January 2017
In 2017, Canada celebrates the 150th anniversary of confederation, and Benito School will be acknowledging
this great milestone by celebrating and recognizing the many things that make this great country so diverse
and such a great place to live.
Nothing says “Canadian” better than playing on a sheet of ice! So in January, will be participating in two activities that are truly “Canadian”, ice skating and broomball.
School Skating and Broomball
It’s time to hit the ice and burn off some energy
from a long Christmas break! School skating and
Broomball begins on January 20th at the Benito
Recreation Centre and will continue into February.
Please see the attached schedule for other dates.
Students will be bussed to the rink with Grades K –
4 skating from 1:00 – 2:15 pm and students in
Grades 5 - 8 will play Broomball from 2:15 - 3:30
pm.
All students are required to have a CSA
approved helmet for skating and broomball. Skates
are required to have skate guards or be contained
in a suitable bag while being transported on the
bus. Parents who are able to help lace-up skates
are always welcome.
Winter is here and due to
severe weather conditions
that may occur school buses
may not be running and cancelled for the day. Bus cancellations will be broadcasted
on CJSB 104.5 FM, CJGX 940 AM, 94.1 The Fox FM, and
CKDM 730 AM radio stations in the morning. Your bus
driver may also contact you to inform of cancellations,
or you can also check the division website at
www.svsd.ca for cancellations.
Benito School Presents…
Country-Ella is a tale of a trendy city girl who visits
her family in the country and the shenanigans that
then ensue. An evening of food and fun that is
not to be missed!
Friday, February 24th
&
Saturday, February 25th
Benito School Gymnasium
**ADVANCED TICKETS ONLY **
Tickets go on sale at the end of January!
CAT 4 (Canadian Achievement Tests)
January 23rd to 27th
Gr. 2, 4, 6, & 8
Once again this year all Grades 2, 4, 6 and 8 students within the SVSD will be writing the CAT 4
(Canadian Achievement Tests- 4th Edition). The purpose of these achievement tests is to help teachers gather information in regard to students’ strengths and challenges to best meet the individual needs of
each learner.
Students are scheduled to write their tests the week of January 23 rd to 27th. Please do your best to ensure
that your child be in attendance for these days as missed sections will require make-up times at noon-hours
or before and/or afterschool.
Outlined below are guidelines to help prepare your child for writing standardized tests.
Before the Test
1. Reinforce discussions from school. Discuss the following:
a. The purpose for the test – to help teachers see what students know and to let the community know
how much students are learning. This is important, so students need to try their best to show what
they know and can do.
b. How to approach hard questions. Don’t worry if you can’t answer all the questions; many standardized tests are designed so that few students can answer all the questions. Make educated guesses;
rule out the choices you know are wrong and guess among the rest. Mark questions you are unsure
about and revisit them if you have time. Answer all the questions even if you have to guess on some.
2. Be encouraging. If you say, “You don’t do well on these tests,” your child will expect failure. Encourage
your child just to try his/her best.
3. The night before the test:
a. Make sure your child doesn’t go to bed angry, and plan ahead to stay away from known problems.
4. The morning of the test:
a. Have your child get ready early enough to avoid hurrying.
b. Have your child eat a good breakfast, but not a heavy one.
c. Have your child dress in something he likes and that is familiar. Being comfortable is important.
d. Be positive when you send your child to school. Encourage him/her to try hard and don’t worry if she
doesn’t know everything.
After the Test
1. Ask your child to tell you about the test. What questions did he expect? Which were surprises? How
hard was it? What did he/she learn? What could he/she do differently if the test could be taken over?
2. Talk about the content of the test and what his/her plans are for revisiting the material before the next
test.
3. Acknowledge your child for trying hard on the test. Do not punish a child for doing poorly. This will only
hurt future performance, the test itself was punishing enough if he/she had a hard time.
