Message from our Administrators
Winter weather brings cozy nights and soft blankets and good books; windows frosted with patterns nature paints; steaming mugs of spiced tea and heartfelt conversations.
Happy New Year and welcome back from the Winter Break! We hope everyone enjoyed time with family and friends and we’re glad to have everyone back safe and well.
The cold and wintery weather has definitely set in, so we kindly ask parents to ensure that children are dressed appropriately for outdoor activities. Students spend 30 minutes outside each morning and 40 minutes each afternoon, so warm clothing is essential for their comfort and safety. Hats, waterproof mittens or gloves and scarves are recommended as well as boots and a warm coat. To prevent lost items, it would be helpful if you labelled your child’s items with their name. If something does go missing, our lost and found is located near the main office. Students are encouraged to check there for misplaced items or to place any found belongings. Being warm will help the students enjoy a more positive experience while playing outdoors. Thank you for your support in keeping our children warm and safe!
We are thrilled to announce that we have made a profit of approximately $5,000 from sales in our Scholastic Book Fair last month! This money will go towards literacy and learning resources for the school. Thank you to all the students and parents who supported this event by purchasing books, reading accessories and supplies. A very special thank you goes out to our teacher-librarian, Ms. Leung and our dedicated parent volunteers, whose commitment and joyful spirit were essential in running the fair.
Kindergarten registration for the 2026/2027 school year begins on Friday, January 16, 2026. We encourage you to share this information with family and friends who live in our school boundaries. We would love to welcome new siblings and families to our school community. Families can register using the following options:
· Online - Families can access the online Kindergarten registration information at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten > Registration. It is recommended that families use a laptop or a desktop computer, rather than a mobile device to complete this registration.
· By email - Families can download the Elementary School Registration Form at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten and email the completed form to their school email address.
· By phone - Families can request support to complete the registration form on their behalf by collecting the required information by phone. Families can request an interpreter, if needed.
· In-person at the school - Families may visit the school office to drop off or complete a registration form.
If you have any questions or require more information, please do not hesitate to contact the school at 905-887-2427. We look forward to growing our Stonebridge community.
As we enter 2026, let’s commit to connecting, giving back and making sure we are there for one another. Whether through acts of service, kindness or solidarity, let’s lift each other higher. We can stay united, engaged and hopeful. May we move forward with warmth, gratitude and a shared commitment to community.
David Williams Elaine Ricketts
Principal Vice-Principal
Date of Significance
Tamil Heritage Month
On October 5, 2016, Motion M-24 was passed by the Federal Parliament, officially proclaiming January as Tamil Heritage Month in Canada. Tamil Heritage Month celebrates the diversity of the Tamil language and literature, highlights Tamil Canadians’ vibrant traditions, history, arts, and culture, and recognizes their significant contributions to Canada’s social, cultural, economic, and political life.
January 14, 2026, which, according to the Tamil calendar, marks the beginning of the month of “Thai.” On this day, people of Tamil heritage celebrate Thai Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival. Thai Pongal is the most important and widely-celebrated festival amongst Tamils around the globe. Thai Pongal is a time to give thanks for the previous year’s blessings and a time to look forward to the new year.
The Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action’s theme for Tamil Heritage Month 2026 is “Our Land, Our Roots, Celebrating Tamil Ancestral Spaces and Times.”
Community Safety Village-March Break Camp
Parents of children in Grades 4–6 are welcome to register for the Community Safety Village free 2-day March Break camps on Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Paramedics). Registration opens Jan 13, 2026. Families must provide their own transportation. Please follow the link below for more information.
Community Safety Village March Break 2-Day Camps
Caring and Safe Schools (Contact: csv@yrp.ca)
PEAC newsletter
Engagement Matters – Winter Edition
Read the latest newsletter from the Parent, Family and Community Engagement Advisory Committee (PEAC). This edition covers artificial intelligence, cyberbullying and cyber awareness. You’ll also find information about the latest Board policies under review. PEAC works to support, encourage and enhance parent engagement at the Board level to improve student achievement and well-being.
French Immersion (FI) Information Sessions and Registrations
What is French Immersion?
· Provides opportunities for students to develop enhanced proficiency in French.
· Students receive instruction in French from teachers who are fluent in French.
· Begins in Grade 1 and is designed for children whose first language is not French.
· In Grades 1, 2 and 3, all subjects are taught in French. Starting in Grade 4, instructional time is shared equally between French and English.
· Program continues in secondary school.
· Secondary school students must earn at least 10 French Immersion credits to qualify for the French Immersion Certificate upon graduation.
Important Considerations
· Grade 1 is the only entry point into French immersion in YRDSB.
· Communication with parents/guardians is in English including, but not limited to, report cards, newsletters and parent-teacher interviews.
· For the first few months of Grade 1, children may not acquire skills identical to those learned by children in an English program as the focus is on learning in French.
· During the first few years of the FI program, students may not develop the same level of English proficiency as their peers in an English program, however children should acquire these skills by the end of Grade 8. Families are encouraged to continue to read to their children in their first language.
