Upcoming Events

Just some reminders for this busy season.

Tomorrow is our field trip to Barr Colony.  Mr. Feil has everything under control.  Students will leave at 9:00 and return to the school in time to catch the bus home.

Friday is wear your Christmas hat and sweater day sponsored by the SRC.

Friday is also the Christmas concert.  Please have your child in the classroom by 6:45. 

The school is collecting mittens, toques and scarves to donate to the interval home, and blankets to donate to the men's shelter.

My last day before the break will be Friday.  Please pop into the classroom after the concert so I can wish each of you a Merry Christmas.

As always, thank you for your support.  Please contact me if you have any questions.

Cough craze!

Wow, I have a classroom full of coughing children.  Please try to get them healthy over the weekend, or keep them home so they have a chance to get well without sharing their cough with anyone who has manged to stay healthy this long.

The Gingerbread Shop is open and many children have been shopping already - they are SO excited - it is really wonderful to see.

Field trip arm wrestle is over and . . . Mr. Feil won.  He will be taking the class to Lloyd. on the 14th while I teach phys.ed for the day.  I will be going on the ski trip January 20th though - I won that one!

The grade fours will be going for swimming lessons the first week of Feb.  more details to follow.

Have a cough free weekend!

December is here!

Wow, I'm not sure how we got here but Christmas is only weeks away. 

We have finished up our study of Peggy and Herman Parish and their Amelia Bedelia stories, and each child has set a personal writing goal for the month of December.  I have taught them the idea of  writing RAFTS - role, audience, form, topic and strong verb.  We are currently working on writing a letter to Santa as if we were an elf who DESERVES to drive the sleigh on Christmas eve.  Some of the letters are laugh out loud funny - we will share them with you on the bulletin board outside the classroom as we finish them up this week.

In math we are working on estimation and rounding strategies as they relate to addition and subtraction.  If you have a deck of cards at home, take five minutes a day to practice basic addition facts.

You should have received a note home Fri. regarding our field trip on Wed. December 14th to Barr Colony and Bud Miller.  Please fill in and return permission forms, meal orders and money as soon as possible.

Christmas concert is on Friday, Dec 16th at 7:00 in the gym.  Everyone is welcome, please plan to have your child in the classroom by 6:45.  New parents, this is a very popular event, come early if you would like to have good seats.

I would also like to let you know that I will be away Dec. 19, 20 and 21.  The 19th for a meeting and the 20th and 21st for a surgical procedure.  I am sad to be missing the three days before break, but will leave plans for some learning and lots of fun while I am away.

Wonderful Dioramas!

The students worked this afternoon to create desert diorama's and they are AWESOME.  Great job students and Mr. Feil!

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the interviews that we had last night and am looking forward to the last few tonight.  Please make sure that you let us know if there are ever any questions.  You don't have to wait for interviews to share questions or concerns with us.

Spelling test tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you

By now you all have your interview times scheduled with Mr. Feil and I for Wednesday or Thursday, I am really looking forward to having the time to talk with you about your child.  We also have an assembly on Wednesday at 9:50 that parents are welcome to attend.

I was away today and will also be away on Thursday - another busy week!

Thank you for dressing your children for the weather - they sure have fun outside when they are warm enough!

Last call

Last call for shoe boxes for science.  Please have them here for science class tomorrow!  Also your children should have been tracking their activities for the last week for health class.  Ask them about the tracker they have to fill in and please help them complete it if they have forgotten what they did for activity while we had our LONG weekend.

We met this morning to schedule Parent Teacher Interviews and a form with your time will come home Friday with the report card.  Please call the office if you need to make changes.  Thank you to those of you who returned the form, it really helps us when we try to set the interviews up.  If you have children in grade 7-12 they did not receive a scheduled time, teachers will be in the gym for the evening and you can go in to see whomever you like when they are available.  Mr. Feil and I will be together for all the grade 3/4 interviews.

Enjoy the snow while there is still only a little bit of it!

