November 2009 Boissevain School Newsletter

PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

The right to have a Parent Advisory Council in each school is legislated by the Government of Manitoba. Councils' actions are governed by Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. With that information, it is important for parents to know that PAC needs to exist and needs the support of parents. Parent Advisory Council continues to be vital link between parents and the school. The last meeting allowed for a new executive to be elected. The next meeting is NOV. 23, at 7:00 p.m., in the Home Ec. Room. Your attendance is always welcomed.

Executive members are: Mrs. Evelyn Stouffer (President), Mrs. Felicia Billaney (Vice- President) and Mrs. Michelle Buhler (Secretary). Diane Hole will continue in an advisory role as co-chair and Myrna Houston has stepped down from the secretary position. We thank both Diane and Myrna for their past commitment to the Parent Advisory Council.

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE

This year’s Boissevain School Remembrance Day Service will be held Monday, November 9, at 11:00 a.m.! This service is always a special one, so please come and join us as we pay respects to our veterans.

SCHOOL CAFETERIA

The school cafeteria provides an excellent choice of foods for our students. The menu is displayed on the school website with current prices and daily specials. Please check this menu to ensure that you have the accurate prices when sending your child’s order to the school. Thank You!

STUDENT LED CONFERENCES

SLC for all K-4 students will be held on November 12^th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Please note the date change from November 5^th. Come out and share your child’s learning!

REPORTS

Reports for grades K-12 will be given to students on November 17. Parent/Teacher interviews are scheduled for November 19. If you wish an interview and are not scheduled for one, please contact the school. These reports include division outcomes for K to 8 students and assignment mark books for 5 to 12 students. The next step for reporting marks will be to allow parents on line access via a password. Please stay tuned.

WINTER IS COMING!

Winter is on the way, and with it comes the possibility of poor weather. If a school closure is expected listen to the radio, in particular try CJRB. Mr. Barry Lamb always has the correct information! Just as a reminder, if school buses are called off during the school day ONLY storm billets will be called, according to Division policy. For the complete school closure policy, go to the Turtle Mountain School Division website: www.tmsd.mb.ca. or you can find information on the school website: boissevainschool.ca

H1N1 FLU!

Boissevain School continues to remind students about the care they need to take to combat the H1N1 Flu. Proper hand washing techniques, using video and gel kits to show how well students are washing, are discussed. Hand sanitizers are available throughout the school, and there are constant reminders.

The School PAC committee has offered to compile a list of volunteers to help at the school if a number of staff is sick with the flu. They will be looking for individuals who may be willing to support the following areas: Teachers, Educational Assistants, Custodial, Office, Resource, Admin. If you are interested and have not been contacted, please forward your name to the school. Thank you.

SCHOOL STUFF!

√ A big Thank you goes to our local MOMS WHO CARE – your support through kind words and food is always appreciated by staff.

√ Our custodial staff are taking extra care and time to combat H1N1 – thank you for always going that extra mile

√ Thank you to all the parents for allowing their children to go to work with them on Nov. 4 for the annual TAKE YOUR KID TO WORK DAY!

√ New RCMP members are presenting to our students in the month of November – they will present to the Gr. 7 and 8 classes on November 23.

√ Our Educational Assistants continue to show their commitment to Boissevain School students as they attended professional development workshops on Oct. 23 along with Teaching Staff.

√ Another Halloween has passed and it is so nice to see the streets, businesses and homes of Boissevain not affected by vandalism. It shows the respect our students and residents have toward people’s property. Well Done Boissevain. Thank you to the RCMP, Town Employees and volunteers. Thank you to the Gr. 12 group of students who provided Halloween Insurance and spent time on Sunday making sure things were looked after.

√ A big SPECIAL THANK-YOU to the ladies who are volunteering their time to help our German student.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT NEWS

by Ms. C. Dyck

As I write this, we have just finished up the home hockey tournament. Thanks to everyone who supported the 50/50 draws and to the students who did all the work. We will have completed the annual Halloween Food Drive by the time you read this. It has always been a great success, and I expect it will have been this year as well. Thank you again for your support! We will be dressing up on Friday, Oct. 30, and may have an activity or two to get us into the "spirit" of things before we head out to collect food on Saturday night.

We are also starting to sell school clothing. Samples are at Pringles. I hear they make great Christmas gifts! The students are supporting the local theatre this year, and thanks to a staff "jeans day", we are well on the way to our goal. Thank you to the staff. We will be attending the Manitoba Student Leadership Conference in Brandon in the middle of the month. This is always a valuable experience for the students, and they bring back lots of great ideas and some enthusiasm as well.  We hope to have a photo taken, and into the paper very soon, so you can put a face on the students who work so hard to keep the students jumping! A few students plan to attend a conference in Souris in Feb. to discuss the opportunities available in smaller communities. It should be interesting!
Everything has started out well, and I'm sure it will just keep getting better! Until next month.

VARSITY GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

by Mr. L. McFarlane

It has proved to be an interesting season for our lady Broncos as we bring our regular league play to an end. The league opened on September 29 against Deloraine and will end on November 6 with our girls traveling to Souris to take on the Sabres. League play has gone well with some exciting matches but leaves us slightly below 500.

The girls have traveled to 5 tournaments this year and have been competitive in all. At the Bronco’s home tourney, we managed to go through unscathed winning all sets, placing ourselves atop all as Tournament Champions. The girls have one tournament left in Killarney; this will start Friday, November 6. We would like to see you there.

