schools new sarepta elementary november 2015...
TRANSCRIPT
NOVEMBER CALENDAR: 1 - Daylight Savings
Begins; Fall back 1 hr.
2 - The NED Show @ 2:00 p.m.
4 - Early dismissal @ 2:30 p.m.
. - L.A.C. mtg @ 6:00 p.m.
5 - Remembrance Day .
. Assembly @ 10:30 @ NSCHS
11 - Remembrance Day
NO SCHOOL
12 & 13 - Mid-term Break:
NO SCHOOL
16-School Council meeting (7:00)
18 - Operation Christmas
Child Shoebox due
20 - Report cards sent home
20 - School Picture retakes 24 - *Pick-up Stawnichy Meat
Orders
24 & 26 - Parent/Teacher
Interviews
24 - Gr. 1—3 Skating begins:
Nov. 24, 26, Dec. 1, 3, 9, & 11
27 - PD Day - NO SCHOOL
Dec. 2 - Early Dismissal (2:27) & LAC @ 6:30 pm
NEW SAREPTA ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
REMEMBRANCE DAY ASSEMBLY Our annual Remembrance Day assembly will be held on Thursday, November 5
at 10:30 a.m. at the New Sarepta Community High School. Parents are welcome
to attend. We ask students who belong to service clubs to wear their uniforms; all
other students are asked to dress nicely for this special occasion. We would like to
thank the High School for hosting this assembly. Also, a very special thank you to the
Leduc Legion for being a part of our assembly as we take time to acknowledge the
courage and sacrifice of those who serve and/or have served our country, and
recognize our responsibility to work for the peace they fought so hard to achieve.
REPORT CARDS &
INTERVIEWS Report cards will go home on Friday,
November 20. Interview dates are
Tuesday, November 24 and Thursday,
November 26 from 3:45 - 8:00 p.m.
If you are unable to make the
interview times scheduled for you,
please return possible alternate times
on the bottom of the interview
schedule that will soon be sent home.
Parent-teacher interviews are a
valuable tool to help you and your
child's teacher(s) work together
towards your child's school success.
This is a wonderful opportunity to ask
questions and gather information that
will help you encourage
your child(ren) to achieve.
Students are encouraged to
attend the interviews with their
parents. Our goal is to help your child
be as successful as possible. Your
child’s presence at the interview helps
to set up attainable goals.
Principal: Mrs. Hafso
Email:
Phone: 780-941-3927
Fax: 780-941-2129
School website:
http://nses.blackgold.ca/
780-955-6025
Nurturing Success & Excellence
NOVEMBER 2015
BLACK GOLD REGIONAL
SCHOOLS
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Our school is once again participating in
Operation Christmas Child. The deadline for
having the boxes at the school is November
18th. Shoeboxes are available at the school.
Thank you for supporting this wonderful,
heartwarming cause!
2015/2016 SCHOOL FEES DUE Kindergarten: $110.00
Grades 1—6: $60.00
Instructional Resource fees are now past due.
Online payments can be made through the
PowerSchool Parent Portal, or by cheque to
New Sarepta Elementary School. If you
require assistance in setting up your
PowerSchool login please contact the office.
KINDERGARTEN FEES are to be paid by
cheque and are to a made payable to New Sarepta Kindergarten (no online payments
are available to pay Kindergarten fees). *If you require a payment plan, for either of
the above fees please contact Mrs. Hafso.
VOLUNTEERS Thanks to all the
wonderful volunteers
who take time to help at
our school. We greatly
appreciate your support and
the difference you make!!
RETAKE DAY is NOV. 20th. Please return your child’s school pictures
on or before this date if you would like
retakes. Children who were absent on
picture day may also have their picture
taken. Please notify your child’s teacher
if you would like retakes done.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT PREPARATIONS
This month the students from K-6 will be
preparing for this year’s Christmas Concert.