It's cooling off

Please remember to send your child a pair of mittens and a winter jacket when they leave in the morning, some of them are finding it really cold outside at recess because they are not dressed properly.

Mr. Feil has asked students to bring a shoe box for science - they will need to have them here on Monday, November 14th.  If you don't have one, stop at a shoe store, they are usually happy to help you out!

Parent teacher interview forms were attached to the Monday note yesterday, please return them to the school asap so we can schedule all the interviews.

Enjoy your four day weekend!

November News

Wow, here we are already in November.  Time has certainly flown by for me.

A big thank you to the moms and dads who joined us on Monday for Halloween.  Your support and help make fun activity days like that so much easier for me, and the students all love to see other parents in action in the school.

As you may know, the students have a science test next Wed. (Nov. 9th)  The focus will be on habitats - where the plants and animals they have studied can be found.  They also have interviews to complete for health by next Wed.  They could  even do them over the phone if they want to call grandparents or other relatives.

Tuesday at 10:45 is our school wide Remembrance Day service - please feel free to join us, and to take a moment sharing with your child what the day signifies for you.

I am busy working on report cards this weekend, and am looking forward to meeting with all of you at Parent Teacher Interviews on November 23 and 24.  Interview scheduling information will come home next week, please be sure to send it back promptly.

Have a great weekend.

Beginning new units

We are beginning a new unit in ELA that is structured around an author/genre study which uses a lot of figurative language.  The majority of stories will be Amelia Bedelia stories, with some other materials incorporated for us to compare writing techniques used to create humour.

In math we are working on place value and whole number concepts.  Grade three should be comfortable with numbers to 1000, and grade four with numbers to 10 000 when we finish the unit.  You will notice a major change in the math report card when it comes home mid-November.  I will try to post some information here to help you interpret it, and will also take time to share and explain this new format with you when you come for interviews.

My crazy month is over and I am thrilled to be back in the classroom for at least a week straight!

We will not carve pumpkins on Monday but will be doing a variety of math activities with them involving measurement. If you are interested in joining us for the afternoon on Monday, we welcome you any time after 1:00.

Crazy month

I am off to an inservice today and Wednesday.  Mrs. Tenney is in for me both days.  Please email if you have any concerns.  On Friday afternoon we will participate in Spooktacular and next Monday afternoon we will do some fun activities along with our regular school work.  We MAY do some pumpkin carving - I will keep you posted as I will need parental help if we decide to carve.

Busy week

OSR began yesterday and I think that students are adapting well to their groups.  Remember that tomorrow is a hand in day for magazine subscriptions if you are ready to hand those in now.

I will be away Wednesday and Friday this week for meetings and appointments but will respond to email if you have something urgent to share with me.

For those of you trying to reach Mr. Feil by email his address is:   dj.feil@nwsd.ca  Also, if you send notes in the agenda for him, I always set them aside for him to see.

We are working on a personal story this week as the final project for our ELA unit.  Students were told that they were creating a Radio Story for other 8-10 year olds and they are coming up with some amazing things.  When they are ready to share we will let you know.

Fire Safety

Our class was visited today by three firefighters from the RM of Britiania fire department.  The key information that the firefighters shared was:
1. Have a fire escape plan for your home and a meeting place a short distance from the house
2. Check your smoke detectors regularly
3.  Have your land location and directions to your home posted on the fridge. 

They suggested the fridge because even people who don't live in your home can find the fridge and if that was a common spot for all the members of our community, we could all direct the fire department to wherever they were needed.

I sent information home with your children today about OSR as well as their personal GRADE results.  Please contact me if you have any questions.

Backwards Day

Thursday is backwards day so if your children wish to wear their t-shirts or pants backwards, please encourage them to do so.  I will be away but when we spoke about it today, they were all really excited.

Picture day went with only one hitch - Mr. Feil was in another class when we got our photo taken so he is not in the class pictures.  Sorry Mr. Feil!  I hope that we get some wonderful individual pictures, the students all looked wonderful today!

Magazine collection days are Wednesdays and Fridays until the end of the month.  Thank you to those of you who are busy selling subscriptions.

