Blueberry Bulletin

December 21, 2018 Mail Bag 700

1532 Parkland Drive

Stony Plain, AB T7Z 1Y6

Telephone: (780) 963-3625

E-mail: blueberry@psd70.ab.ca

Website:

http://blueberry.psd70.ab.ca/

FB:

https://www.facebook.com/Blueberry

School/

**ALL VISITORS PLEASE REPORT TO OFFICE**

***Please remember to always sign your child out when they leave the school. Students cannot sign themselves out.***

Dates to Remember: Jan 22 - Gr 1 Teacher’s Pet In-school fieldtrip

Jan 7 - First day back in 2019 Jan 25- PD Day for Kindergarten - NO SCHOOL for Kinder only

Jan 9 - Jr ATB Banking - Gr 1-6 - Training Day over lunch Jan 28 - Talent Show Auditions - Division 1 (Grades 1 - 3)

Jan 10 - Ski Club - leave school 1:30, pickup back at school @ 8:00 pm Jan 29 - Gr 8 - Medieval Presentation - pm

Jan. 11- no school for Kindergarten- FOPS day Jan 30 - Jr ATB Banking/Board Meeting

Jan 14 - Caring Kids Hotdog Day Jan 31 - Ski Club - leave school 1:30, pickup back at school @ 8 pm

Jan 16 - Jr ATB Banking Day - Grand Opening Feb 4 - Talent Show Auditions - Division 2 (Grades 4 - 6)

Jan 21 - Talent Show Auditions - Division 3 (Grades 7 - 9) - 1:15 pm Feb 4 - Gr 2 Teacher’s Pet In-School Fieldtrip

Jan 21 - BSC Meeting - 6:30 pm, BSFC Meeting - 6:10 pm Feb 4 - Caring Kids Hotdog Lunch

Message from Administration

It was wonderful to see so many families and friends at our K-6 Christmas concerts. A

huge thank you to staff and students for putting on an unforgettable show! An

additional thank-you to Mrs. King for her efforts coordinating the concerts and helping

students shine.

We had many exciting opportunities for students throughout December. Some highlights included our Kinsman

Hamper fundraising, Grades 4-6 Craft Morning and daily carolling for students in Kindergarten - Grade 6. The

generosity and kindness of our students and the community has been evident throughout the month.

Recess options at Blueberry: At Blueberry school we are proud to offer students a variety of options to reach

their highest potential through unique play activities. During recess, students can choose to go outdoors and use

the playground during recess. We also offer a K-6 Friendship club and a Jr. High Friendship club. These are indoor

options in a small group setting where students can play board games, free play with toys, draw or make crafts.

Additionally K-4 students can participate in “We Play” twice a week. This option provides cooperative games to

promote physical wellness and team building.

Bus Cancellations:

If buses are canceled due to icy or unsafe road conditions, please continue to call in your student’s absence. This

allows us to confirm that students are safe and accounted for. Please note that schools remain open even if buses

are cancelled. Thank you for your assistance and support.

Parkland School Division

Fire Alarm:

Over the past few months we have had a few unplanned fire drills. We would like to thank our students and staff

for their commitment to safety and wellbeing during these events. We also want to recognize the support of our

local fire department and Parkland School Division Facilities department. To stay up to date with accurate

information when fire drills occur, please visit our school website and facebook page. If you have any questions or

concerns about our fire drill procedures please contact Michelle Visscher or Sheryl Bridgeman. We welcome your

feedback at any time.

Our holiday break runs from Saturday December 22nd - Sunday January 6th. We wish you a phenomenal

holiday and quality time with family and friends. We look forward to seeing students back on Monday,

January 7th, 2019.

Michelle Visscher Sheryl Bridgeman

Vice Principal of Blueberry School Principal of Blueberry School

Celebrating Blueberry 

Christmas Concert News:

“Once on a housetop things started happening… ” Blueberry was a-happening place this December with Chimney Sweeps celebrating holidays of the season and Santas everywhere! A sincere thank you to all staff, students, and parents for their tremendous efforts to make our concerts a wonderful success! Merry Christmas!

