Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday. I hesitate to call it spring break since the weather seems determined to hold onto winter for as long as possible! Hopefully we will have some warmer weather soon. Please remember to continue to have students dress for sudden weather changes even once the warmer weather does arrive. A warm jacket, hat and mitts may be needed on short notice even warmer days as we like to have students get outside for fresh air and exercise. Once the snow does start to thaw, rubber boots or water proof footwear, an extra pair of sock and pants (for those tempting puddles!) are excellent to send with students each day.
A huge thank you to Mrs. Keim (School Council Chair) and the rest of the parents and volunteers who ran a fundraising casino over the break! The money raised through their efforts goes directly towards supporting students through such things as fieldtrip funding, technology purchases, the student agendas, subscriptions to RAZ kids and Mathletics among other things. We had many parents, past parents, neighbours and staff members who came out and volunteered their time to make this happen. The hours may have been long but the company was excellent and I know I had a great time getting to know everyone and having great laughs. Please consider coming out and meeting everyone at our next School Council meeting on April 23 at 6pm.
We are now well into planning for next year and one of the tasks is to designate students to their schools for next year. If you have moved, or are planning to move, and you know that your child will be attending a different school for next year, please let us know in the office. We can help you with the paperwork and process to ensure your child is registered properly and all set up for success in their new school. If you have applied for registration at a private or charter school but will not know if you have been accepted until closer to the fall, we would love to know that too. If you live within the designated boundary for Rundle School, we will always have a place for you here but it is helpful to know how many students might be attending elsewhere in the fall. If you have a child who will be 5 years old by March 1, 2019, they are eligible to register for kindergarten for the 2018/19 school year. We are currently planning our welcome event for new Kindergarten students and if you haven’t yet registered, now would be a great time to do so. Just bring proof of address and the child’s birth certificate to the office and Mrs. Van Oosten and Ms. Diane will be happy to help you.
For students in Kindergarten to Grade 2, please make sure to mark your calendars for our spring concert on May 17. Students will be performing musical selections they have been working on with Mrs. Dobbin. Seating is limited because of fire regulations so tickets are required. Please watch your child’s agenda for the ticket order form coming home at the beginning of May. We usually have many empty seats during the daytime performances so please consider inviting extended family to attend those performances if possible.
Many classes have exciting fieldtrips coming up. These trips are an essential way of helping students experience concepts in the real world and are an effective way to introduce or reinforce concepts that can be abstract when learned from a book or classroom lesson. We know that work schedules can be inflexible but if you might be available to volunteer on a fieldtrip, please consider completing the volunteer clearance process with us which will permit you to volunteer at any CBE school. We need many volunteers to make the fieldtrips happen so please check with your child’s teacher to find out the dates of any upcoming trips.
Thank you to all those families who were able to attend student led conferences just before the break. Students and staff really enjoy sharing the learning with families and know that working together is the best way to support students. We do not have any more scheduled conference times this school year but please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher through email or by phone if you have any questions or concerns. The agenda can also be a great tool to connect about questions or topics that are less confidential in nature.
Students in grade 6 will be completing the provincial achievement tests in May and June. Grade 6 students write tests in math, science, social studies, reading and writing. Students who are absent for a particular test will write it when they return. If your grade 6 child will be absent for a family holiday during this time, please make sure to let the teacher know in advance. Teachers will help students to prepare for the tests by reviewing in class and teaching some test taking skills to help reduce their anxiety. One of the ways that parents can help students is by making sure that they are well rested before a test and have had breakfast (if they are not fasting). Some of the achievement exams do fall during Ramadan this year so please speak to your child’s teacher if your child will be fasting during this time.
The achievement tests are completed once a year and are intended to help determine achievement levels across the province. Although they can provide good information about individual student’s learning, please remember that they measure only certain outcomes and do so in one particular way and on one day. Teachers assess students’ learning on a daily basis using a variety of sources of information that gives a much broader picture of their learning which is reflected in their report card.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call us in the office. We are always happy to help!
Sincerely,
Sue Rutherford