Please mark your calendars for Wednesday,
December 16 at the New Sarepta Elementary
School Gymnasium to attend this very special
event. There will be a dress rehearsal the
morning of December 16 and a performance in
the afternoon (1:30 p.m.) and evening (7:00
pm). Tickets will be sent home to each family
closer to Parent/Teacher Interviews.
STUDENT OF THE MONTH Congratulations to the following
students for being chosen for
their proactive ways - being
responsible and prepared, for the
month of October.
1H - Laura Doucet
1KQ - Lily Strynadka
2BJ - J.T. Preston
2H - Rayner Beerwort
3H - Megan Wieling
3S - Madyson Lingnau
4SB - Chloe Buyzat
4/5H - Taylor Wieling
5E - Danni Sogale
6BQ - Mason Ross
Thank you all for being such great
role models in our school!
The Student of the Month theme
for November is Habit #2 of the
Seven Habits of Star Student Behaviour which is “Begin With
the End in Mind”. We will be
discussing with students the
importance of: planning ahead and
setting goals, looking for ways to
be a good citizen, and doing things
that have meaning and make a
difference. Students chosen for
the “Student of the Month”
receive certificates and an
opportunity to have hot lunch
with the principal.
PUMPKIN CONTEST We would like to thank the New
Sarepta Agricultural Society for
judging our Pumpkin Contest and for
donating $100.00 toward the book
prizes. We certainly appreciate the
support of the New Sarepta Ag.
Society!
Thank you to all the students who
participated in this contest. We had
some very impressive and creative
entries. The winners of this year’s
pumpkin contest were:
LARGEST HOMEGROWN PUMPKIN:
1st - Aiyanna & Claire Loren
2nd - Jayson Rouncville
3rd - Adrian Soch
BEST CARVED (Individual):
Div. I 1st - Rush Abraham
2nd - Ty Nessler
3rd - Morgan Knight
Div. II 1st - Carlah Russell
2nd - Tyler McLean
3rd - Chloe Buyzat
BEST DECORATED (Individual):
Div. I 1st - Riley Smith
2nd - Mannix Burns
3rd - Brooklyn Jones
Div. II 1st - Cole Hayhurst
2nd - Sam Polei
3rd - Makenna Buote
BEST CARVED & DECORATED
(Group Category):
1st - Aiyanna & Claire Loren
NEW SAREPTA ELEMENTARY STUDENTS SUCCEED! Page 2
NOVEMBER CALENDAR Please note that there is no school
for students on the following days:
November 11 - Remembrance Day
November 12 & 13 - Mid-term
Break
November 27 - ATA Institute Day
FIRE SAFETY WEEK Special thanks to the New Sarepta
Volunteer Fire Dept. for educating
our students on fire safety at the
firehall and for offering us a fire
safety contest. It was a great
learning experience for us all!
The winners of the New Sarepta
Volunteer Fire Dept. Fire Safety
Week Contest were:
Fire Chief: Jorja Enright
Captain: Donovan Grover
Lieutenant: Katie Woods
These students will be taken for a
ride in the New Sarepta Fire truck
and treated to a special lunch with
our volunteer firefighters! A special
thank you to Lieutenant Clayton
Fichtner for organizing this special
educational event.
Congratulations also goes out to
Mrs. Laurie, Mrs. Schmaltz &
Mr. Hay for winning the staff fire
hall competition!
BELL SCHEDULE
A reminder that school starts at
8:35 a.m. for Gr. 1 - 6, and 8:32a.m.
for Kindergarten. Students in
town, or being dropped off, are
asked to arrive no sooner than
8:20 a.m. Lunch recess is from
11:56-12:19 p.m. and lunch is from
12:20-12:42 p.m. For families in
town wanting students to go home
for lunch, forms are available in the
office to make this arrangement.
Dismissal time is at 3:12 p.m. As
well, the first Wednesday of each
month, except for September, is
early dismissal which is 2:27 p.m.
