Hello Families,

Happy Monday! I trust you had a good weekend. It is nice to see that winter is making a bit of an appearance again. As a reminder and as usual, please dress your child(ren) for the changing weather and send extras in their backpack.

See below for this week’s update.

Have a great week!

Last week’s highlights include:

• Whitewater skiing/snowboarding was a good time with some beautiful bright skies
• Gr. K-2  TaeKwonDo with Master Dean continued
• Gr. K/1 students had a visit from the conservation officer to learn about some of our local animals. They looked at the hides and skulls and talked about what foods they eat
• Winter studies continued with more learning about the Inuit. Mrs. Bonikowski’s class learned about ice fishing. Ms. Finnie’s class completed their winter animal project. If you are in the school, head up to see their display that includes QR codes with recordings of each animal!
• Gr. 4/5 students planned and participated in an “indoor” French Carnavale (what they could do without the traditional snow events!)
• Lots of different types of new arts and crafts such as lanterns, valentines pockets, and bulletin board displays
• Outdoor learning and neighbourhood adventures
• Gr.1/2 students started their recycling report card program. They are taking care of our paper waste and providing report cards on how well each class is taking care of their recycling
• Activities continue with our big buddies, either from within the school or Trafalgar
• Our Indigenous families gathered on Friday evening for a winter feast. Big thanks to Ms. Corner for organizing and cooking the food! She worked hard with our students on the food preparation and making Bannock.

A few pieces of information/reminders for you:

1. Valentine’s Day is coming up! – We will be having grade level dances on Wed. Feb. 14 at recess and lunch. Additionally, each class will be doing their own celebrations. Purchased or home made cards are welcome, if your child wishes to give some to their classmates. Please make sure there is enough for everyone in the class. If sending food for sharing, please send healthy options ?
2. PAC meeting – This Tuesday. See this announcement for an invitation: https://southnelson.sd8.bc.ca/announcements/pac-meeting-tuesday-feb-13-630-800
3. Parking for pick up/drop off – Just a reminder that our bus lanes on Hendryx street need to be kept clear. Please park in front of the “no-parking” signs for pick up and drop off. Additionally, please do not park or block the intersections or stop signs when dropping off, as this creates a safety hazard.
4. Report cards- This term’s report cards will be issued on March 8. For more information about BC’s proficiency scale report card, you can visit the Ministry website: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/reporting/resources-for-parents-and-caregivers
5. Enrolment for next year – Yes! We are already starting to plan for next year. If you know you will be moving away and your child will not be at South Nelson next, year, please let me know. This will help us anticipate our numbers and begin to build classes.
6. Kindergarten enrolment – Do you have a kindergarten aged child or know someone who does? Kindergarten enrolment is now open, so please get your registrations in a soon as possible. Spread the word! Again, the earlier we have these registrations in the better, as this helps us plan for next year. You can find registration information at this link: https://southnelson.sd8.bc.ca/registration-transfers

Some upcoming dates (you can also find these posted on our calendar: https://southnelson.sd8.bc.ca/events/calendar)

1. Feb. 16 – ProD Day – NO SCHOOL
2. Feb. 19 – Family Day – NO SCHOOL
3. Feb. 22 – District Online Parent Engagement Session: K-3 Numeracy
4. Feb. 23 – Winter activities (WH20, TaeKwonDo)
5. Feb. 23 – Family movie night
6. Feb. 28 – Pink Shirt Day
7. March 1 - Winter activities (WH20, TaeKwonDo)
8. March 6 – Shayna Jones presentation (parents welcome!)
9. March 8 – Report cards issued
10. March 8 - Play in the K (for next year’s new K students)
11. March 16-April 1 – Spring Break/Easter

Family learning resources:

February is Black History Month. There are many ways to celebrate and commemorate this month. Classes in our school are acknowledging it in various, age-appropriate ways. You may wish to extend these conversations with your child(ren) at home. Here are some websites that may be helpful to you for this purpose.

Some background/information on Canadian Black History:

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html

Some activities to engage with your child:

https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/132853/12-black-history-month-activities-for-kids/

Reminder it is Family Day weekend this weekend! I hope you take some time to do some fun family activities together. We will see you next Tuesday!

Have a great week,

Mrs. Snell