We completed our patterning unit today with a short quiz.  I hope to send them home on Friday with your child so you can see what we have been up to.

I will also be sending home reading assessment scores for the GRADE testing we did this fall.  Unfortunately, in the transfer between computers there has been a data glitch and when we view the reports we only see the latest score on the graph rather than the scores for your child since the end of grade one.  We are working to rectify this but need external computer support to do so.  If you have questions about the report please stop by with the report and I will be happy to translate it for you.

Orchestrated Success in Reading sessions will begin on Monday, look for a note home explaining the program and its rationale with your grade 2-6 children on Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to let you know that the students created a "I am thankful for . . . " document today that you should take a moment to read tomorrow if you are at the school for lunch.  I will also send them home, so if you are unable to be here for lunch, ask to see it at home.

Many students should have new spelling words in their agendas this week as we will have completed three tests when we write tomorrow.  They may still have some of the same words but some should be new too.

A reminder that all our elementary students are expected to be outside at recess and noon hour so please be sure they are dressing for the cooler weather.

Enjoy your weekend.

Two reminders

Hope your long weekend was fantastic and that you have fun plans for this one too. 

If you did not look at the Monday Note last week please take a moment to look today at the request for picking children up.  In order to keep everyone safe at the end of the day we have put a reminder in for parents and children.

Thank you to those of you who have been calling or emailing the school about your children's absences.  If you know you will be away for an extended time and are requesting homework, please give us some lead time to prep that for you. 

Book orders for October are due this Friday.

Hope to see you at the Turkey Dinner!

Upcoming events

For those of you who are new parents in the community I would like to make sure that you are aware of the Thanksgiving Dinner that our students put on for the community.  It will be held next Friday, October 7th in the gym, and is a great way to see some of the faces of the community and to have lunch with your child. It begins at 11:30 and ends about 1:00.  Last year we served over 350 people!

I will be talking to students tomorrow to remind them not to share hats, hair brushes, or head bands as a caution towards the prevention of head lice.  Please take a moment or two to talk to them too, and make note if anyone is complaining of an itchy head.  The school policy is to keep infected children at home until the problem has been taken care of if it arises.

We will be wrapping up our current patterning unit in math next week and moving on to place value.  We will also be wrapping up our MY STORY unit in ELA in about 10 days.  Please send the address your child requires to mail their postcard a.s.a.p.

Library class tomorrow, and no classes on Monday.  Enjoy the three day weekend!

Spelling

We completed our first spelling test last week and your children will have  the exact same list this week even if they spelled them all correctly on Friday.  They need to get them all correct three tests IN A ROW before those words leave their list.  They should have them copied onto this week but I have to admit that I did not have time to check them all today - I will do so tomorrow.

Our library class will be on day four all year so if you are wondering when to send the books back it moves around according to the six day schedule.  This week it will be on Friday.

Reminder there are no classes on Monday the 3rd of October since it is a PLC day. 

The flu has hit a few children in our class over the past few days.  Please remind your child to wash their hands often while at home and school to help us stay healthy.

Have a wonderful weekend

Well, a busy week is over and I hope that you and your family are able to enjoy a relaxing weekend.  If you have a chance this weekend, have your child read you a recipe - maybe you can make whatever it is that they read to you.  Make it fun!

Back in Routine

What a difference the morning routine makes for us all.  We had a wonderful morning and then worked on our GRADE testing again this afternoon.  Some of us finished but most will need some more time tomorrow.  My goal is for us all to finish by noon tomorrow. 

Remember to practice your spelling words - first test Friday.

We have been working on time/calendar concepts.  Feel free to quiz your child on the months, days, seasons and when special events like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Canada Day, etc happen.

Our big question today was "Is it possible for every person in the WORLD to have a different birthday"  We had a very interesting debate but finally agreed that it was NOT possible.  Ask your child about it.

