SEPTEMBER 2016
NEWSLETTER
CHERS PARENTS/DEAR PARENTS,
633 PATRICIA AVE.
WINNIPEG, MB.
R3T 3A8
Phone: 204-269-5677
Fax: 204-269-3759
Visit us on the web:
Bon retour et bonne rentrée scolaire! We hope that you have had a restful summer and
are ready to start the new school year. We were excited to welcome back both our eager, hardworking students as well as our caring and dedicated staff members. A warm
welcome is extended to all the new families who have joined our community and who
will come to know very soon that we value your partnership as we work together to ensure that your children reach their fullest potential.
Bienvenue to all the new staff members from École South Pointe who will work with us
for the first part of this year while they await the opening of their new school. We are
pleased to announce that we will be joined by Mme Trudeau (Grade 5) and M. Lamoureux (Grade 6), Mme McIntosh (Phys. Ed), Mme Ciavarelli (Music), Mme Blanchet
(Library), Mme Vianzon (Resource), Mme Vinci (Counselling), Mrs. Dyck (Principal) and
Mme McLeod (Vice Principal). We look forward to working with students, staff and families from this school community set to open in the new year.
http://
www.pembinatrails.
We look forward to seeing both former and new École St. Avila families next week at our
ca/stavila/
‘Meet The Teacher’ evening on Wednesday, September 14 at 5:30 p.m. Once again
refreshments will be provided by SAHASA. Please note that teachers will send home
information shortly about grade-level curricula and programming or will share it with you
Principal/Directrice that evening. We hope to see you there!
Cheryl Chuckry
Vice Principal/
Directrice
adjointe:
Kim Johnston
Strong Beginnings will be held Friday, September 16th and Monday, September 19th.
Please be sure to book an online appointment. It is important for students and parents to
understand that the assessments done during Strong Beginnings are not tests and
therefore, will not be graded. They are assessments to determine the level at which
each child is working so that the teacher can provide appropriate instruction to promote
learning and academic growth. Refreshments and reading materials will be available in
the library for families that wait for their children. Please note that results of Strong Beginnings, as well as your child’s progress in this first part of the school year, will be discussed individually with you during conferences held on the evening of October 13th and
during the day of October 14th.
We continue to look for ways to enhance our communication with parents and we invite you to view our school website: http://www.pembinatrails.ca/stavila/ and to follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EcoleStAvila for information about school events, French Immersion, education and tips for parents.
On behalf of the St. Avila staff, we wish you and your child another great year of learning and discovery.
Mme Cheryl Chuckry
Mme Kim Johnston
Directrice/Principal
Directrice adjointe/Vice-Principal
École St.Avila Staff for -2016
KINDERGARTEN Mme Marcoux
GRADE 1
Mme Westra
GRADE 1/2
Mme Trakalo
GRADE 2
Mme Mulaire,
Mme Dufault
GRADE 3
Mme Shewchuk
Mme Osman
GRADE 4
Mme Desrosiers
Mme Lemoine
GRADE 5
Mme St. Pierre
Mme Trudeau (S.P.)
GRADE 5/6
Mme Girouard
GRADE 6
Mme Morin
M. Lamoureux (S.P.)
MUSIC
Mme Fournier
PHYS.ED.
M. Wallack, Mme Malik
Mme Mcintosh (S.P.)
LIBRARY
Mme Miller
Mme Critch
READING RECOVERY—Mme Ormiston
COUNSELLOR
Mme Legal
RESOURCE
Mme Johnston
Mme Legault
Mme Legal
ADMIN
Mme Chuckry, Principal
Mme Johnston, Vice-Principal
SECRETARY
Mme Firth
Mme Hull
L
Strong Beginnings
2016-2017
What is Strong Beginnings?
It is an assessment process designed to enhance assessment and planning, which begins in all classrooms on the first day of school and continues throughout the year. The Strong Beginnings assessments
are not tests and therefore will not be graded. They are assessments to determine the level at which
each student is working so that the teacher can provide appropriate instruction to promote learning and
academic growth.
How does Strong Beginnings work?
On either Friday, September 16th or Monday, September 19th, each student from Kindergarten to Grade
9 will attend school by appointment for 60-90 minutes to participate in assessment activities in English
Language Arts, Mathematics and Français, if applicable. (Details about each student’s appointment time
and the assessment process will be provided by the school.)
During this time, they will meet individually or in small groups with their teacher. This is an opportunity for
teachers to gather data about each student’s learning that may not be evident during whole class assessment activities. It is also a chance to further build a positive student-teacher relationship.
What will teachers learn through Strong Beginnings?
Teachers working with their students in an atmosphere of support and encouragement will collect
firsthand information on each of the students about:
how they learn;
the learning strategies they possess and their approach to problem solving;
their reading, writing and mathematical skills;
their attitudes toward school and learning;
their confidence as learners.
How will the assessment information be used?
To set goals for learning. Typically, information about your child is shared at conference time; however, if there is a need for specialized instruction, parents are contacted early in the fall term.
To enhance teachers’ instructional planning.
To improve curriculum implementation.
If you have any questions or require further information
please feel free to call your school’s principal.
NOUVELLES DE LA BIBLIOTHEQUE - LEARNING COMMONS NEWS
Welcome Back! Bienvenue!
September is an exciting month in the Learning Commons. Students enjoy
coming to the Learning Commons to see what’s new as well as reconnect with
old favourites. Learning Commons? What is a Learning Commons?
School libraries were once quiet places filled with books, students reading and librarians
reminding students to be quiet. At St. Avila, we are in the process of transitioning the
library into an active learning environment with a focus on inquiry, creative and critical
thinking also known as the Learning Commons.
The St. Avila Learning Commons is a welcoming common space, a physical and virtual
meeting place where teachers and students can collaborate, create and communicate while
developing their 21st century learning skills. So if you walk into the St. Avila Learning
Commons and see students talking, playing, building, creating, collaborating, designing,
gathering information, or 3D printing, you know you have walked into the right place!
This month students in,