4. When you get the test results for your child, don’t compare his/her performance with that of other children. Saying something like, “Why aren’t you as smart as Jennifer next door?” will not make your child
want to try harder; it is more likely to make him/her stop trying.
5. Talk to your child’s teacher about any questions you have.
What’s Hap’n
The Parent Council Hot Lunch Ladies will once again be
serving up a delicious meal for students.
st
On January 31 we look forward to:
Hashbrown Casserole with Meatballs
and Dessert
for $5.00
Forms will be sent home on January 17th. Please
return them to school by January 23rd.
Congratulations to Andrew Fuchs and Erin
Forman who were winners in our division for
the school bus safety
poster contest. Each student has been awarded a gift
certificate from the Dairy Queen and their posters will be
sent in to be judged at the Provincial level.
To view all the entries, go to the division website at
www.svsd.ca
Wednesday February 22,
2017 is “Pink Shirt Day” at
Benito School and all
around Canada. “Pink
Shirt Day” is a day we encourage all of you to wear
something pink to symbolize that we as a society will not tolerate bullying anywhere.
We will be placing an order for the official
2017 “Pink Shirt Day” t-shirts to celebrate this
day to eliminate bullying once and for all. Order forms have been sent home if you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt. Order Deadline is Tuesday, January 17, 2017
th
On Friday, January 20
the
Gr. 7/8 class will be serving:
Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Soup
for $5.00
Pink Day
The next Pink Day is sched-
uled for Wednesday,
January 25th.
Forms will be sent home on January 10th. Please
return them to school by January 16th.
On Pink
Days we encourage everyone to wear something pink
to show that we are working together to prevent bullying in our schools, in our communities and online.
School Milk Program resumes on January
16th. Forms have been sent home. Please
return them by January 13th.
Blue Monday
Monday, January 16th is known as “Blue Monday”,
debated as one of the gloomiest days of the year.
To brighten the day and lessen the “Winter Blues”,
we have decided to wear BLUE and join in the Blue
Monday challenge to lift our spirits.
NEW Extended
Hours!
Open 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Monday to Friday
For more information, please call 539-2628
Thank You to Leslie Foster, Linda
McCrea, Tamara and Gary
Hominuk, and Lynda Popoff for
preparing and serving our students and staff the delicious
Christmas Banquet on behalf of Parent Council.
We were served Turkey with all the trimmings
and a fantastic dessert. Thank You so much!
Benito School Staff would like to
take the opportunity to say Thank
You to the many families who
brought us Christmas Treats for the
Christmas season. Your thoughtfulness and kindness is very much appreciated.
Public Skating
The Benito Rec. Centre will be opened for free public skating on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:00—9:00 pm.
Please be aware that this is not a place to drop off
your children and allow them to skate without supervision. It is necessary for a parent or guardian to be in the
building. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to
work in the concession during public skating. Your help is
very much appreciated, and it passes the time when your
children are skating. Please mark your calendars that additional concession volunteers will be needed during the
bonspiel week of February 13—19 if you are able to help.
Northwest Regional Library
Benito Branch
Resumes
January 13, 2017
The Benito Library will be having a Scrabble challenge
starting in January until the
end of February. Drop in to
the library for more details.
Hello everyone and welcome to 2017! I hope you had a restful and relaxing break and are all geared up for 2017, I
know I am! We are going to be very busy in the band world over the next three months as we have the Swan Valley
Jazz Retreat, the Swan Valley Fine Arts Festival, the Parkland Norman Honour Band, and the Brandon Jazz Festival all
on the horizon.