Busy day

Wow, we had an unusual day today and your child is likely feeling the effects of a day that was out of routine.  In order to facilitate our OSR groupings for the first session we are completing GRADE testing this week - an individual reading assessment. We started our morning off with a fifty minute session today, then had a VERY BUSY math class and we had a guest teacher in for fourth and fifth class while I had admin time (Mr. Lobb away today), and sixth class everyone was tired and out of sorts.

I am sure Wednesday we will be back to our routines and things will be wonderful again.  We will be completing the GRADE assessment tomorrow afternoon during social and science so both Mr. Feil and Mrs. Newman are able to have a class.

Lamontang orders due tomorrow - no exceptions! Thank you to those families who were able to support this fund raiser.

Spelling Lists

Each child will come home today with a list of 10 words in their agenda.  Their list is personal to them so you will not be able to call a classmate to get the word list.  We will have spelling tests on Fridays.  Students will have to spell each word on their list correctly three tests in a row before they will get new words added to their list. Each Monday (or Friday if we are really organized) their updated list will appear in their agenda. 

This all sounds confusing, but I promise it will work.  If Mr. Hart has taught any of your older children ELA you will be familiar with this program as I am using the same format he did.

If you have questions, please send me an email and I will try to help you out.

Email excitement

Your child set up a school email account today.  Their email address is firstname.lastname@k12.nwsd.ca if you would like to send them a message I am sure they would be thrilled.   Thank you to Mr.Betker without whom we would not have had success!

The walk today was wonderful, it is one of my favourite activities of the school year. Thank you to all the parents who joined us and to all of you who helped out with the fundraising.  We raised just over $2800.00.

Terry Fox walk

Please consider this your formal invitation to join your children while we complete the Terry Fox walk on Friday.  We will be leaving from the school about 11:00 and love to have community members participate with us.

If your child has collected pledges, please send the money with them Thursday or Friday.

Meet the Teacher

Thank you to all of the parents who were able to join us last night for Meet the Teacher night.  It was lovely to see "old" and new parents alike.  If you were unable to come in last night but would like to see some of the things we have been working on, please stop in just before or after school sometime and have your child show you around the room.

We continue to work towards completion of the individual spelling lists and will be ready to send them home on Monday the 19th.

Please try to make time at least three times a week to listen to your child read for ten minutes or so.

Book orders due this Friday please.  If you do not have a cheque but would like to order, please send cash - I encourage cheques because they are so much easier to keep track of but would hate for that to be the reason that you felt unable to purchase a book for your child.

Spelling News

I am going to use an individualized spelling program with the grade three/four students this year.  In preparation for that, we are doing spelling work this week and perhaps into next, which will give me the basis for your child's spelling list.  I am using the 3000 most frequently written words in the English language as the basis for the program.  Over the next several days, I will dictate words to the students for them to spell and then record any errors they make.  The words that they have errors with, are the words that will become their spelling list.  We will have weekly spelling tests once the word lists are compiled and each word will have to be spelled correctly three consecutive times for it to be "dropped" from their list.  My goal is to make the spelling more meaningful and more transferable for each child.  If you have any questions or would like to meet with me so I can show you the word lists, please let me know.

Look for word lists in their agendas the week of September 19th.

First Day

WOW!  What an amazing day!  Our school has reached an all time record enrollment at 205 children and I can tell that every family in our school has sent us their very best children.

We welcomed four new students in our room:  Emma and Hannah joined  grade three and Jayden and Ryan joined  grade four.  Welcome to each of you, we are looking forward to getting to know you.

I hope that you got the letter that was sent home today and  are able to have some photos sent to school with your child for Tuesday. A registration form was also sent home with all students.  If you have filled one in this fall (new families) please do not do another one.  For all other families please complete both sides and return to the school as soon as possible.

Also a reminder that each student owes $5.00 for agenda fees, please send that as soon as possible too.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me.

Welcome Back

As I have been preparing for the new school year I have been reflecting on the changes and looking forward to the challenges. I am really excited to have Mr. Feil as my partner with the grade 3/4 class I think the students will enjoy having two teachers.  I will be teaching ELA, math, computers, library and arts education.  Mr. Feil will be teaching social, science, health and phys.ed.  We will send home a copy of the time table to give parents a sense of how that time is divided up.

