Kindergarten

Kindergarten Registration

Spring has finally arrived, so the calendar says, and though the sun is currently shining down in Barrie, I’m sure we’re due for a bit more of the white stuff before it really starts to feel like Spring!  It’s a time for new beginnings, fresh starts and new life!  As the birds will soon start chirping and buds will appear on the trees and begin pushing through the ground, I can’t help but think ahead to the Fall when the youngest in our family will be off to Kindergarten as she begins her new journey.

If you have a child turning four in 2017, have you registered them yet for school for September?  It’s hard to think past summer, but we must begin the preparations now for the new year.  I know I’ve been putting it off a bit, as I cringe at the thought of my final baby entering the school yard that first day, but with every new beginning brings so much growth and possibility.  Just like Spring!

The Holly Community offers a few wonderful schools to choose from, based on your location and preferences. If this is not your first child entering the school system, you likely know exactly where you’ll register your child, and you probably haven’t left it late like myself.  However, perhaps you’re new to the area, or it is your first child beginning their educational journey (it’s ok, Mom & Dad), so here’s a brief run down on the schools in our area.

W.C Little Elementary School

Located at 11 Bear Creek Drive, this school currently has just under 650 students from grades Jk-8, it is a walking school (students are from the neighbouring streets and either walked or driven by parents, no buses), and offers before and after school care.

Holly Meadows Elementary School

Located at 151 Mapleton Avenue, Holly Meadows is conveniently situated right beside the Holly Community Centre!  With 659 students from grades JK-8, this school also offers before and after care, and buses some children to and from school.

Looking for a Separate School?

St. Bernadette Elementary School

Located at 101 Marsellus Drive, St. Bernadette offers grades Jk-8 in a Catholic learning setting.  Students can be bussed if outside the walking zone.

St. Nicholas Elementary School

Located at 100 Lougheed Road, St. Nicholas offers grades jk-8 also in a Catholic learning setting. Bussing is also available at this school. Children attending an elementary school in the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board must be either baptized Catholic or have a Catholic parent.  Under certain circumstances, some exceptions may apply so you can speak with the principal for more information.

If you are looking to register your child for kindergarten, the forms are available to you at www.scdsb.on.ca or www.smcdsb.on.ca. You will require proof of age, proof of Canadian citizenship, proof of address, and immunization records, as well as a baptismal certificate if registering with the separate board. Most schools hold an orientation in late spring to help familiarize the new students with the school and program, before September. 

Good luck to all those first time kindergarteners out there, and especially to the Moms and Dads sending them!

-Bronwyn

Winter Awareness

Holly – Winter Awareness

Hello Holly Community!

Wow, we were certainly hit hard on Sunday through to Monday with all that snow!  I don’t know about you but it is all a bit depressing in February.  I know it is still winter but I always expect and hope for Spring to arrive sooner than later.  Wiarton Willie after all did not see his shadow on February 2^nd, so I am depending on that albino ground hog to be right! 

In the meantime, let’s not forget to be triple careful when we drive our streets.  Some of our snow banks are reaching heights upwards to 6 feet which means we can’t see cars when we are walking or people when we are driving.   We start to get used to driving in these conditions and become complacent of our surroundings.  Particularly around our schools…kids aren’t always looking so let’s try our best to look out for them.  The temptation to play in the snow banks by the road is very high and I am the ‘Debbie Downer’ Mom that doesn’t allow this.  It just takes one slip to fall down a bank and into the road.  The schools in our area have students that are primarily walking to school and the peak times to see kids either going to school are between 8-9am & 2:30-3:30pm. 

Kudos to the city for the great maintenance of your streets and sidewalks this year.  Despite the pile of snow often found at the base of our driveway in the early morn (I know you all can relate) it is really great that our city makes sure our streets are made as safe as possible.  It just seems to me that things are done before we even have time to really think about it.  I have not had to trudge through snow to collect my mail from the community mail box and I am grateful for that.  I also know that our fire hydrants will have snow cleared from them in the near future which is another attention to detail to help keep our community safe.  Not to mention, it is nice see where our tax dollars are going!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful February so far…roll on Spring!!

Yours truly,

Natalie 

Zonas

Hello Holly Community,

My daughter, in the morning rush today advised me that her indoor shoes for school are ripped and squish her feet.  At that point my son chimed in to say the same.  Then I remembered that yes, I was advised to get their feet sized again in December 2016…oops Mom fail!  Shoes are not ever an expense I look forward to but I like to get it right for their developing feet. 

Countless times I have entered our big box stores to get a deal on shoes that really don’t last before their feet grow out of them.  Likewise, those same stores I may have spent a little more on a more reputable brand so they last longer, but I always leave feeling stressed from lack of decision making and sorting through boxes to find correct sizing.  Sometimes there are tears from not having their size in the flashing ones but refusing to try another.  Particularly not a joy in the winter as we get hot and bothered from all our winter wear.  THEN I found heaven on earth called Zonas!  Zona’s is our Holly Community’s local children’s shoe store independently owned and operated.  If you haven’t gone…GO!  If you don’t have children…recommend someone who does!

After picking my kids up from school today we were off to Zona’s!  Lucky for us we were the only ones in the store…out came Jenn my angel without wings!  This was the second visit for us and she remembered us which was a nice personal touch.  Some people just have a way with kids and Jenn knows exactly what to do to make shoe shopping a pleasant experience.  Somehow Jenn offers choices to the kids and they listen!  Zona’s measure their feet and keep a record on file to keep track of growth and when to expect growth spurts based on their birth dates and growing patterns.  So helpful and so stress free!  Yes, you will pay almost double in some cases but the service is amazing.  Jenn advised us when to come in again and the best time to buy seasonally so that we don’t miss out on preferred styles.  You can’t beat that.

The point of this article is to encourage our community to shop local.  You can really find some great service that otherwise would be missed by going to the larger establishments.  There is also a sense of community gained when you get to see a familiar face each time you go into a locally owned shop.  Not to mention…close and easy to get to!  

Until next time…thanks for reading!

Natalie Bradbury

Zonas

The Children’s Shoe Shoppe

Unit A20 – 555 Essa Road

705-730-1960

Our First Video - A New Member.

Thank you to Natalie, for jumping on board and being a great new addition to our Holly Community.  Natalie took our blog to a new level; VIDEO!  Listen here, what she has to say about going for a walk in our community.

We won't hold it against her that she said my last name wrong, because she did such a great job.

Get out there, just like Natalie does!  Remember if you are out in the community and have something to say or share, tag us on FaceBook and we will connect with you!

Through The Eyes Of A 14 Year Old

We have decided to feature residents and students that live and work in our community.  Here is our first feature article.  A 14 year old student that has lived her entire life in the Holly Community.  

"Holly Community Through My Eyes"

The Holly area is a wonderful place to live. There are many great services within walking distance like grocery stores, fast food places, sit down restaurants, workout gyms, and some churches, to name a few. The people in this area are very kind and helpful, as all you have to do is ask if you need anything at all.

There are two public elementary schools in the Holly area, two Catholic elementary schools, one public high school, as well as one Catholic high school close by. The schools are all filled with wonderful people and carry great education programs as well as sports programs. There are also a few great preschools around the area.

There is also a recreational centre within walking distance that has two pools, a large gymnasium, two hockey arenas, summer camps, dance classes, daycare, a workout gym, and a park very close by. There are also many schools in the area with great programs, caring staff, and great facilities.

The area is a wonderful place to live and I would defiantly recommend owning a home in the Holly area as it is a very convenient area for all kinds of people, a variety of ages.

M. MacLeod