Community Afterschool Programs

PRO D DAY TOMORROW - NO SCHOOL Principal’s Report By now you should feel like your children are back into full swing with the school year and that we are all back to a place in which the routines and rhythms of a school day are a part of our daily ex-istence. It is hard to believe that we are approaching the end of October. As you are aware interim reports came home last Friday. Hopefully you found those valuable in preparation for Wednesday’s parent teacher conferences. If you were unable to attend, but are hoping to talk to your child’s teachers, please do not hesitate to contact teachers by email to see how you can support your child’s learning at home.

Despite the perception that things are coming at us at light speed, I have to say that this has been a fantastic month of school, and I am so impressed with the level of engagement from students and teachers. There are many amazing things happening, and they all translate into great experiences for our students. Whether that be new experiential learning opportunities in explorations classes, en-gagement in band or choir, participation in extracurricular athletics programs, building connections in RV’s, taking advantage of the after school offerings through our community school programs, or being a part of a stimulating classroom environment, there are so many fantastic ways in which your children can grow and challenge themselves here at Pitt River.

On the topic of great things happening, I want to thank you all for your generosity in our fundrais-ing efforts for the Terry Fox Run this year. As a community, we were able to make a donation of over $3500.00 to help support cancer research. It was pretty powerful, as we were out running around our track, to know that we were on the very same track that Terry trained on for his Mara-thon of Hope. Congratulations to M. Mackenzie and his Athletic Leadership Council for their hard work on the planning and execution of the event.

As well, this past Wednesday, we had the amazing opportunity to send 20 of our Leadership stu-dents to be inspired at WE Day with Mme. Chappell. Those students, under the guidance of Mme. Chappell, will be spending the rest of this year acting out their inspiration and will work together to make a difference for others through global and local initiatives.

I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of this community, and I firmly believe that your children are as well.

Student Drop off and Pick up In the beginning of the year we sent out a detailed diagram to outline our student drop off and pick up process. I am very appreciative of the cooperation that we have received from our parent com-munity. As we move into the wet rainy season there is a temptation to drive your children right to the door. I have to ask again that you refrain from driving into the staff parking area as there is not a turnabout at the end. Please drop off/pick up your children before the staff parking entrance. Our primary consideration is student safety and we appreciate your assistance with this. PRO D DAY Just a reminder that this Friday, Oct. 24, is a Pro D Day - School not in session. .

Home of the Mighty Voyageurs

OCTOBER 23, 2014

CALENDAR REMINDER FOR OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

Oct. 24 - PRO D DAY - SCHOOL NOT IN SESSION

Nov. 7 - Remembrance Day Assembly 10:45-11:45

Nov. 10-11 - Remembrance Days

Nov. 12 - PAC Mtg., 7pm Nov. 14 - “I” letters home

Coordinator - Heather Roemer Programmer - Dasha Belskaya

Phone : 604-942-0267 Phone - 604-464-0207

Email - hroemer@sd43.bc.ca - dbelskaya@sd43.bc.ca

Principal - Steve Roos Vice Principal - Pam Becker

Phone - 604-942-0267

Fax - 604—937—8048 Email - sd43.bc.ca/pittriver

Pitt River Middle School 2070 Tyner Street Port Coquitlam, B.C. V3C 2Z1

Inside this issue…….. Calendar Reminder

From the Principal

School Happenings

An Invitation For You

Neighbourhood Happenings

REMINDER RE CHECKING IN

We are asking that parents check in at the office if they have lunches, homework or just wish to speak to their child. Going directly to the classroom while class is in session causes an interruption to the flow of the lesson as the teacher has to stop teaching. The office staff would be very happy to have your child come to the office to see you or to pick up items, etc.

BAND NEWS

Band and Choir is in full swing and our choir students are all set to make their first presentation at the Official Grand Opening of our school on Mon-day, October 27th. They will also perform at the Remembrance Day Assembly. Way to go, students Maestro Lambert

SCHOOL HAPPENINGS

YEARBOOKS

Yearbooks are available to purchase for $40 until December 19 at the office. The price will increase in January!

Every student will be in the yearbook at least 3 times. Don’t miss out!

LEADERSHIP Leadership is excited to get the year up and running with all the fun activities we have planned! Coming soon is our Haunted House, which will be $2 or a food donation in original packaging as an entry fee. All proceeds are going to SHARE to help put an end to hunger in our community. This month we will also attend We Day, which is always an ex-citing concert for social change! We are planning to start our Rendezvous Challenges where each RV competes against another in a friendly morning game. This should be start-ing soon after the Haunted House!

PHOTO RETAKES

JUST A REMINDER THAT PHOTO RETAKE DAY IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD.

COMMUNITY SCHOOL FREE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM Participants have the chance to play a variety of games & activities, regardless of skill or fitness level. These FREE or low cost programs are open to all youth grades 5-8. Each program has a different activity focus, so connect with the school directly or Youth Services for additional information 604-927-7962 or 604-927-7938.

NOTE: Starts on September 20th. Program will not run on District wide Pro-D Days, statutory holidays & are subject to cancella-tion due to school functions.