Concert DVDs with afternoon and evening concerts with a bonus trailer, as well as the Kindergarten concert are still available for $10 ea. Proceeds go to supporting future music productions at Blueberry. If you missed ordering one, please e-mail blueberry@psd70.ab.ca for more information. Special thanks to Mrs. Lisa Olson, our student teacher, for creating the DVDs.

Report Cards and POWERSCHOOL Just a reminder that Report Cards were released online on December 7th, at 3:00 pm. In order to access your child’s report card in Powerschool, you must have a Powerschool account. New Parents - If you don’t have a Powerschool account, please follow the directions on the PSD website http://www.psd70.ab.ca/PowerSchool.php. You’ll need the Access ID code and Access password that was sent home at the beginning of the year. If you can’t find that information, please contact Tracy Davis at the school @ 780-963-3625 and she’ll help you. All Parents - It is important that we have the most current information on file. Please take a few minutes to log into your Power School–Parent Portal account (powerschool.psd70.ab.ca/public) and make any changes necessary under the Family Information tab. If there are changes to Guardianship/Custody, please contact the school office. You can check off FOIP, CASL and the Computer Use Agreement and Locker Use Agreement too. Here’s the link from Parkland School Division’s website, with more information on the Parent Portal. http:// www.psd70.ab.ca/documents/general/PowerSchool.

Parkland School Division

Notification to parents on Attendance and Newsletters - PLEASE READ! Parkland School Division implements the School Messenger program to inform parents. If we haven’t heard from you by 8:45 a.m. or 12:45 p.m., this automatic program will phone and e-mail parents and/or guardians of their child’s absence in the morning and afternoon. As well, this program will also be how we will send out our monthly newsletters and other school information. This is why it’s very important that the information on Powerschool is up to date for all your children. If you wish to get a paper copy of the newsletter, please pop into the school office for one. Newsletters can also be accessed on our website at http://blueberry.psd70.ab.ca/Newsletter.php

Caring Kids Hotdog

Lunches

Caring Kids hot dog days are as follows: Jan. 14,

Feb. 4, Mar. 4, Apr. 1, May 6 and June 3. All of them

are the first Monday of the month except for January.

Hot Dog orders for the Caring Kids fundraisers are

now available online through our hot lunch program.

January’s order form is combined with the regular

hot lunch order form which is now available online

(see below). Proceeds from the hotdog lunches helps

support our two charities this year: The Juvenile

Diabetes Research Foundation and The Homeless

Link in Stony Plain.

If you haven’t signed up for hot lunch this year yet,

please sign up at www.blueberry.hotlunches.net

school code BBHL (you have to re-register

every year)

You can pay by credit card or Paypal when you place

your order for the month online, or by cheque or

cash to the office after you order online. Or you can

e-transfer to blueberryhotlunch@gmail.com. Please remember to order by the end of each

month for hotdogs the following month. Once

you register, you will get e-mail reminders to

order.

Mrs. Newby

JR. ATB BANKING Blueberry School is a Junior ATB school for the 2018/19

school year. Junior ATB is a program that offers

students the opportunity to learn real money

management skills within the walls of our school. It is a

small-scale bank, operated by students in grade 4-6 and

modeled after the ATB Financial Institution. Students will

be responsible for its management and operations

(under guidance and supervision of ATB representatives

and Mr.Marcil). Junior ATB will be open once or twice a

month, accepting deposits from students that are held in

real ATB accounts.

Each student in Blueberry School will be given the

opportunity to open a legitimate ATB account. This is

entirely OPTIONAL.

The money collected on bank days is recorded and

collected then deposited in accounts by the following

Monday. Students do not receive a debit card for their

account with the school, but can go to the bank to

inquire with their parents. We are excited about this

learning opportunity for our students. Please let us

know if you have any questions or concerns.

