Frank Hobbs Elementary
Newsletter
Principal: Dr. Cammy Coughlin Vice-Principal: Ms. Karian Brigidear Admin. Assistant: Mrs. Kristine Marshall
School Website https://frankhobbs.sd61.bc.ca/
3875 Haro Road, Victoria BC V8N 4A6 Phone and Attendance Line: 250-477-1804 FAX: 250-477-3392
Mission Statement:
The Community of Frank Hobbs will provide a safe and supportive environment that
enables students to be responsible and successful learners
School Goals:
Our school goals are to:
Improve written communication skills by developing students vocabulary
Develop responsible, respectful and resourceful school and community citizens
Dec. 18, 2015
Dates to Remember
Message from the Principal
It is hard to believe that we are through 40% of our school year already! It has been a busy one with lots of opportunities for students.
The boys and girls have been excited for the annual winter concert
and I hope you were able to see them shine on the stage yesterday. A
production such as this cannot occur without a vision of its success,
and a plan for its delivery. I would like to personally thank my amazing vice-principal, Ms. Karian Brigidear for the vision of “Runaway
Reindeer” and her enthusiasm and dedication to make it happen,
even though she couldn’t be at the concert. The concerts have been
dedicated to her, and we know that she was with us in spirit.
I also have the great fortune of working with committed teachers who
helped ensure the production came to life. The students were bounding with enthusiasm and came to all practices with a smile on their
faces. We hope you enjoyed the production which started with a vision and ended with your child feeling proud and pleased that you
could join in on this shared experience. I wish you and your loved
ones a most wonderful winter break full of love, joy, rest and fun - all
with the added gift of time to enjoy each other’s company.
Happy Holidays
Cammy Coughlin
WARM WELCOME
We welcome Heather Wiggins and Mackenzie Martin (Educational Assistants) to our
school staff.
See you back on Monday, January 4, 2016

Friday January 8 PAC lunch pasta/sushi

Friday January 8 Skating 1:302:30 Div. 1, 4 and 7

NO SCHOOL Monday January 11 Curriculum
Day

Friday January 15 popcorn day

NO SCHOOL Monday January 18 Pro-D Day

Tuesday January 19 Skating 1:30-2:30 Div. 2
and 4
Sleigh Bells
Evaleen Stein
Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle!
Happy winter-time!
Baby’s eyes a-twinkle,
Hear the sleigh-bells chime!
Each one rings a merry
Ting-a-ling-a-ling!
For a sleigh-bell fairy
Hides inside to sing.
See them quake and quiver,
Up and downward tossed,
Seems as if they shiver
In the nipping frost!
Shiver into laughter,
Jolly little elves!
Till we laugh thereafter
Merry as themselves!
CALL BACK LINE is available 24 hours: 250-477-1804 ext. 100 or email: [email protected]
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Newsletter
FrankHobbs
Hobbs
Newsletter
Kindergarten Registration
All children born in 2011 are eligible to begin Kindergarten in September 2016.
Kindergarten Program registration is January 25—29,
2016.
Registration will take place at the schools between
8:00am and 3:00pm and will be processed according
to the time of registration.
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good
food and warmth, for the touch of a
friendly hand and for a talk beside the
fire: it is the time for home.”
― Edith Sitwell
Arbutus Global Middle School welcomes you to:
An Open House Evening for Grade
5 families
Wednesday January 27th at
7:00pm
We are now approaching the season when inclement weather may affect
the safety and welfare of students. In particular,
snowy weather has the potential to cause school
closure or some School District 61 services to be
suspended.
During inclement weather, information about
schools will be updated continuously on the
Greater Victoria School District 61 website at
http://sd61.bc.ca and through local radio stations.
To determine your catchment area school please visit
www.sd61.bc.ca/schools/school-locator/
While most students, if not all, living in a school’s local
catchment will be accommodated at that school, students cannot be guaranteed placement in the catchment area school and may be required to enroll at the
nearest school with space available.
To request an out-of-catchment school within
the District, register at your catchment school
and complete a Student Transfer Application
form.
Parents who already have an older child enrolled in
one of our elementary schools in September 2016 and
wish to have their younger child enrolled in the same
school can register their Kindergarten child at that
school rather than the catchment area school. You do
not need to fill out a Student Transfer Application
form.
For more information go to: https://
www.sd61.bc.ca/news-events/news/title/
kindergarten-registration-for-2016/
Thank you to our families for all the donations going to the two
charities that we have honoured this Christmas. We collected several boxes of food along with $308.00 which was donated to the Mustard Seed. We also collected boxes of pet food which was donated
to the SPCA .Thank you from the people and pets of Victoria we
have helped in this winter season .
CALL BACK LINE is available 24 hours: 250-477-1804 ext. 100 or email: [email protected]
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Frank Hobbs Newsletter
Counsellor's Corner
Grieving the loss of a loved one can be a deep and difficult challenge at any time. Loss through
death is perhaps the deepest and most difficult, but lost through divorce, irreconcilable differences; loss of a friendship or even relocation can also trigger deep emotions. The holiday season
can magnify your sense of loss. Family gatherings and seasonal events can be painful reminders
of the absence of a loved one. At the same time, they can also be comforting rituals where you
spend time with family and friends, focusing on good memories and trying to recapture your sense of joy. If
you are mourning a loss of a loved one this year, here are some important things to keep in mind.
1. Only do what feels right. It's up to you to decide which activities, traditions or events you can handle.
Don't feel obligated to participate in anything that doesn't feel doable. Grieving takes time. If
you are vulnerable right now, all you need to do is get through the day or week or season
— in a healthy way. Try not to think much beyond that.
2. Accept your feelings — whatever they might be. Everyone takes his or her own path in
grief. Some may try to avoid sad feelings; others will be bathed in tears. Some feel bad that they aren't
up for enjoying a holiday; others feel guilt because they are feeling joy. However you feel, accept it.
And accept the inevitable ups and downs: You may feel peaceful one moment and gut-wrenchingly sad
the next. Try to stay in tune with your own highest truth and you will know how to get through the holiday without judging yourself or others.
3. Call on your family and friends. Talk with loved ones about your emotions. Be honest about how
you'd like to do things this year — if you want to talk about those who have passed, then do so, and let
others know it's OK. Take a buddy to events for support and create an "escape plan" together in case you
need to bow out quickly. Read books about getting through the holidays after loss, or seek out support
groups, lectures or faith-community events or seek professional support from a therapist. Stay in touch
with others who are grieving via online groups and connections with friends but give yourself permission to limit this contact and be happy.
4. Plan ahead. Sometimes the anticipation is worse than the actual holiday. Create comforting activities in
the weeks approaching a holiday so that you have something to look forward to rather than building up a
dread of the pain the holiday could bring. New activities might be easier, but familiar traditions might be
comforting as well — do what feels best for you. Surrounding yourself with positivity can be very helpful.
5. Scale back. If the thought of many holiday activities feels painful, overwhelming or inappropriate this
year, cutting back may help. Do whatever feels safe and comfortable to you. Create realistic expectations for yourself and others, but above all be gentle with yourself.
CALL BACK LINE is available 24 hours: 250-477-1804 ext. 100 or email: [email protected]
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Frank Hobbs Newsletter
Counsellor's Corner
6. Give. It's amazing how in times of grief and loss sometimes the biggest comfort is to give
to others. We can feel paralyzed by the sheer emotion — sadness, feelings of helpless or hopelessness. In times of loss, we often want to do something that will make a difference. Consider
these options:

