Hello families,

It is hard to believe it is the winter break already! I am so grateful to be a part of this school community and have been overwhelmed with such a positive and warm welcome this fall. I have enjoyed getting to know you and your children over this past term!

As I am becoming embedded into the goings on in the school, I am very impressed by the strong commitment to learning that is evident throughout. Rich educational programming includes a dedication to excellence in literacy and numeracy and the development of personal competencies. Students engage fully in their studies. They enjoy sharing what they are working on and are proud of their work! They demonstrate resilience, determination, collaboration and enthusiasm in their learning. It has been such a privilege to watch their growth over this last term.

I wish to take this time to gratefully thank our teaching and support staff who work each day to provide quality educational experiences. They are a dedicated group of educators who work to meet the needs of each student and provide a caring environment every day. Their diligence, steadfastness, and commitment to the success of every student is commendable. It is a great privilege to work with them and see them in action each day.

Thank you to YOU who are so supportive of our school! It is wonderful to see you outside each morning and afternoon, and so many of you in and throughout the school on a daily basis. Your help with hot lunches, classroom activities, field trips, fundraisers and school initiatives are so appreciated! The partnership you have with your teacher(s) and child’s learning makes a huge difference every day.

Finally, I am so grateful for the children. Each day they bring a smile, enthusiasm, creativity, and inquisitiveness. They are the joy of our days, and it is such a privilege to be a part of their learning journey. Thank you for sharing them with us. 

You can find below a weekly update for all the fun things that happened this week!

I wish you all the best for the upcoming holiday season. May you find rest and peace and experience the joy of family.

With warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday,

Dawn Snell,

Principal

Last week’s highlights include:

There were SO many holiday themed learning activities and included:

• Secret Santa gift giving – a demonstration in kindness and inclusivity in classrooms
• Card making and giving – art skills put to good use to put a smile on other’s faces. Big thanks to Mrs. Sparks’ Gr. 4/5 class for sending cards to the seniors
• Baking and cookie decorating – math skills in disguise! Lots of measuring and adding of fractions. Decorating and making edible works of art!
• Guessing Jar contest – Thanks to Mrs. Bonikowsky’s class for hosting the Guessing Jar Contest! Way to challenge us with math estimating skills while also raising money for a good cause! They raised almost $500 to go towards the SPCA and the Salvation Army
• Crafternoons – more wonderful crafts to make as gifts and decorations!
• Buddy class activities – some great reading opportunities, creative play, and art partnerships
• Outdoor fun! – There has been a lot of outdoor play and sledding on the hill. Ms. Finnie’s class had a very successful winter excursion to Cottonwood Lake and Mrs. Bonikowsky’s class continued their weekly outdoor learning activities at Mountain Station.
• Reader’s Theatre - Students in Mrs. Bonikowsky’s class celebrated their reading accomplishments in a fun and festive way by presenting some fun readers theatre plays
• Holiday fun days! We had red/green day, school dances and pajama day.
• Santa’s Workshop – Huge thanks to the PAC for this very successful event! Students were so happy to be able to buy presents for their families. They raised almost $800 that will go towards charity and school initiatives.
• General classroom community fun! Classes have enjoyed generally spending good quality time together and building relationships.

A few pieces of information/reminders for you:

• The school will be closed over the winter break.

Some upcoming dates (you can also find these posted on our calendar):

• Dec. 18-29 – WINTER BREAK
• Jan. 2 – First day of school

Family learning resources:

As we head into the holidays, routines will start to get disrupted, there will be more late nights and sugary treats. This makes for a lot of fun, but also creates an environment where children can get dys-regulated and have a difficult time controlling their emotions and actions.

I have included here a collection of self-regulation information for you, and activities you can do with your children to help them talk about their emotions, and practice calming themselves for the holidays. I hope they are helpful!

• Helping Kids Self-regulate during the holidays
• Seven Outdoor Activities for Kids to Support Self Regulation

Here are some resources to help you support the learning at home this week and for the holidays:

• Zones of Regulation Holiday Emotions Sorting activity (Teachers Pay Teachers)
• Holiday “Colour my Feelings” Colouring pages (Teachers Pay Teachers):
• Regulation Snowman Activity (Teachers Pay Teachers)