NCI Parent Council Monthly 

CAREing Chronicle    

Be Informed...Be Involved! Every parent is a member of the Parent Advisory Council 

by NCI PAC on January 11, 2019  Message from the PAC President:  Happy 2019 to our NCI family members!    The new year ahead brings continued need for parental support                   and we know NCI parents will join us when they can and where                         their passions lie. We have a busy year ahead of us filled with                         resolution-type goals. Keep this list in mind as we move through                     the first month of the year, settle back into routines and set                       resolutions: 

● We need a new Parent Council Executive for the new high school and replacement members for                               the middle school executive - nominations at the February Meeting! 

● We will be involved in planning the grand opening of the new high school - how exciting! ● We have another Staff Appreciation event ahead of us in June (let's show our appreciation with                               

the same success we did in November) ● We are working on exciting plans for our middle school green space and supporting our                             

students with Rain Garden funding ● NCI PAC will run the Tri-Track Canteen again in June. 

Setting new year's resolutions is a tradition that dates back to Julius Caesar. In 46BC he decreed that                                   January 1st would mark the start of a new calendar year, and he invited his subjects to use this                                     changeover to reflect on how they could be better citizens in the year to come. Pretty cool, right? Over                                     2,000 years later, people all over the world still make new year's resolutions, but research shows that                                 only 46% of people manage to keep to their resolutions after six months, and only 12% make it the full                                       year. Some of the reasons behind the failure rate is a lack of planning, spur of the moment decisions,                                     and/or not setting specific achievable goals. Social scientists recommend keeping to just one or two                             resolutions and to avoid repeating past resolutions that have already proved to be frustrating. They                             also say that you are more likely to feel accountable if you write it down and share it with others.    So with that in mind, make us one of your two resolutions and please share!  Peel back the pages of the newsletter, learn a little more as the new year starts and search for another                                       cup of opportunity and winnings! Let 2019 roll forward with success! 

 

THIS MONTH’S TOP STORIES  

S.W.A.T! Niverville SWAT Students Working Against Tobacco & for               Cannabis Awareness (S.W.A.T.) is a grassroots, student led               approach to educate and reduce smoking and vaping in                 Manitoba. This highly effective model stresses student voice and                 engagement. (https://mbswat.com/)     Anyone in grades 9-12 can join who are interested in making a                       difference in discussing the harmful effects of tobacco and                 cannabis. Under the advisement of the teacher champion, Mrs. Mathieu, students learn presentation                         skills and how to take initiative in their group.   This local group is involved by doing presentations in schools and surrounding areas. They also use                               social media such as Youtube and Instagram to get out message out to educate and reduce smoking.                                 Students have recently had a new mandate and script for discussing cannabis awareness. They will be                               starting to present in some of the classes in Phys.Ed. In February or March they intend to have a health                                       fair...stay tuned for more information.  Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtBbK8vMocH28AcequGZS3g?view_as=subscriber  Instagram: nci_swat https://nci.hsd.ca/students/nci-swat/  

 

New High School Update:   Designed by MCM Architects, the new school will span 66,700 sq. ft.                       and include two floor levels. Red Lake Construction (General                 Contractor) will complete the building project in 70 weeks at a base                       cost of $18,450,000.  Serving 450 students, the facility will have regular classrooms, science                   labs, art room, and other specialized spaces such as a learning                     commons, digital learning labs, life-skills suite, and resource areas.                 Building plans   also include a     

multi-purpose room, band room, drama room,           fitness room, and large gymnasium. The new             school will also feature an integrated child-care             centre that will provide up to 74 spaces.  Construction of the school will take place in two                 phases. The first phase will be completed by               September 2019 and include all elements of the               facility with the exception of the drama room,               band room, and child-care facilities. School           spaces not included in the first phase will be                 ready for use by the spring of 2020. New School Webpage – ttps://niverville.hsd.ca 

 

SWAG - Students Working Around the Globe  SWAG (Students Working Around the Globe) is a multi grade (5-12) extra curricular                         group that meets twice a month during lunch hour. Our focus is on both Social                             Justice issues and Environmental Sustainability issues and anyone can join! We meet                       once a month to plan initiatives and             make posters for upcoming events and           once a month to sell Fair Trade hot               chocolate and baking to raise awareness           and money for one of many projects.   