Please look for a letter coming home with your child on Wed., I will post it as well, as soon as I have the skill set to do so.

Moving on

As most of you know,this is my last week as Special Education Teacher here in Hillmond.  Next year my role will be changing as I return to the grade 3/4 classroom and assume the role of Vice Principal.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the EA support staff who have made my job a pleasure for the past five years and to thank the parents of "my students" for all the effort they have put in to making sure that school is the best it can be for their children.

I have filed and sorted and shredded all I can, and leave the job in the capable hands of Ms. Lisa Belanger who will be taking over this role in the fall.

Enjoy your vacation!

Week of Meetings

This time of year is one of my favorite because I have the opportunity to meet with the parents of the children I provide programming for.  I'd like to thank all the parents for their support throughout the year with the education of their children"it takes a village to raise a child" takes on a very personal meaning when we talk about the students who attend our school.

Final exams begin this week and we have a full slate of students who will be receiving the support of a reader or scribe.  Students please remember to take a moment to thank these staff members for the support they give you to ensure your success.

Enjoy your week, study hard!

Keep Raining

Good morning,

Wow, three days in a row out of the building turns out to be at least two too many.  I did want to take time this morning to update my blog and share what a wonderful day we had Monday at the I CAN GAMES.  We took three athletes from Hillmond and I can say with confidence that they all really enjoyed the day.  Thank you to the staff at Dorintosh - you put on an amazing day.

PPP meetings have been scheduled for the next week.  Parents you should have received a letter indicating the time of your meeting, I look forward to seeing you then.

Here's to the rain - hopefully we can keep it coming for another day or two.

June 13 - 17

First off, a correction about the RCMP relay - it has been cancelled.  BUT, there will be RCMP members here with one of the horses from the Musical Ride on Friday at 10:00.

Some notes for next week:

I am working in the school on Wednesday and Friday and will not be working Tuesday or Thursday.

I am working at the I CAN GAMES on Monday so will not be in the school.

Carrie and Amanda (SLP and OT) plan to be here on Thursday of next week.

CREED assembly and Family Fun Day will both happen on Friday, June 17th, and so will the High School Drama presentation.  Hope to see you here!

Running Week

Welcome back and congratulations to our students who participated in 4-H Expo this weekend.  I was in on Sunday, and was once again impressed by the work and the dedication that members and parents put in to their projects.  After listening to the guest speakers, I too was struck by how many people I knew at the Expo, and as I travel around because of my own involvement in 4-H.

As many of you know the RCMP Relay takes place this Friday by Sandy Beach.  Our athletes have been working hard preparing for it - good luck. I believe that we have RCMP members from the Musical Ride (without their horses) coming on Friday afternoon.  Our family has tickets to the ride in Lloydminster on Saturday night, if you have never been I highly recommend it!

Our grade four, five, and six students are off to the Tri-Meet in Marshall on Wednesday while the 2/3 class and the grade 9's are heading for Edmonton.  I will be joining the field trip to Edmonton and am quite excited.

Crystal Heck has completed her Speech and Language Practicum here and we would like to thank her for her efforts.  The progress our students have made over the past year was certainly increased by the extra time she was able to spend with us during the month of May.  Carrie will be here on Friday of this week.

I CAN GAMES

The games will go on!  They have been rescheduled for Monday, June 13th in Dorintosh.  I am thrilled as for the first time I am able to attend with our students.

Parents of students with PPP's you should have found a note with your child yesterday indicating the time for your review/transition meeting this spring.  Please contact me if you have not received your copy.

I will be away Friday and Monday, see you all on Tuesday, June 7th.

Great Job Graduates

Wow, hats off to the grads, their escorts and families who worked so hard to make the celebration on Friday a success.  Special thank you to Mrs. Shirtliffe and Mrs. Thompson for all the extra work they did with the teachers away on Wednesday and Thursday.

