Signal Hill Circular - January 27th, 2023
January 27th, 2023
Today was our winter Carnaval! Both our school and école La Vallée joined in the fun with a parade, trading post, Tire sur la neige (Maple Taffy made on snow), and lots of games and activities in the afternoon. We also had hot chocolate and Bannock! We were so lucky with the weather for this special multicultural celebration. Thank you so much to all of our parent and staff volunteers. And a special thank you to our teachers for organizing!
On Monday, our school had a dance party/hip-hop concert performed by Metaphor, from Vancouver with their message "Positivity through Hip-Hop". They had the whole school dancing (even the teachers) and rapping while learning about hip-hop culture and history. Thanks to our amazing PAC and ArtStarts for supporting the show!
Learning Connections
Many of our primary classes are participating in a home reading program. At the beginning of the program, classes were challenged to read 1000 books and if they did, our principals, Ms. Brynjolfson and Mr. Strudwick would have to dye their hair purple. Well, Ms. Penney and Ms. Gladwin's class read 1000 books!
Students in Ms. Lawrence's class made dumplings for Chinese Lunar New Year this week. Yum!
And one of the geckos in Ms. Lattimer's class had a baby! What a great surprise! What should we name it?
What Parents and Students Need to Know
Sea to Sky Safety Net is a hub of self-care tools and local resources to help connect Sea to Sky residents to mental health and substance use support services. www.seatoskysafetynet.com
SOGI 123 for parents:
SOGI 1 2 3 Parent Resources were created in collaboration with BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) and the BC Ministry of Education to answer parent questions about what SOGI-inclusive education looks like in Canadian schools.
Affordability Fund Update For Families
Dear Families,
We would like to update you on the grant from the Ministry of Education and Childcare to make back-to-school more affordable for students and their families struggling with rising costs of living due to global inflation. We are mindful that many families in our community are struggling with the increased cost of living. We want every family to know that they are eligible for financial assistance through the Student & Family Affordability fund, no questions asked.
This one-time funding support will be allocated towards school-related expenses, including:
School/course supplies
Family food security (groceries)
Athletic wear (for school athletics)
PAC hot lunch
Basic necessities
Clothing/footwear
This one-time funding support will be allocated towards school-related expenses, including:
School/course supplies
Family food security (groceries)
Athletic wear (for school athletics)
PAC hot lunch
Basic necessities
Clothing/footwear
We are happy to announce that we will partner with our local food banks to specifically provide more food for school breakfast, lunch or snack programs to meet the growing needs of students. We will work with our PAC to continue the conversation on how to use this fund (within the above criteria) to best support those students and families experiencing financial hardship.
If you would like to access the affordability fund, please reach out to our office or a member of our administrative team, and we will be happy to assist you.
EASE
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, EASE K–7 lessons have been adapted for use by parents and caregivers to help children manage worries and everyday anxiety at home.
Please have a look at this website and see some of the resources available: https://healthymindsbc.gov.bc.ca/ease-at-home/
FamilySmart Monthly Events: Every month, FamilySmart hosts online events for parents & caregivers who are parenting a child or youth with mental health and/or substance use challenge called “in the know.” We watch a video and share experiences and strategies that help in the hard moments and focus on strengthening our understanding and connection with our kids. For more information on this helpful resource, please click here.
Parent Advisory Committee
Health and Safety