Signal Hill Circular - December 22nd, 2023

December 22nd, 2023

This week at Signal Hill...

We had a great turnout for our two Winter Concerts this week! Thank you so much to our amazing artist in residence, Papa Josh! Thank you also to Mr. Walden for his piano playing, PAC for supporting the show, and all of our staff and students that performed and helped make the shows a success. It truly was a community effort and we are proud of our learning and performances. Thank you also to everyone who donated to the food bank on our behalf. We filled 6 boxes with food and raised over $1000!

Another Signal Hill tradition is a school Christmas sing-along in the gym. Mr. Walden was kind enough to join us again (and has for years!) to lead the singing with his wonderful piano playing. Thank you again Mr. Walden!

Our winter craft fair was a big event last week. Our intermediate classes spent the last few weeks working hard on making crafts that our students could purchase for themselves or gifts for the holidays. We were really impressed with the professionalism and quality of the crafts. You could have even bought a Mr. Strudwick stuffy!

Ms. Farrell's class is tracking their 'gingerbread baby' who escaped the class and is making their way to the North Pole. We receive postcards on her travels. So far we’ve received cards from Mexico, Italy and Germany, and we’ve done some crafts to learn about the cultures.

Mme. Treadway's class practicing with Papa Josh for the Winter Concert.

Ms Marining’s kindergarten and grade one class worked very hard on making owl stuffies with their big buddies in Ms. Gladwin’s class.

Ms. Marining and Ms. Gladwin's classes decorated cookies with their buddies.

Library News - The Grade 6/7 Red Cedar book club had begun for interested students! This book club encourages students from across BC to read Red Cedar Book Awards nominated non-fiction and fiction books, talk about, and vote for their favourite titles in the Spring! Check out the link below and speak to Ms. Benes if you are interested in joining!

https://www.redcedaraward.ca/

Author Kelsey Bareham joined us to read her book "Wally Learns to Ski" to some of our classes. Thanks Kelsey!

Winter Vacation – December 25 – January 5^th – School re-opens Monday, January 8th

What Parents and Students Need to Know

FamilySmart Upcoming Events:

Here is a poster with dates and times for our 'Help for the Hard Times' workshops for families. These workshops run monthly and are designed for parents and/or caregivers whose child or youth has been admitted to hospital due to their mental health and/or substance use.

In addition, here is a poster outlining the programs and services offered by FamilySmart.

Early Years Development Instrument

Our Kindergarten classes will be participating in the Early Years Development Instrument (EDI) this year.

edi

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Off-Reserve Representative for Indigenous Education Council: Please share the following message with your school community:

Are you an Indigenous member of the community and would like to be more involved in Indigenous Education? The Indigenous Education Council is looking for an Off-Reserve Representative to contribute to the success of Indigenous students as they journey through education in the Sea to Sky school district. The council meets online 4 times per year, and the meetings are usually during the day for 2 hours. If you are interested and identify as an Indigenous person, please contact the Indigenous Education department: Sarah – [email protected] or Colleen Hannah – [email protected]

Canada Dental Benefit for Children Under 12: Please help raise awareness for the Canada Dental Benefit. The first benefit period was a success, with 50% of eligible children in British Columbia—34,260—receiving the benefit. That’s something to smile about!

The second and final benefit period will help cover dental care costs between July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and it is important that all eligible families know about the benefit and how to apply. Even families who applied during the first benefit period can re-apply for the final benefit period. Please see this factsheet for more information.

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.

https://www.sogieducation.org/parents/

EASE K–7 lessons have been adapted for use by parents and caregivers to help children manage worries and everyday anxiety at home.

Parenting Tips for the Digital World from Common Sense Media

ERASE Bullying Website and Resources

Parent Advisory Committee

Did you know? You can join our PAC!

Visit the PAC Pages here.