DUNDURN SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

October 2013 Principal - Mr. Jason Hill

Vice- Principal - Mrs. Kirsten Tucker-Lester

Admin. Assistant - Mrs. Connie Lenard “A Community of Inclusion, Innovation and Excellence”

Dates to Remember

Oct. 6 –12 Fire Safety Week

Oct. 14 Thanksgiving Day

NO SCHOOL

Oct. 16th Snack program

Lunch for all students

Oct. 18th School Assembly

9:30 School Walkathon

12:30pm.

Oct. 21st SCC hot Lunch

Oct. 25th SCC Movie Night

Oct. 27th Dundurn Fall Supper

PARKING For the safety of our children, we ask that parents and visitors to

the school do not park in the bus loading zone or the staff parking

area. Please park on 3rd Ave. and have your children walk

around by the pre-school playground OR park on 3rd St. and walk

across the walkway.

We have installed new ‘No Parking’ signs and staff will ask

you to move your vehicle if it is parked in these areas.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

Message From the Principal

Dundurn Elementary School (DES) continues to be a busy place! We held our Meet the

Teacher Hot Dog Barbeque on September 12th and served over 300 hot dogs to parents

and students. It was a wonderful evening and a great chance for teachers and parents to

touch base early in the year.

On September 26th DES held our first school assembly with our grade 5/6 class, led by

Mrs. Krueger and Mrs. Bellina, hosted an upbeat, action-packed assembly. The 5/6’s

highlighted the leadership role that they will play within the school as well as presenting an

inspiring, entertaining video presentation and dance.

As well on September 26th DES held our annual Terry Fox walk which the cool, wet

weather chased to the local Dundurn Sportsplex where students, staff and community

members walked for most of the afternoon. The students raised over $1000 for the Terry

Fox Foundation as part of this worthwhile effort.

On October 2nd the Dundurn Diggers Cross Country Team will be competing at a cross

country meet in Delisle – Go Diggers! To close off October, DES will be an extremely ac-

tive, busy location with the Prairie Central District Physical Activity School Challenge Week

from Oct.15-18, and Education Week from Oct.21-25. Both weeks will be filled with en-

riching, fun activities for all. As always we welcome family and community members to

join us for these or any of the events held at DES throughout the year.

Lastly, a reminder to students and families to check out our school website at

www.spiritsd.ca/dundurn , for all the latest news and useful information in relation to

DES. If you ever have a question or concern, feel free to contact us through the website,

via email, phone, a note, or come in to speak to us.

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Hill

Principal

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

OCT. 23rd & 24th 4:00 - 8:00pm

We are a ‘Nut Aware’ school At Dundurn School we are committed to provide a safe environment that is inclusive for all children. In common with most other schools, we have a number of children with nut allergies. The purpose of this newsletter item is to give families the infor-mation they need to support us in providing a safe and inclusive school.

Why ‘Nut Aware’? Dundurn School is ‘Nut Aware’. We do not describe the school as being ‘Nut Free’ because we can’t guarantee that students or adults have not brought nuts, or traces of nuts, into the building.

What is Anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can be life threatening. Approximately 1-2% of Cana-dians live with the risk of an anaphylactic reaction. Food allergies are the most common cause of anaphylaxis. The most common food allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, egg and milk prod-ucts. Anaphylaxis can affect multiple body systems. This can range from skin inflammation to ana-phylactic shock, which is an explosive over-reaction of the body’s immune system. This can be characterized by swelling, difficulty breathing, abdominal cramps, circulatory collapse, coma and, ultimately, death. Source: Anaphylaxis Canada Prevention It is our responsibility as a school community to avoid exposing students with allergies to the prod-ucts which could start an allergic reaction. This means that we take great care to avoid any prod-ucts that could contain allergens in our school snack program and other food items that are brought into school. We ask parents to exercise care when preparing lunches to carefully check labels and to not send any products which contain nuts, or traces of nuts. We also ask that families exercise care when baking for snack or fundraisers.

Treatment The best treatment for food allergies is prevention. However our staff are trained to recognize the symptoms of an allergic reaction and, if necessary, deliver the medications which help to reduce the reaction. When an incident of anaphylaxis occurs, first responders will be called, as well as the parent of the child.

Common Questions

What if my child has peanut butter for breakfast? Could this cause an allergic reaction for another child at school?

The answer is ‘Yes’. Children should thoroughly wash hands and brush their teeth before coming to school.

Are the peanut butter alternatives, such as ‘Wow Butter’ safe to send to school? There are several peanut butter substitute products which do not contain common allergens, however we ask that parents exercise caution with using these products as they are difficult to distinguish from peanut butter and may cause confusion, or even anxiety, for students with allergies.

More Resources There are many websites which list nut-free and allergen-free products. These can be reached with

a simple Google search. However, families should still carefully check labels.