Accelerated Reader(AR™) Program
New this year, our AR Program is online. This has opened up reader choice
exponentially! The majority of the books in our library now have a
corresponding AR quiz, as the online program is continually being updated to
provide quizzes for most newly published books. We are very fortunate to
have this progress monitoring program which purpose is to provide reading
practice to motivate and accelerate student reading skills.
If you have any questions regarding the AR Program, please feel free to
contact your child’s teacher or visit the Accelerated Reader website at
www. renaissance.com/products/accelerated-reader.
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS Thank-you to everyone who attended the meeting on October 19th.
Please remember to check your school calendar on the front page of
the newsletter for upcoming events in November. Everyone is always
welcome to attend our School Council/PIIE meetings.
Our next meeting is scheduled for November 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
PIIE - Partners Involved In Education The draft budget has been approved for the 2015-2016 school year.
Our first fundraiser was STAWNICHY MEATS. Thank you to
everyone who participated as it has resulted in another very successful
fundraiser for our students and school! *NEW THIS YEAR - All
Stawnichy orders are to be picked up at the front entrance of the
school during Parent/Teacher interviews on November 24 - the one
night only, from 3:45 - 8:00 p.m. (This is due to our limited storage
space for frozen food). Any questions or comments regarding
fundraising can be directed to Corbie Walters at (250)204-6288.
HOT LUNCH REMINDER
Each hot lunch will require one or two coupons.
Coupons can be purchased at the office ($20.00 for 10).
Students may also bring in $2.00 / $4.00 on order day.
ORDERS FOR HOT LUNCH MUST BE TAKEN ON THE TUESDAY PRIOR TO HOT LUNCH DAYS.
Hot lunch is delivered on FRIDAYS.
No extra orders will be given out on Fridays.
Additional food should be sent with your child on hot lunch days as it is NOT a complete meal. *** If you can help out on Friday with hot lunch, please contact the school.
Special thanks to PIIE for making this program possible, with kudos to Mary Knight, Crystal Murch, Stacy Helsby, Friday volunteers, and The New Sarepta Market and Cathy Foster!
ONLINE RESOURCES FOR PARENTS & STUDENTS:
BLACK GOLD’S ENGAGING STUDENTS WEBSITE -
http://engagingstudents.blackgold.ca/
This website provides numerous online resources for students
correlated to the Alberta programs of study. For extra practice or
study be sure to check out this well-known and well-used website!
Learn Alberta.ca is a website that supports lifelong learning by
providing online resources to the Kindergarten to Gr. 12 community in
Alberta. Students, teachers, and parents can use this site to find
multimedia learning resources that are correlated to the Alberta
programs of study. Students, parents and staff of Black Gold Regional
schools are authorized to use LearnAlberta http://www.learnalberta.ca/
To access these resources you need to use Black Gold’s codes:
ID: LA03 Password: 8049
My Child’s Learning & Curriculum Express
My Child’s Learning is a new online resource that provides up-to-date
information about what children in Grades K—12 are learning, the
resources available to help them, and how they might be assessed.
It can be found at: www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/
Curriculum Express for Parents provides a short explanation of school
and what students learn in Kindergarten to Grade 3. This online
resource can be found at:
http://www.education.alberta.ca/parents/resources/express.aspx
CAMPBELL SOUP LABELS & CANADIAN TIRE MONEY Please continue to collect and send in these two items. We are able to
purchase various educational and sports items for our school programs.
Special thanks to the Martel family for volunteering to count the soup
labels. It is greatly appreciated!
POPCAN TABS - Our school also collects popcan tabs which are donated
for recycling. The money raised from the recycling is then put towards the
making of wheelchairs. Popcan tabs may be handed into the office.
