Mr. Allan Osadchy, Principal Date: May 25, 2016 Miss Jil Ashton-Leigh, Vice-Principal Mrs. Debbie Tablotney, School Assigned Trustee Tel: (604) 668-6133 Fax: (604) 668-6517 Mrs. B. Khoo and Mrs. D. Groumoutis, PAC Co-Chairs Early Warning: (604) 668-6691 Mrs. Kathyrn D’Angelo, Area Assistant Superintendent website: http://mckinney.sd38.bc.ca

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Important Dates to Remember- Mark Your Calendars! May 26-27 “Me to We” Bake Sale May 26 RAM Meeting May 30 Track Assembly May 31 Track and Field Meet (gr. 4 – 7) Bike Rodeo June 2 Fruit and Veggie Day J June 8 Band Concert @ 10:45 a.m. Hot Lunch June 16th Crosswalk Patrollers’ Pizza Lunch June 17 Sports/Fun Day (Rainout Day is June 20th) June 24 Recognition Assembly Family Picnic June 27 Third Term Reports Home June 28 Farewell Assembly June 29 Pro D (school not in session) June 30 Admin Day July 4 - 8 General Office is Open Aug 29 –Sept 2 General Office is Open Principal’s Message: It is hard to believe that the month of May is nearly over! Our final month of this school year - June is just around the corner. Where has the time gone? In our last month together, students will be involved in a variety of special activities and events such as Sports Day, Farewell assemblies and year end field trips. Please see the calendar of events and read on for details on more McKinney news. Ongoing Events:

Staff Appreciation Luncheon: Our parents prepared a delicious luncheon for our staff on Wednesday, May 18th. Everyone enjoyed this and we would like to thank all the parents who organized this for our staff. Special thanks to chef’s Mrs. Michelle Li, Mrs. Susie Thomas, Mrs. Leanne Santha, Mrs. Rula Mielke and to the many parents who brought treats for the recess snack as well. McKinney’s PAC are awesome! Welcome to Kindergarten: Parents and their children who will be starting Kindergarten in September 2016 were invited to our Welcome to Kindergarten event that was held on Tuesday, May 10th from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Special thanks to Mrs Thom, Mrs. Grewal, Ms. Campbell, Ms. Leung, Mrs. Thompson and Ms. Green for their assistance with this special event.

Parent Volunteer Tea: Parents enjoyed our recent Volunteer Tea that was held on Thursday, May

5th. Thank you to our student greeters, servers, musicians and artists for their help. We also want to thank Mrs. Charnell, Mrs. Grewal and Mrs. Sood for their assistance in organizing this wonderful event. New Adventure Playground Opening: On Friday, May 13th, our wonderful PAC Playground

Committee organized an exciting official opening of our much appreciated and well-used adventure playground. A BIG thanks to Valerie Stillwell, Leanne Santha and Michelle Li for planning and organizing this special event.

Fort McMurray Fundraiser: Our “Me to We” group has organized a fundraiser for the victims of the Fort McMurray fire in Alberta. This fundraiser ran until May 20th and together, our

James McKinney Newsletter News From the Eagle’s Nest!

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school community raised an amazing $1814.47! Thank you to all the staff, students and parents who so generously donated. May 31st Track and Field: Track Attack practices are now completed and individual practices have been held before school, lunch hours and after school with students in grades 4 to 7. A reminder to parents that the Track Meet will be held on Tuesday, May 31st. Thanks to all of our staff for assisting with coaching and a special thanks to Ms. Green for coordinating Track Attack this year. PAC Executive: The P.A.C. executive elected for the 2016-17 school year will be: Co-chairs: Mrs. B. Khoo Mrs. D. Groumoutis Treasurer: Mrs. L. Santha Secretary: Mrs. M. Surma Student Placements for 2016-17: At this time of the year, the staff at our school has started to gather and share information about students from many sources to help us in determining the best placement for all children. We are restricted by grades that are assigned to divisions (based on student numbers), and at times there are few options. We do, however, devote time, care, and effort in determining September placements. This includes information about children’s strengths and needs, their social relationships, their interests, their learning styles, and previous placements. We understand that sometimes parents are able to provide the school with new information about their child. Parental Input Each year, students are placed into classes by the Principal after consultation with teachers. Should parents wish to describe the learning situation they feel best suits their children, or other factors which might influence placement (if there is an opportunity for multiple placements), we ask that a letter or email be directed to Mr. Osadchy by Friday June 17, 2016. (aosadchy@sd38.bc.ca) We ask that parents do not request specific teaching personal for various sensitive and ethical reasons. Teaching assignments for the coming year have not been made and are seldom confirmed before September. All information will be shared with staff; there will be no private and confidential information with respect to class placement. Sports/Fun Day: Students are excited about the upcoming Sports Day that will be held on Friday, June 17th. In the event of poor weather the rainout date for Sports Day will be Monday, June 20th. Grade 7 Luncheon and Dance: Students in grade 7 will be treated to a special Farewell Luncheon and Dance on Monday, June 27nd from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. We would like to extend a huge thank you to our Gr. 7 parent volunteers for their support in organizing this special and delicious event.