If parents would like their child to sign up for a bank

account with ATB they can get an account application

form from Mr. Marcil. If students hold a bank account

with ATB they will be able to participate in banking days

in the new year. This is completely optional and parents

do not have to sign up.

Student Absences

As we continue to work to ensure the safety of all of our

students at Blueberry School, it is imperative that we are

aware when they are absent from school. We ask that

parents email their child’s absence to

Blueberry.Absence@psd70.ab.ca . Please include your

child’s full name, homeroom and reason for the absence.

If you do not have access to email please phone the school

(780-963-3625) and leave a message on the answering

machine or speak to one of the secretaries.

Book Fair!

Thanks to everyone who

came out to support our

Book Fair in December! Proceeds will go

towards new books and resources for the

library.

Parkland School Division

School Volunteers

If you are planning to volunteer at the school for more than ten hours throughout the school year (this includes

field trips) we ask that you fill out a Volunteer Form that includes a Criminal Record Check. These forms must

be completed each year and an updated Criminal Record Check must be included. This check can be completed

free of charge at the Stony Plain RCMP Detachment. Forms can be picked up at the school office. We appreciate

your help at the school and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

PLAY PARKLAND -

SKATES AND

HELMETS NEEDED!

If you have any gently

used skates or helmets

that you can donate to

the school for the

PlayParkland program,

please drop them off at

the school office. We

need extra skates and helmets for

students in Grades 3 - 6.

School Fees

An Account Statement will be sent home soon to families who still owe

fees. For a list of fees, here’s the link to our website: School Fees

18-19 . Fees can be paid with a credit card online through the

PowerSchool Parent Portal at:

https://powerschool.psd70.ab.ca/public/ You can also see any

fees that are added, such as option fees, as well as your account

balance. They can’t be paid through the app—only through the actual

website. If you prefer, you can print the fee sheet (link above) and

return it to the school with your cheque (made out to PSD70) or cash.

Payment plans are also available on this site.

Blueberry School Council News (BSC)

Hello Parents! I am very excited to start my new role as Blueberry School Council Chair and am looking forward to getting to know all the teachers, parents and other contributors that have made Blueberry the amazing school that it is. Thank-you so much to Patricia Whalen for her part in that. She has been a remarkable asset to the school and has been a major part of the incredible relationship between the

parents, school, teachers and Parkland School Division. I want to wish her luck in her new endeavor and look forward to seeing her at future meetings as an active parent volunteer!

A reminder to all parents about our upcoming meeting on January 21st @ 6:30p.m. in the school library. Sheryl Bridgeman, our principal, will be discussing the Blueberry School PAT test results and the yearly Education Plan. Our School Trustee, Sally Kucher-Johnson, will also be present and will provide an update for Parkland School Division. If you want to get involved, or have any suggestions or concerns relating to Parent Council, please join us at a meeting or email blueberryscchair@psd70.ab.ca.

On behalf of the Blueberry School Council, I would also like to take a moment to extend a Happy Holidays to all students, parents, teachers and staff. The holiday season is about kindness and giving. It’s about family, friends and community. We certainly have all those things at Blueberry School and I am so thankful to be a part of that. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Years!

Malinda Ferris BSC Chair

- Get involved in your child's school - Your opinion matters - Let your voice be heard -

Parkland School Division

HOT LUNCH PROGRAM—including Gr. 9 Farewell

Fundraisers & Caring Kids Hotdog Lunches

January Hotlunch order is available online to order until Friday

January 4th, 2019

Please remember to order Caring Kids Hotdog lunch, as well as

Grade nine Farewell lunch online.

www.blueberryhotlunches.net school code BBHL

Thank you again for your support and if you have any questions or concerns please contact Carmen @

blueberryhotlunch@gmail.com. If you have not registered, please use the school code BBHL.

Please remember to pay by the 15th of the month by Paypal, etransfer, or send money into the school marked

HOTLUNCH.

