November 2016 Administrators’ Message We are experiencing all kinds of weather this autumn from sunshine to rain to snow! Please monitor the weather daily and help your child dress accordingly as things can get chilly quickly at this time of year. Our Thanksgiving Celebration was beautiful and we are so proud of our grade four students as they received their Bibles. We invite all families to join us as we celebrate Catholic Education Sunday at Holy Family Parish on Sunday, November 6th at the 9:00 AM mass. We sent a contingent of 19 grade six students to We Day in Calgary on October 26. We Day is designed to inspire students to make a difference in the lives of others and motivates our young people to take a stand for change. In order to participate, schools must apply to the program and commit to initiating one local action and one global action during the school year. Students were asked to apply to attend, explaining why they felt they would be good leadership candidates to move school initiatives forward in the upcoming year. We look forward to participating in the actions that these students, and all of our grade six leadership team, will spearhead this year. Special thanks to Friends of VG for a fantastic Halloween Dance! Students enjoyed showcasing their costumes and enjoying the excitement! Students are invited to wear their costumes OR black/orange to school on October 31. We ask that all costumes reflect our Catholic values and that no masks, weapons or props come to school. Please be mindful that treats sent to school are nut-free, as we do have students with life-threatening allergies. All Saints’ Day is celebrated on Tuesday, November 1st and everyone is reminded to wear WHITE. We will have our Morning Assembly on this day instead of Monday. As in past years, we will be passing our Book of Remembrance from class to class in the next few weeks to record the names of those we want to remember on this day. You are also welcome to send in a photo for our display shrine. Our Remembrance Day Ceremony will take place on November 10 at 10:45pm. All parents are welcome to join us as we remember the sacrifices that were made to bring peace to our lives. A reminder that there will be no classes on Friday, November 4 as we have our Professional Development/Staff Meeting day, as well as Friday, November 11 for Remembrance Day.

Your children continue to amaze us with their positivity as we continue to reinforce GROWL. We are so pleased with the positive and respectful attitude being shown and

have received compliments about our students from people in the community. VG Grizzlies GROWL!

Cheryl and Ryan

SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, November 4 NO CLASSES – PD DAY Thursday, November 10 Remembrance Day Ceremony Friday, November 11 No School/Remembrance Day Tuesday, November 15 Power of One Anti-Bullying Presentation Friday, November 18 Popcorn Day Grizzly Gathering Assembly Friday, November 18 Report Card Day November 21-24 Book Fair November 22 & 23 Parent Teacher Interviews Friday, November 25 No School/Day in Lieu Monday, November28 Advent Liturgy, 8:45 am

NEWSfromthe

GRIZZLYDEN!

Learning Opportunities at Vital Grandin School Staff Professional Development ATA institute day took place on October 11 with staff collaboration focusing on our school goal to improve interventions for all students in the areas of literacy and numeracy. PD/ Staff Meeting Day On Friday, November 4th there will be no school for students so that staff can have their regular monthly staff meeting and attend district-wide PD. Report Card Day/ Parent -Teacher interviews Student report cards will be sent home on Friday, November 18th. Please be sure to book your interview times online by Wednesday, November 16 th

Faith and Citizenship News RELIGION NEWS Thank you to the many parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends who attended our Thanksgiving Celebration and the Presentation of Bibles for our Gr. 4 students. It is wonderful to celebrate parish, school and family communities working together to support our children on their faith journeys!

WE SCARE HUNGER!!! As we support those less fortunate than ourselves in our own community, we are collecting food donations for the St. Vincent de Paul. Students are encouraged to bring in non-perishable food items and may also collect food items as they trick-or-treat on Halloween night. We are hoping to “scare” hunger for all those in need.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION SUNDAY Every year we celebrate Catholic Education Sunday, an occasion that allows us to celebrate the bond between home, school and parish. We recognize Catholic Education as a gift – a gift that we treasure and protect. On Catholic Education Sunday, we acknowledge the value and blessing of our Catholic schools and give thanks for the faith-based education they offer. Here in Alberta, unlike some other provinces, we are especially blessed to have publicly-funded Catholic education, which benefits us in many ways, including: • Our children and school staff have the opportunity to learn more about the Catholic faith and the Church

that Christ instituted. • Secondly, we enjoy the freedom and the benefit of prayer. In liturgical celebrations at school and in the

church, our students and staff are free to live their faith and celebrate their faith. • In every subject and in all aspects of school life, we can apply and connect our faith. Faith is integrated or

permeated in all we do whether it be science or Language Arts, Christmas concerts and especially in our interactions and relationships with students..

• Finally, in Catholic schools we have the opportunity to inform our young people in the faith and to help form them in the moral or Christian life. Through our work in Catholic schools and with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we also pray that our children will be transformed through their encounters with God.

***Please join our VG staff in celebrating this event at Holy Family Parish on Sunday, November 6 at 9:00am. *** ALL SOULS DAY SHRINE November 2 is traditionally known as All Souls' Day. We remember and pray for all who have died. As we have done in previous years, we will write the names of our departed loved ones in our Book of Remembrances. This Book of Remembrances will be coming to your child's classroom next week. This book will then be placed on our prayer table in the front foyer. Also, we invite all students and staff to bring in pictures of loved ones who have died. We will place these in our November shrine during the month of November. Please make sure that your name and grade is written on the back of your picture so we can return them to you at the end of the month. These pictures can be brought to the your child's classroom or to the office. Thank you. HOLY FAMILY PARISH Our students have provided Music Ministry at Holy Family Parish a few times this school year. This last weekend we held a Bake Sale after Mass and raised over $400 for Development and Peace! We enjoy these opportunities to be involved with the parish!

REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY We will be having an observance ceremony for our veterans on November 10 at 10:45 a.m. All Boy Scouts, Brownies, and Girl Guides are asked to bring their uniforms to school, and to change into them at school just before the ceremony.

Safe and Caring News D.A.R.E.

SWAT TEAM – Our Student Wellness Action Team has been very busy getting VG active and healthy this year. This dynamic group of students in grades 5 and 6 have created Fitness Friday, demonstrated and played games with younger children outside and are busy designing intramurals and healthy eating initiatives. We sent a few SWAT students to a Healthy Schools Conference on October 26. Stay tuned for more healthy activities!

Parent Information and Involvement ANNOUNCEMENTS/ PRAYER We begin each school day with video announcements and prayer. We often play a morning song as a sign to students to be in their classrooms by the 8:32 bell. If you are in our school during this time, we ask that you stop and pause in our hallways to serve as a respectful role model for our students. SAFETY IN OUR HALLWAYS We ask that ALL parents help us in creating a calm atmosphere, and decrease the congestion in our hallways at dismissal times. In our quest to foster independence, as well as for the safety of our students, we ask that parents refrain from waiting in the hallways and designate a meeting space outside or at the front foyer to meet their child(ren). This will also reduce anxiety in students who feel overwhelmed as they navigate their way through congested hallways. We have provided some extra seating space in our front foyer for parents of our little ones and have asked that their teachers bring the students to their parents as they walk with our bus students to the front. Thanks for your support and flexibility in keeping our hallways safe and caring.

Come to our Bookaneer Bookfair

Where books are the treasure!!

In October, Constable Beth McIntosh began working with our grade six students on the D.A.R.E. program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education program). This program is a comprehensive prevention education program designed to equip elementary school children with the skills to recognize and resist social pressures to experiment with tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Students are expected to complete this program by December.

Follow us on Twitter

@VitalGrandin

GSACRD LONG SERVICE AWARDS Congratulations to VG staff who were recognized at our district long service awards in October. We are so thankful for all you do! 15 Years - Eva Pennycook

- Susan Dingman 10 Years - Pat Karl 5 Years - Barbara Meyer

LSF CORNER Dear parents of VG, As the weather starts cooling down outside, families are spending more time indoors. Many students love to play on the iPad or laptop; direct them to engage with some of the great learning app’s that are available. Sit down with your child and discover games that are fun and a great learning tool at the same time. Ideas to look up are: math, spelling, social studies and science. Feel free to contact me for ideas for websites and app’s that we recommend. 10-15 minutes a day of practice go a long way in strengthening those basic skills! With Christmas coming up in the next couple of months, consider putting a family-friendly board game on your list this year! Shelley Harvey Learning Support Facilitator

2015/16 YEARBOOK Did you forget to order a yearbook last year? We still have several available for sale at a cost of $18.00 each. If you are interested please contact our school office. Thank you.

POPCORN SALES November Popcorn sales will be on Friday, November 18th. Only

50¢.

Callyourschoolcounsellorortheschoolsadministrativeteamifyouhaveconcerns.Youcanalsocallthe24hourBullyingPreventionHelplineat1-888-456-2323foradviceandstrategiesonbullyingpreventionandbuildinghealthyrelationships.

Albert Lacombe Catholic Elementary SchoolMondays 11:30-3:30 and Thursdays 8:10-3:30

Vital Grandin Catholic Elementary SchoolTuesdays, Wednesdays & Friday 11:30:3: AL-780-459-4478 VG-780-459-7734

What is Bullying?https://education.alberta.ca/bullying-prevention/

Bullyingisarepeatedandhostileordemeaningbehaviourintendedtocauseharm,fearordistress,includingpsychologicalharmorharmtoaperson'sreputation.Itofteninvolvesanimbalanceofsocialor

physicalpower.

Bullying Behaviours

Bullyingbehavioursareaformofaggressionandcanbe:

Physical(poking,elbowing,hitting);Verbal(namecalling,insults,racist,sexistorhomophobiccomments,put-downsorthreats);Social(gossiping,spreadingrumours,excludingsomeonefromthegroup,isolating,gangingup);Cyber(socialorverbalbullyingthroughtheuseofemail,text

messagesorsocialmedia).

Identifying Bullying BehaviourBelowaresomewarningsignstohelpidentifyifapersonmaybeengaginginbullyingbehaviour:

Notunderstandingorcaringifsomeoneishurt;Boastingabouttauntingsomeone;Passingoffteasingasajoke;Laughingwhenothersgethurt;Demonstratingaggressivebehaviour;excludingindividuals;Name-

calling

What Bullying is NotBullyingbehaviourisnotthesameashurtingsomeone'sfeelingsifthereisnomisuseofpowerora

deliberateintenttocauseharm.

Bullyingbehaviourissometimesconfusedwithconflict.Conflictisadisagreement[...]Itisanormalpartofhealthyrelationships.Forexample,friendsmaydisagreeoverwhichmovietoseeorwhatgametoplay.Learningskillstoresolveconflictappropriatelyisveryimportantforbuildingandmaintainingpositive

relationships.

November 2016

Bullying Awareness WeekNovember 13 to 19, 2016