October, 2015
Jonathan Ferris, Principal | Tel 604.792.9301 | [email protected] | http://strathcona.sd33.bc.ca
Noel Sharman, Vice-Principal | [email protected]
October Dates to Remember
Monday Oct. 5
Wed. Oct. 7
Mon. Oct. 12
Fri. Oct. 16
Mon. Oct. 19
Tues. Oct. 20
Wed. Oct. 21
Fri. Oct. 23
Thurs. Oct. 29
Fri. Oct. 30
Fri. Oct. 30
Theatre Sports performance
Cross Country Run at Fairfield Island
Thanksgiving Day – No School
Movie Night @ 6:00 ‘ Home’
Hot Lunch: Booster Juice
PAC Meeting @ 6:30 pm
Photo Re-take day
Pro Day – No School
STAR Assembly @ 1:05
Orange and Black Day
Early Dismissal @ 12:18
Principal’s Message
September has been a great month for all of us here
at Strathcona. All of our students have settled in to
another year of focused growth.
Our school
community continues to be strengthened through our
student leadership, high quality instruction and
incredibly supportive parents.
Our school’s mission is to have our students become
strong in the areas of character, competence and
compassion. To prepare our students for the 21st
Century, we are teaching our students to improve
their skills in: critical thinking, communication,
collaboration, creativity, computing, career learning
and cross-cultural understandings. We continue to
reinforce our STAR Code of Conduct at all times.
At Strathcona, we have a monthly virtue that we
practice. In September, we learned about respect
and many students were ‘caught’ being respectful.
Our October virtue is courtesy and I’m looking
forward to all of the ways that our students will
demonstrate being courteous.
As we approach
Thanksgiving, our staff would like to wish everyone a
very special time spent with family and friends.
Jonathan Ferris
Terry Fox Run
Our Terry Fox Run was successful again this year.
We continue to support Terry Fox’s goal to find a
cure for cancer. Thanks to all of our students who
brought in donations and to Mrs. Halko, Mr. Barirani
and Mr. Sharman for helping to organize this event.
We raised $1162.80. Well-done Strathcona!
Movie Night
Our first movie night will take place on Friday,
October 16th at 6:00 p.m. Come and join us as we have
an evening of fun and entertainment. Snacks will be
sold from our kitchen. Please ensure that your
children have adequate supervision for this event.
Hot Lunch
We will be having Booster Juice for our first
Hot Lunch. Thank you to our fantastic parent
hot lunch team for organizing this!
Photo Re-take Day
Student photo re-takes will be taken on Wednesday,
October 21st.
October 23rd Professional Day
Friday, October 23rd is our Provincial Professional Day.
Schools will be closed, as teachers will be enhancing
their learning by attending conferences & workshops.
Student Recognition Assembly
Our next STAR Assembly will take place on Thursday
October 29th at 1:05 p.m.
Early Dismissal
We will be having an early dismissal this month on
Thursday, October 29th. Students will be dismissed at
12:18. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you with
respect to setting up a time to discuss your child’s
progress.
Orange & Black Day
Friday, October 30th will be Orange and Black Day at
Strathcona. Students are encouraged to dress in
orange and black instead of costumes. Fun events will
take place during the day. Please contact your child’s
teacher for further details.
Parking Lot / No idling Zone
Our parking lot continues to be a safe
and respectful area. Thank you parents for driving
slowly, not having your car idle and for obeying our
drop off and thru lane system. Please note that we
have reserved parking for our after-school care
providers at the west side of our parking lot.
Parent Volunteers
Strathcona Elementary staff welcomes the support
provided by parent volunteers for activities such as
helping with field trips, listening to students read,
helping in the Library or assisting with creative
programs. If you would like to offer your support as
a parent volunteer this year, please contact your
child’s teacher and ensure that you obtain a Criminal
Record Search Form from the office. It is the
Chilliwack School District policy that all persons who
work with children complete this form. Please note,
if you have completed a Criminal Record Search for
Strathcona Elementary it is valid for 4 years.
and begin the treatment with head lice shampoo by
purchasing the specialty treatment at the drugstore.
Check other family members at the same time and
treat only if nits or lice are found. As you can
appreciate, halting this “nuisance” at the same time
and treat only if nits or lice are found. We thank you
for your prompt attention to this concern and rely on
your support.
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile06.stm Dogs on the Playground
Thank you parents for keeping your dog(s) on a leash
and for cleaning up after your pet. Some of our
students have a fear of animals and we also want to
keep our grounds safe and clean.
Sports
Our Boys’ and Girls’ soccer teams are up and running
and we are looking forward to having a successful
season filled with fun and great sportsmanship.
Thank you to: Mr. Barirani, Mrs. Parker, Ms. Rowe,
and Mr. Sharman for coaching our soccer teams! Our
cross-country team is busy preparing for upcoming
meets this month. Thank-you to Ms. Halko for
coaching this team!
Student Health
Student Leadership
Cold and Flu season seems to be upon us so please
keep your child home if he / she shows any symptoms
of illness. We are trying to prevent the spread of
germs by promoting good hygiene such as coughing
and sneezing into our ‘arms’ and washing our hands
carefully and often. Please let the office know as
soon as possible if you will be keeping your child
home. Thanks for your support!