We are finally finished CAT testing this week and will begin work on the GRADE assessment for our OSR records later this week and into next.  AFL testing has been wrapped up so pretty soon there will just be regular classes to keep us busy during the day.

Thank you to the arena board for allowing the teachers to help out there last Wednesday by removing the puck board so the concrete can be poured for the floor.  We were happy to have a project to complete that would affect our entire community.

Unusual Week

I hope that you all enjoyed the long weekend.  I know many students said they were going camping, some were planting gardens, and some were travelling.

As you know, tomorrow and Thursday, there will be no classes as all 12 000 teachers in our province are participating in job action.  This is a difficult time for teachers, students and parents.  We all have the same goal - to provide quality education for the future leaders of our province, I hope that the message of teachers is heard by our government.

Graduation is on Friday - our Mexican exchange daughter is celebrating with her classmates and her Canadian family -we are very excited.

Change

Many of you have likely heard that I will be changing my role in the school for next fall.  With Mr. Larson and Mr. Letkeman leaving our school the opportunity for me to return to an Administrative role presented itself and I am really happy to have been offered the Vice-Principalship.  With the acceptance of that role, I will also be returning to the classroom at the grade 3/4 level. 

We have hired Ms. L. Belanger to take over as the Special Education teacher for next year.  I am confident that she will manage the job beautifully, and I will still be here to help with any transition bumps that may arise.

Check out the Monday note today for a list of homeroom teachers for the 2011-2012 school year.  Mr. Lobb and I are meeting with Mr. Larson and Mr. Letkeman this week to begin the process of creating the timetable for next year.  Details of teaching assignments will be shared with you once they have been finalized here.

Have a wonderful week.

SUM Math Conference

Happy Mother's Day - I hope you all were able to enjoy the wonderful weather this weekend, and take some time to remember your mom.

I was in Saskatoon on Friday at an amazing math conference and came away with lots of new information and great ideas to implement in the classroom.

We are doing Canadian Achievement Tests  (CAT) this week with our grade 1 to 9 students.  It will really help your child if you are able to get them to bed at their regular bedtime in spite of the lovely weather, and send them to school with a brain food breakfast filling their stomach.

Our final session of OSR wraps up this Thursday.  Look for reports home a week from Wednesday.

Amazing

Wow, I had the opportunity to attend the Arena Fundraiser on Saturday and all I can say is WOW!  The support of community in the form of attendance, donations and purchasing can only be fully appreciated if you were there.  Hats off to the organizing committee and to all the people who made the event a huge success!

This week we are fortunate to have Crystal, an SLP practicum student, begin a month long assignment in our school.  She will be out weekly spending time with the students on the SLP caseload.  Carrie will also be here, and will be supervising the work that Crystal does with your children.

On Friday I will be attending a math conference in Saskatoon put on by the Sask. Math Teacher's Association.  I am sure that I will come back filled with great ideas for how to assist students in seeing the math in their world.

Enjoy the lovely weather, it took it's time, but I think Spring has officially arrived.

Easter

In three days we will all be enjoying a very late spring break.  I hope that you are able to refresh yourself as we enter into the season of year filled with renewal and regrowth.

My experience at STF council last week was incredible.  Having an opportunity to speak to teachers on a provincial level, and be involved in the policy renewal of the Federation was really powerful.

This week I will be busy scribing exams.  With the break comes the feeling that it is time to wrap up units, so there are several quizzes and exams in the junior high and high school.

Hope to see you all at the Fundraiser for the arena!
Happy Easter

Keeping Up

Well, this is a very busy week for me with Music Festival in Lloydminster and an STF Spring Council meeting in Saskatoon Thursday through Saturday.

Mrs. Priest will be in for me on Thursday and she was also in for me this morning.  It is wonderful that we have such talented guest teachers, I always know they can handle things while I am away.

I know that the students are all excited about the dance on Friday, with the wonderful Spring weather it should be a terrific event.

Carrie and Crystal will be here on Tuesday, and I know that Amanda is finalizing the reports for some students she has seen this past month.

