Principal’s Message
What a beautiful fall season we have been having; the perfect weather to have our first field trip, Open House and annual Terry Fox Walk!. I’d like to thank all the families who were able to come out to our Open House on Sept. 27th. It’s always great to see everyone out and about and so engaged in meeting the teachers and asking about the curriculum.
I’d also like to thank all of the folks who were able to help out as volunteers at both our Plowing Match trip and on our Terry Fox Walk! Your help was tremendously appreciated by myself, the staff, and all the students. There will be many more opportunities to volunteer on trips, as part of Parent Council, in the Snack Program, and through the Reading Assistance Program (RAP) this year, so if you’d like to assist us, please make sure you have completed an OPP Vulnerable Sector Check – we can provide forms through the school that you take to the local OPP station. There is absolutely no charge to you, but you do need at least 3-4 weeks turnaround time to get them back.
In this newsletter we are sharing the fundraisers that will be taking place at BCES over the school year. We would like to let you know the plans for the year so that you too can make plans for what your family can support this year. Most of the funds raised by Parent Council this year will go toward purchasing new playground equipment. This fundraising goal will flow over the next few years.
Hallowe’en: Always at the top of our list is the safety of children in our school. While we appreciate that parents/caregivers wish to share treats with our students around Hallowe’en, we kindly remind you that no edible treats (such as candy, home-baking, etc.) will be shared or distributed to students at school due to allergy concerns. (See our note about Hallowe’en below).
Thanks to all our families for their dedicated efforts to pack nut safe lunches. We know this can be a challenge and we appreciate your efforts. With Hallowe’en, we ask you to be vigilant when packing celebration treats for school lunches once your child has been trick-or-treating. While many manufacturers include nut-free symbols, others do not. Thanks for understanding that some Hallowe’en treats will need to be enjoyed at home!
Have a wonderful month with your family and friends and please remember that October 10 is the Thanksgiving holiday.
Parent Council Corner
Hello Husky Families! With school back in session and in full swing Parent Council has some very exciting news. We are going to focus our attention this year on some major fundraising goals to raise money for new playground equipment for our school. We are going to start our campaign with a:
Homemade Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction
Thursday, November 9, 2017
5 – 7 p.m.
Hensall Community Centre
Cost $ 10.00 per adult and $5.00 per child (12 & under)
Tickets will be available through School Cash Online, to be picked up at the school office or sent home with your child. They will also be available in Hensall at D & D Variety and at Serenity Wellness and Spa in Zurich (see Kim Fisher). Take out will be available!
Parent Council is also looking for volunteers to help run this event. Many hands make light work Husky families!! Also, we are in need of many crockpots to borrow.
If you are able to help with either of these things, please contact Cheryl Rader at: [email protected]
If your place of employment, business or family would like to donate an item or cash to go towards the dinner items or for the silent auction, please contact Katrina Robinson at: [email protected] or Amber Dougall at: [email protected]
We are looking forward to hearing from our families and hope to see everyone out for a great meal and a great cause!!
A final reminder that Parent Council is open to all parents! Look for upcoming meetings posted on the Husky Hub and the online school calendar. All are welcome to join us at any time!
If you are interested in seeing the minutes from our meetings, please go to our Bluewater Coast homepage.
Or, for an abbreviated version of the meetings, visit the Husky Hub at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551442095152834/
*Please note that should you have school-based concerns, questions, or confidential matters you need assistance with (e.g., school registration), please forward those directly to the school by phone or email the Principal, rather than posting to the Hub. The Hub is an excellent information tool, but it is not run by or moderated by the school administration.
2017-18 Parent Council Meeting Dates
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 9, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, November 13, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 14, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, December 11, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 11, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, February 12, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
Fund Raising Plans for 2017-18
October QSP Magazines and Tasty Batters Cookie Dough (School fundraiser – technology)
November Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction (Council)
School Spirit Wear (Council)
February Pancake Day for BCES Students/Families (Council)
March Elmira Chicken (Grade 6 Year-End trip Fundraiser)
April Metzger Food Products (Council)
May Book Fair (to replenish books in our school library)
June Kin Ball Tournament (Council – this is a donation of our time working the food booth)
Ongoing Milk, Pizza (School/Council); Me to We events (Student Senate)
Parent Council proceeds will be put toward the purchase of new playground equipment over the next few years. School-based proceeds (magazines/Book Fair) will be used to support outfitting our library with new books and upgrading our technology needs. Grade 6 fundraisers are used for the year-end trip.
