October 2008 Boissevain School Newsletter

PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

The next meeting of the Parent Advisory Council is on October 20 at 7:30 pm in the Home Ec. room. Elections for the PAC executive and council will take place. After the elections, information on the school plan and the emergency plan will be shared. As well, Mrs. Clyne will be on hand to discuss the Routes of Empathy program being presented to the Grade 4 class.

FALL KICKOFF/MASS REGISTRATION

Thanks to all groups who participated in the Fall Kick-Off/Mass Registration Event! This has become an excellent way to get the community together and for the Boissevain School Staff to connect with parents. The number of people in the school indicates that the Fall Kickoff is an fantastic way to start the school year!

ATHLETICS

Students have begun to submit their “Locker Room” Articles to the Recorder. This has been an excellent and popular way to report on the Athletics at Boissevain School. We thank the Recorder for the opportunity the Sports Leadership Class is given to display their writing skills.

MAGAZINES

One of our major fundraisers is the magazine drive. This campaign will begin in October and will continue for about two weeks. You can purchase magazines from any high school or middle school student. This important fundraiser helps support student activities, including athletics and student government events. Please remember that it isn’t always about buying new Magazine Subscriptions but also about renewing the ones you have, usually at a discounted rate. Thanks for your support, and if you have any questions or requests please call the school.

REPORTS

Student Progress will be reported on during the first two weeks of October. Grades 5 to 8 teachers will be sending a summary report to parents during the week of October 6 – 10. High School Teachers will contact parents during the week of October 14 - October 17 to discuss the progress of students whose marks are below 60% or students for whom teachers feel parent contact is necessary. This contact will be done through phone calls or email. As always, please feel free to contact teachers about your child’s progress.

HEALTHY SCHOOL PLAN

Each year schools are to report about their healthy school plan. We do this through our newsletter and focus on the following points.

Students in our school need healthy food for growth and development.

· Students will be taught the principles of healthy eating as part of the school program.

· The meals and snacks students bring to school should provide them with the energy required to learn and be physically active.

· Students will also learn from adult role models.

· Our school environment will support this learning by promoting nutritious food choices in the canteen.

· The Healthy Schools Committee will review the work done towards offering healthier food options and promote activities for a healthier lifestyle.

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE

The service will be held on Monday, November 10, at 11 a.m.

CAREER and TECHNOLOGY STUDIES

By Mrs. P. White

Safe Workers of Tomorrow will be doing a presentation Tuesday, October 7 to the grade 9 students prior to “Take our Kids to Work Day”. In addition, the grade 11 and internship students will be involved in a presentation, as well as a practicum. We would like to thank the following businesses for participating in the practicum: Goodon Industries; Miller Farm Equipment; Veva’s; Du-Rite Motors; Glovers Equine Products; Co-op Grocery & Home Center & Western Archrib.

GUIDANCE and COUNSELLING

By Mr. B. Birch

The 2008-2009 school year is underway with the students and staff being very busy. Is your child struggling at school? at home? with friends? with self-esteem? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, 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, a referral form, or if you have any other concerns, please stop by the school, or contact Mr. Birch at 534-2494.

PEER HELPERS

A new year has started at BCI, and a new team of Peer Helpers has been assembled to address the needs and concerns of high school students. The Peer Helping team is made up of Grades 9 to 12 students, who meet throughout each month to train and discuss the issues that influence teens at BCI.

The belief of Peer Helping is that peers are more understanding, accessible, and easier to approach than adults, therefore students who have problems, or need someone to talk to, can connect with a Peer Helper for assistance. Peer Helpers are trained and supervised to provide; confidentiality, listening and understanding, friendship and support, decision making and problem solving assistance, tutoring and academic help, and role modeling. Peer Helpers do not; make decisions for others, give advice or tell others what to do, provide therapy or treatment, or counsel.

All Peer Helpers have completed their training and are ready to help the students of BCI. The training occurred during their annual retreat, which took place in early September at Turtle Mountain Bible Camp. We discussed issues facing students, learned new skills, and had an all round great time!

The Peer Helpers for this year are:

Grade 9 - Jessica Bell, Michelle Coupland, Mackenzie Crowe, Colin Reimer, Shermaine Spence, Rebecca Turner, & Chelsea Vallance

Grade 10 - Dean Coupland, Chelsea Leforte, & Brittany Wiebe

Grade 11 - Angie Choy,

Jordyn Dickinson, Chelsey Halloran, Dorian Rourke, & Madison Urschatz

Grade 12 - Laina Boyd, Brittani Hammond, Danton Hintz, Alanna Inverarity, & Tricia Palmer

Advisors - Lisa Aikenhead, Jim Bartley, Tonia Barwick, Bob Birch, Pam McMillan, & Cathy Workman

LIBRARY NEWS

By Mrs. C. Kentner

The School Library is hosting its annual Book Fair October 16 – 8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Family Night), October 17 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., October 20 – 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., October 21 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m..

Please note that there are two nights that we are open until later in the day. Please come and see our selection. This is a good time to start your special events shopping (e.g. Halloween, Birthday, or Christmas). There are door prizes each day although the biggest prize is at Family Night on October 16. Profits are used to buy more resources for the Library. Everyone is welcome.

THANK YOU!

A Big Thank You goes out to Mrs. Tyerman for sewing/fixing the backpacks used in the Early Years. Also, thank you to our volunteers in the school. Mrs. Tyerman and Mrs. Maxwell have been busy helping out where they are needed.

DATES TO REMEMBER

(For important dates throughout the year, see the school calendar on the web site!)

October 4 – 10 ~ 5 – 8 Progress Reports

October 13 ~ Thanksgiving Day - NO SCHOOL

October 14 – 17 ~ Grades 9 – 12 Teacher/Parent Contact on Student Progress

October 16 – 18 ~ Bronco Hockey Tournament

October 16, 17 & 20, 21 ~ Boissevain School Book Fair

October 20 ~ PAC Meeting - 7:30 pm (Presentation on Routes of Empathy)