K to Grade 2 classes will be working on library citizenship.

Grade 3’s will be learning about our Destiny program
and will begin to do their own searches after a training
period.

Grade 4, 5 and 6 will be learning more about our Technology Acceptable User Policy and will be presented the
new list of Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award
books. We will also have a look at the online research
resources available for their use at school and at home.
Mark Your Calendars! Scholastic Book Fair will be at
École St. Avila October 13 & 14, 2016
We are looking forward to our second year with our Makerspace! A library makerspace is
an area that offers students the opportunity to create using various resources such as computers, 3-D printers, ipads, tools, wood and traditional arts and crafts. A makerspace allows students the opportunity to create, collaborate and share their ideas! Students can
work alone, with a partner or with the librarian on special projects. The goal of the makerspace is to allow students to learn through experimentation and to inspire an interest in
science, technology and design. This year, we would like to introduce different tools and
technologies to the students for their projects.
If you have any of these supplies to donate, please drop them off in the library

Small or medium size pieces of wood

Tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, small saws, pliers,
etc…

Any Lego plates
At École St-Avila, we encourage students to use the library as often as possible. We ask
parents for their support in helping us with the return of library materials. Students are welcome to renew library materials providing there are no requests for the items. To renew an
item, please have your child return the books, etc… to the library with the request for renewal. This request can be done on their usual library day. If you are not sure about the library day of the cycle, please ask your homeroom teacher. We thank you for your assistance with this!
Allergy Aware
School and Childcare Settings
Tips for parents whose children attend allergy aware settings
If your child attends an “allergy aware” school or child care facility, you may be asked to provide lunches
and snacks free of certain ingredients and follow some guidelines to help create a safe environment for
children with these food allergies.
1. Check with your child’s school or child care centre for guidelines on reducing allergen exposure. The
guidelines can vary depending on the school or age of the children.
2.
Read food labels and learn how to identify allergen ingredients. If you are unsure about a product,
choose something else. For information on the many common names that identify allergen ingredients
on food labels, refer to the Health Canada Fact Sheets at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/
fa-aa/index_e.html
3. Encourage your child to wash their hands with soap and water before eating, and wash their hands and
rinse their mouth after eating (including breakfasts and snacks.
4. Teach your child not to share his/her food, drink or utensils with classmates.
5. Encourage your child to help clean his/her eating area after meal and snacks.
6. Donating food for social and fundraising events? Check with your child’s school or childcare centre first
to find out if there are nutrition or allergy guidelines in place. If your child’s school welcomes food
brought in for special events, make sure all ingredients in foods are clearly labelled including home
made items.
7. Parents involved in planning hot lunch school fundraisers: Check with the school administration first to
find out if there are nutrition or allergy guidelines in place. Caterers and franchises must be made
aware of food allergies and follow guidelines or policies outlined by the school.
For more information:

Allergy Safe Communities at www.allergysafecommunities.ca

BC Health Files: Severe Food Allergies in Children

Dial-A-Dietitian: 604-732-9191 (Greater Vancouver), 1-800-667-3438 (toll free) or visit the website @
www.dialadietitian.org
Developed by: Community Nutritionists Council of BC—School Age Committee
January 2008
Tree Nut and Peanut Food
Allergens
What is the difference between tree nuts and peanuts?
Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts (pignolias), pistachio nuts
and walnuts are all considered tree nuts.
Peanuts are part of the legume family and are not considered a tree nut.
slicer; and through bulk display of food products, e.g.,
bins of baked goods, bulk nuts; and
During food preparation at home or in restaurants
through equipment, utensils and hands. For example, if the knife used to put
peanut butter on toast at breakfast is also used to make a
sandwich for lunch, without being washed well, the sandwich may have traces of peanuts and would be unsafe to
send to a peanut aware school or child care setting.
How can I know if a food contains tree nuts or peanuts?

Read product ingredient labels carefully to make sure
they don’t list any source of tree nuts or peanuts in
the food. Often, different names are used for tree
nuts and peanuts.

Manufacturers may occasionally change their recipes
or use different ingredients so read labels every time
you shop.

Be cautious of bulk food items as they may be contaminated with trace amounts of nuts.
Watch out for allergen cross contamination
References:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/fa-aa/
allergen_treenut-noix_e.html
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/fa-aa/
allergen_peanut-arachide_e.html
For more information:
Cross contamination is the transfer of
an ingredient (food allergen) to a product that does not normally have that ingredient in it. Through cross contamination, a food that should not contain
the allergen could become dangerous to
eat for those who are allergic.
Cross contamination can happen:
During food manufacturing through shared production and packaging equipment;
At retail through shared equipment, e.g., cheese and
deli meats sliced on the same
Dial-A-Dietitian 604-732-9191 (Greater Vancouver), 1-800667-3438 (toll free)
www.dialadietitian.org
A new and welcome addition to our playground this school year is
the arrival of a ‘Buddy Bench’ which was gifted to us by the St. Avila
School Age Child Care Program. The goal of this seating area is to
promote inclusion and kindness while also fostering friendships.
Children who are looking for playmates can sit on the bench to signal they would like someone to come ask them to play. The buddy
bench idea has been around for some time in Europe and several
schools in the city have recently purchased benches as a tool to
teach students to help one another. At St. Avila, our hope is that the
bench will be well used but will remain empty for most of the recess
time and that it will serve as a physical reminder to be kind to one
another.
HEARING SCREENING—VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Hearing screens will be conducted for students in Kindergarten and Grade One in the school during the
days of November 15, 16, 17. These screens are important to ensure that students are at their best for
learning at school! Each school is responsible for recruiting 2 parent volunteers to help with administering this screening. There will be a training/retraining session for volunteers on Wednesday, September
21st at the Pembina Trails divisional office located at 181 Henlow Bay from 1:00- 3:00 p.m..
If you are able and willing to help with the Hearing Screening Program at École St. Avila and are able to
attend the training session, please contact Kim Johnston by email at [email protected] or by
phone at (204)269-5677 ext. 3711 by Friday, September 16.
Thank you!
LUNCH HOUR SUPERVISION POSITIONS
Have you ever thought about becoming a lunchroom supervisor? École St. Avila is hiring for this school year. Please
read the following description to see if it would be a good fit for you:
Job Description: Lunch Hour Supervisor: Monday-Friday, 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Hourly rate: 16.50$ an hour
Job Purpose: To maintain a safe and secure environment by monitoring students eating in their classrooms and playing