QSP Magazine Fundraiser and Tasty Batters Cookie Dough
Once again we will be holding our annual QSP Magazine Fundraiser. There are a lot of new and exciting options for your reading pleasure. Get great deals on new magazines, or continue your subscription at great prices. To order, visit QSP.ca and use our group id for online ordering #3746641. If paying by cheque, please make payable to Bluewater Coast Elementary School.
This year we will also be introducing “Tasty Batters” cookie dough as an option for families to purchase. More info will be forth coming about ordering and pick up once we do our kick off assembly on October 5th with the students.
The Q S P Magazine/Tasty Batters Fundraiser will start on Thursday, October 5, 2017 with all orders due to the school office by Friday, October 20, 2017. Please remind your children – no door-to-door sales to strangers. As always, thank you for your support.
EQAO Results
Our EQAO results became available in the past few weeks. For a closer look at the results, you can visit www.eqao.com. The number of students achieving level 3 or 4 in Grade 6 was 81% in reading; 86% in writing; and 52% in math. All reading, writing, and math scores were at or above those of the Board and the Province. 21 students wrote the test this year. In Grade three, the number of students achieving level 3 or 4 was 75% in reading; 85% in writing; and 70% in math. Our reading, writing, and math scores were above the Board and Provincial averages. 20 students wrote the test this year.
As a staff, we participate in school-based Professional Learning Communities; these PLCs focus on improving student achievement. The staff is committed to continuing to deepen their knowledge and investigate areas to work on to improve student achievement.
School Photo Day
School and class pictures will be taken on Friday, October 27, 2017. Please bring your smiles and photo forms.
Mathletics
You may have heard your child(ren) talking about Mathletics when they come home from school. Mathletics is a curriculum-based math skill-building program designed by teachers to enhance the mathematics experience for students. There are many fun and engaging activities that students can participate in from home or at school, and best of all, there is no cost to you. In fact, Mathletics can be used on your home computer or your iPad (the App is free in the App store). All your child has to do is enter their personal code. If you need a copy of their password, the classroom teacher can provide this to you. Students will have access to Mathletics all year long, including over the summer months of 2018!
Mathletics has teacher-assigned lessons, instructional videos, how-to’s for math problems, and a timed gaming component that enables children to compete with themselves or with others from around the world. Work is designed to be at the “just right level” for each student. Students are able to accumulate points when playing the timed sessions and when doing the teacher-assigned work. Points are then used to change each child’s personally created avatar and to earn certificates of achievement.
Each student from K-6 has been given a Mathletics account to help improve their math fluency and provide practice and skill-building in math. We recommend you spend some time looking at the program with your child so that you can gain the greatest understanding of how Mathletics will benefit your child(ren)’s learning. To see what Mathletics is all about, visit www.mathletics.ca.
Before & After School Care Program
As part of an on-going commitment to make the school day as seamless as possible for our families, each family will be receiving an information sheet in mid-October regarding Before and After School care. Families interested in Before and After school programs for their four and five year old’s, and possibly order children in the upcoming school year, should complete an on-line survey by December 1, 2017. The link to the survey will be found on the Board websitewww.yourschools.ca starting mid-October. We appreciate your assistance as we determine the feasibility of offering such programs. Should your require a paper copy, please contact the school after October 10th.
Student Senate
The Husky Senate is comprised of students who provide leadership by organizing activities to promote school pride and encourage positive citizenship by giving back within their school community and “paying forward” to other communities or groups in need.
The 2017-18 BCES Student Senate chose to kick off their year by taking on our school’s annual Terry Fox Walk & Run event. So far we have raised $320.82. Student Senate will continue to accept donations for the Terry Fox Foundation until Monday, October 3. Our Husky Senators would like to thank everyone for their support towards our school’s National Fundraising Goal and are already looking forward to coming up with more fun things to do to support our Local and International Goals.
Hallowe’en Plans
The Student Senate, staff and classes will be planning special activities for Tuesday, October 31. More details will come home closer to the date.
Please note that BCES is a nut-safe school due to severe allergies. Homemade and packaged treats cannot be served in classrooms because we cannot ensure that these products are nut-safe. We don’t expect families to provide treats, but we certainly do appreciate your generosity and willingness to share with your child’s class. If you do decide as a family to make a gesture, some alternative suggestions are: a book or game or ball for the class, pencils, stickers, or other non-edible items. Thanks for keeping all kids safe at school!
Library News
Students check out library books for a two week period. They may return the books before the two weeks are over. If your son/daughter brings home an overdue notice for library book(s), please return the library book(s) on the next school day. If the books are lost, please write a note to Ms. Wondergem on the overdue notice, explaining that the book is lost. Students cannot check out another library book until their overdue library book(s) has/have been returned.
