◄ March ~ April 2018 ~ May ►
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 Happy Easter
2 NO SCHOOL
3 School re-opens
4 5 6 7
8 9 10 Kindergarten Vision Screening @ 10:40 ************** Public Library here ************* Guys Read @ lunch
11 Wild Hair Day
12 13 14
15 16 NID DAY No School
17 Guys Read @ lunch
18 Hot Lunch—Pizza
19 20 21
22 Earth day
23 24 Guys Read @ lunch
25 26 Take me outside day *********** Early Dismissal @ 2pm
27 28
29 30 PAC Meeting @ 6:30
Notes:
All school information is also on the
above site
Check out our new website:
https://www.sd6.bc.ca/school/mmes
Please return report card covers,
comment sheets and envelopes.
Thanks
Wow, March was a busy couple of
weeks. Hopefully everyone was able to
enjoy some fun and relaxation. We are
now on the home stretch to the end of
the year. We are all looking forward to
Spring and with it warmer weather for
us all to enjoy.
Guys Read will be starting on Tuesday, April
10th and will con-tinue each Tuesday for 8
weeks. All boys in Gr. 5-7 are welcome to
attend with Ms. Pattie May @ lunch. This programme combines a book club experience with related games, snacks, and creative projects, and engages boys with a variety of reading material (humour, graphic/comic novels, thrillers, science fiction, non-fiction) and activities that make reading social and fun.
FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DESK
Spring has Sprung (or at least it’s trying)!
I always take a moment in April to take a deep breath—to get ready for what
educators call the month of April/May/June. The next three months will come with a
storm of activity for our students, and then the school year will come to an end. Term
three is often a challenge for students as they feel the warmth of Spring calling to
them like a long, lost, friend. For educators, it’s the last academic push. The last
chance to boost academic progress for the school year. For parents, it’s a great time
to ask children what successes children have been proud of this year and to
question them about what they would like to accomplish, academically, by the end of
the school year. Now is not a time to wind down. Take a moment, yourself, to reflect
on the academic gains your child has made this school year. What would you like for
her/him to experience before June? Academic conversations at home can do
wonders for students’ perseverance in this home stretch.
M.M.E.S. Vision - Drafting Committee Formed
Thanks to Laura Favreau and Brenda Danyluk for joining our
M.M.E.S. Visioning Committee. This committee will take a
look at stakeholder feedback and draft a few short vision
statements that communicate what our school community
values. If you’d like to add yourself to the committee, please
email [email protected].
Madeline Rangel and
Kain Langridge
receive medals for their
winning crane design at
the Mega Maker
Regional Skills
Competition in
Cranbrook, B.C. Thanks,
Karl Sindholt for
registering our M.M.E.S.
students in this design
competition!
April, 2018
Join Us In The Classroom:
Click on the above QR Code, or scan
this code with a QR code reader on
your phone or tablet to view a video
from the Mega Maker Regional Skills
Design Competition in Cranbrook last
month!
A message from Alyssan Gauthier
Vice Principal, Martin Morigeau Elementary School
Photo Caption
Join Us In The Classroom:
Don’t forget to click on the link (or scan the
QR code by downloading a free QR Code app
on your phone or tablet) to check out Madelineand Kain as they work on their winning crane
design at the Mega Maker Regional Skills
Design Competition in Cranbrook last month.
Each month, we’ll feature a student video to
profile learning that reflects the Revised BC
Curriculum.
“Learning for Life”
Martin Morigeau Elementary School
Box 69, 4891 Beatty Ave
Canal Flats, B.C. V0B 1B0
Phone: (250) 349-5665
Our focus at M.M.E.S. is real-world,
hands-on, experiential education.
If you have suggestions for how we can
make your child’s learning adventure more
relevant, please let us know!
Marguerite Blanchard and Taya Nesbitt, as well as
Emily Rangel and Ryan Dixon show off their catapult designs!
A Message From Mr. Carriere, Superintendent of Schools, SD6
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Get ready to Share your Thoughts with Thoughtexchange to help us gather the information we need to set District Directions 2023 for Rocky Mountain School District No. 6. District Directions will be the key focus areas for our School District for the next 5 years.
Thoughtexchange is an online learning process that allows us to reach out to all our District partners. This Exchange enables us to hear their thoughts and learn about their priorities.
