thought it very fitting to start this annual tradition. A little goes a long way to help fund research and treatments for heart disease and stroke and our tiny but mighty school raised a respectable amount of $508 through family and personal donations. Well done ROCS!!
MOANA JR What a wonderful night it was to witness another ROCS accomplishment. Moana Jr. was an absolute success put on by our outstanding students and teachers. Thank you to Ms. N for another great year of leading all of our students in another grand production. Thank you to Ms. McMackin, who led the music and to all of our teachers who worked to help keep the wheels in motion that night. Next Year’s production is still to be announced but whatever it is, it is sure to be spectacular.  |
Learning about the Solar Eclipse
ROCS students will be treated to a presentation by McMaster University student ambassadors who will be coming on April 2nd to teach us about the upcoming Solar Eclipse. We are lucky to have these research students come, present and take questions about this event. They will also be bringing glasses for all the students and teachers so that they can experience this phenomenon first hand on Monday, April 8th. ROCS has made Monday, April 8th a half day with an end of school time at 12:30pm. All students will need to be picked-up no later than 12:30pm as the school will close for the afternoon in preparation for the Solar Eclipse. There will be no aftercare that day for the safety of our staff and students.
CLASSROOM UPDATES
EARLY YEARS
What a lovely two months we’ve had in Early Years! February and March have flown by in no time, and it's hard to believe we are already in the final term of the year. In Literacy, we are reviewing and diving deeper into CVC words and word families. Specifically we’ve been learning about words that use the short a and short o sounds. We’ve also continued our daily Heggerty lessons, where we are learning to listen to words and identify if they rhyme, what sound they hear at the beginning, middle, and end of words, breaking words into syllables. Students are also working hard to decode (sound out/read) words, and encode (listen to the sounds in a heard word to figure out how to write it). In Math, we started February by learning about data and making different types of surveys and graphs. The students helped me with a very important (and top secret) survey - which wedding dress style should Ms.McMackin pick? I'll be sure to keep their input in mind when I go shopping in the near future! In March, we learned how to read analog clocks to the hour, and then went into a unit about comparing numbers using the terms "greater than, less than, and equal to". In Inquiry and Health, we learned all about Space, and then spent some time learning about Emotions and the Zones of Regulation. We're now starting to dive into the life cycles of plants and insects. I am excited to see them continue to grow and learn as we go through Term 3.
PRIMARY
It’s hard to believe that March is coming to an end! The last two months have just flown by. February began by the Primary Class saying goodbye to Ms. Kennedy, our Brock Teacher Candidate. We wish her good luck in her future endeavors and hope to see her back at ROCS soon. She was a very special addition to our class and the students had so much fun learning from her. Outdoor discovery has been a focus during recess time. Mud exploration is important to learning and the boys and girls in Primary LOVE mud. They are proud to show off their creations and their excitement is evident when they come indoors. With the weather being so mild, outdoor math has been possible during this winter month. The Primary students have collected nature and used their items to make a bar graph. They have also used nature to practice counting money during a Financial Literacy lesson outdoors. February has seen the Primary students becoming the ‘teacher’ during Morning Meetings. Each student is given the opportunity to be the leader during the morning meeting, sitting in the comfy rocking chair and leading the students through the greeting, sharing and message. All of the students are excited to participate in this leadership opportunity and quickly take their seat in the rocking chair when they see their name on the morning meeting slide. Kindness has been a theme during February and students have had the chance to show this trait through exchanging valentine’s with friends, learning about Black History, raising money for Jump Rope for Heart, and wearing pink against bullying. 100 days of school was reached during February. Primary students had fun completing various math, literacy and STEM activities to celebrate this momentous day. The month ended with students showing off their acting and creative writing skills during the school’s production of Moana Jr. and our class’ game of “Have You Seen My Snowman?”. After many months of practicing with Miss N. and Miss M. the Primary students were fabulous on stage. This was such an exciting time for the boys and girls. Our game of “Have You Seen My Snowman?” allowed students to create a unique snowperson and then write a detailed description of their creation. The Primary Class has become amazing writers!! March has seen a new season and many new units started in our classroom. Students are learning about measurement using standard and non-standard units in Math, animal life cycles in Literacy, and growth and change in animals in Inquiry. The month ended with students participating in a Show and Share of their March Break. Students were asked to talk about a picture that captured a memory of their Break. All the students did a wonderful job at sharing their story. What an incredible two months in Primary!
