September 13, 2016
The Bison Bits is published every Tuesday to inform
you about school events and provide important information to parents.
New Staff
At Buffalo Head Prairie School!!
Please join me in welcoming five new faces to our staff team this year. Each person has a
different set of talents, and I am convinced all will grow to love the BHPS community!
Hello,
My name is Simone Palin and I am the new Kindergarten teacher and Inclusive Education
coordinator at BHPS. My family and I have recently moved from Fredericton, New
Brunswick to the La Crete area. We decided to travel across Canada and see all the sites we
could in our travels. It was definitely an interesting journey with my
husband, our 6 1/2 year old daughter, and myself all crammed into our
little Toyota Yaris! As a parent it is very clear to me what an important
role parents play in the lives of their children. I believe we need to work
as a team to ensure each child is given the chance to reach their fullest
potential. Looking forward to meeting everyone and being a part of the
BHPS team!
Hi everyone,
My name is Valerie DelleRose and I am very excited to be here at your
amazing school! I live in La Crete with my family. We have two
daughters and no pets yet! We moved from beautiful Niagara Falls,
Ontario about four years ago. I love this time of year for the beauty and
colour. I look forward to getting to know you all throughout the year to
come. And “heads up”, I LOVE cookies!
Wednesday,
September 14
Family Wiener Roast &
Games Night @ 5:30 pm
Friday,
September 16
School-Wide Lockdown
Practice (pm)
Tuesday,
September 20
Fall Potluck-School
Council AGM 6:30 pm
Thursday,
September 22
Staff Meeting
2:00 pm Dismissal
Friday,
September 23
PD Day
No School for Students
Hello BHPS Community,
My name is Miriam Wing. I am so excited and honoured to be joining the BHPS team this year! I grew up in Red Deer
with my parents and my older brother. Having been homeschooled, I grew up with a lot of curiosity about the world and
self responsibility for learning. I hope to share some of both of these things with my students this year.
Before receiving my teaching degree at the U of A, I spent a year at Mount Carmel Bible School and
several summers working at camps. This past summer I had the delightful opportunity to take a road
trip out to Quebec City to take a French immersion course. Along the way I saw many beautiful things
from fireflies, to a diversity of people, to a two century old city. I eagerly anticipate this next season in
Buffalo Head where I will enjoy meeting many more wonderful people and experiences.
IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE! Fall Potluck-School Council AGM
We have had to move our Fall Potluck and School Council AGM meeting from September 27th to next
Tuesday, September 20th. As a school and individually we had several conflicts with the original date. We hope to see
everyone there for our school council elections. For those parents new to BHPS, this has traditionally been a potluck supper meeting for parents only (infants welcome). A reminder to please bring your own plates and cutlery.
A brief school council meeting for council members will follow the AGM meeting.
Hi everyone, My name is Mrs. McDonald and I “comes from away”! I am from Newfoundland (and proud of it) and
grew up in a small community called St. Mary’s, which is about an hour outside of St. John’s. I
am teaching grade four at BHPS, and I am enjoying the strong community feel; it is a great reminder of the small town where I grew up. For the past seven years I have lived in Paradise, NL,
and was married this past December. My husband and I, along with my sister, our best man and a
few other friends, “honeymooned” in Italy over Easter break– it was phenomenal as we ate our
weight in cheese and pasta! I am so excited to be joining the BHPS team and I am already enjoying every second in the grade four classroom!
My name is Andrew (Mr.) Rees and I am from St John’s, Newfoundland. This is my third year
teaching. I spent a year in London, England and last year was teaching in Fort Vermilion. I graduated university in Newfoundland with a major in Physical Education and a minor in Geography.
I am an avid traveler that loves camping, hiking and climbing mountains. I recently spent four
days in the Jasper back country before coming back to my true love; teaching. I am excited to
have a fun filled year with the grade six class, and I am super enthusiastic to be teaching physical
education to grades 1,2,4,5,6!
Students Arriving Late and Leaving Early
We would appreciate parents’ assistance in helping us keep track of students who arrive at BHPS after
school begins in the morning or are picked up before the end of the day.