Library helpers will be starting in October. Students in grades 3 – 6 can sign up to be a library helper. Grade 2 students can be library helpers after Christmas. Library helpers commit to help in the library during 2 or 3 morning recesses per month. Library helpers show great leadership skills.
Please Bring Your Milk Bags to School
Ms. Wondergem is collecting milk bags again this year for our school. Have you ever wondered what happens to all the donated milk bags? She takes the milk bags to a local church group. These ladies cut the bags into strips and crochet the strips into sleeping mats. The mats are sent to third world countries.
Please continue to send your clean, folded milk bags to our school. There is a collection box outside our school office for the milk bags. If you have further questions, please contact Ms. Wondergem. Thank you to all who have donated milk bags to our school.
Lion’s Vision and Hearing Screening for JK/SK Students
In partnership with local Lions Club organizations, we are pleased to offer hearing and vision screening for JK and SK students. We understand the impact of having healthy eyes and good hearing on your child’s overall health, well-being, and education. JK/SK Vision and Hearing Screening is coming to Bluewater Coast Elementary School on Tuesday, October 3, 2017.
Progress Reports
November Progress Reports will go home to Grades 1-6 students and Initial Observations Reports to Kindergarten students on Monday, October 30, 2017. Interviews will be held on the evening of Thursday, November 2, 2017 and the morning of Friday, November 3, 2017.
Parents/Guardians will be able to book appointments to meet with your child(ren)’s teacher(s) and sign-up slips will be sent home to you within the next week or two. You will be given the option to choose your time slots to meet and a confirmation time/day will be sent home with your chid(ren). While we do our best to accommodate parent/guardian work schedules, it is sometimes difficult to accommodate everyone. If neither of the dates given work for your schedule, please contact your child’s teacher directly to set up an alternate appointment time/date.
Kindergarten Registration…(CATYO: Calling All Three Year Olds)
This is for students starting school September 2018 and is being held at Bluewater Coast on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 during the morning hours. If your child turns three years old by December 31, 2017 they are eligible for Junior Kindergarten beginning September 2018. Call the office at 519-262-2833 to book your registration time. If you know of a family in our school community with young children, pass this information along to them.
Managing Asthma at School
As you may be aware, Ryan’s Law, 2015, was recently passed by the Ontario Legislature. This piece of legislation is an important step to support the well-being of students with asthma in Ontario schools. If your child has chronic or moderate to severe asthma, we ask that you immediately contact the office to provide information about your child’s asthma medication; you may be asked to fill out a Medical Management Plan for staff to follow and adhere to should your child suffer an asthma attack at school.
Wash Hands to Avoid Respiratory Illnesses
The Huron County Health Unit reminds everyone that frequent hand washing reduces the risk of catching a respiratory illness. Several different respiratory viruses circulate every fall; cleaning your hands is your best defense against respiratory illnesses.
Other measures to take are:
- avoid touching your face
- cough into your elbow or sleeve
- disinfect frequently touched surfaces often
Stay home if you are ill. When children are ill, keep them home from school until they are able to fully participate in their usual activities. Children with asthma may have a higher risk of developing severe illness. If a child develops a high fever or has difficulty breathing, seek medical attention.
Nut Free and Scent Safe School
Bluewater Coast is a Nut Free and Scent Safe School. Please do not wear cologne or scented products when you will be visiting the school.
Products change all the time. If it is not labeled peanut/nut free they are not safe. Statements such as: may contain traces of nuts or peanuts, or, manufactured in a facility that process nuts or peanuts, are not safe.
New! School Messenger Coming Soon
Beginning in mid-October, BCES will be using School Messenger to convey information to our families. You may have recently received a text message from the Avon Maitland District School Board with the option to join School Messenger. Please respond to this message by opting in so that you can receive communication from the school via this method. Through School Messenger, we will be able to quickly communicate with parents in the event of a school closure or other emergency situation. It will also be the preferred method of communication for newsletters and other non-urgent communication. As always, you will still be able to access the school newsletter and calendar from the Bluewater Coast Elementary School website.
The AMDSB Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is hosting a
School Council Registration
Date: October 18, 2017
Time: Refreshments at 6:15, Meeting from 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Maitland Room, AMDSB Education Centre at 62 Chalk Street North, Seaforth
1. Welcome from Trustee
2. Message from Lisa Walsh, Director of Education
3. Websites for AMDSB parents
4. SchoolMessenger for Parental Outreach
5. School Council Finances
6. Where Do We Begin?
These are small group sessions, facilitated by members of PIC, that will last 10 minutes each. We will then rotate so that everyone has a chance to visit each group.
Group 1 – Recruitment
Group 2 – Running Effective Meetings
Group 3 – Sharing Ideas & Celebrating Successes
Group 4 – Council Communication
7. Open Discussion