PRIMARY JUNIOR
February brought a flurry of engaging learning experiences for our primary/junior students. From the hands-on Pumpkin PJ project to exploring aphids and molds, curiosity was ignited and skills were honed. Academically, students excelled in division and transitioned smoothly to fractions, while ELA saw vocabulary enrichment and creative Valentine’s Day celebrations.
March welcomes us back from a restful break, filled with oral adventure shares and virtual updates from Robert on The Murray's travels. In Math, fractions take center stage, while ELA dives into genre comparisons. Our inquiry into ecosystems deepens with captivating animal research projects, and collaboration thrives in art as students sculpt with clay alongside their peers.
Exciting times lie ahead!
JUNIOR MIDDLE
February and March have been an exciting and enriching month in Junior Middle! From wonderful events like Jump Rope for Heart and Valentine's Day, there was never a dull moment here.
We have taken on some math marvels as we conquered the world of decimals. In the realm of mathematics, our students have been on a thrilling adventure with decimals. From deciphering decimal place values to mastering comparing and ordering, our classroom has been a buzz with hands-on activities, games, and collaborative number lines. The students have not only perfected their mathematical skills but have also developed a keen appreciation for the real-world applications of decimals while completing Financial Friday challenges. Students were given a task to spend $1000 and present their shopping spree to the class. We have started our Probability Unit where students explore topics like "chances" and "outcomes" through hands-on experiments and games. Our final assignment will be creating a Probability Carnival to share with the school! Our Inquiry exploration has taken us on a fascinating journey through the Canadian Government. Students have delved into the roles, structures, and functions of Canada's different levels of government. Engaging in discussions, group projects, and presentations has deepened their understanding of the democratic processes that govern our country, fostering informed and responsible citizenship. We are applying this knowledge to developing our own imaginary worlds complete with maps, flags, and government structures.
As we look ahead to April, get ready for more exciting adventures in learning! Our classroom is gearing up for hands-on math tasks as we head towards probability, shapes, cultural explorations into the community, and a continuation of our engaging curriculum. Stay tuned for updates and announcements as we navigate the next chapter of our academic journey together.
UPPER MIDDLE
We cannot believe it is already the end of March in the Upper Middle Class! We have been very busy these past two months within our class and the community. Throughout February, we wrapped up our patterning and algebra unit in math and have moved into Financial Literacy since coming back from March Break. In Language Arts we have been exploring summarizing in various formats ranging from formal summary writing to summarizing in the form of comic strips. As we finished our novel study, Motorcycles and Sweetgrass we have been working diligently to finish newspaper book reports to summarize the key events that took place in the novel. Just before March break we finished up our Pure Substances and Mixtures unit in Inquiry and have since begun our first geography unit.
Outside of learning our class worked hard alongside the whole Royal Oak Community to bring our school's production of Moana Jr. to life! Students worked to learn lines, songs and dances as well as to create props for the production. It couldn't have gone better, we are so proud of all the hard work the students put into making the show so wonderful. In February, we participated in Jump Rope for Heart and Stroke. Our class raised money leading up to February 14th then spent some time outside participating in activities to raise awareness for Heart and Stroke. We continue to host our Friday morning Coffee Cafes. Come and see us Friday morning at the front entrance for coffee, hot chocolate and sweet treats each week!
Character Awards and Caribou Front Runners
February’s character traits were Kindness and Caring. The Upper Middle class presented to the school how to fill each other’s buckets and gave out one to each student and teacher during our monthly school assembly. Here are our Character Award Winners for this month who are awarded a new water bottle.
