Hello families,

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. This will be a busy week, with Halloween in the midst of it!  

Last week’s highlights include:

• We continued our emergency drills with a lock down and fire drill. Everything went very smoothly!
• Big buddies are well underway. We have big buddy sharing within our school and some groups have been working together to make puppets and do partner reading. There are also some buddy partnerships with older classes in Trafalgar.
• We welcomed a couple student teachers to our school this week. We are grateful for our teachers who are committed to mentoring teacher candidates in their excellent teaching practices. If you see them around, please say hello and give them a warm welcome.   

A few pieces of information/reminders for you:

1. Halloween is coming! This will be a fun day for all and it is always exciting to see the fun costumes. As you discuss and plan your child’s costume, please keep these expectations in mind: https://southnelson.sd8.bc.ca/blog/halloween-expectations-0 . Also check with your teacher about what classroom activities are happening.

When sending treats to school for any celebrations, try to be mindful about sending more healthy choices (ie – fruit, popcorn, veggies and dip, protein options such as cheese cubes, hummus, etc), as there will be candy plentiful in other places and during trick or treating. If you are planning on baking treats, you may find this resource helpful. Bake Better Bites is a recipe book that provides helpful tips and recipes for making baked goods more nutritious and healthier. . Please also check with your teacher about any allergies that may be present in the classroom.

For the remainder of the week, please try to keep candy in lunch boxes to a minimum.

2. Dress for the weather – The weather is now very cold. Please ensure your child(ren) come to school with appropriate outwear. Classes spend a lot of time outdoors. It is always a good idea to include some extra clothes in the backpack in case students get wet or muddy.
3. Lost and found -  There are also many items in the lost and found. Please come by to find out what might be yours!
4. Early Dismissal/Parent teacher interviews – Early Dismissal days are coming up on Nov. 15/16. Often this is a time for parents to come in and meet with teachers. However, over the next few weeks you may expect to be invited by your teacher to come in for learning update either prior to or on these days. Parent connection is important to us as we consider you a partner in your child’s learning. Please mark your calendar for a time that works for you, and reach out to your teacher to set something up.
5. Passenger unloading zone – Just a reminder that the passenger unloading zone on Hendryx street is for unloading only. If you need to park and walk with your child(ren) please use another location. As we need to keep the bus zone free for buses it helps everyone if we can keep the loading zone moving to free up spaces for drop offs. Thank you!
6. Strong Start – You may or may not know that we have Strong Start in our building on Tuesday mornings. If you, or someone you know, have a young child aged 0-5, please spread the word and drop in! For more information see their page on our website: https://southnelson.sd8.bc.ca/programs/strongstart/southnelson

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

1. Oct. 30 – Monster Mash dance at lunch for K/1s
2. Oct. 31 – Halloween celebrations and Monster Mash dances at lunch for Gr. 2-5
3. Nov. 2 - Picture retakes
4. Nov. 3 - PAC Social 8:30am
5. Nov. 7 - PAC meeting
6. Nov. 10 - Remembrance Day Assembly - Parents are invited!
7. Nov. 13 - Remembrance Day Holiday - No SCHOOL
8. Nov. 25/16 Early Dismissal days – Teachers will be inviting Parents in for conferences/learning updates

Family learning resources:

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

1. This is the time of year we are seeing sickness creep in around us. Here is a helpful resource you could print and put on your fridge in case you aren’t sure if your child is “Too sick for school”
2. November is Metis Awareness Month – You may be interested in looking through this Metis Virtual Museum  with your child(ren) to learn more about the Metis history and culture.
3. Since we are thinking about healthy classroom food options, you may be interested in this website about Healthy Eating at School

And I’ll post here the Halloween resources from last week:

1. Want some fun Halloween themed learning activities for kids this week? Check out some of these ideas that are good for kids of all ages: https://www.parents.com/holiday/halloween/games/halloween-activities-for-kids-you-can-do-at-home/
2. Concerned about trick-or-treating this year? Here are some great suggestions for how to celebrate Halloween together as a family without the trick or treating: https://www.parents.com/halloween-ideas-that-aren-t-trick-or-treating-8347013

That’s it for today!

Enjoy your week,

Mrs. Snell