Signal Hill Circular - October 22nd, 2021

Signal Hill Circular

for the week ending Friday, October 22, 2021

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

Dear Signal Hill Families,

Another great week at Signal Hill! Some highlights of the week were successfully participating in "The Great BC Shakeout," a province-wide earthquake drill. Today, our teachers are participating in a province-wide Professional Development Day. Our school is busy preparing for some exciting events next week. On Wednesday, we will be having our Harvest Soup Day. Randy Jones, from Mile One, will be setting up a large fire BBQ in the front of the school, where we will serve all staff and students a cup of soup and bannock from the Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre! Students will still need to bring a lunch to school. The soup is being made with ingredients grown from our very own gardens this summer! Thank you to all of the students, staff and parent volunteers for their incredible work with the gardens this year!

On Friday, staff and students are invited to wear their Halloween costumes. We will be having safety presentations, costume parades, and an intermediate dance party.

Please see below for some important reminders and resources in the "What Parents and Students Need to Know."

Important Dates for October:

Wednesday, October 27th - Harvest Soup Day at Signal Hill for staff and students

- Grade 6 Immunizations (Boosters) and Grade 7 HPP catch up booster – Permission forms and information were sent home from Public Health. For more info visit: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/grade-6-immunizations

Friday, October 29th - Staff and students are invited to wear Halloween costumes to school

Learning Connections

Some examples of student work and activities around the school:

Buddy students in Ms. Montie and Mme Hamonic's classes got their pumpkins ready to be carved this week:

Mme Chambers' students created "Minions" and practiced descriptive writing using their new French vocabulary words:

What Parents and Students Need to Know

As Halloween activities are being planned at this time, the Vancouver Coastal Health Rapid Response Team would like to share some COVID-19 related safety reminders/guidance for your schools. Please see here.

Curious about the neuroscience behind the Sea to Sky School District's Education Plan? Click here.

It can be hard for adults to know what to say or do to ease a child’s worries, especially during times of change and uncertainty. As the most important big people in their world, parents and caregivers can help children feel safer and soften the sharp edges of whatever is making their worries grow.

To help support learning across environments, several fun and practical EASE lessons have been adapted for use by parents and caregivers to help children manage worries and anxiety at home.
https://healthymindsbc.gov.bc.ca/ease-at-home/

Truth and Reconciliation

One rich resource available to teachers is the fascinating Native Land Digital Atlas. The site allows users to browse a global map, or search by zip or postal code, to see the First Nations, Inuit or Métis territories in any given location. Indigenous territories overlap so the map is busy and helps students understand the complexity and diversity of the land’s history.

The site also includes a teacher's guide, a blog that chronicles its development, and information about contributors and sources. Have a look and explore the rich history and current day location of the Indigenous Nations’ territories.

https://native-land.ca/

Skícza7ul’s Word of the Week

At̓sxentsutkacw - take care of yourself (be safe). (atsxenchootkow - phonetic)
S7ats̓xstsútwi - take care of yourselves. (To more than one person)

At̓sxenstwal̓lhkál̓ap - take care of one another.

Wá7lhkan s7ats̓xstúmin - I am taking care of you.

French Word of the Week

La moisson – harvest

Parent Advisory Committee

Visit the PAC Pages here.

Health and Safety

COVID-19 Guidelines - Updated Oct 4th***

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