Welcome
January 25
The end of January will mark the half-way point of this school year. Just like actual winter this year, it is hard to tell where the time has gone. Nevertheless, it is a good time for reviewing academic progress with your child, their teacher, and other staff involved in their education. At the school we are careful to ensure that we have appropriate programs in place for students and that we are responding to the goals we have set. Likewise, it is important for students to respond to, and reflect on, their own learning goals for the year. Am I making progress? What is the evidence of this progress? Where do I still need to improve? These are all important questions to address with respect to your child’s learning. Your child’s teacher can help you and your child with understanding these goals and areas for improvement.
We have a lot going on in the school in the next while. Basketball season has started. I would like to thank all of the students who are representing Edgewood in a positive way and also thank Mrs. Irving and Mr. Geisler for dedicating their time to this activity. We are also excited about the upcoming cross country ski program and a possible downhill program for the sixes and sevens. As they have in years past, the PAC will be supporting a Cake Walk on Valentine’s day again this year. If you would like to donate a cake please let the office or a PAC representative know.
The next couple of months are important registration months in the school district. February 1st is Kindergarten registration day. Please see information attached to this newsletter. Additionally, the online transfer process begins February 6th and is open until the beginning of March. Parents need to use this service if their child already has a seat in a district school but they wish their child to attend a different school or program in September 2012. If you have further questions about registration please contact me at the school or check out the school district web site.
November 17th
It looks as though winter is coming on strong albeit a little late. I’m glad we enjoyed those first couple of snow-free November weeks! I want to devote most of this message to a number of winter reminders that are important for the health and safety of students at the school.
Our snow play policy is simple and clear. Snow should remain on the ground. Activities such as snowballing, kicking snow, pushing others down into the snow, and face-washing often end up in tears and hurt bodies and feelings. Consequences for such behaviour are:
First incident: Students will meet with me to review expectations for student conduct.
Second incident: Students will be referred to the office and meet with me. I will notify parents by phone. The student will spend the next lunch hour under my supervision.
Third incident: Students will be referred to the office. Parents will be notified and a meeting of student and parents will be requested. A longer detention may be required in order to ensure the safety of other students.
Fourth Incident: The student will be referred to the office and an in-school suspension will be assigned to the student.
Further infractions of the snow policy at the school will result in Further detentions and possible suspension from school. We encourage students to be creative with the snow and building sculptures of all types are encouraged.
During the year, Edgewood students spend roughly 1 hour and fifteen minutes outside in a day. In wintertime, we allow students to play outside when the perceived temperature is -17 C or warmer. Please ensure that students are well-dressed for this amount of time spent outside. When the temperature drops below -17 C - including wind-chill factors – students will be required to spend lunch and morning time before school, inside the building.
We allow sledding at the school and provide crazy carpets for the students. Students slide down the grade on the North side of the field. Sliding is a great way to teach turn-taking as well as active living. Unfortunately, we do not have storage enough at the school for students to bring their own sleds so we ask them to reserve these for sliding at home.
Lastly, as you chat with your child about winter safety, please mention the importance of safe travel around the school. Details such as walking far to the side of the road and staying out of the parking lot are a couple of the more important points we reinforce. Students should understand vehicles have less control in winter conditions and students need to be more aware of safety when walking around traffic.
With all of those reminders out of the way, here’s hoping for a great winter with lots of snow and fun outside!
Sincerely,
Steve Wyer
Principal
Principal’s Message
I am excited about our first movie night of the year coming up on Thursday of this week. This is a PAC sponsored event that went over well last year. It is a great opportunity for families to meet and have supper while enjoying some big screen entertainment together. I hope many families will be able to join us for the movie HOP on Thursday. Pizza orders for the evening came home with your child on Monday of this week.
We had a wonderful photo day last week. It is always great to see all of the cute kids dressed up in their photo day outfits. Class photos were not completed on this day but will be taken on the 2nd of November, the same day as re-takes.
Many families have had contact from their child’s teacher during this phase of job action. Recently we have come through what is traditionally the interim reporting period. If you have not heard about how your child is progressing this year, please contact your child’s teacher at the school for an updated account of their progress thus far.
Once again our cross-country running season was a huge success. I want to thank Mrs. Friesen for her leadership in coordinating cross-country running. Also, A big thank you goes out to those teachers who helped host our run day at Edgewood! Many participants from other schools comment about how much they enjoy coming to our run event!
Thanks also to Mr. Geisler who has been quietly running a lunch hour floor-hockey program for students in the intermediate grades. I have certainly been impressed with the hard work and skill development of this group of girls and boys. I can attest from joining in a few times that this is a high intensity work out!
As always, should you have any concerns regarding the school or your child’s learning, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school.
Yours in Education,
Steve Wyer
Principal
October 4th
Thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Terry Fox run a huge success! We raised over $400 for the Terry Fox Foundation. This is three times the amount we raised last year.
Tomorrow is World Teacher Day. I would like to take a moment recognize all those extra things the teaching staff at our school does to make Edgewood such a great place to come everyday! Thank you teachers for you perseverance, expertise, and compassion!
Last night the PAC met and elected their new executive. Please see a PAC representative for more information. The new chairperson is Lori Walters. I would encourage all parents to come out and contribute to the encouraging work of this group. Specifically the PAC is looking for volunteers so that they may sustain the Milk program at the school. Please get in touch with Janice Roberts if you can help support this initiative. Her information can be obtained from the school office.
September 23
We know that healthy children learn better. Additionally, we know that healthy learners are more likely to lead healthy lives as adults. Nutrition is one part of the recipe for a healthy lifestyle. As such we follow nutrition guidelines to ensure we are a healthy school.
Part of this responsibility involves students making healthy choices about what they eat. I have been around to all classes during lunch time and I am impressed by the nutritious lunches that students bring to school! I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that we encourage you and your children to pack lunches consisting of healthy foods. There is much information available about this at the Ministry of Education website:
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/health/
At the school, we ask that you refrain from sending Soda, candy, chocolate and other foods high in sugar and fat and low in nutritional value in student lunches. From time to time these foods are acceptable as treats for children. These treats are great for providing at home when learning and listening are not constantly required of children.
Foods that are high in protein, fiber, and vitamins are great choices for student lunches. These choices will ensure that students are maximizing their potential as learners in the class. If you have questions or concerns regarding our healthy foods policy, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school.
Sincerely,
Steve Wyer
Principal
September 22, 2011
Dear Parents,
Due to changes in school enrollment it has become necessary for us to re-arrange the class configurations. As a result, a number of students will be assigned to a different teacher and classroom. These changes will take place at the beginning of next week. If your child is among this group of students they will be moved at the beginning of the week and you will receive a notification call from me before the end of school on Monday.
Moving students is not a process taken lightly. The following criteria have been considered where there have been movement of students.
Age
Gender
Work Habits
Academic Performance
Students with special needs
Friendships and social dynamics
Years with teacher
Class size
Behaviour
While this is not an ideal situation for the school, I appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter as we accommodate growth. Please note the interests of the students continue to be at the forefront of this change.
The new class configurations will be as follows:
Mrs. Chrobak K/1
Mrs. Anderson 1/2
Mrs. Bliss 2
Mrs. Friesen 3
Mrs. Irving 4/5
Mrs. Bakken 5/6
Mr. Geisler 6/7
Should you have further questions about this please contact me at the school.
Sincerley,
Steve Wyer
Principal