January, 2020 Spring Park School www.edu.pe.ca/springpark Mr. Terry MacIsaac – Principal Ms. Anne Ives – Vice-Principal

Safe Arrival Line 902-569-7785 At Spring Park School we have a Safe Arrival Line which parents/guardians can call before 9:00 am. Calling this line will enable us to ensure the safety of your child.

Dates to Remember January 06 Order for Hot Lunch for two week period (is now closed) January 16 Orders for Hot Lunch Opens for two week period – January 20-31 January 20 Orders for Hot Lunch Closes at 9:00 am January 22 Spring Park School Gymnastics Meet January 23 Storm Date for Spring Park School Gymnastics Meet January 24 UPEI games January 28 Zone 3 Meet at LM Montgomery School January 29 Storm Date for Zone 3 Meet at LM Montgomery January 30 Orders for Hot Lunch Opens for two week period – February 3-14 February 3 Ordering for Hot Lunch Closes at 9:00 am

Welcome Back 2020 Welcome back to all students and staff. Hope everyone had a restful holiday and best wishes for 2020.

Early Closure Plans Please take the time to review your early closure plans with your children on a regular basis. It is less confusing to everyone if they are aware of where they are going in case of an early dismissal. If you haven't yet sent in your plan, or if the plan has changed please send a note to your child's teacher. Also if you have any changes in contact information please let us know as soon as possible. Due to the volume of calls we receive, we cannot call homes if school closes, but a mass e-mail will be sent from the school.

Parking Lot – Dropping off Students Parents are asked to use the front parking lot and the parking spaces on Dunkirk St. when dropping off your children. Please do not pull into the staff parking lot on the gymnasium side of the school. This is for everyone's safety. As well, a notice re: our bus lane. Parents are asked not to pull into our bus lane between 7:50 am and 8:30 am to drop off students or at dismissal time at 2:30. The parking lot in front of the school is to be used for drop off and pick up, and there are spaces on Dunkirk St. facing the bus lane for parents to use as well. Parents should not park on the other side of Dunkirk St. and have their child cross the street at these times of the day. Thank you for keeping our students safe.

Student Drop off & Parent Visitors If parents/guardians are dropping students off at school, they need to stop at the office. All students know their way to class by now and there are many staff members who are able to ensure they get there. Thank you for helping to ensure the safety of all students.

Predictable Weather/Warm Clothing The weather tends to be fairly unpredictable these days. Please keep this in mind as we move into the winter season. Please dress your children appropriately so that they are comfortable. Please label all clothing and footwear.

PLEASE ensure that your children have a complete change of clothing with them in their backpacks!

We will be going outside except in severe weather!

Lost & Found Our lost and found bins are over flowing. Please take a look for lost treasures when you are at the school! It is located in the corridor between the gym and the office.

Mathletics Over the next month, all teachers in grades 3-6 will receive training for an online math program to support students. This program will be accessible to students at home as well. Stay tuned for more details.

Coach’s Corner Spring Park Gymnastics Club: Gymnastics Club is for students in grades 3 to 6 and began on January 7. Choosing to join the Gymnastics Club comes with a commitment as there will be practices on certain days at lunch time recess, after school and optional extra training in the morning!

Practice Schedule: Lunch time practice: Grade 3- Days 3 & 5 Grade 4 – Days 1 & 4 Grade 5 – Days 2 & 5 Grade 6 – Days 3 & 6

After School Practices (2:35 – 3:45) *Students must be picked up by 3:45* Grade 5 & 6 GIRLS: Tuesdays Grade 3 & 4 GIRLS: Wednesdays Grade 3 to 6 BOYS: Thursdays

***If a student has a prior commitment and can’t come to their after school practice, they can come on one of the other 2 practice days!

*OPTIONAL* Morning Practice (8am - 8:20am): Open to Everyone in Gymnastics Club (Days 1, 3 and 5 ONLY)

**High risk forms were to be signed and returned to the classroom teacher by Tuesday, January 7, in order for your son/daughter to participate in Gymnastics. These forms were sent home prior to the Christmas Break.

Meet and Competition Dates:

-Spring Park School Meet: Wed, January 22th (storm date: Jan 23th) -Zone 3 Meet @ LM Montgomery: Tuesday, Jan 28th (storm date: Jan 29th) -Provincials @ Kensington High School: Saturday, Feb 8th -Friendship Meet @ St. Jean School: Wed, Feb 12th (storm date: Feb 13th) -Spring Park Gymstrada: Wed, Feb 12th @ 6:30 (Storm date: Feb 13th)

Please email or check our PE BLOG if you have any questions or concerns regarding any changes to our scheduled program and/or date changes.

UPEI Basketball Games On Friday, January 24, UPEI will offer free student tickets to Spring Park students for the men’s and women’s games. We look forward to having a large representation of our school population. More information will be sent home soon.

Music Notes Happy New Year and a big thanks to everyone who came to our Christmas concerts and donated to our music program. All donations go directly to purchase new music and instruments for our students. Honour Choir rehearsals will begin mid-January, and Rock Band will be getting underway on the next day 2.

Chess Club The first scholastic tournament of 2020 is being held on Sunday Jan 12 at Colonel Gray High School in family member). Open to players grades K-12. Players are divided into groups by age and rating. Everyone plays at least 4 games. Medals for top 3 players in each section. Participation pins for first time players. Rated Chess’n Math Association Event

Future Events: Tournaments: February 9 monthly tournament March 1 Provincial Championship

April 5 monthly tournament May 3 School Team Championship Mini-camps: January 25, February 15, March 28, April 18 A reminder that members of the Spring Park School Chess Club may play each morning from 7:45 a.m. - 8:20 a.m. If there is a one hour delay then the Chess Club will also have a one hour delay. When you purchase ice cream for your child, you are supporting our Chess Club. Ice Cream is available on the last day of the school week, usually Fridays. Thank you for your support.

