DECEMBER 2014
Jan Minty, Principal | Tel 604-826-2834 | [email protected] | Angela Condon, Vice-Principal/
[email protected]; http://esrichards.mpsd.ca/
Dear ESR Community,
At this time of the year, Miss Condon and I would like to express our
appreciation for the community that is ESR. We are thankful for our community
of parents, grandparents, guardians, students, and staff who work together to make this a great place of learning
and experiences for all. We wish you a holiday filled with family and fun and all the best in the New Year. Be
safe and we will welcome your children back on Monday, January 5, 2015.
Mrs. Jan Minty
Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
Eagle’s Nest Concession Now Open on Wednesdays
December 9: Odd Numbered Divisions
Dress Rehearsal for
Grandparents Etc.: 12:45 p.m.
Concert for Parents: 6:30 p.m.
December 10: Even Numbered Divisions
Dress Rehearsal for
Grandparents Etc.: 12:45 p.m.
Concert for Parents: 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015: Tentative Date Set for Even Numbered Divisions- Spring Celebration
Wednesday, May 27, 2015: Tentative Date Set for Odd Numbered Divisions- Spring Celebration
SPIRIT DAYS:2014-2015
In order for our students to contribute to our local community, this year’s Spirit Days will include asking each student to bring a
canned or packaged food item for donation to our local food bank. Students will receive points for participating in the Spirit Day as
well as for the items brought for donation. The winning class will receive a free recess. For our Twin Day in November, 210 food
items were donated.
May 29: Dress Like a Famous Canadian (music, sports, artist,
December 19: Pajama Day
actor) (Chris Hadfield Courtesy of
January 30: Career Day
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/4-year-old-chris-hadfieldFebruary 27: Dress Like a Character from your Favourite
costume)
Book
June 19: School Spirit Day- wear your School Wear T-Shirts
March 27: Crazy Hair/Hat Day
or our School Colours of Blue and White
April 24: Neon Day
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
STUDENTS IN DIVISION SEVEN INTEGRATE THE ARTS WITH STORYTELLING
While attending the conference in Denver, Mrs. Tough learned about a process of teaching called Storyline .It is a process
by which the students create a story in cooperation with their teacher and classmates. The Storyline will start with an
episode designed to have the students create the setting or a character. The story will be created using cross curricular
learning outcomes as well as incorporating the arts where applicable.
PARKING LOT
Thank you for your cooperation in making our parking lot a safer zone for our ESR community. Our safety patrol is doing
a marvelous job of ensuring the safety of our school community at our two crosswalks. Also, many people are choosing to
walk to school or arrive just a few minutes later to pick up their children. We would appreciate your on-going cooperation
with the following as illustrated in these pictures:
1. Please do not park on our grass. We value our green spaces and the yellow curb which indicates a warning zone for
parking. Driving up over the concrete will eventually affect the integrity of this yellow curb and damage our grass.
2. Please observe the yellow curb no parking zone as you enter our parking lot. Please remember that emergency vehicles
and ambulances cannot get into our parking lot if you park along this strip. No one would want to be responsible for
delaying the split second emergency services that might be needed for one of our students or our staff. When vehicles park
in this zone, fire trucks cannot get into our parking lot. In speaking with our local Mission Fire and Rescue Service Chief,
our hardworking fire and rescue workers may work from an educational standpoint educating drivers regarding the
parking in the zone. However, the decision can also be made to fine any drivers found parked in this zone a ticket of $200.
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
WHAT FOOD BANKS NEED MOST
This is a quick guideline for you when you choose to participate in our drive each month
for the local food bank:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Canned meats: Think beyond tuna & soup, which food banks get tons of. Instead go
for canned beef, canned ham, canned chicken, canned salmon. Or hearty ready-togo meals like beef stew and chili with meat.
Canned vegetables: Everyone donates green beans. Instead, give potatoes, carrots,
spinach, peas or any other veggies your family likes.
Canned fruit: Not pineapple. This is the most commonly donated fruit. Any
other fruit, particularly those in fruit juice without extra sugar, would be great.
Dried fruit works too (raisins, etc.)
Boxes of rice (bags can tear)
Low-sugar cereal like plain Cheerios or Raisin Bran
Peanut butter
Instant oatmeal, instant grits
Cans of beans
Pasta, pasta sauce
Biscuit mix, or any mix you only add water to
Cans, cartons or boxes of powered and evaporated milk
Snack items for kids to take to school: juice boxes, applesauce containers,
granola bars
Diapers in sizes above newborn, plus wipes
Toiletries: toothbrushes, soap, toothpaste, lotion, shampoo & conditioner,
Chapstick (consider someone living outside this time of year)
Spices like cinnamon, oregano, basil, salt, pepper
Sliced bread. It’s got a long shelf life but always goes immediately.
Bags of apples or potatoes. Ditto.
Chocolate. It’s not a necessity but just a pick-me-up that I would sure appreciate, especially when it comes time to fill
stockings.