First up is the Swan Valley Jazz Retreat which is January 20-21. We will be bringing in world class jazz musicians like
Andrew Littleford, Graydon Cramer and John Baron to come and work with the Swan Valley students. This is a great
opportunity to pick up some helpful playing tips, improve techniques, and ensemble playing refinement. This opportunity is open to all students in Grade 6-8, whether you are in jazz band or not, at a cost of $55.00. I will have a sign
up sheet in the band room and please sign up if you are interested
Next up is the Swan Valley Fine Arts Festival which will be held here at the school the week of Feb. 21-24 (exact date
TBD). Students will be playing in their respective bands and will also have an opportunity to play a solo, duet, trio, or
small ensemble piece. I am going to be encouraging the students to play a solo or in a small ensemble for festival as
this is a great way to have fun making music and receiving feedback from another music educator.
Next up is the Parkland Norman Honour Band from March 9-11, 2016. The honour band is an opportunity for students
to play with different students from around the
region and learn from a very experienced music
educator from the Sunrise School Division Ms.
Marissa Hirsch. Cost for the trip is usually around
$200 and I will be sending a sign-up and information home in the next couple of weeks.
Finally is the Brandon Jazz Festival from March 1618, 2016. The Brandon Jazz Festival is an opportunity for our students to play in front of a panel
of adjudicators and in front of a knowledgeable
jazz crowd. The Benito Jazz Ensemble will be performing on Friday March 18, 2016 at 10:00am in
the Kinsmen Hall at Brandon University. If your
student is still interested in joining jazz band and
taking part in this trip rehearsals are on Tuesday’s
at lunch.
As I mentioned in the my blurb’s here, I will have
more information coming home about these opportunities with the students at later dates so
please keep checking for updated info. My main
way of getting this information out will be on my
blog www.benitobandrocks.blogspot.ca but there
might also be a paper copy coming home as well.
Mr. Salmi
Sports Report
January is shaping up to be a busy month with many different activities going on. Basketball has begun with practices
taking place (see schedule for dates & times) and tournaments coming up. Our first “kick at the can” will be Basketball
1 on Thursday January 19th from 130-700 at SVRSS. When a schedule is known I will pass it along with our game times.
Other basketball dates include…
February 01 Basketball 2 @ SVRSS (100-300)
February 15 Basketball Jam Gr 5 @ ESRSS (500-800)
February 25 Basketball Invitational @ SVRSS & ESRSS (900-600)
March 08 Basketball Valley Champs @ SVRSS (1000-600)
We also have skating for Grades K-4 and broomball for Grades 5-8 in January and February. All students require a CSA
Approved skating helmet to participate. We do have a small supply at the school but not all helmets will be the right
fit so if you have one please bring it or purchase one for your child as it is a great investment for your child’s physical
activity. Bike helmets, ski helmets, skateboard helmets, etc are not CSA Approved and cannot be used during school
skating and broomball activities.
Ski trips for Grades 5-8 will be held soon (February 10 and March 03). Please look for forms coming home that need to be filled in and signed. A reminder that proper helmets for skiing and
snowboarding are mandatory starting this school year on all school trips. Thunderhill Ski Area has
a supply of helmets but purchasing your own helmet is a great investment if you plan on going to
ski on your own time.
Looking ahead into next month, we will be going curling with the Grades 3-8 in the latter half of
the month plus the Cool Curling sets will be at our school as well in February. Our Aquatics Education program will
begin in March which means forms will be coming home as well so we are prepared well in advance of going.
That’s all for now! Play Hard, Play Fair – Mr. M.
Swan Valley Recreation Report
Youth Sports Night – Swan River: Begins again Jan. 9 – Feb. 27/17 Ages 5 – 12 from 6pm – 7:30pm. Cost: Free, Pre-registration is
required. Call 204-734-9301
Youth Indoor Soccer: Recreational. Mondays at Taylor School. Resumes Jan 9/17. Grades K – 2 at 6pm - 7pm - Cost: $30 Youth
Indoor Soccer: Competitive. Tuesdays at Taylor School. Resumes Jan 10/17. Grade 5+ at 6:30pm - 7:30pm. Cost: $30
Swan Valley Badminton: On now, SVRSS gym. Thursdays 8 – 11 pm. Sundays 7 – 10 pm. Student’s $55/season or $2/
night. Adult’s $75/season or $3/night. Family $110/season. Lessons, coaching and training included. For more info call Larry at
204-734-5139.
