Signal Hill Circular - January 21st, 2022
January 21st, 2022
Dear Signal Hill Families,
Our community has had a challenging couple of weeks with the pandemic and weather. We hope we are beginning to make a positive turn with brighter days ahead. Please see a reference sheet/flow chart with information on “COVID-19 Symptoms, Testing and Return to School” based on published Public Health advice. This is where we are at now and changes will most likely happen in the future. We will do our best to keep families up to date as best as we can.
Today is our school district’s Implementation Day. There is no school for the students; however, the staff will be learning together today. Our focus of learning today will be on Indigenous Education and our school’s learning plan. Our theme this morning is on Á7xe7ul. Our staff will be learning more about our local Indigenous language and culture, and collaborating together to enhance the learning in our classrooms. We encourage all families to take some time to read through the Signal Hill Elementary School Learning Plan. This will give you some insight into our learning today and also highlight what the learning plans and goals look like for Signal Hill. Our staff will then spend the afternoon taking a deeper dive into the work of Monique Grey Smith.
The snow continues to be a lot of fun at school. Some of our supervisors have even resorted to using snowshoes to get around the school field!
A few reminders and updates:
Late French Immersion and Kindergarten Registration for 2022-23 Online Now!
Late French Immersion Registration is online – go to www.sd48seatosky.org to the Families tab (far right) , then Registration tab, then How to Register 2022-23 tab. Follow the instructions under: How to Register
Kindergarten Registration (for those born in 2017) and Transfer Requests are online – go to www.sd48seatosky.org to the Families tab, then Registration tab, then How to Register 2022-23 tab. Follow the instructions under: How to Register
Family Literacy Day!
January 27th is Family Literacy Day and the theme is Learning in the Great Outdoors! The library is organizing a few events both at school and with our families at home to celebrate this event!
- We will have a school wide DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) session for 20 minutes on January 27th
- Encourage your child to participate in our “Look Who Was Caught Reading” promotion where students bring in or email a photo of them “caught reading” in an interesting, unique or unusual place that will be posted on the library bulletin board! If you do not have a printer, please send your photo to [email protected]
- Participate in our Family Literacy Bingo contest at home and then submit to Ms. Benes in the library by January 31st for a chance to win a prize! There are printed copies available in the library for those who do not have a printer at home.
- Additional activities are available in the attachment – Family Literacy Day Activities 2022
- For further information about children and literacy in Canada, visit https://childrensliteracy.ca/Literacy-Matters or https://www.scholastic.ca/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and-reading.php
Hot Lunch
Hot Lunch Order Forms Have Gone Home!
The PAC has a new order form that was sent home! Check your children’s backpacks! These forms are due ASAP!!! Please order your children’s lunch now!
The Hot Lunch team is looking for a few more volunteers to join in helping deliver food to classrooms each week. Approximately 1.5 hours between 12 and 1:30 on Wednesday or Thursday is the commitment. You don't have to be there every week but a few more people to call on would be really helpful! Police record check (free through local RCMP) needs to be on file. Email [email protected] to volunteer or ask questions. Or call 604-935-7907. The Hot Lunch Program is a Fundraiser for all kinds of extra-curricular goodness and additional programming and equipment at Signal Hill. Thank you for your support!
Basketball
Practices have started! The practice schedule is as follows:
Mondays – Gr 4-7 Girls Team 3-5 pm
Tuesdays – Gr 4-5 Boys Team 3-5 pm
Thursdays – Gr 6-7 Boys Team 3-5 pm
If you are picking up your child, please wait outside at the front doors, do NOT enter the school.
If any parents have questions, please email Ms. Montie. Her email is [email protected]
What Parents and Students Need to Know
Illness Reporting
As you are aware, Provincial Health will be considering student attendance information over the next couple of weeks. To support this, districts have been asked to establish baseline data for monitoring student illnesses.
Therefore, schools are being asked to specify in their daily attendance, absences due to illness. While the type of illness is not to be specified, it provides a comparison between students being absent due to illness versus a number of other reasons (vacation, field trips, medical appointments, athletics, injuries, etc.).
In an effort to best monitor student attendance information, we are asking parents to please specify if their child(ren)’s absence is due to illness. Again, it is not necessary to specify the illness.
We thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain accurate student information.
Truth and Reconciliation
Staff participated in our district's Implementation Day of professional learning today. We viewed a powerful documentary called Mind of a Child about residential schools and the work of Dr. Lorna Williams, as well as worked through materials provided by Monique Grey Smith.
Cina, one of our cultural support workers was doing some traditional weaving with some classes.
Skícza7ul’s Word of the Week
Xzums - respect (xzoomsh - phonetic)
Wa xzúmstums i skelkèkla7lhkalha. - We honour our elders.
French Word of the Week
elder - aîné(e) m/f
Parent Advisory Committee
Health and Safety
Updated Signal Hill Health and Safety Plan
Staff, parents and students are regularly reminded of their responsibilities to complete a Daily Health Check and are provided with resources on how to complete one (e.g., the K-12 Health Check app)
RRT-Case Management and School Notifications, Ventilation, Masks: The RRT has developed the following FAQs to help support consistent messaging on the topics of:
· Case management and school notifications
Illness Reporting
As you are aware, Provincial Health will be considering student attendance information over the next couple of weeks. To support this, districts have been asked to establish baseline data for monitoring student illnesses.
Therefore, schools are being asked to specify in their daily attendance, absences due to illness. While the type of illness is not to be specified, it provides a comparison between students being absent due to illness versus a number of other reasons (vacation, field trips, medical appointments, athletics, injuries, etc.).
In an effort to best monitor student attendance information, we are asking parents to please specify if their child(ren)’s absence is due to illness. Again, it is not necessary to specify the illness.
We thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain accurate student information.