Hot Lunch Schedule - 2015
November 6 Cheese pizza 1 Coupon
November 13 No School
November 20 Subs - Ham or
Turkey 2 Coupon
November 27 No School
December 4 Cheese pizza 1 Coupon
December 11 Hot Dogs 1 Coupon
December 18 Chilli &
Homemade Bun
2 Coupon
Keeping Kids Safe in the Internet Age The ÉLJHS School Council would like to invite all BGRS parents to attend the "Keeping Kids Safe in the Internet Age" parent workshop to be held on Thursday, November 19th from 6:00 to 8:30pm at École Leduc Junior High School (4412-48 St, Leduc). This workshop was designed for parents of all school aged children. How to Register: - Online www.leducparentconnect.com until November 16, 2015 - By telephone 780-914-5207 Onsite Registration begins at 6:00 pm
NEW SAREPTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Page 4
PE NEWS Basketball Season begins!
To coincide with the District
tournament dates basketball started in
October. Grade 3-6 students will have
the opportunity to participate in bas-
ketball intramurals, while try-outs for
our basketball teams will take place for
Gr. 5 & 6 students. The basketball
teams will practice during recess times,
and participate in a tournament in
Leduc in November and January. We
are looking forward to a great season!
GYM CLOTHES Please be sure to label your
child’s gym clothes so that we can
promptly return items that are
left behind in the change room.
A reminder, as well, to be sure
your child is bringing his/her gym
clothes home to be washed on a
regular basis.
WRISTBAND CHALLENGE
Did you know 60 minutes of daily activity helps reduce stress and can boost brain power?
The Leduc Recreation Center (LRC)
is offering students a chance to win 2
free pass to the LRC (one child and
one adult pass)!
Students are asked to write their
name on any used wristband from a
recreational facility and enter in the
draw box in the school office for a
chance to win. A draw will be made once
a month.
Don’t miss this opportunity to have fun
with friends and family, and enjoy the
benefits of being healthy and active! For more information on the Leduc Recreation Centre call 780-980-7120 or visit
www.leducleisure.com
The New Sarepta Elementary S.W.A.T. (Student Wellness Action
Team) has now formed for the
2015-16 school year. This group
of Grade 5 & 6 students will meet
weekly with Ms. Beaumont and
Mrs. Hiller to discuss school goals,
as well as plan events and activi-
ties to lead our students and staff
in the four areas of a healthy
school community – healthy eating,
active living, healthy relationships,
and a positive social environment.
RAINBOW LUNCHESW
As part of Healthy Active Schools, New Sarepta Elementary School has
goals to ensure that our students are meeting their nutritional needs.
Beginning in November, we will be focusing on healthy lunches. The students
will each have a “Rainbow Lunch” card. Teachers will be checking lunches
once or twice each week. If a student has at least one item from each food
group of Canada’s food guide in his or her lunch, the teacher will stamp the
card. Once the card has 5 stamps, it is entered into a draw. At the end of
each week, 20 students will be drawn to win a free-style lunch recess in the
gym.
If anyone would like more information on Canada’s Food Guide, there are
print materials available at the school, or on-line at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/
fn-an/food-guide-aliment/order-commander/index-eng.php
The Healthy Active Student
Symposium (HASS) was held
on October 27th at the Saville
Centre. The Symposium’s theme
was Anyone Can Be A Leader.
Four members of our SWAT team
attended: Jorja Enright,
Lily Lapachuk, Sam Schnell, and
Tatum Helsby. It was a wonderful
opportunity to gather ideas and
resources, to network with others,
and to create our action plan to
make a difference to the health
and wellness of our school
community!
SKATING Students in Grades 1 - 3 will
be starting skating the last week
in November as part of their
Phys. Ed. Program.
Students will need skates and
helmets. HELMETS MUST BE
CSA APPROVED! Helmets and
skates must be transported to
and from school in a sturdy bag.
NO PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS,
PLEASE.
Skating dates are: November 24
& 26, December 1,3,9 & 11.