Over the year, the fan and parent support has been great and the girls would like to take this opportunity to thank you. Have a great day, and we hope to see you at our remaining matches.

GUIDANCE and COUNSELLING

Is your child struggling? If so, the Student Assistance Program can help. The program aims to identify troubled students and connect them with helping services in the school and community. For more information, or if you have any other concerns, please contact Mr. Birch at 534-2494 or bbirch@tmsd.mb.ca.

PEER HELPERS

The Peer Helpers continue to meet monthly, with the purpose of addressing the needs and concerns of high school students. It is the belief of Peer Helping that peers are more understanding, accessible, and easier to approach than adults. Therefore, students having problems or needing someone to talk to, can connect with a Peer Helper for assistance. So if you are looking for help, the Peer Helpers are available.

On Wednesday, October 14, the Peer Helpers had the opportunity to participate in the ARHA’s Unmasking Mental Illness event. We were able to learn more about the impact of mental illness, the value of family and natural supports, and the resources that are available to help with crisis. The highlight for many was hearing Big Daddy Tazz discuss the struggles he faces as someone living with bipolar disorder. Tazz used comedy and laughter to combat the stigma associated with mental illnesses.

Meet the Peer Helpers

How long have you been a Peer Helper and what is your favorite moment in Peer Helping?

Jim Bartley – 4^th year & the retreats

Brett Batycki – 1^st year & the retreat

Angie Choy – 4^th year & the retreats and Big Daddy Tazz

Chelsey Halloran – 4^th year & the retreats

Evelyn Stouffer – 1^st year & the opportunity to get to know our “helpers” at the retreat

Jewel Stouffer – 1^st year & learning about how other people feel and how I can help and Tazz

Rebecca Turner – 2^nd year & last year’s retreat

CAREER EDUCATION

Post Secondary Day - On Monday, November 9^th, the Grades 11 and 12 students will be attending sessions presented by various Manitoba colleges and universities. The purpose of the visit was to provide relevant, up to date post-secondary information to the students. Each presenter also set up a booth, where specific questions could be answered.

Take Our Kids to Work - As a part of Canada Career Week, Take Our Kids to Work Day occurred on Wednesday, November 4. All Grade 9 students spent the day at work with a parent, relative, or volunteer host. The purpose of TOKW is: 1) to offer students a view of the work world and to give them an understanding of its demands and opportunities, 2) to allow students to see their parents or hosts in different roles and responsibilities, and to understand what they do to support a family, and 3) to emphasize that education goes beyond the classroom and that the preparation of younger generations for the future is a community responsibility.

Graduation & Scholarships - For more information about career options and scholarships, check out www.careercruising.com (username: manitoba362 password: careers) and www.studentawards.com. P.S. Don’t forget to check out the bulletin board across from Mr. McFarlane’s classroom to find out about new scholarships.

Parents and students, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Birch at

534-2494 or bbirch@tmsd.mb.ca.

LIBRARY NEWS

by Mrs. C. Kentner

Thank you to all who supported the Book Fair with the profits going to the School Library. Thanks to you, we had the best fair ever with over $2000 coming back to the Library in the form of books. Thanks to the people who purchased a book and donated it to the Library. Thanks to all the volunteers, both students and adults from the community. Your support is invaluable and appreciated.

Remember to keep an eye on the Library site on the Boissevain School Web page. New reviews should be posted by the end of the week. Feedback is always welcomed.

Processing of the new books has started. Trivia Question: Did you know that it takes 1/2 hour per book to get it completely ready for the shelf?

CTS NEWS

CAREER & TECHNOLOGY STUDIES

Patty White ~ Co-coordinator

On October 27^th Grade11 students participated in a “Safe Workers of Tomorrow” Practicum. The classroom component was presented in the morning and in the afternoon students performed an audit of a specific area at the worksite.

Thanks to the following businesses for once again supporting our school and Safe Workers of Tomorrow by welcoming our students into your businesses to participate in a meaningful and valuable experience:

Co-op Grocery Goodon Industries

Co-op Home Center Veva’a Diner

Du-Rite Motors Western Archrib

Glover’s Equine

Courtney Hart ~ checking a tractor for safety at Du-Rite Motors!

Teagan Kinsley completing her audit questions while Jolene Friesen observes at Goodon Industries.

Tamara Bell records an audit answer while Dustin Dyck attempts to “spot a hazard” at the Co-op Home Center!

Nikki Racine distributes safety vests to Jeremiah Fuchs, Chelsea LeForte, Sarah Usick and Jenny McMillan before the tour of Western Archrib begins.

DATES TO REMEMBER

November 4 ~ Take Your Kids to Work Day (Grade 9)

November 6 & 7 ~ JV Girls Volleyball Tournament – first game is at 4:30 Friday, Nov. 6

November 6 ~ Admin Day - No Classes

November 9 ~ 11:00 a.m. Remembrance Day Service

November 11 ~ Remembrance Day – No Classes

November 12 ~ Student Led Conferences (K-4) – Please note the date change

November 17 ~ K - 12 Reports

November 19 ~ Parent/Teacher Interviews (K-12)

November 27 ~ Admin Day – No Classes

BRONCO HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY SCHEDULE – HOME GAMES

November 6 vs. Glenboro/Carberry Wildcats @ 8:00 p.m.

November 20 vs. Vincent Massey Vikings @ 8:00 p.m.

November 28 vs. Deloraine Colts @ 8:00 p.m.

December 5 vs. Killarney Raiders @ 8:00 p.m.