Signal Hill Circular - October 1st, 2021

Signal Hill Circular

for the week ending Friday, October 1, 2021

We are honoured to be living, working and playing on the traditional, unceded ancestral territories of the St'át'yemc Nation.

Fall Colours

Dear Signal Hill Families,

As the leaves begin to change, we had another busy week this week at Signal Hill! Our teachers participated in a Professional Development Day, and we commemorated the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

***The ministries of education and health announced today that, as of October 4th, all students and staff, Kindergarten to Grade 7, are required to wear a mask indoors at Signal Hill and on school busses.***

There is also and updated daily health check. A reminder that all students, staff, and visitors should be completing this before coming to our school and staying home if they are sick.

Professional Development - What We Did

Pro-D days allow our teachers to improve their skills and learn new ones. Some of the learning our teachers took on last Monday:

"Structured Literacy: What it is (and isn’t) and why it’s important in all elementary classrooms" - Corey Zylstra M.Ed.
"Building Thinking Classrooms" - Peter Liljedahl
"EASE Online – Healthy Minds BC"
"Maximizing Engagement in Your K-3 Literacy Instruction"
"Zero Waste Classroom" - Christina Smyth & Emma Stapleton

Our next Professional Development Day is October 22nd.

Truth and Reconciliation

This week at Signal Hill has been an empowering one, with students participating in events and activities for Truth and Reconciliation Week. Orange ribbons were distributed at the beginning of the week to raise funds for the Indian Residential School Society, which uses the funds to support families and individuals dealing with the trauma inflicted by residential schools.

On Wednesday, students participated in, and watched, a multi-school virtual Orange Shirt Day Assembly. Student groups from Signal Hill, Myrtle Phillip and Spring Creek elementary schools did a phenomenal job of drumming, singing and dancing, presenting on the impacts of residential schools and sharing their thoughts and feelings toward the children lost and the survivors healing today.

To follow up, students and teachers have access to a second, pre-recorded virtual Orange Shirt Day Assembly that features Canadian entertainers and First Nations speakers communicating the history behind Orange Shirt Day while delivering a positive message about the changes taking place today.

Reconciliation will be ongoing at Signal Hill as students, staff and teachers continue to learn what it means to reconcile Canada’s racist history.

Learning Connections

Some examples of student work and activities around the school:

Mrs. Nicholas's class learned about caring for bees and harvesting honey on a field trip to Delores Los's farm:

Mme Hamonic's class created federal party election platform informational posters ahead of our school student vote:

What Parents and Students Need to Know

Please review this Real Threats and Dangers document with your family to increase safety and awareness for our students.

Here is some information on ERASE, an excellent resource to keep our school communities safe through support and education. ERASE is all about building safe and caring school communities. This includes empowering students, parents, educators and the community partners who support them to get help with challenges, report concerns to schools, and learn about complex issues facing students.

Please find some tips on healthy sleep routines for students here.

Skícza7ul’s Word of the Week

Kat’íl’a - (phonetic - kakleela) - peacefulness, stillness, allows us to focus, learn, listen, and see from other perspectives. Stillness is powerful.

"Stexw t’u7 séna7 gelílc kwes kat’íl’a lhes wa7 láti7 stálhlec"

Really tried hard to keep still while she was standing there.

From the: Why Ravens are Black, story by Líl’wat7ul Culture Centre, Líl’wat Nation

A story of a friendship trying to work through patience and to understand stillness. (The owl was trying to paint the raven.)

French Word of the Week

Bienvenue – Welcome

Parent Advisory Committee

Visit the PAC Pages here.

Health and Safety

COVID-19 Guidelines - Updated Oct 1st***

As of October 4th, all students and staff Kindergarten to Grade 7 are required to wear a mask indoors at Signal Hill.

There is also and updated daily health check. A reminder that all students, staff, and visitors should be completing this before coming to our school and staying home if they are sick.

The BC Ministry of Education and the BC Centre for Disease Control/BC Ministry of Health have issued updated Health and Safety Guidelines for the 2021/2022 school year. Information can be found here.

For your convenience, here are some of the key protocols we are implementing:

Health & Safety Protocols 2021-2022

We are committed to safety at Signal Hill Elementary and will be following these safety measures and protocols to keep everyone safe.

HEALTH & SAFETY	2021/22
Continuing from Last Year	o Daily Health Check o Stay home when feeling sick o Hand hygiene o Enhanced cleaning, disinfecting & ventilation o Respiratory Etiquette o Take learning outside o Reduce crowding and congestion o Case and Contact Management (as per VCH)
No Longer Recommended	o Cohorts o Physical distancing of 2m o Give personal space instead
Mask Guidance	o All K-7 Staff and visitors wear masks indoors o All K-7 Students wear masks indoors and on buses o Masks required for singing
NEW for 2021/22 School Year	o Vaccination Availability o Extra-curricular activities and field trips may resume o Follow specific regional health measures as needed o Gatherings and events may resume as per PHO orders o Start with virtual or small groups o Community use may resume o Visitors, parents & guardians must make appointments
Drop-off and Pick-up (See School Map)	o Avoid crowding & congestion o Consider wearing a mask o Be cognizant of everybody’s personal space o Say goodbye to children outside- They can do it!
Mental Health	o Connection for staff and students important o Prioritize social and emotional learning, as well as academics o 4 Blankets of Resilience
Recess & Lunch (Outdoors Everyday)	o Increase social connection for students o Spread out o A and B schedules to increase space o Support mental health and well being o Maintain connections between staff and students o Provide abundant play and activity options
Pack In, Pack Out	o Bring a water bottle (labelled) o Take home personal belongings each day