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2019. Enjoy your holiday season making

memories with your family and friends.

Carmen

Blueberry School Fundraising Committee  Thank you to all the families who participated in our Purdys and Devrys fundraisers! We raised $7440 from our

winter fundraiser.

The next meeting will be January 21st @ 6:10 - right before the Council meeting.

**Don’t forget about our ongoing Fundraisers

* Oliver’s Labels (www.oliverslabels.com/blueberryschool) * Flip Give (www.flipgive.com/f/429820) * Booster Juice Gift Vouchers $5.50 each-to order contact us at blueberryfundraisingcommittee@gmail.com

Keep connected with us on Facebook @BlueberrySchoolFundraisingCommittee

Amanda Adams - Chairperson

McDonalds Receipt Program 

If you head to McDonalds restaurants SAVE THE RECEIPTS! If our school

collects McDonald's receipts, McDonalds will give the school back 10% of

the total dollar value of the receipts collected up to $500.00 yearly.

Funds received will be used for supplies for the whole school, pertaining to daily physical

activity. Please bring in your receipts to the school office.

Parkland School Division

From the Literacy Corner:

Mark your calendar...January 27, 2019, is Family Literacy Day! This is the largest

national family literacy event in Canada. 2019 is a special year, it is the 20th

Anniversary of Family Literacy Day.

This special day encourage parents and important family members to ignite a spark

in their family’s reading and writing skills. By encouraging literacy activities,

parents are modeling that literacy is an important skill to have in life and this will

improve and strengthen the relationships in the family as well as also encourage

lifelong learning!

The Honourary Chair of Family Literacy Day is none other than the award-winning

Canadian author and illustrator, Barbara Reid. To learn more about Family Literacy

Day, please see the following website: http://abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy

There is also a Family Literacy Fact Sheet that may interest you:

https://abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy-fact-sheet

Every Heard of a Book Drop?

A fun, impactful and community minded option to celebrate Family Literacy

Day is a Book Drop. All this involves is rounding up well loved books, placing

them in a ziplock bag, perhaps include a note saying why this is a good book

and simply leave books around your community for someone to find and keep.

You could include a note to say the book was left there on purpose and to pass

it on once it has been read.

If you really get into the book drop idea, you can register your book (for free)

on a website, apply a label to your book and when the book is found, the label will tell the book finder to go online

and then you will see where it ended up! So you could track your book around the world! The website for that is:

https://www.bookcrossing.com/

However you choose to recognize literacy in your home, know that your actions will make a lifelong impact!

Ali White

Collaborative Teaching Partner for Blueberry School

from all of us at Blueberry School

Parkland School Division

Blueberry School

January

2019

Happy New Year - students return on January 7, 2019

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Christmas

Break 1

New Year’s

Day

Christmas Break Christmas Break

6 7

*First Day Back

for students

8 9 *Jr ATB Banking

- Training Day

10 *Ski Club - leave

@ 1:30 pm

11 Day 4

*no school for

Kindergarten

only

12

13

14 *Caring Kids

Hotdog lunch

15 16 *Jr ATB Banking

Day-Grand

Opening

17 18 Day 1 19

20 21 *Talent Show

Auditions for Gr

7 - 9 - pm

*BSFC Mtg-6:10

pm

*BSC Mtg - 6:30

pm

22 *Gr 1 Teachers

Pet In-school

fieldtrip

23 24 25 Day 2

*no school for

Kindergarten

only

26

27 28 Talent Show

Auditions for Gr

1 - 3 - pm

29 *Gr 8 Medieval

Presentation-pm

30 *Jr ATB

Banking/Board

Mtg

31 *Ski Club - leave

@ 1:30 pm

Feb 1 Day 3

Feb 4 *Talent Show

Auditions for Gr

4-6 - pm

*Caring Kids

Hotdog lunch

*Gr 2 in-school

fieldtrip

Parkland School Division