outside.
Job Duties:
Supervise and assist students eating in their classrooms and outside on the playground
Promote and carry out our school standard of behaviour and respect agreements
Ensure safety inside the classroom and outside on the playground
Help students resolve conflict on the playground
Report to administration (observations, information, occurrences both in written and verbal form)
Helpful Skills:
Team player
Conscientious and dedicated with regards to attendance
Experience working with children
ST. AVILA LUNCH PROGRAM
Mrs. Madelene Robb will continue to coordinate our
Lunch Program. The fee will be $125.00 for the privilege of remaining at school cover the cost of supervision.
There are many extra-curricular activities and clubs
held during the lunch hour for the students. Students
need to remember that staying for lunch is a privilege
and they must follow the rules of the lunch program at
all times. Please remind your child that supervisors in
the room are to be respected as they are there for
your child’s safety.
ST. AVILA MILK
PROGRAM
Welcome back to a new year of milk at École St. Avila!
We plan to begin the milk program on Tuesday,
September 20th. A hard copy will be sent to you
and the form will be available on the school website
this week.
More details will follow.
SPECIAL REMINDER TO
PARENTS
We ask all visitors and parent volunteers to report
to the office upon entering the school. Volunteers
will be provided with a badge identifying them as volunteers.
Please ensure that the school is provided with accurate up-to-date contact information and emergency
telephone numbers so that we can reach families in
the case of an
emergency.
Please note that the two doors on Patricia Avenue will
be locked every morning at 9:00 after students have
arrived. On the occasion where your child arrives to school
later than 8:45, they are asked to use the doors closest to
the office located on the East or West side of the school and
report to the office before making their way to their classes.
STUDENT ABSENCES
Parents are asked to notify the office by phone at 204-2695677 or email [email protected],
[email protected] prior to 8:40 every morning should
their son/daughter be ill and/or away.
An answering machine is available to take your calls when
the office is closed.
Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds during the day without written permission.
SCHOOL RECORDS
Maintaining accurate student information is an ongoing task
and we need your cooperation.
Should you change your address, phone numbers, email
address, please notify us of the changes at
[email protected]
ALLERGIES
École St. Avila School has a well-developed plan around
allergies to create the safest plan for students. We have
many children with severe food allergies, thus our school is
declared ‘Allergy Aware”. Students and staff are asked not
to bring fish, peanut or nut products into the school. If there
are additional allergies in your child’s classroom, you will be
notified with all the necessary
École st. avila
student services
team
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the Student Services Team at École St. Avila.
The Student Services Team works in collaboration with classroom teachers to address the
needs all students, including those with exceptional learning needs. This year we have 3 resource teachers and 1 counsellor: Mme Colette
LeGal, Mme Candace Legault and Mme Kim Johnston. Mme Colette LeGal is also our counsellor.
Resource Teacher
A resource teacher functions as a member of the
School Support Team and provides assistance to
classroom teachers in meeting the educational
needs of all students, including those with special
needs. Resource teachers support the philosophy
of inclusion and collaborate with teachers to
meet the needs of all students within the classroom setting. Some responsibilities include:

supporting teachers in the development and
implementation of whole class instructional
practices

assessing individual students

collaborating in the development of personalized plans for students

collaborating with school-based, divisional
and inter-agency personnel, as required

managing cases of specific students as determined by the School Support Team

providing and/or coordinating direct services
for students.