Year End Assemblies There are two important year-end assemblies that parents may wish to attend. First, there will be a Recognition Assembly held in the gym on Friday, June 24th at 10:00 a.m. Here, students will be honored for their participation and assistance in a variety of areas within our school community. The Family Picnic will be held after the break beginning at 11:45 a.m. and ending at 12:45 p.m. Finally, on Tuesday, June 28th we will be having our Farewell Assembly in the gym at 1:30 p.m. At this time, we will be saying farewell to the grade 7 students, and to the staff who will be leaving us at the end of June. We hope you can join us. Notice of Late Return: Parents should note that any children who will be returning to school after the Wednesday, Sept. 7th deadline must complete a notice of late return form. This form is to be completed for any student(s) who expect, for critical extenuating reasons, to return to their assigned school no later than 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7th and on or BEFORE Friday, September 16th. A strong start to the school year is very important for students therefore, parents are reminded that student absence from school can have a negative affect on establishing connections, on understanding school and classroom expectations and routines, on levels of achievement and on learning opportunities. Parents, please note, that this notice has been attached to this newsletter and sent with students on Wednesday, May 25th.

This form must be submitted to the school principal before June 24th. In the event of an unforeseen family circumstance occurring on or after July 4th that causes an unexpected late return to the school, the parent must advise the school as soon as possible by fax or letter so that the student’s place in the school may be reserved.

Professional Development Days 2016/2017: Next year, our school will be having professional development days on the following dates: September 26th, October 21st, December 5th, February 24th, May 1st and June 29th. Unless otherwise indicated, all days are full day non-instructional days. Be sure to mark these dates on your calendar! Curriculum Implementation Day: The next Curriculum Implementation day will be held on Friday, November 18th. School will not be in session on this date. PAC and RAM info: RAM Meeting: The next R.A.M. meeting will be held on Thursday, May 26th at 7:00 p.m. McKinney Elementary school. ON-GOING INFO. & REMINDERS:      

Summer  Program:  Tomorrow's   Topkids   Summer   Adventures   2016   is  now   open!   This   program   fills   up   quickly   so   do   not  delay   in   registering,   information   can   be   found  at  www.ttk.org  or   contact   us   at   604-­‐437-­‐4744.  Registration  for  the  school  year  is  ongoing.   Parking Along Lassam Road: A friendly reminder to McKinney parents please do not block our neighbour’s driveways. We have several parents who continue to park on Lassam Road and park their cars blocking some residents’ driveways. Let’s all remember to be respectful of our neighbours. Updating Email Addresses: It is very important that the school have everyone’s current email address and phone numbers. Please remember to inform the school office if you make a change. Hot Lunch Days at McKinney: The following is a list of the dates for hot lunches for the remainder of the school year: June 8th and June 22nd . Hot Lunch Reminder: All orders must be in at least 7 days before the lunch date so that orders can be processed on time. Please be advised that if your child is ill on a lunch date, you are welcome to come and pick up their lunch but we cannot keep the food for them for the next day. Consistent with previous years, there are NO REFUNDS as this is a PAC fundraiser. We appreciate your support for our hot lunch program as the funds go towards general fundraising within the school.  Paper copies of the orders are now available at the office for your convenience. We are always in need of volunteers. There is a volunteer page in the online system where you can checkmark which dates you are available or you can email Dora at Theodora.groumoutis@gmail.com. Thanks to Mrs. Groumoutis and her parent helpers for their ongoing assistance in organizing our hot lunch program. Parents can go to our school website @http://McKinney.sd38.bc.ca and click on the Munchalunch link for further information about how to order hot lunches for their children.

PEDs (Personal Electronic Devices) @ McKinney

At McKinney, we believe that valuable items should be left at home as we cannot guarantee their safety, this includes all personal electronic devices (PEDs). Students are encouraged and strongly advised that any cell phones, iPods, or other electronics (that assist in learning or for emergency purposes) brought to school must be stored away safely in their backpacks, unless their teacher has given students permission or has specified and informed parents (such as in a note sent home at the start of the school year) that the item is being used for educational purposes during class time. Such items as mentioned above may be unpacked once they leave school at the end of the school day. James McKinney School cannot be held responsible for lost or broken electronic devices. The staff at McKinney School continue to encourage children to play inclusive outdoor games and activities at recess and lunch breaks that don’t exclude others – something that ‘electronic games’ can and often do. In order to use any technology safely, please make sure that you have read the pamphlet distributed to all families in September entitled, Common Sense Technology Use. For safety and security purposes, all Intermediate students’ musical instruments must be taken home at the end of each ‘instrumental music’ day. Thank you for your continued co-operation and understanding regarding these important matters.

Ongoing Information… Interesting Links:

http://www.bcedplan.ca (BC’s Education Plan)

www.bccpac.bc.ca (B.C. Confederation of PACs)

www.gov.bc.ca (Ministry of Education)

http://McKinney.sd38.bc.ca McKinney School Website

www.sd38.bc.ca Richmond School District #38

Please bookmark this page (http://McKinney.sd38.bc.ca) as our office is joining the Eco-Eagles in the quest to help make our community greener!