FI Accommodation Plan
YRDSB’s FI Accommodation Plan provides long-term consistency and equity of access to all students in York Region and will enable YRDSB to continue to offer the FI program to all who wish to enrol. The FI program is offered in Dual Track or Single-Track settings, in a variety of configurations. In order to meet community needs and optimize available space in our schools, a community's Grade 1-8 FI program may be provided over more than one school during the course of a student's FI education. Space requirements at some schools may mean that siblings are in different schools for primary dual track French Immersion programs due to differing grade structures. Like any of our schools across the Board, changes to school boundaries, and/or the accommodation model for the French Immersion program may need to be considered when new schools open, a school experiences enrolment growth, and program changes occur. This will allow flexibility in addressing community needs and the opportunity to use existing space in schools.
More information is available on the Board’s website. Please note: Some of the FI accommodation plans will require facility modifications or the development of new schools and will require short-term transition plans that might include overflow while we work toward the long-term vision. Overflow refers to situations in which the Board directs students to attend a school other than their community school or optional program for a specific period of time, as defined in Policy #108.
Information Sessions
This year, our Information session for Grade 1 entry into the French Immersion program will take place in French Immersion schools on January 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. Program locations and additional information is available on our website. If families are unable to attend the information session, they can hear about the French Immersion program on the Tune In YRDSB: French Immersion Podcast.
Registration
FI registration will begin on January 16, 2026. Parents or guardians of Year 2 Kindergarten students entering Grade 1 in 2026, and wishing to enrol in the FI Program, can email or call their home school office and indicate their intention to enrol. The home school will notify the French Immersion school, and the French Immersion school will contact families by phone or email to collect any necessary information. Families are asked to register by February 9, 2026. Registration during this period is not first come, first served.
Late Registrations
Late registrations are those submitted after February 9, 2026. Late registrations will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis and will be considered subsequent to registrations received during the registration period should overflow be necessary.
Lunch Program
Below are the Lunches being offered each day:
Monday — Kid’s Kitchen —order directly from their site (kidskitchen.ca)
Meatbets—order directly from their site (www.mealbets.com)
Tuesday — Pizza lunch—first round from Oct 21 to Dec 16
Meatbets—order directly from their site
Wednesday —YummyTummiesInc - order directly from their site (yummytummies.ca)
Meatbets—order directly from their site
Thursday — barBurrito - order from Lunchbox Program via School Cash Online
Meatbets—order directly from their site
Friday — Kid’s Kitchen—order directly from their site
Meatbets—order directly from their site
Please make a note of the cut-off date/time for placing your orders.
If you have ordered lunch and your child is away and you would like to pick up their lunch, you must notify the school by 12:00 pm.
If you need more information, please email stonebridge.ps@yrdsb.ca
Lunch Drop Off
If you need to drop off a lunch for your child, please place it in the cart outside the front doors. Ensure that it is well labelled with the student’s name and homeroom teacher.
Please do not go to portables or classrooms to deliver lunches.
Thank you for your understanding.
Kindergarten Registration 2026—2027
Kindergarten Registration will start on January 16, 2026
Kindergarten registration for the 2025/2026 school year will start on Friday, January 16, 2026. Children who turn four or five years old during 2026, live within the school boundary and whose parents/guardians are public school tax supporters will be eligible to register for Kindergarten.
There are several ways you can register for Kindergarten:
Online - Families can access the online Kindergarten registration information at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten > Registration. It is recommended that families use a laptop or a desktop computer rather than a mobile device to complete this registration.
By email - Families can download the Elementary School Registration Form at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten and email the completed form to their school email address. Email addresses can be found on the school website.
By phone - Families can request support from the school Principal/Vice-Principal to complete the registration form on their behalf by collecting the required information by phone. Families can request an interpreter, if needed, during this phone conversation. Call your local school.
By mail or appointment. You can mail completed applications to the school, or request an appointment to drop-off your completed paper application form.
Once you have completed your application, the school will contact you to make an appointment to review and verify the required documents.
Our Kindergarten programs are caring and welcoming where children learn through exploration, play and inquiry. You can learn more at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten. We look forward to welcoming our new students and families to the school.
Please note: Elementary schools are closed during July and August. Please contact the Community Education Centre in your area to set up your registration appointment.
Report Absences or Lates
If your child is going to be absent/late, please report via Edsby before the bell time.
If you do not have an Edsby account or need help with setting it up, please contact
the office @ 905-887-2427.
TO REPORT A STUDENT ABSENCE/LATE:
LOGIN TO: yrdsb.edsby.com / CALL: 905-887-2427 /
EMAIL: stonebridge.ps@yrdsb.ca
Nut & Scent Free Environment
This is a reminder that many students and staff have life threatening allergies to nuts. As a result, we ask that all snacks and lunches are nut free. Please take the time to read the labels on snacks to ensure they are nut safe. We also ask that you do not use peanut butter substitutes such as Wow Butter. Nutella is a nut product and must not come to school.
The chemicals used in scented products can make some people sick, especially those with fragrance sensitivities, asthma, allergies and other medical conditions. To help keep the air healthy for everyone, our school has a scent-free policy.