Skating times are:
Gr. 1H, 1KQ, & 2BJ- 1:00-2:00 pm
Gr. 2H, 3H, & 3S - 2:00—3:00 pm
Parent volunteers are definitely
welcome, and needed, to help tie
skates and to help on the ice!
Please let your child’s teacher
know if you are able to help out.
The New Sarepta Agricultural
Society has received a grant from
the Regional Recreation Board to
cover the cost of the ice rental
so there is no cost to us for this
fun and educational program!
Special thanks to the Regional Recreation Board for awarding this grant to the New Sarepta Agricultural Society!
LOST & FOUND If you visit our school, please check
out the LOST & FOUND box.
There are a lot of clothing items to
be found in this box and attempts
to return them to their original
owner are ongoing. Labelling your
child’s clothing can be very helpful
in this process.
2014-15 GRADE 6 PROVINCIAL
ACHIEVEMENT TEST RESULTS NSE: PROVINCE:
LANGUAGE ARTS:
% Acceptable 92.6 92.9
% Excellence 11.1 24.4
MATH:
% Acceptable 59.3 83.3
% Excellence 0 16.4
SCIENCE:
% Acceptable 81.5 87.9
% Excellence 11.1 32.3
SOCIAL STUDIES:
% Acceptable 51.9 81.6
% Excellence 11.1 23.7
Factors affecting lower than usual results last year
have been identified and/or addressed. NSE is very
proud of how well we traditionally do on the PATs.
Thanks goes out to the students, parents and
teachers for their commitment to education.
Anyone wanting further information on the Provincial
Achievement Tests results is asked to see
Mrs. Hafso.
BLACK GOLD REGIONAL SCHOOLS - TO INSPIRE SUCCESS Page 5
ABSENCES Please contact Mrs. Johnson at 780-941-3927 or
[email protected] to let her know if your child
will be absent for the school day.
Our answering machine is on in the morning and after-
school. An electronic message is sent out at 9:30 a.m. if
we have not received a message. Your cooperation in noti-
fying the school is appreciated and simplifies the process.
PHONE NUMBER/ADDRESS UPDATES
Please remember to call the school if you change your
place of employment, residence, or have a change in work
and/or home phone numbers. It is very important for our
records to be kept up-to-date.
Student Learning Assessment (SLA) All Grade 3 students in the province of Alberta piloted the Government of Alberta’s SLAs this past month. These assessments are digitally based and focus on literacy, numeracy, and the cross-discipline competencies. They took place at the start of the school year to enable both parents and teachers to identify student strengths and areas needing improvement. This assessment has replaced the Gr. 3 Provincial Achievement Tests. For more information on SLAs you can visit the following website: http://education.alberta.ca/department/ipr/curriculum/student-learning-assessments.aspx
MISSING SCHOOL AFFECTS SUCCESS
Studies show that missing days in elementary school can lead to problems. When kids miss school, they miss out. They
aren’t there when the teacher explains how to multiply fractions. Or they miss the first chapter of the book the class
will read. When they come back, they have to work hard to catch up. Sometimes, they feel like they can’t get back to
where their classmates are. So they give up. Or they drop out.
A research study at Johns Hopkins University found that sixth graders who miss about one day of school a week have a
75 percent chance of never making it to graduation. Make every effort to get your child to school every day—even as
the school year winds down. You could be heading off big trouble later. Source: Kim Nauer and others “Strengthening Schools by Strengthening Families” www.parent-institute.com
INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES As the weather becomes more unstable, we would like parents to be
aware of the Inclement Weather Procedure within our District:
School bus operators are responsible for the safety of your child and
take poor weather and road conditions very seriously. There may be a
day where the bus does not operate due to these poor conditions.
We do not have a certain temperature as our Alberta weather seldom
gets to -40C, but we do have days where a winter storm may prevent us
from operating that day and the next day we need to rely on Public
Works departments being able to clear roads for us.