Consider donating reusable shopping bags. It takes a lot of humility for people to come to a food bank and since they’ll likely
be walking home or taking public transportation, it’s nice to at least blend in.
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
A MOSAIC OF ACTIVITIES AT ESR IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER
GRADE TWO AND THREE VOLUNTEER CHOIR
PUPPET SHOW PRESENTATION: Mrs. Hickmott
READING LINK CHALLENGE TEAMS
GRADE FIVE AND SIX BASKETBALL WRAP-UP
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
ANNUAL VISIT FROM SANTA CLAUS
Santa Claus visited our school on November 27 and November 28
for our annual PAC sponsored photos with Santa. Photos were taken
of individual students as well as sibling groups. These photos will
be available on the night of our concerts at the cost of a donation.
Thank you to our parent volunteers, Teena and Nicole for
organizing the classes and taking the pictures. Thank you to Santa,
who not only posed for pictures, but was seen out at recess
encouraging our children in Daily Physical Activity. Santa really is
getting fit for Christmas!
BOOK FAIR
Mrs. Chalke sponsored our Scholastic Book Fair by welcoming children
into The Kingdom of Books. Thank you to all of our families for
supporting this fair. Also, thank you to our parent and student volunteers
for helping Mrs. Chalke.
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
EMILY CARR AND ARTS BASED CURRICULUM
Thank you to our PAC for sponsoring the musical performance of Emily Carr for our students. It nurtured great
enthusiasm in classroom discussion, writing, and art work. It was a great kick-off for our Spring Celebration theme of
Canada and our study of Canadian artists.
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
STUDENT WRITING CORNER
ESR is a school where reading and writing are important to our parents, students, and staff. Please read the excerpt of a story below, written
without assistance, by one of our Grade Three students, Emily, in Mrs. Tough’s class.
It was an ordinary day in school. In art, I was listening about trees and how we can draw them. All in a
day dream, I pretended I had super drawing powers!
I drew a bubble rainbow. I blew on my bubble rainbow. Pop! I heard pop! Pop! But this time, the
popping was louder. POP! POP! I was annoyed so I jumped up and looked outside. Perfume smelling bubbles
rose through the air, forming into a rainbow. One flew past my window. So did another. One by one, a bubble
floated past my window, leaving a sweet smell behind them. One stopped near my window. It was like it was
waiting for me. I touched the bubble. It was green and clear. The clear bubble moved a tad. My finger came off.
The bubble drifted right up to my window sill. I put my hands up to it.
All of a sudden, the bubble started moving. I drifted away, higher I went with the bubble. I was dangling
from the bubble, but I pulled up onto the bubble. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Wow!” I exclaimed. A city stood before my eyes. A wooden sign was standing before it. It read: THE
KINGDOM OF SWIRL.
This kingdom was no ordinary kingdom. No! No! Not at all! It was an art one. Houses were made of
clay. Mountains made of paper. And the airport planes were paper planes.
I turned to leave, but the bubble had gong. Green goop was at my feet. It smelled like perfume!
“Oh no!” I said, figuring out what had happened. My eyes widened when I saw how far it would be to
walk back. Then I noticed a colour car go past.
“Excuse me? Excuuuuuse me!” I followed the car. “Do you know the way back to Mission?”
The car stopped. They rolled the window down.
“What?”
“Mission” I repeated.
“No, never heard of it.” And they drove off. I decided to follow them. It didn’t take long for me to stop
though at a village called: Colour Crayons. I stepped onto the pipe cleaner grass. It tickled my toes. The clay
homes had coloured windows and silk flower petals. The rooftops were painted lovely colours. Fences had
raindrops painted on and real pansies, roses, daffodils, daisies and bluebells wrapped around the wood of the
fence. The air smelt like berries. Then I touched the silk petals on the flowers. It felt like a soft cloud, brushing
against my fingertip. The clouds! Of the soft dreamy cotton clouds! They slowly drifted across the beautiful
blue sky. The wind blew my hair. The breeze was calming and the birds chirping like music. This village was
taken care of, that’s for sure!
But, something was going on in the village square. There was loud music on every corner of the square.
Tents were put up and flags flapping. Everyone was dancing and seemed more than happy! I squinted my eyes,
but fog was in my view so I did not get a good look. The music got fainter and fainter. I followed the music but
it was so faint.
I took a wrong turn. I bumped into something large. Something large and puffy and super soft. It was
white and felt like a cuddly stuffy. I fell back and landed in the soft thing. It slowly drifted up into the air. It was
clear this soft thing was a cloud. I looked down.
“No! No! No! Wait!” I exclaimed and I drifted back home…….
I woke up. A piece of black paper sat on my desk. I smiled very big and drew my tree. I had lots of ideas
now!
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.
Edwin S. Richards Elementary School Newsletter – December 2014
To move our students to a place where creativity, collaboration, leadership, and thinking skills
go hand in hand to provide active, positive, and effective learning experiences.