supporting the implementation of Divisional/
Provincial initiatives

School Counsellor
The school counsellor works in collaboration
with parents, teachers and divisional supports to
meet the social, emotional, behavioral needs of
students to maximize their learning potential.
The counsellor works with students in a variety
of ways; such as in classrooms, in small groups
and individually. Instruction is often focused on
helping children further develop skills such as;
self-esteem building, conflict resolution, friendship building, restitution, listening and speaking,
positive thinking, goal setting, problem solving,
recognizing and expressing emotions. Additional
counsellor support may also be available for students who require help in dealing with circumstances such the recent separation of their parents or death of loved one. Classroom observations and the development of Behaviour Interventaion Plans are also part of the counselor’s
role.
Early Intervention Reading Programs
École St. Avila offers reading intervention programs for students in grades one and two. These
programs are Reading Recovery, for English
reading, and IL2, a French Intervention Literacy
Program for grade two students. Reading Recovery will be taught by Leona Ormiston and IL2 by
Colette Legal.
English as an Additional Language
École St. Avila provides English language programming to support the development of students who are learning English as an additional
language in grades K-6. EAL learners at St. Avila
are integrated into regular classes with non-EAL
learners. Classroom and resource teachers collaborate to support EAL learners within the classroom, however occasionally one-on-one or small
St. Avila Home and School Association
Our first SAHASA (St Avila Home and School Association) also known as
parent council meeting will be held Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00
p.m. in the school library. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to
know parents at the school and an opportunity to get involved with your
child/children's school. All parents are welcomed and encouraged to
come. There is no obligation to attend all meetings, please come when you
are able to.
The meetings will be held the second Tuesday of every month. All meetings
(except the September one) will be at 6:30. We had to change only the
September meeting to 7:00 to accommodate parents attending the Meet
the Teacher evening at Viscount Alexander.
Our AGM will be held on Tuesday, October 11 at 6:30.
We also provide childcare for parents who would require it. We have 2
junior high and/or high school students formerly from St. Avila, who
will watch children in the kindergarten room. All we ask is that you
email ahead of time to let us know how many children require care.
Please email Michelle Guglietti at [email protected].
We also wanted to thank those parents who volunteered to help out with to
supervise parking during stadium events. Every event was covered during
the summer! There were new faces coming out to help as well during this
time and we would like to give a GREAT BIG THANK-YOU to each and
every one of you for making this successful!
If you have any further question please feel free to contact co-chairs; CoriLee Paterson at [email protected] or Sara Krahn at
[email protected]
SEPTEMBER 2016
Tue
Mon
5
Labour Day
Wed
6 Day 1
7—Day 2
Metro Common Day
First day of classes
Thu
Fri
8—Day 3
9—Day 4
15—Day 2
16—Day 3
No classes
12—Day 5
13—Day 6
14—Day 1
No regular classes
All students in
5:30 p.m. Meet The
Teacher
(By appointment only)
Strong Beginnings
Attendance
19—Day 4
20—Day 5
21—Day 6
22—Day 1
23—Day 2
28—Day 5
29—
30—
No regular classes
(By appointment only)
Milk Program Begins
Strong Beginnings
26—Day 3
27—Day 4
Gr.6 Boys & Girls
Immunizations
6:30 p.m. Gr. 1 Literacy
Night
Bus Ridership
September 6 (Tuesday)
Metro Common Day—No School
September 7 (Wednesday)
First day of classes
September 14 (Wednesday)
Meet the Teacher—5:30-7:00 p.m.
September 16 (Friday)
Strong Beginnings
& September 19 (Monday)
(students attend by appointment)
October 10 (Monday)
Thanksgiving—No School
October 13 (Thursday)
Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences—Evening
October 14 (Friday)
Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences—No School
October 25 (Tuesday)
School Photos
October 21,(Friday)
MTS PD Day—No School
November 16 (Wednesday)
Picture Retakes
November 11 (Friday)
Remembrance Day—No School
November 14 (Monday)
Divisional Common Day -No School
December 23, 2016—January 6, 2017
Winter Holidays
January 9 (Monday)
Classes resume
February 2 (Thursday)
Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences—evening
February 3 (Friday)
Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences—No School
February 20 (Monday)
Louis Riel Day —No School
March 17 (Friday)
Metro Common Day—No School
March 27, 2017 — March 31, 2017
Spring Break
April 3 (Monday)
Classes resume
April 14 (Friday)
Good Friday—No School
April 21 (Friday)
Metro Common Day—No school
May 22 (Monday)
Victoria Day—No School
June 16 (Friday)
Divisional Common Day—No School
June 30 (Friday)
Last Day of School