Splash in a puddle this week:)

Spring Fever

Well, the snow is melting and the students are all showing signs of spring in their choice of clothing and in an increased desire to be outside.  I for one am in total agreement with their sentiments. 

Carrie will be at the school on Wednesday this week and will be bringing an SLP intern with her.  I believe that we will have some extra time with this intern which of course will benefit our students. 

The grade 2/3 field trip tomorrow to the interval home has seen many donations arrive at the school for them to deliver.  It is really terrific to see the community support for this idea which came from the students themselves.

Mr. Hart is sporting a new hair cut thanks to the student in Paradise Hill who had the highest score in Mr. Hart's recent World Math Challenge. Don't worry, it will grow.

I am very excited to be an Auntie again.  We welcomed our fifth niece to the world this weekend - what better way to celebrate Spring.

Enjoy the week!

New Beginnings

Well, as the snow melts away and we look forward to spring . . .

Oh, those are the words I would like to be true this week.  However, we have a six foot drift at the end of our lane way and the roads are covered in ice.  Saskatchewan, land of beautiful snow.

Carrie Thomson was out yesterday to work with many of the students on her caseload.  We also started our third OSR session which will run until May 12th.

The babysitting course begins here on Wednesday and we have our second night of Parent Teacher Interviews on Wednesday as well.

CREED Assembly on the 31st at 9:00, please come and join us.

Have faith, Spring will arrive!  In the meantime, stay warm, plan your garden using the seed catalogues and be charmed by the calves that are showing up everywhere.

Spring

Well, it is officially Spring and when I look outside I fear that Mother Nature has not received the memo.  Keep the faith, we know that the snow will go, let's hope it goes soon.

Tomorrow our school will be full of Division Team personnel.  Carrie Thomson (SLP), Amanda Dufrense (OT), and Carol Harbin (Ed. Psych) will all be here for at least a part of the day.

No classes on Wednesday which means an opportunity for our staff to work together on a goal setting session for next year. 

Look for your children's OSR reports on Friday.  A new session will be starting the week of March 28th.

Week of Colour

Wow, lots of pink happening here today.  I am really looking forward to hearing Ms. Ollsen's presentation this morning.  I am certain it will be one more event that makes me happy and proud to be a Canadian in 2011.

I am looking forward to a sea of green on Thursday as St. Patrick's day brings out the Irish in us all.

Carrie T. is here Tuesday this week, and report cards for K-9 go home Thursday. 

Thursday is the last day for OSR session 2.  Look for your child's OSR report on March 25th.

Enjoy the day on Friday - No School.

Parent Support

I would like to thank Brenda Stansfield who is coming in on Wednesday to show myself and several staff members how to efficiently use the Boardmaker v.6 program.  This is a program which creates visual reading supports for students.  I really appreciate the support of parent experts when meeting the needs of our students.

Carrie T. will be here Tuesday this week.  Her focus for the month of March is going to be language therapy.

Remember to order your pink shirts to wear on anti-bullying day March 14th.

Telemiracle

Just a reminder to all parents and students the Telemiracle is on this weekend.   I hope you are able to take sometime to watch this province wide example of CREED. 

I have begun PPP reviews which will be sent home with your child's report card on March 17th.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Busy Week

Welcome back.  Hope you all had a restful week off and were able to stay warm through some of the cold temperatures.  I was really warm yesterday while I cheered Saskatchewan on to victory in the Tournament of Hearts curling final.

This week will see Carrie Thomson here today (Monday) and Carol Harbin here on Friday. 

With Telemiracle on this weekend, there are many activities planned including our annual Penny Carnival on Friday.

Remember to order your Anti-Bullying pink T-shirt to wear on March 14th when Eva Ollsen is here to speak to our students.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope that you were the recipient of a hug from a loved one today as we mark Feb. 14th, 2011 off on the calendar.

I was able to attend the Canskate Carnival yesterday and wanted to say Great Job to all the skaters and parents.  What a fun prelude to today with your heart theme, great music, fun door prizes and enthusiastic skaters.