We have many intermediate students taking part in
leadership activities throughout the school this
month. Some of these opportunities include: outdoor
helpers,
library
monitors,
recycling
helpers,
kindergarten helpers and lunch monitors. We are
fortunate to have so many students wanting to make
Strathcona a better place!
Head Lice
Although no one is sure why, lice are now a common
problem in many communities, including our own. The
best way to control the spread of head lice is to get
rid of them immediately. We urge you to check your
child’s hair for lice every day, especially at this time.
If you find nits (eggs), immediately inform the school
Super Readers
Our Super Reader home reading program is underway!
A big thanks goes out to our Kiwanis reps, Mr. and
Mrs. Scoble, Mr. Sheridan, Mrs. Vandenbrink and
Mrs. Louttit, and to our parent volunteers, Mrs.
Bearchell and Mrs. Foster. It’s important to note
that these two parents no longer have children
attending Strathcona, but are so dedicated to seeing
reading encouraged in our school that they’ve decided
to come back and help out. Thanks so much!
Please be keeping up with checking off nights read in
the Super Reader calendar, which, for Intermediates,
is found in your child’s student planner or, for
Primaries, in a communication folder or another place
decided upon by the teacher.
The wet weather is coming! The wet weather is
coming!
Books can be expensive to replace. Please ensure
that your child has a large, clean plastic bag to carry
books to and from school.
Nice ones with a
drawstring are available for purchase in the library
for $1.
Interested in volunteering in the library?
By all means, give me, Mr. Kavanagh, a call at the
school at 604-792-9301.
Reading Tips for Kindergarten Students
Talk to your child
Ask your child to talk about his day at school.
Encourage him to explain something they did, or a
game he played during recess.
Say silly tongue twisters
Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly tongue
twisters. These help kids become sensitive to the
sounds in words.
Read it and experience it
Connect what your child reads with what happens in
life. If reading a book about animals, relate it to your
last trip to the zoo.
Use your child's name
Point out the link between letters and sounds. Say,
"John, the word jump begins with the same sound as
your name. John, jump. And they both begin with the
same letter, J."
Play with puppets
Play language games with puppets. Have the puppet
say, "My name is Mark. I like words that rhyme with
my name. Does park rhyme with Mark? Does ball
rhyme with Mark?"
Trace and say letters
Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while
saying the letter's sound. Do this on paper, in sand, or
on a plate of sugar.
Write it down
Have paper and pencils available for your child to use
for writing. Working together, write a sentence or
two about something special. Encourage her to use
the letters and sounds she's learning about in school.
Play sound games
Practice blending sounds into words. Ask "Can you
guess what this word is? m - o - p." Hold each sound
longer than normal.
Read it again and again
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the
100th time! As you read, pause and ask your child
about what is going on in the book.
Talk about letters and sounds
Help your child learn the names of the letters and
the sounds the letters make. Turn it into a game!
"I'm thinking of a letter and it makes the sound
mmmmmm."
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/readingtips-parents-kindergartners
Hallowe’en Safety Tips
1. Instruct children to walk on the sidewalk not the
street, even princesses and fairies have to watch out
for motorists!
2. Prepare for the dark with lighter coloured clothing
and reflective surfaces. What better way to
decorate a sword or a cape, than with magical glowing
tape?
3. Remind your kids to stick with groups of at least
four or five - after all, even legendary heroes are
stronger as a team (like the Avengers and X-Men!)
4. Costumes are meant to embellish not to hide. Keep
hems short to avoid tripping and don't let masks
block the eyes.
5. Whether you have one eye, two eyes, three eyes or
four, always look both ways before crossing the
street.
6. Both mystical creatures and children need to let
parents check their candy before eating to remove
any potential hazards.
OCTOBER
PHYSICAL!EDUCATION!NEWS!!
!
!
Lesson!Focus:!P!–!Ball!Skills!/!I!<!Soccer!
*Introduction!–!Activity!/!Game!Rules!!
*Physical!and!emotional!health!benefits!of!regular!
participation!in!physical!activity!!!
*Ball!Skills:!trap,!dribble,!pass,!shoot,!steal,!throw!in!
*Offensive!and!defensive!strategies!!
*Participate!safely!during!activities!!
!
!
!
Sun!Hang!Do:!October!1!&!2!
*Remember!to!bring!in!
permission!forms!to!participate!
during!PE!Class!!
!
Pumpkin!Run:!Oct.!26<30!!
*Students!have!a!chance!to!win!
a!pumpkin!for!participating!in!a!
Pumpkin!Run!during!PE!Classes!
REMINDERS
!
Students!are!required!to!wear!proper!clothing!and!shoes!to!participate!in!P.E.!classes!for!
safety!reasons.!!P.E.!strip!is!required!for!students!to!participate!during!classes.!!
PRIMARY!STUDENTS!
Primary!students!should!have!proper!running!shoes!at!all!times.!!They!must!be!clean!and!
have!nonOmarking!soles.!
INTERMEDIATE!STUDENTS!
Intermediate!students!MUST!have!gym!strip!(tOshirt,!shorts!&!inside!runners).!
!
!
Email:[email protected][email protected]!
School!Phone!Number:!604O792O9301!
*Feel!free!to!come!by!the!gym!or!our!office!(located!on!the!North!Side!
of!the!School)!!
!
©2011amazingclassroom.com!
!