Bruce Peninsula District School & St Edmunds Public School News
Submitted by Annabelle Galasso
Welcome back! We hope everyone in our Peninsula Family of Schools communities had a wonderful holiday break. It is hard to believe we need to write 2025 on our blackboards. We have loads of fun planned for this half of the school year, but we would like to take a moment to wrap up the final activities of 2024 which happened right before the holidays.
Back in December, Bruce Peninsula District School (BPDS) had so much holiday fun! On Wednesday December 18, the school hosted its annual Festive Feast where over 350 students, staff, and volunteers were provided with a homemade turkey dinner to share!
There are many people that we would like to mention and thank for making the day possible for our school. Tim Hayes and the Lion’s Head Community Bottle Drive funded the dinner which ensured that each student could be provided the meal free of charge. Hellyer’s Foodland made all the cupcakes provided at the dinner and allowed us to support local businesses by purchasing our ingredients at their location!
A special thank you to the volunteers who helped prepare the food such as Patti Hellyer, Gillian Ceaser, Rosanne Mansfield, Kendra Stewart, Jenny Pace, Christine Hess, Brenda McLeod, Brooke Raney, Katherine Crivea, Terri Munn, and Ontario Provincial Police – West Region Officer Linthorne.
Teachers such as Ms. Stanton, Mrs. J Cameron, and Ms. E Cameron made significant contributions to the organization of the day, and Ms. Sweatman lead the foods class in cooking 10 turkeys and doing other preparations for the meal. Ms. Brewer kept track of the to-do list for all of us.
Elementary and Secondary Student Council served food, folded cutlery, and helped set up and clean up the event.
The Festive Feast is a long-standing tradition at BPDS and we are grateful for this unique opportunity to come together and break bread, show gratitude, and enjoy one another’s company.
During the week before the holidays, BPDS also ran a school-wide Holiday Theme Dress Up week where students and staff wore holiday hats, socks, and sweaters, all in various holiday colours. The school had a blast! There were some very ugly sweaters and lots of red and green!
On December 17, families visited the school to watch the Elementary Winter Concert where students sang, danced, and had a lot of fun. There was also a bake sale and coffee shop for student families.
December 20 was the Secondary Winter Assembly which created great laughs with a holiday sing along, dances, skits, and performances by Student Council and Secondary staff. The day followed with a trip to the arena for skating, shinny, board games, and lots of smiles. We thank Milt McLay, Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (MNBP) staff, and Mary at The Booth for supporting our activities for the afternoon!
In athletic news, the secondary girls’ volleyball season is about halfway through. The girls have played great and won several matches. On Friday, January 10 they participated in a workshop led by Michael Amoroso from Momentum. The team would like to thank Michael for his time and knowledge and encourage people to check out Momentum’s clinics run out of Peninsula Shores District School (PSDS). You can find out more information by visiting their website: https://media.momentumvolleyball.ca/
On Monday, January 6 the co-ed elementary volleyball team won their tournament. Way to go team! That does it for the elementary volleyball season. Stay tuned for badminton and basketball.
Report from the Principal’s Office
Submitted by Brenda Brewer, Principal, and Breanna Heels, Vice-Principal
Welcome back and Happy New Year! We hope your 2025 is off to a great start, as it has been at BPDS and St. Edmunds Public School (St. Eds)! There is a renewed energy in the halls, and although not the beginning of the school year, the beginning of a new year always feels like a fresh start!
As we step into 2025 – for our students, may it be a time to dream big, work hard, and achieve great things. For parents and guardians, thank you for your unwavering support in nurturing the potential of every child.
Together, let us make 2025 a year to remember—a year where we build upon our successes, overcome challenges, and continue to make BPDS and St. Eds places of learning, growth, and joy.
January UN Global Goal: Goal 4 – Quality Education
As a LSF (Learning for a Sustainable Future) School, we focus on the UN Global Goals. Each month, we focus on a different goal, and January’s focus is Quality Education, which is something we provide every day at BPDS and St. Eds. We will share more in the next issue and on Facebook with what we have done in January to learn about Quality Education.
Upcoming Important Dates:
-January 24 – 30 – Secondary Exams
-January 31 – PA Day
-February 17 – Family Day
-February 21 – Elementary Report Cards go home
-February 21 – Secondary Report Cards go home
If you don’t already follow our Facebook page, you can follow us at Bruce Peninsula DS or St. Edmunds Public School Community to see all of the amazing things happening at the school.
If you ever have questions or concerns, give us a call at (519) 793-3211 or by email: Brenda_Brewer@bwdsb.on.ca and Breanna_Heels@bwdsb.on.ca.