You will be invited to participate in an Exchange that flows through three steps:
1. Share – answer open-ended questions about education in our District
2. Star – review ideas from other stakeholders and rate the ideas you like best
3. Discover – learn what is important to the community as a whole
You will soon receive an Email invitation to participate from our District. If you haven’t received an Email by April 16, please visit the SD6 website for the Thoughtexchange link to participate or Email [email protected] and request the link to participate.
To learn more about the process visit Thoughtexchange or email [email protected].
Thanks, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Paul Carriere
Superintendent of Schools
Rocky Mountain School District 6 is working hard to bring SOGI (Sexual Orientation Gender Identity) information to parents and students. Check out this link to learn more about SOGI:
Martin Morigeau Elementary School
READY, SET, LEARN
Friday, May 11th, 2018
*Please pass this information on to families you know with three year olds.*
Martin Morigeau Elementary School will be hosting a Ready, Set, Learn event on Friday, May 11h, 2018 from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Children, who will turn three and four years old between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018, and their parents, are invited to attend.
This event is to make early connections with school and community contacts for families with young chil-dren. Families will receive helpful information and an age appropriate book for each three year old to take home.
There will be a presentation and school tour for children and parents, and an opportunity for parents to ask questions about early learning. There will be Circle Time for the children and they will also enjoy some play time and a snack.
Register by phoning Holly Pietrosky @ 250-349-5665 before May 7th, 2018.
Sponsored by: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Ministry of Health Services
Hosted by: School District No. 6 (Rocky Mountain) in partnership with the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy
Love to LearnA programme for parents and their children ages 3-5 years old. This 10 week programme will help parents recognize and support their children’s emerging literacies, and build pre-kindergarten skills. Love to Learn provides shared experiences for children that are centered on fun and engaging play-based learning activities.
K/1 Skating Days
Vermicompost (worm poo!) harvesting A few brave souls from our intermediate class harvest our
vermicompost (worm poo!). To harvest the vermicompost, students
cone the poo (including worms), then take off the tip off of the cone
in stages, as the light-sensitive worms burry to the
bottom of the cone. This worm poo is what we’ve
harvested from feeding our food scraps to our com-
posting worms this year! Vermicompost is amazing,
free and organic, plant fertilizer. We will use it to feed
our school plants and the native plants we will grow
this spring!
Our grade 2/3 class celebrates St. Patrick’s Day in style!
K/1
Ski
Day
Sooo
Much
Fun!!
Grade 2/3 mapping the
school yard and ski day.
Gr. 5-7 At DTSS Basketball Jamboree
The Gr. 5-7 classes from
the district. What a
great opportunity for
our students to meet
and interact with their
upcoming peers!
SKI DAYS
Thank you FHS Ski
Hill and Chris Veen
for all your work
putting this together
for our school!
Career Day
@ DTSS
What’s in the bag?
Spuds in Tubs!
HEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOLS NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2018
Teaching and Learning
Healthy Schools Information Sharing
The following School Districts have a Healthy Schools tab on their websites. Take a look at all
the great information available from: SD 5, SD 8, SD 20,
SD 22, SD 23, SD 27, SD 73, SD 83
Teaching Toolkits
The Interior Health Website now has a section with resources for teachers on a variety of health
related topics. For more information see: Teaching Toolkits.
ABORIGINAL
First Nations Parents Club
The key role of parents in ensuring the educational success of their children
The First Nations Parents Club resource acknowledges the key role that parents play in the
educational success of their children. It also supports the encouragement of First Nations ways
of knowing and First Nations languages, culture, history, experiences, values and beliefs into
the classroom and school environment. The purpose of this resource is to provide an overview
of educational terminology, the roles of various professionals who work within school
communities and the rights of parents in the education system in order to support First
Nations parents in taking an active role in their children's education. While the resource uses
the term “parents” for convenience and simplicity, the information included in the resource is
applicable to grandparents, family members, Elders, guardians, caregivers and all other adults
who contribute to the lives of First Nations Children. The First Nations Parents Club resource
was created by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), and the First
Nations Schools Association (FNSA).
MENTAL HEALTH
Teaching and Learning
Stress Lessons: Tools for Resiliency
A new resource by The Psychology Foundation of Canada for Grades 9-12
Stress can be our friend in moderation, but not if it’s more than we can manage. When our
stress systems get overworked, we are at increased risk for various mental and physical health
problems in the long term and will have a hard time staying focused and doing our best in the
short term.