Early Years: Ali S.
Primary: Elise W
Primary Junior: Abeera S.
Junior Middle: Grayson K.
Upper Middle: Lou R.
Every month, ROCS students from primary to upper middle take part in the Caribou International Math Challenge. The students use this opportunity to extend their abilities and to engage in thought-provoking and “out of the box” application questions that are geared towards their levels.
Our Caribou Math Challenge Class Leaders for February are:
Primary: Elise W.
Primary Junior: Jack F.
Junior Middle: Aspen Z.
Upper Middle: Lev P.
ROCS HELPING OUR COMMUNITY Thank you to everyone who so generously donated food items to Newark Neighbours this past week! We were able to provide so many items that were needed to stock the shelves at our local food bank. Your help was very much appreciated! |
Clubs Update
Spring Clubs begin the week of April 15th. This club session will offer Passport Club, Gardening Club, Still Life Drawing, Community Exploration, and Track and Field. The club form should be completed no later than April 8th and can be accessed HERE. Homework and French Clubs are still available as drop-in needed. Note that Middle School Homework Club will only be offered on Wednesdays from now on.
Camp Wenonah and Week Without Walls Update
Final numbers have gone in for our Camp Wenonah overnight trip from June 4th to 7th and the Week Without Walls has been fully planned and booked. It is so exciting that for the 5th year, ROCS students can experience these wonderful outdoor, inquiry activities that foster not only intrinsic learning but solidifies social and emotional interactions amoung their peers. Away camp and local adventures have always been something that the students and teachers have looked forward to. This year, our overnight camp teacher supervisors are Ms. Dennis, Ms. Tobin and Ms. Costelli, while Primary Week Without Walls will be led by Ms. McMackin, Ms. Robin, Ms. N and Ms. Chaudoreille. Our ROCS Community Bake Sale and draws will be Saturday, May 11th and those that would like to help with baked goods, give-aways and volunteering will be given information in April. Those that help with the Community Bake Sale will have a share of the profits that will go towards their camp and WWW costs. So far we have raised $733 with the Coffee Cafe mornings. Well done so far ROCS students and this should be the best camp and WWW year. Please have your Wenonah permission forms and $100 deposit in no later than Apr 12, 2024.
A Look Ahead at ROCS:
PD Camps & ROCS Summer Academy
Registration is now live on our website. Please visit
ROCS PD Camps & Summer Academy to learn more or to register for our day camps.
Offerings in the Community:
Vineridge Academy Open House:
For those that are interested in finding out more information about the local Vinridge Academy, they will be having an open house on Friday, April 5th from 4 to 7pm. They will be offering tours, presentations about their programs and secondary school curriculum. You will have the opportunity to speak to teachers and current students. For more information please contact, holly.rowe@vineridge.ca .
A parent at our school, Lynn Daley is opening Unique Boutique here in NOTL, and would love to welcome you to their grand opening on April 6, 2-5.
Unique Bowtique Gift Gallery is a hybrid store, offering both a physical boutique and an online shopping experience. We take pride in curating a truly unique collection of gifts that blend originality, affordability, and functionality.
Our diverse selection features a wide array of products, including Lego sets, home goods, Canadian souvenirs, seasonal items, art pieces, toys, fine-art supplies, books, coffee and tea products, pet accessories, Indigenous pieces, fashion & accessories, tech gadgets, travel essentials, and custom gift baskets.
We also are committed to supporting local artists, and have a dedicated wall in our store which will serve as a gallery space for artists to exhibit their work on a monthly basis.
Your local, every day, gift store.
Unique Bowtique Gift Gallery
758-B Niagara Stone Rd
Niagara-on-the-lake
L0S1J0
(905) 688-1845
FB: Unique Bowtique Gift Gallery
IG: @unique_bowtique_gg
www.uniquebowtique.ca (Coming soon!)
Hours of Operation:
7-days a week
10:00 am – 5:00 pm