If the bus is not operating:
1. Check the blackgold.ca website for information
2. Ensure your PowerSchool contact information is correct as a voice . .
. mail and text message will be sent out prior to 7:00 am
3. Call 780-955-6025 for our transportation after hours greeting for .
. . details.
The information will be posted as soon as the decision is made.
Schools are always open unless there is a specific school related
emergency like a water main break.
The decision to operate or cancel busses is based on the best infor-
mation at the time of the decision with the safety of the students the
first concern. It is always the prerogative of the parents/guardians
to keep students home should they feel it is unsafe to send
students to school in inclement weather regardless as to whether or
not the busses are operating.
In addition:
* Students should know what to do in the event that a bus is late or
does not show due to the weather or mechanical difficulties.
*All students must be properly dressed for the weather conditions.
*If busses are sent home early, schools have procedures in place to
notify parents prior to sending students home.
IMPORTANT PROCEDURE FOR OUR SCHOOL:
*To ensure student safety it is necessary for us to confirm all absences on
bus cancellation/inclement weather days. To assist us with this procedure
we ask that parents please contact the school, or email
[email protected] to confirm their child(ren)’s absence on bus
cancellation days.
PROPER WINTER CLOTHING Please ensure that your child has a proper winter jacket, mitts/gloves,
a toque and boots to wear outdoors at recesses, and that they are
labelled. As the weather gets colder, students need to dress appropri-
ately. With students waiting for the bus or walking to school, going
outside at recesses or Phys. Ed. it is very important for them to have
proper winter clothing.
SCHOOL-WIDE COUNSELLING As part of our school-wide counselling program, the students of NSE are being introduced to seven habits as taught in the book ‘The 7 Habits of Happy Kids’ by Sean Covey. This book is being used as a tool to help create a common language throughout our school to reinforce our Star Student Behaviour expectations, teach life skills, and empower our students to be leaders in their home, school, and community, now and into the future! Following is a brief outline of the habits:
Habit #1 Be Proactive - You are in Charge
Take charge of your own life. Make it happen. Don't wait for someone else to do it.
Habit #2 Begin with the End in Mind - Have a Plan Have a mission, a clear sense of where you want to go. Think about the end first- how are you going to get there?
Habit #3 Put First Things First - Work First,Then Play Focus on what is important, schedule the important things first - stay focused.
Habit #4 Think Win-Win - Everyone Can Win
Think about others as well as yourself. Long-term relationships require mutual
respect and mutual benefit.
Habit #5 Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood Listen before you talk. In order to commu nicate effectively, we must first understand each other.
Habit #6 Synergize Working together is better. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Habit #7 Sharpen the Saw Balance feels best. In order to maintain and increase effectiveness, we must renew ourselves in body, heart, mind, and soul.
A POSITIVE, SAFE & CARING
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Whether out on the playground, in the
hallway, classroom, bathroom, or heading
to the bus, students from Kindergarten
to Gr. 6 will be taught “Star Student
Behaviour”.
Be Respectful to people & property
Be Responsible for your learning & your behaviour Be Safe
Be Kind & Play Fair
Do Your Best
Parent Link Stay’n’Play and More:
Stay’n’Play is held Thursday mornings,
9:00 - 11:30 @ the Agriplex.
Are you looking for a program that
encourages play and offers opportunities
to connect with other children and adults
in the community? This unstructured play
time (0-6 years) promotes active explora-
tion and provides learning activities that
support healthy child development.
A child's best learning happens in the
context of relationships. Join your child in
engaging with others in a fun, free and
social environment.
COMMUNITY NEWS CHRISTMAS ELVES The New Sarepta Christmas Elves
Program was created to help individuals
in our community who are having
difficulty providing an old fashioned
Christmas for their families. Baskets
and coin cans will soon be placed
throughout our community.
Corporate donations are also welcome!
Please contact Lucille at (780) 941-2382
if you need more information, would like
to make a referral or receive a hamper,
volunteer or donate.