If you've lost a loved one, gift-giving at holiday times may be a challenge. Shopping for
gifts and seeing the perfect gift for someone you know you will never be able to give a
gift to again can be devastating. Shopping online may be a better option for you.

You might purchase something that symbolizes the person or time before your loss and
donate it to a needy family. Or make a donation in a loved one's name to a charity or cause he or she
cherished.
Negative circumstances may surround the loss you have experienced, and it's so easy to fall into a focus
on the sadness, horror or anger. Try channeling your energies in positive ways to create good in the
world, rather than perpetuate the negative. Volunteer to help people in some way that is related to that
which has caused such anguish. Give of your time and talents or make a donation to a related charity.
7. Acknowledge those who have passed on. When we are grieving a loss of someone very close to us, it
can be helpful to participate in a related holiday ritual in his or her memory. Some ideas: lighting candles for them, proposing a toast, talking about them,
buying children's toys or books to donate in
their name, dedicating a service to them, planting a
tree, making a card or writing a letter, displaying their picture or placing an item of theirs
among holiday decorations. In my own
family, we have made tree ornaments in memory of
the people we loss through death. One such
ornament is now 21 years old, and each year, I love to display it on the tree. It’s comforting to include
them and honor their memory.
8. Do something different. Acknowledge that things have changed; indeed, the holiday will not be the
same as it was ever again. Accepting this will help manage expectations. Create new traditions and activities, especially the first year after the loss. Go to a new location for family celebrations, change the
menu or go out to eat, volunteer, invite friends over, attend the theater, travel … create new memories.
Many families return to their usual routines and rituals after the first year, but some enjoy incorporating
their new experiences permanently.
9. Skip it. If you feel that it will be too much for you and you'd like to simply opt out of participation in a
holiday, let family and friends know. But plan alternative comforting activities for yourself and let
someone know what you will be doing. It's a good idea to make sure someone checks in with you on
that day. If you have children, this will be more difficult. Children find comfort I normalcy and they will
need some things to feel normal. Don’t be afraid to tell them you need a time out but ensure the holidays
are still special for them. Perhaps extended family can make this possible.
10. Remember, you will not always feel this bad. Time is a wonderful healer. Although life
may never be the same again, you will feel better, you will find joy again.
CALL BACK LINE is available 24 hours: 250-477-1804 ext. 100 or email: [email protected]