Family Toonie Swim: Every Wed. from 6pm - 8pm at the SVCU Aquatic Centre. Go to: www.swanvalleyrec.ca for more info. or call
the Customer Service Desk at 204-734-4119
Swimming lessons for all ages: Jan 10 – Feb 9/17 Tues. & Thurs. after school (reg. before: Jan 4th), Jan 14 – Mar 18/17 Sat. mornings (reg. before: Jan 4th) at the SVCU Aquatic Centre. Go to: www.swanvalleyrec.ca for more info. Or call the Customer Service
Desk at 204-734-4119
English and Western Riding Lessons - Jan 9th- Jun 28th - English and Western Lessons- All Levels- Child and Adult. Contact Rose
Campbell for more information or to register 204-734-9401 (h) 204-281-2180 (c) [email protected],
If you have any questions or comments or want to register for a program contact Patti at the Recreation Office at 204-734-3847.
For more info, visit www.swanvalleyrec.ca.
What is RESTITUTION?
RESTITUTION IS NOT A PAYBACK- IT IS A PAYFORWARD- Restitution need not be money
or a clean up or an apology. In the correctional system Restitution has come to mean, “Pay the
fine or do the time”. While our Restitution process at school may include payback (if serious
damage is done to personal/school property), it is a secondary part of the process of healing and is
initiated from inside the offender. Real healing occurs through this person’s desiring to fix their
mistakes. The focus is not just on reparation to the victim but on being a better person and paying
forward to others the goodness invested in us. Anyone can robotically apologize; we’d rather that
our students learn to fix their mistakes and in return learn to be a better person.
WHAT IS A PAYFORWARD?
A payforward is something wherein a person learns about a better way to be. They gain an under-
standing they can use over and over again to be a better person. This is what we are trying to
teach our students at Benito School. We are trying to teach our students that people make mistakes, it’s okay- that’s how we learn! What is key to this process is that we must learn to be truthful and admit our mistakes; as well we must look for ways to fix our mistakes and to help others
not make the same mistakes as us.
WHAT IS PAYBACK?
A payback is something a person does to repair a harm. It is a concrete repayment. It is usually done
to avoid harm or to get in good standing. The person who makes it considers they have righted
their wrong and they are finished with the situation. To make a payback is not wrong, but it is not
usually strengthening; rather it is relief to have the ordeal over with.
To learn more about Restitution, watch our monthly newsletter for more information and ways to create
the conditions for our children to independently find inner happiness.
Healthy Relationships
Student who maintain positive behaviour toward their peers and adults when relating to
each other.
JK / SK
- Kianna Finlay, Julez GenailleSpence, Kristopher Boyko, Kendell
Homenuik
Gr. 5 / 6 - Kayden Homeniuk, Riley Rivard,
Adison Blosha, Avery Blosha
Gr. 1 / 2
- Ryan Rivard, David Forman,
Lincoln Atkinson
Gr. 7 / 8 - Caleb Daisley, Kirsty Taylor, Kaden
Blosha
Gr. 2, 3, 4 - Marci Badowski, Byron Paul,
Ethan Humphreys Lylyk
January 2017
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9JK
6
15
16
5
10
1
17JK
6
Better Beginnings
11JK
2
12
3
13JK
4
14
18
1
19JK
2
20
3
21
2
28
Better Beginnings Pink T-Shirt
22
BLUE Monday
orders due
23JK
24
4
5
Better Beginnings
25JK
PINK DAY
6
Basketball 1
1:30—7:00 pm
HOT LUNCH
Skating &
Broomball
26
27JK
Skating &
Broomball
CAT 4 Testing—Gr. 2, 4, 6, 8
29
30
3
31JK
4
HOT LUNCH
1