Referral Deadline: December 11
Delivery: December 18
Please note that this program cannot
accept canning, home preserves or expired
food.
Families in need of school supplies may
contact the Leduc Food Bank at (780)
986-5333 or Mrs. Hafso.
Firewood for Families Program Leduc County FCSS – New Sarepta,
along with volunteers from our
community, hosted its annual
Firewood for Families Program on
Saturday, October 17, 2015. This
program assisted families who use
firewood as their primary heat
source. A very special thank you
to Kaylee Erickson, Teresa Laskey,
Dennis Levasseur, Spencer
Kerrison, Cole Agate, Maria &
Georgiana Antochi-Crihan and Yue
Zang who collected and delivered
one trailer load of split firewood.
Also, thank you to the Rafter Ruff
Ryderz Hoof and Woof 4-H Club
(18 members [12 youth, 6 adults])
who spent the morning on Saturday,
October 17, clearing, bucking and
delivering two trailer loads of
firewood. (Total Volunteer Hours:
73.5) Also, thank you to Ken and
Kerri-Lee Schmuland of Rafter
Diamond K Livestock for donating
their dump trailer and to the Zion
Evangelical Church for its support!
Busy Bodies - Oct. 29 - Nov. 26
10:30-11:30 a.m. "Good for the body, good for the mind."
Physical activity doesn't just give growing
bodies a workout; it also helps expanding
minds develop. Active kids have an easier
time learning and , similar to adults, feel
less stressed and able to cope with the
challenges of everyday life. Run, jump and
play with us during this active and fun
program. To register call (780) 955-4596
The New Sarepta FCSS Office is located
at the Agriplex (access through West
doors). Hours of operation: Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays – 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. (780) 941-2382.
*The New Sarepta FCSS Office will be
closed November 9-13. In the event of
any emergency, please call (780) 979-
2395.
In honour of our Canadian Armed
Forces, there will be a
Remembrance Day Gathering and
Stew Dinner held at the Golden
Pioneers Seniors Centre (New
Sarepta Agriplex) on Wednesday,
November 11, 2015 Noon - 3p.m.
Cost: $10.00 (Stew, bun and
dessert, coffee/tea/juice).
This gathering is for all ages –
proceeds will benefit the Black
Gold Health Foundation in support
of the CT Scanner.
Please RSVP to Sharon Smith (587)
986-1824 by Friday, November 6
so the committee can plan on how
much food to prepare!
Parenting for Dads Positive Discipline for parents of
children 0—18 years of age
Cost: Free! Supper provided!
Date: Tuesdays & Thursdays
November 6p.m.—8 p.m.
Place: Leduc County Centre
1101-5 Street Nisku *Dads-only workshop
*Everyday strategies
*Focus on solutions
*Discipline that teaches
To register call: 780-955-6421 or
email [email protected]
*Holiday Photos at the Christmas
Market include photos with Santa!
(Proceeds to support the NSEFEA’s
fundraising efforts for a community park
and free family events in our community. )
Helping your child succeed at school While you might think helping your child learn the alphabet, or become efficient at algebra is the best path to success, you might be surprised to know that research shows there is a bigger influ-ence on your child’s success at school. Stuart Shanker, a Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at York University in Ontario, says, “The biggest predictors of school success are a child’s ability to pay attention, control impulses and emotions, ignore distractions, and deal with boredom,” says Shanker. “Research has shown these skills to be more important than anything else including knowledge and I.Q. scores.” Shanker says when children arrive at school calmly fo-cused and alert, they are in the best state for learning. “That’s when children can take in what’s happening and make sense of it,” says Shanker. “Self regulation is having the ability to control how you respond to what happens.” If a child is over or under stimu-lated, they may have a more difficult time at school. If parents, on the other hand, can help their child to self regulate by influencing what occurs at home, the chances of success are greater.