Fridays 3-4:45p m Pitt River Middle

In partnership with Step-by-Step, the United Way, and the School District, Port Coquitlam Youth Services provides fun, FREE, safe, and supervised activities in various schools throughout the community. All programs strive to incorporate leadership, mentor-ship, skill development, as well as community & environmental projects.

You are Invited to Join the Pitt River Parent Book Club! One of the things we have traditionally done as a staff is to choose a book that is relevant

to our practice and meet once a month to discuss a chapter. We have found it to be a valua-

ble practice and a way to strengthen connections and deepen understanding, through the

process of reading, sharing, and listening to new perspectives.

In next month’s newsletter I will highlight our school goals, of strengthening feelings of

connection and belonging, and strategies to develop them. One of the hopes is that we can

approach our goals as a community, and as such we would like to formally invite you as

parents to participate in a “Parent Book Club”. The meetings would take place once a month at the school (6:00

in the library) for an hour prior to the PAC meeting. The book we have selected is “Brainstorm: The Power and

Purpose of the Teenage Brain” by Daniel J. Siegel MD. The book is written in a very reader friendly manner and

is intended for parents and teens. I have included the following excerpt from Amazon.com for more infor-

mation:

In this New York Times–bestselling book, Dr. Daniel Siegel shows parents how to turn one of the most

challenging developmental periods in their children’s lives into one of the most rewarding.

Between the ages of 12 and 24, the brain changes in important, and oftentimes maddening, ways. It’s no wonder

that many parents approach their child’s adolescence with fear and trepidation. According to renowned neuro-

psychiatrist Daniel Siegel's New York Times bestseller Brainstorm, if parents and teens can work together to

form a deeper understanding of the brain science behind all the tumult, they will be able to turn conflict into con-

nection and form a deeper understanding of one another.

In Brainstorm, Siegel illuminates how brain development impacts teenagers’ behavior and relationships. Draw-

ing on important new research, he explores exciting ways in which understanding how the teenage brain func-

tions can help parents make what is in fact an incredibly positive period of growth, change, and experimentation

in their children’s lives less lonely and distressing on both sides of the generational divide.

Please RSVP by email to me (Mr. Roos) at sroos@sd43.bc.ca to indicate your interest in participating. The cost

for the book club is $20.00 (includes a copy of the book and snacks) please make cheques payable to Pitt River

Middle by October 31st, with a note in the memo line reading “Book Club”.

AN INVITATION FOR YOU…………….

SCHOOL OFFERINGS

COMMUNITY SCHOOL AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS

CRAFTY- CUSINE Get crea ve with cooking in a way that adds an artsy flare to your favorite recipes. Prac cing and playing with different dishes in the art of pla ng and presen ng give a fun new light to making food that both tastes great and looks equally as appe zing. This course looks to expand your culinary repertoire and challenge tra-di onal methods of food prepara on and presenta on in conjunc on with fun art projects.

Dates: November 18 – December 9 Time: 3:15 – 4:45 PM

Cost: $25.00 Register online at: http://www.karelo.com/register.php?BID=537&BT=10&Ev=14658 Register via paper registration by downloading the registration forms online on the Pitt

River “Community Programs’ page. OPEN GYM- FREE! Participants have the chance to play a variety of games & activities, regardless of skill or fitness lev-el. These FREE or low cost programs are open to all youth grades 5-8. Each program has a different activity focus, so connect with the school directly or Youth Services for additional information 604-927-7962 or 604-927-7938.

NOTE: Starts on September 20th. Program will not run on District wide Pro-D Days, statutory holi-days & are subject to cancellation due to school functions.

Fridays 3-4:45p m Pitt River Middle

In partnership with Step-by-Step, the United Way, and the School District, Port Coquitlam Youth Ser-vices provides fun, FREE, safe, and supervised activities in various schools throughout the communi-ty. All programs strive to incorporate leadership, mentorship, skill development, as well as communi-ty & environmental projects.

Proudly Presents

“Creating Calm and Keeping Balance: Tools and Strate-

gies for a Healthy Family Life” An Evening with

Don Lasell, M.A. Registered Clinical Counsellor Thursday, November 20, 2014

6:45 – 8:30 p.m. Riverside Secondary School

2215 Reeve Street, Port Coquitlam

Cost: $5/adult or $8/couple Free childminding available with

Registration at ssfspe@gmail.com By November 14, 2014

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

POCO Skating Club

Come Skate With Us!

We have been in your community since 1969 We are located at the Port Coquitlam Rec Complex

CanSkate - boys & girls – Skate Canada’s National Learn To Skate Program

Hockey Skating Skill Development (boys & girls - hockey 2 –

midget)

Junior Academy

StarSkate/Competitive – private & group lessons

NEW: Youth Syncho – age 12 & under

Off-Ice Conditioning & Development

We offer on-going registration. Please Contact for Further Details: Visit us at www.pocofigureskatingclub.com

Email: pocofsc@gmail.com Voicemail: 604.641.8500

NEIGHBOURHOOD HAPPENINGS