Merry Christmas

I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a joyous holiday filled with love, laughter and the support of friends.  May 2011 be a year of happiness and health for you and yours.

We will see you back at school on Monday, January 3, 2011.  Our new time-table goes into effect that day so make sure you take a look at the classes you have to welcome you back.

All the best to Mrs. Boseman - thank you for all you have done over the past four months, we will miss you!

4 More "Wake - Ups"

Four more mornings to climb onto the bus and we will be on our Christmas vacation.  This was how I greeted students this morning as they came in off the bus.  As expected most of them responded with a big smile. 

Congratulations to all the students for the wonderful job they did at the Christmas concert on Friday night.  I LOVE sitting in the audience and seeing the big smiles on everyone's face as they share their concert pieces with the community.

Carrie Thomson is here today to work with the students on the speech and language caseload. 

Christmas Updates

Wow,  the concert is four days away, the Gingerbread shop is open and everyone in the building is looking forward to a few days at home with family and friends.

I missed several days of work due to an injury but am happy to report that I am well on the way to recovery and am back at work.

Carrie Thomson the SLP is here today and will be back on Monday.  Amanda D the OT was here last week and managed to complete all the Kindergarten screenings as well as see many of the students on her caseload.

OSR Session One ends this Thursday, December 8th.  Please look for your child's OSR report to come home on Wednesday, Dec. 15th. 

Brrrrrr

Well, the cold weather is here;  at least for this week.  Here is some news to  help keep you warm.  

Carrie Thomson the SLP will be at the school for Parent - Teacher interviews tonight.  She would love to meet you and to answer any questions that you may have about your pre-school or school aged child and their speech and language.  She will also be in our school on November 25th and November 29th during the day to work with the students on her caseload.

Amanda Dufrense will be here on November 29th, not the 25th as previously indicated.  She will be doing Kindergarten screenings that day with the hope that she will also see some of the other students on her caseload.

A big thank you to Carol Harbin who has worked with several of our students and parents this fall as we delve into student learning profiles.

And finally,  GO RIDERS!

NWSD Team visits

Amanda Dufrense, the NWSD Occupational Therapist will be doing screenings with all Kindergarten students this month.  Look for a letter home with your student in Kindergarten this week.  Amanda plans to be here on November 25th.

Carrie Thomson, the NSWD Speech and Language Pathologist assigned to our school will be here on Monday, November 8th working with students on her caseload.

Thank you

Thank you to those parents who heard my plea for gently used Lego.  I know that it never goes amiss at home so I really appreciate you sharing some with me.

I would also like to wish you all a Happy Halloween for Sunday.  I will not see all the costumes on Friday but I am confident they will be spooktacular.  Remember to be safe while you are trick or treating.

Mission Accomplished

Thank you to all of the parents and staff who worked together to create excellent PPP's which were handed in to the division signed and approved by the Oct. 15th deadline.  Please remember that these are living documents and will be adapted and changed over the course of the year to meet the needs of your child.

OSR kicked off this week with students from grade two to six working in skill alike groups to improve their reading skills.

My special education timetable is on it's 6th revision but we are meeting the needs of our students.  Thank you to EA's and teaching staff for your flexibility and hard work

Excellent Conference

I spent last Friday and Saturday in Calgary at the National Autism Conference.  I came away with a better understanding of Autism and a very high respect for the parents of children who are on the Autism spectrum. I also came away feeling hopeful as the latest information on what Autism is and how it may be treated was presented in a way that gave hope to families affected by ASD.

This morning marked the beginning of parent/teacher PPP meetings.  I am sending copies of PPP's home with your child so that you have time to read through them and make notes before our scheduled meeting.  I am looking forward to your feedback and input into how we will work to accommodate your child this year.  If you are unable to  make the meeting, please let me know as soon as possible.

Away for meetings

I will be away from the school Wednesday and Thursday this week for Special Education team meetings in St. Walburg. 

Parent Meetings

A note was sent home today with your child suggesting a time for us to meet to review and update PPP's.  All dates are in the first two weeks of October.  If the time indicated does not work for you, please call me at school to reschedule.

PPP reviews begin

Over the course of the next two weeks, all of the school based team members will be meeting to review student PPP's. Once the school team review is completed, we will be asking parents to join us to make additions or deletions to our PPP plans.

Timetable nearing completion

The EA timetable is nearly complete.  After the long weekend I will be working with staff to complete programming for students with PPP's.  Thank you to staff and parents for the terrific beginning to the year.

New Beginnings

I am working to complete EA schedules as quickly as possible.  Please be patient, it could take a week or two.