Establish regular sleep routines Having a solid sleep each night is extremely important for a child. A regular bedtime routine with activities that calm a child before bed is ideal. “Activities like bath time, lullabies and reading are all very relaxing and work well,” says Shanker. TV and video games, alternately, do not calm a child.
Provide good quality food For a child to be ready to take on the challenges of the day, his or her energy levels need to be up and remain consistent throughout the day. Avoid high sugar foods that will give your child a drop in energy an hour after eating. Instead have your child eat foods that will sustain them for a longer period of time such as low sugar cereal, toast, eggs, fruit, or yogurt.
Limit TV and video game time Shanker says research on how brains work shows that TV does not help a child to be prepared for learning. “We’re trying to un-derstand why,” says Shanker, “but what we know is that TV and video gaming can actually dis-regulate a child.”
Select ‘social’ extra-curricular activities Shanker recommends team sports, church activities, scouting, or anything that involves ‘lots of kids playing together’. “Activities that are warm and nurturing will help your child develop the ability to handle social situations,” says Shanker.
Build self esteem through problem solving “Kids are really astute,” say Shanker. “They know what they’re good at and what is hard for them.” Shanker says children devel-op self esteem when they are allowed to work through problems that are difficult, but within their ability to solve. “If something is too hard, a child might give up and feel that they have failed. If something is too easy, a child misses the sense of accomplishment. A child is most proud of achieving something that was difficult.” Parents can help a child develop self esteem by ensuring challenges their kids face are surmountable, yet challenging.
Celebrate success with appropriate rewards “Do lots of celebrating in your home,” says Shanker. “Whether it’s an accomplishment or significant effort, everyone needs to be celebrated.” When celebrating, rather than choosing a reward such as money, food, or gifts for grades (or goals scored), Shanker says the most meaningful rewards are “intrinsic rewards, where a child feels good about what they’ve accomplished.”
Encourage physical activity Many children arrive at school either in their parents vehicles or school buses. As a result, fewer are receiving the benefit of the walk to school, and may not have other opportunities for physical activity. “Regular exercise promotes stability,” says Shanker. “It helps a child pay attention better in school.”
Ensure your child has regular time in nature Playing outside can contribute to your child’s ability to self regu-late. Shanker cites “The Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv, which claims that exposing children to nature is an im-portant part of childhood development, and without it children are more prone to such challenges as obesity, depression and attention disorders.
Nurture harmony in your home Whether it’s siblings fighting, or a disagreement with your spouse, family squabbles are normal. “Yet, some disagreements can be hard on kids,” says Shanker. “It’s important to avoid yelling. Yell-ing is literally pointless. When a kid is getting out of control, their brain is already aroused. Yelling makes it more aroused.” Shanker says parents can help everyone in the family avoid yelling by creating a time and space for individual family members to set-tle down before situations get overheated. And, when things do go wrong, “Recognize that you’re human and you’re going to screw up. But apologize,” says Shanker.
Make homework a good experience Homework time can be stressful for parents and children at times.
But it doesn’t have to be. Shanker suggests the following: - Have your child do homework in the same room as a parent. “It’s not just a supervisory issue,” says Shanker. “Parents have a calming influence.” - Recognize when your child is using tactics to avoid doing home-work in a topic he or she feels weak in. Try to catch these behav-iours early, before they turn into bigger issues. - If homework seems beyond your child’s grasp and it is becoming frustrating, talk to the teacher. While it is important to work through challenges, when a task is too difficult it can defeat a child. - “If you want homework to be successful, it should be fun,” say Shanker. Look for fun activities to support your child in certain subjects. For example, use puzzles, treasure hunts or yoga to im-prove learning skills. If you don’t have ideas, look on the internet or ask the teacher. Alt-hough children are influenced by teachers for a significant portion of their day, according to Shanker, parents remain the most im-portant influence in a young child’s life. By taking an active role in the experiences your child has at home, parents can directly impact his or her success in the classroom.
Contributed by: Laurette Woodward, Woodward Communications