News from the Green Team and the Blue Crew Thank you for supporting the CBC Feed a Family Campaign. All students who entered our draw for a PlanetBox lunch box contributed $465.00 towards feeding families. Susie Wen from Class 1A won the Grades K-3 PlanetBox and Benny Zhu in Class 5B won the PlanetBox for Grades 4-6. Thank you to everyone who participated and who continue to care for our environment.

Home & School News The Spring Park Home and School Association wishes to thank everyone, including all the wonderful volunteers, who helped to make the 2019 Christmas/Holiday Gift Shoppe possible. Fun was had by all, and all funds raised will go to support Home and School initiatives such as the end of the year field trip for our students.

P.E.I. Home and School Federation -Food for thought at Island schools The P.E.I. Home and School Federation is quite excited about 2020, in particular about the news that school food projects will be launched in several Island schools.

Two delivery models will be tested in the new year to determine how the provincial program will operate. They will be evaluated over the coming months to determine the best way to expand the program.

One model will be tested at Kinkora Regional High School where staff members have been hired to prepare and distribute healthy meals to KRHS students, as well as at its feeder schools, which are Amherst Cove Consolidated and Somerset Consolidated Schools.

The second model will involve working with existing vendors to prepare and deliver healthy meals to students at Montague Regional High School, West Kent Elementary School and École Pierre-Chiasson.

Such projects start with an idea from local home and schools. This concept began as a result of a resolution passed at the federation’s annual general meeting in 2015.

The federation reminds parents that resolutions are the single most important tool that home and school can use to influence decision makers in government and school boards.

Consider resolutions that will impact positive changes for all students in P.E.I.’s education system. Talk about educational issues raised this year that could be turned into recommendations to improve the system for students’ total well-being in health, safety and learning success from K-12. Do this by adding resolutions to the January Home and School meeting’s agenda in every school right across the Island. Ask a school principal/teacher to assist with background information on an important issue.

Members in Home and School associations are asked to submit resolutions to the federation office by Jan. 31. Call the federation office for assistance.

Resolutions will be reviewed and approved by a provincial committee. These will be discussed at the annual general meeting in April and, if passed, they are delivered to the minister of education and early childhood development, the and other destinations with a request for appropriate action.

Guidelines on how to write and present a resolution, as well as examples of previously passed resolutions, are available at: http://peihsf.ca/making_resolutions or phone the federation office 1-800-916-0664 / 620- 3186. All resolutions must be received in the federation office by Jan. 31.

Nominate a school staff person (i.e. teacher, education / admin assistant, custodian) for the PEI Home and School Federation’s Extra Mile Award. Submission deadline is: Jan. 17. More details are at: http://peihsf.ca/extramile

National Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week, Feb. 10-14 provides opportunity for Home and Schools communities to recognize the hard work of our teachers and school staff. Form a special committee to plan something special to say thanks.

Presidents of Home and School Associations are asked to submit an annual one to two page report detailing your Home and School Association's activities for this school year. Reports will be included in the Federation’s 2019-2020 Annual Book of Reports. For assistance, contact 902-6200-3186, 1-800-916- 0664 or [email protected]. The submission deadline is Feb. 28.

The PEIHSF has resolved to help parents become more involved in student learning. Join in the educational conversations through Local Home and School Associations. When information is received from the federation, add it to your Home and School agenda for discussion at local meetings. Current topics include P.E.I. government returning to elected school board governance model, school food, student/staff wellness issues, youth vaping and bullying.

Cory Thomas, president of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation, lives in Summerside with his wife and two children, who both attend Elm Street Elementary School. His column appears in The Guardian during the school year on the first Friday of the month. He welcomes comments from readers and Information for the column. He can be reached at peihsf.ca or 902-620-3186. Home and School Federation Inc. Shirley Smedley Jay, Executive Director PO Box 1012 PE C1A 7M4 Street deliveries only: 40 Enman Crescent C1E 1E6 Phone: 620-3186 Fax: 620-3187 Toll Free: 1-800-916-0664 (PEI only) www.peihsf [email protected] Follow us on: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peihsf Twitter: https://twitter.com/peihsf

Community News Wizard Wands Classes Join in the escapades of Harry and his friends. Solve mysteries. Cast spells. Make wands. Brew some fantastic potions. Design your own magical creature and win gems for your house through lots of fun games & challenges. Come join us where the magic of science, art, and literature meet and leave with a diploma from the STEAM School of Wizardry. When ? Mondays from 2:40-3:40 Jan 20- Mar 02 ( no class Islander day) Who ? Grades 1-6 Cost? $80 for 6 classes Where? Spring Park School To Register online: https://steampei.jumbula.com/Winter2020/WizardsWandsatSpringPark Contact: Sarah Fletcher c) 902-218-2296 e) [email protected] Sarah Fletcher Instructor, STEAM PEI Website:STEAM PEI Facebook: STEAM PEI Phone: 902-218-2296

Ringette PEI There will be a Come Try Ringette event on Sunday, January 12th at 11:30am at the Bell Aliant Centre in Charlottetown. This event is open to all kids aged 5-12.

Victoria Leard Executive Director / Technical Director Ringette PEI 902-368-6570