Carrie Thomson is scheduled to be out tomorrow to work with our students, and Carol Harbin will be here on the 17th to see students and meet with parents.

Enjoy the week as we lead up to our Winter break next week.

Farewell and Welcome

Just wanting to take a moment to wish Mr. Vince well as he leaves our school.  I know that the grade six class will miss him, and that he will be back for a bit to finish up the basketball season so we will still see him around.

Welcome back Mrs. Ross.  I am sure that you will be back into the swing of things in no time!

Congratulations to Kelsie who is the SPCA student volunteer this week.  Please click on this link to see her on the website. http://www.lloydminsterspca.org/0000pg.asp/ID/2312/SID/65.

Enjoy the week.

Happy Groundhog Day

Well, good news from the groundhogs this morning.  Not a shadow to be seen which I am confident means that we will be seeing the end of winter very soon. 

I found an interesting article which suggested that at the end of each day we take five minutes to reflect on our day and the interactions that we had throughout the day.  I wanted to share it with you, perhaps you already do this, perhaps you think it is crazy, for what it is worth, here it is.

Take Five and ask yourself the following:

1.  How did the day go?  What success did I experience?  What challenges did I endure?

2.  What did I learn today? About myself? About others?  What do I plan to do differently - or the same - tomorrow?

3.  Who did I interact with?  Anyone I need to update?  Thank?  Ask a question?  Share feedback?

Have a terrific week.

Short Week

Well, we are only here for four days this week but it will certainly be busy. 

Monday - Carrie the SLP and Amanda the OT will both be here working with students.

Tuesday - Animals on the Loose for grade 1-3 students and their families 3:15-7:00

Wednesday - hot meal

Thursday - ski trips - grade 3-6 to Kinosoo and grade 7-9 to Table Mountain

Friday -no school, teachers attending Professional development.

All week - Final exams for grade 10-12 students.

Enjoy the lovely weather!

Change of schedule

Well, it seems that the flu bug has bitten Carrie.  She was planning to come to work at our school on Friday which was changed to today due to a meeting.  Then the flu bug bit when she was planning to come today.  Once I know what her new schedule is, I will post it here to keep you in the loop.

I was outside at noon today enjoying the sunshine and fresh air and noticed MANY of our students out without scarves or neck tubes.  There were even a few without ski pants.  I was bundled up well and really enjoyed myself, but those students who were not bundled were quite chilly.  Please help your children remember all their winter gear when they head out in the morning.

Keep shovelling, spring is coming!

Coming events

Wow, Thursday already.   I am away tomorrow as it is Friday but Carrie Thomson will be out to work with our students who are on the speech and language caseload.

Mrs. Burzynski, Mrs. Clark and I have been busy this week planning our second annual Family Literacy Night for grade 1-3 students and their families.  I hope you are able to join us for ANIMALS ON THE LOOSE on Tuesday, January 25th.  A note will be coming home with your grade 1-3 child early next week.

Stay warm!

Digging Out

Wow, what a fun way to start the week!  The students have been enjoying the deep snow on the hill for the past two days, what a delightful sight.

Our second session of OSR started yesterday - feel free to ask your child who their new leader is and what session they are in.  I am really enjoying the return to a 9:00 start and I think the students are too - we are all more energized at the beginning of the day!

Carol Harbin will be at the school tomorrow to work with a few students. 

Grade 1-3 parents look for news in the Monday Memo on the Family Literacy Activities which will take place after school and into the evening of Jan. 25th.

Welcome 2011

I hope you all enjoyed family and friends over the Christmas holiday.  It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of students when they shared their news with one another this morning.

Today is the beginning of a new timetable which impacts the EA's and myself in several areas.  If you have questions about what the new schedule will be, please contact me at my email address.

Carrie Thomson, SLP, will be at the school tomorrow, January 4th to work with students.

The next OSR session begins on January 10th - OSR will return to the morning time slot of 9:00 - 9:25.