SWAG is run by Ms. Van den Brul and Mrs. Marchadour,                     both grade 7 & 8 teachers. This year our initiatives include                     raising money for MABO Orphanage in Haiti, collecting               high needs items for Siloam Mission, raising awareness               about the importance of buying Fair Trade products, a                 school wide composting program, fundraising for a school               rain garden and the annual town clean up in June. All                     proceeds from our monthly hot chocolate sales go towards MABO Orphanage. This project is two fold,                               while raising money for the orphanage we also hope to raise awareness about buying Fair Trade.  SWAG and Ten Thousand villages join together every December for NCI's Annual Fair Trade festival in                               the library. This is an exciting and educational event for students, staff, parents and community                             members.   During the month of October SWAG and Student Council assigned each class a high needs item on                                 Siloam Mission's list. Students and staff collected             deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, hats,         gloves/mitts and water bottles. It was very successful,               between fifty and one hundred of each item was collected!  Each year the grade seven's are trained to run the                   composting program. Each classroom has a compost pail               and every day after lunch a group of three students                   collects the compost and washes the bins. Our waste                 reduction is substantial! In June all students and staff                 participate in the annual town clean up afternoon.  SWAG is generally a group of ten or less committed                   students that care about important issues relating to social                 justice and the environment. They accomplish a great               service both globally and locally each and every year.       

 

 

 

SAVE THE DATE!   MARCH 9, 2019 7:00 p.m. NCI Gymnasium Stay tuned for more information on how we will build on the fun and                           success of our first Bingo event in October.   

Did you Know? The history of bingo… 

The English archaeologist John Stephens was travelling in Mexico in around 1838. He described in detail                               the game of ‘La Lotteria’. A caller drew numbered balls from a bag and called each in turn. Players used                                       a large sheet of numbers from 1 – 90 lined up in rows of five. As a number was called they used grains of                                               corn to cover that number. Whoever was first to cover a whole row won the purse. Of course this is                                       simply the first recorded instance. It is thought that the British Navy began to play around this time.                                   There was a large garrison stationed in Malta from 1814. And it was quite possibly from the Maltese that                                     they learnt to play. It was definitely being played in the forces by the end of the 1800’s. The Army called                                         it ‘Housey-Housey’ and the Navy ‘Tombola’.  

  

New Attendance Procedure for NCI Please be advised that NCI has reviewed and adjusted their attendance                     procedures. Please note that they changed the time of when they send                       out a message to parents/guardians regarding absent students in the                   morning, and added another automated call and email for the afternoon.                     The message at the end of the day will continue to be sent at 6:00PM. via                               email and phone call.  

Absence or late for the morning  Please contact the school before 9:00AM or you may get a call/email.  

Absence or late for the afternoon  Please contact the school before 1:00PM or you may get a call/email. 

Did you know you can use the HSD Parent Portal to mark your children absent, even in advance for                                     upcoming appointments or vacation? Or continue to make contact with the school office for by calling                               the school at 204-388-4731. If you are emailing please use the school office email at nci@hsd.ca. Feel                                 free to cc the homeroom teacher in the email.   In addition, all students that leave during the day (signing out at the office) will need to be excused by a                                         parent or guardian prior to leaving the school. If your child returns to school late, they need to check in                                       at the office so we can update their attendance record. Once the student has the late slip from the                                     office, they will note the arrival time. 

 

Hello….Goodbye... Just as the English rock band The Beatles wrote in 1967, we will be in a                               position to say 'farewell' to our Grade 8 to 11 students as they make the                             transition to the new high school as well as ‘welcome’ to a new group of                             Grade 4 students who will come over to the newly configured middle school.                         We are hoping to be involved in school tours and parent information nights.                         If you have any suggestions, requests, questions or desire to be involved -                         please come out to a PAC meeting or email your input to                       nciparentcouncil@gmail.com. 

 

 

Stay in Touch!   

School Email - nci@hsd.ca PAC Email – nciparentcouncil@gmail.com  Bookmark the school website! https://nci.hsd.ca/ @NCIHanover #NCICARES 

 

NOW THAT YOU READ THE NEWSLETTER...CONTEST TIME!!  The first person to email NCIPARENTCOUNCIL@GMAIL.COM with the answer will win one FREE CUP of COFFEE from Bistro 290! Q:                           “Where was the English archaeologist John Stephens travelling when he                   played his first game of Bingo?” (HINT: March 9th will be a blast!)  

Last month’s winner: Denise Poetcker!  

 

Calendar of PAC Events   

  

Event  Date  Volunteer Details 

Student Social Event  TBA - venue needed  10-20 volunteers 

Celebration of Learning  March 20 4:00-6:00p.m.  4 volunteers for the kiosk 

Bingo!  March 9 - 7:00-9:00p.m.  10-20 volunteers (canteen, setup) 

May Band Concerts  Gr.5 - May 8 7:00 p.m. Gr.6 - May 9 7:00 p.m. Gr.9-12 - May 23 7:00 p.m. 

4 volunteers for the kiosk each night 

Sr. Year Drama Production  May 29-31  4 volunteers for the kiosk 

June Concert  Gr. 7 & 8 - June 3 7:00 p.m.  4 volunteers for the kiosk 

Gr. 4 Parent Welcome Night 

June TBA  4 volunteers for the kiosk 

Staff Appreciation  June   Stay tuned for details 

Tri-School Track and Field  June 6  6 volunteers (2 shifts; 9am-12, 12pm-3) 

 

VISIT OUR PARENT COUNCIL WEBPAGE AT https://nci.hsd.ca/parents/pac/