Hello families,

Welcome back from yet another long weekend! I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with your families. It is always a great opportunity to pause and reflect to be grateful for the people we have in our lives. I hope it was restful and replenishing for you all.

Last week’s highlights include:

• Mrs. Bonikowsky’s family open house – Thanks to all who came out to meet the teacher in this classroom
• Outdoor learning – Mrs. Bonikowsky and Ms. Finnie’s classes went to Cottonwood Lake for some place based learning about habitats, biodiversity, and types of trees. This is the first step of a story workshop process that will continue this week. WKTEP students participated, observed, and assisted with the activities.
• Gr. 4/5 students have been learning about renewable/non-renewable resources
• Mrs. Chernenkoff’s Gr. 1/2s have been learning about fall changes and enjoying this beautiful season
• Our ABED program is in full swing, and Ms. Corner (our Indigenous success teacher) has been in the classrooms supporting indigenous learning and lessons.
• Our K/1 classes have continued their weekly outdoor learning excursions

A few pieces of information/reminders for you:

1. Hot lunch – Thanks to our PAC for organizing this! Mondays: whole wheat wraps, Tuesdays: sushi from Sushi Wood, and Wednesdays:  pizza from Thor’s. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can still register at http://www.munchalunch.com/schools/southnelson/
2. Service dog – Please be advised that there will be a service dog on campus. It will be on leash at all times. If your child has allergies or any concerns we should know about, please let me know.  
3. Grizzlies in the area – As you know, there are grizzlies in the area. We continue to work with district staff and the Conservation department to keep apprised on their where abouts. Please continue to take care as you bring your children to and from school.
4. Emergency Preparedness – October is emergency preparedness month. We will be practicing various drills to ensure safety around the school.

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

1. Oct. 10 – PAC meeting
2. Oct. 13 – Picture Day/Cross country running (Lakeside)
3. Oct. 20 – ProD day NO SCHOOL
4. Oct. 26 – 6-7pm (zoom) Online parent engagement night “Mental Health in Schools” (https://www.sd8.bc.ca/events/online-parent-engagement-session-2)

Family learning resources:

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

1. Foundry App – You may or may not know this resource is available for families. You can access free counselling and resources on this app. Check it out if it may be helpful for you

FOUNDRY VIRTUAL – AGES 12-24 AND THEIR CAREGIVERS:  FREE COUNSELLING AND FREE GROUPS ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS:  https://foundrybc.ca/virtual/

2. Play Today: A Guide for Families: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/early-learning/support/play. This is a resource from the Mental Health and Well Being section of the ERASE program.  Play is essential to children’s social and emotional development and supports their curiosity and success in school. Check out the guide for how you can foster play with your child(ren).

That’s it for today!

Enjoy your week,

Mrs. Snell

Dawn Snell | Principal

South Nelson Elementary School

School District 8 Kootenay Lake

Phone: 250-354-4139

Email:  dawn.snell@sd8.bc.ca

Web: https://southnelson.sd8.bc.ca/