Stress Lessons: Tools for Resiliency” is full of psychologically-sound strategies and tools, is
designed for education professionals and their partners, who want to help youth develop
resilience – the ability to not just survive but thrive in our exciting and stress-filled world – and
positive coping skills. With components for teachers, counsellors, administrators, parents and
caregivers, it provides a comprehensive approach that will help youth:
Recognize the signs and symptoms of stress;
Understand what stress “feels” like;
Identify stressors and their impact;
See the upside of stress;
Develop/implement coping and problem-solving strategies; and
Foster an increased sense of well-being.
You can access “Stress Lessons: Tools for Resiliency” and other school related resources at
The Psychology Foundation of Canada .
Stress and Children
Even very young children experience stress, and it is important for parents to recognize and
help children learn to deal effectively with it. When we help children take control of their stress,
they begin to build coping skills that will last a lifetime.
It starts with basics: helping children feel connected, providing a stable and happy home
environment, modeling effective stress management, and comforting children when they are
overloaded with stress.
For more information about the impact of stress on children and simple tools and strategies
you can use to help children handle stress effectively, see the Parenting for Life tip sheets
available in 8 different languages.
Additional resources on subjects from sleep to screen time can be found in the Every Mind
Matters Handouts, Parenting for Life Booklets and online at The Psychology Foundation
of Canada .
Foundry
Foundry centres like the one in Kelowna, provide a one-stop-shop for young people to access
mental health care, substance use services, primary care, social services and youth and family
peer supports. They provide safe, non-judgmental care, information and resources, and work to reach young people earlier – before health challenges become problematic. Foundry centres
bring health and social services together in a single place to make it easier for young people to
find the care, connection and support they need.
The foundrybc.ca website, supported by The BC Children’s Hospital, contains the following great resources for parents and teachers throughout BC:
Get Support
Mental Health and Substance Use - Information and Tools
Supporting Others
NUTRITION
Teaching and Learning
Nutrition Month
Nutrition Month 2018 is dedicated to helping Canadians unlock the potential of food. Check
out the Nutrition Month 2018 website for more information and resources such as
factsheets, recipes, etc., that can be used to promote Nutrition Month with parents, teachers
and students.
SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION
Teaching and Learning
Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (formerly CARBC)
Nurturing resilience: a self-directed inquiry group guide was created to support professional learning among educators but may be useful to parents or other adults who
interact with children. This guide supports those who work with children to help them develop
self-regulation and build the competencies needed to survive and thrive in the constantly
changing societies we live in today. Developing self-regulation and cognitive, social and
emotional competencies increases well-being and resilience which decreases the risk of
developing mental, emotional and behavioural health problems later.
Developing the virtue of resilience is fundamental to effective drug education. In contrast to
zero-tolerance drug education that seeks to isolate children from drug use, resilience-based drug education (e.g., iMinds) aims to develop children’s capacity to manage their own well-
being while interacting with environments in which drug use is common.
Resilience is an inclusive concept related to various competencies and capacities. It fits well
with the broader scope of British Columbia’s new K-12 curriculum with its emphasis on core
competencies including critical and creative thinking and “the skills, strategies, and
dispositions that help students to stay healthy and active, set goals, monitor progress, regulate
emotions, respect their own rights and the rights of others, manage stress, and persevere in difficult situations”.
For more information see page 11 on ‘Resilience and the Role of Schools and Teachers.
TOBACCO REDUCTION
Teaching and Learning
Smoking and Video Games
Smoking imagery is not confined to just films. To learn more visit: truthinitiative.org
VIDEO: How the vaping craze is putting the health of our teens at risk
Interior Health’s own Cheryl Sidenberg sits down with Kelowna Now to discuss current vaping issues that are trending with our youth in the Interior.
Watch this 16 minute recording here
First to 5% by 2035
Actions recommended to end tobacco-related deaths in BC and achieve the lowest smoking rate
in Canada requires connecting with today’s biggest group of new tobacco users,15 to 24-year olds. For more information see:
cleanaircoalitionbc.com
Break It Off Contest
Test your knowledge on the reasons to break up with smoking for a chance to win 1 in 5 $1000
Flight Centre gift cards! Hurry, contest ends March 9th. breakitoff.ca
Community Partnerships
IH Tobacco Contacts:
Do you need to reach the Interior Health Tobacco Team? Email: [email protected]
For previous newsletters: Health Promoting Schools Newsletters
Or contact:
Valerie Pitman
RN BN BScPsych
Regional Knowledge Coordinator for Healthy Schools
Maternal, Child and Youth Health - Population Health
Interior Health, Trail, B.C.
email: [email protected] phone: 250-364-6221 www.interiorhealth.ca