If arriving late in the morning or leaving school early, students are asked to check in at the school office so
that Miss Wiebe can update their attendance record and inform teachers.
BHPS Opportunities Board
Just outside our main office is a bulletin board outlining some opportunities
for students to get involved with different events within their own school.
Currently we are promoting our Family Wiener Roast & Games Night.
Future advertisements will include information on REACH assemblies as well
as special events going on at Buffalo Head Prairie School!
Student Art Gallery
Please see the notice attached to this
newsletter for more
information regarding this
year’s BHPS Student Art
Gallery.
Welcome Back
Breakfast!
Thank you for coming to the
Family Breakfast on Friday,
September 9th. There was a
great turnout and we were able to
see many parents!
Yearbooks and
BHPS Community
Cookbooks
Last year we had two separate
groups working towards the creation of both a BHPS yearbook and
a community cookbook. Both of
these items are now for sale and
can be purchased at the office or
through SchoolCash online.
Yearbooks are priced
at $20 and cookbooks
at $15.
Family Wiener Roast & Games Night
Please join us on September 14th starting @ 5:30 for a wiener roast which will be followed up with some children’s games & soccer/softball for the older participants. Each family is asked to bring enough hot dogs/buns
or bread to feed their family. The school will provide the condiments and something to drink. Please bring
along some roasting sticks if you have them. This event is endorsed by the School Council as a welcome back to school
activity, in lieu of the community campout from pervious years. We hope to see you there!
Page 3
Junior High Student Fees
Please note there are school fees all junior high students. It is appreciated if these can be taken care of in September.
Fees are $30 for instructional materials and $20 for Shop/Home Economics. Should you have 3 or more children in junior
(and/or senior) high school, a 25% discount applies to the instructional materials, making it $22.50+$20 per child.
You may make your check payable to Buffalo Head Prairie School or pay through SchoolCash online. Thank you!
Buffalo Head Prairie Student Council
We are busy right now encouraging students in junior high as well as grade level representatives from grades 4, 5,
and 6 to join this year’s student council. For junior high the positions are President, Vice-president, Fundraising,
Morale, Canteen, Set-up crew and we are also open to new ideas, or positions, on how to
make this year’s council one of the best ever! It is important for students to understand that
this is their opportunity to get involved and make a positive difference in their school.
Students and Medication
The safety of children is a primary concern for staff at Buffalo Head Prairie School. As such, we
recognize that some students may require medication during the school day. If your child is in need of
any medication while they are at school, parents must contact the school and come in to complete a
form which provides the school with all the necessary information about the medication, administration
times, etc. All medications must be brought in to the school by a parent, be in the original container
and kept in the office until the time it is to be administered to the child. As per FVSD regulations, this applies to
both prescription and over the counter medication. Please feel free to call with any questions or concerns.
Hire-A-Student Fundraiser
The grade 9 students are participating in a 'hire a student' fundraiser, for their Grade 9 Citizenship trip. Students may be hired for $10.00 per hour of work. The Grade nines are willing
to work a wide variety of jobs, from housework to yard work.
All the students' hours are to be completed and paid for by May 12, 2017.
The students and the person hiring are responsible for arranging transportation.
If you have any questions concerning this fundraiser or would like to hire any of the students, please call Mr. MacDougall, Mrs. Angie Wolfe, or Mr. Fyke at 780-928-2282.
Thank you for supporting the Grade 9 Citizenship program.
Hot Lunch Program @ BHPS
Mrs. Darlene Wieler will once again be in charge of the K-3 Hot Lunch program this year, and Mrs. Barb
Driedger-Friesen will be in charge of the 4-9 Hot Lunch program. Both ladies would greatly appreciate the
assistance of numerous other volunteers. Both programs start in October and end in late May/early June. With
the occasional exception due to holidays, the K-3 program runs alternate Tuesdays and the grade
4-9 program runs alternate Thursdays. If you would be willing to help out in these programs
either regularly or occasionally, please give Darlene a call at 780-928-4216 (K-3 program) or
Barb at 780-926-0090 (4-9 program).
We are very thankful for our community moms and the hot lunch service they provide to us!