Counsellor’s Corner

School Counselling Services – Mrs. Leier

Welcome back to another school year! I would like to take this opportunity to let you

know about the counselling services available at Dundurn Elementary School. I am

scheduled to be at the school weekly on Wednesdays. Students can be referred by a

parent, a staff member or by approaching me directly. Students can receive support

for difficulties related to school, as well as, other personal and family issues. If you

have any questions contact Lea Leier through the school office at 492-2050

Part 1

I am going to share with you a series of ideas based on Gordon Neufeld’s book Hold On To Your Kids. Gordon Neufeld is a clinical psychologist practicing in Vancouver who has spent much of his career creating theories for understanding child develop-ment.

Imagine that your spouse suddenly begins to act strangely. They won’t look you in the eye, they won’t return your hug, they are frequently irritated and seem uninterested in talking with you and it feels as though they are avoiding being with you. Now imagine that you go to your friends for advice. Would they say to you, “Have you tried a time out? Have you made them a behavior chart or developed a reward system?” It would be obvious to everyone that in the context of adult interaction you’re not dealing with a behavior problem but a relationship problem. The answer to the problem lies in working with the relationship—not the behavior. The same is true for relationships be-tween parents and their children.

“The secret of parenting is not in what a parent does but rather who the parent is to a child. When a child seeks contact and closeness with us, we become empowered as a nurturer, a comforter, a guide, a model, a teacher, or a coach.” (p. 6).

Much of the parenting advice given today tends to focus on skills or techniques but can forget that it is the relationship itself that is the foundation that allows us to effec-tively use those skills and techniques. Without the necessary relationship even the best techniques will not result in lasting success.

Some of the newsletter items this year will highlight Neufeld’s philosophy of discipline

that does not divide but rather helps strengthen the relationship between parents and

their children.

GOOD SAMARITAN FUND The Dundurn Good Samaritan Fund exists to help children and families access opportunities for sporting or cultural activities. If you would like your child to play hockey, learn to dance, learn to play an instrument or participate in any sporting or cultural activity but the cost is a barrier, please contact the Good Samaritan Fund for assistance. The Fund is ad-ministered by Jason Hill and Steve Menshenfriend. Anyone can apply and there is no means test. To find out more, or apply for assistance, please contact Jason Hill at 492-2050.

Administering Medication School Board policy #413 regulates the ability of employees to dis-

pense medications. If your child requires medication, prescription or

non-prescription, during school hours, please contact the school to ar-

range to pick up the appropriate forms also on the school web site.

We are unable to dispense any medications until this procedure has

been followed.

WATCH FOR UPCOMING INFORMATION

ON OUR FALL FOOD DRIVE!

We’ll be collecting for our local Emergency

Food Bank

Attendance

If your child is absent from school, please contact the school before 9:00 a.m., or send a note with a sibling or email. It is our policy to contact par-ents if your child is absent and we have not received notification.

School Phone #306-492-2292

Mrs. Lenard email : connie.lenard@spiritsd.ca

Snacks for Hunger Pangs

After school, your children may have the familiar hunger pangs. You will want to have healthy

snacks on hand for your children:

When choosing snacks for hungry children, remember:

make snacks fun and interesting to eat

have them prepared in a ready-to-eat form

if some preparation is required, make sure it is easy and fast

include at least two foods from the four food groups of Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eat-ing: grain products, vegetables and fruit, milk products, and meat and alternatives.

Be creative. Enjoy some of these tasty snack ideas:

multigrain breads or a muffin with cheese

peanut butter on a cracker, topped with a banana slice

raw vegetables, cleaned and cut up in the fridge, served with dip

yogurt or cottage cheese with fresh fruit or whole grain cereal

sliced meats rolled with a pickle or celery stick

tuna salad in a pita pocket or in a mini submarine bun

cold pizza or a small taco

Sweet Enough There is nothing better than a nice, cool refreshing drink after being outside in the sun or

after an activity. For many families, it can be confusing which fluids are full of sugar and

which fluids are healthy.

Drinks that are full of sugar may cause:

less calcium and other nutrients in your diet

weight gain because of high calories

tooth decay

Try to avoid pop, sports drinks, vitamin-enriched or flavoured waters, energy drinks, fruit

punch, fruit cocktail or candy-bar flavoured milk. These fluids are often full of sugar and

some even have caffeine, which children are sensitive to.

Diet drinks should also be avoided as they are very sweet due to the addition of artificial

sweeteners and may also contain caffeine.

Healthy Fluids: Drink water anytime!

Try serving water at temperatures that you and your family enjoy.

Add-in some tasty flavours like orange slices, limes, lemons, cucumbers or mint.

Other nourishing fluids include milk or small amounts of 100% fruit juice with no sugar or

sweetener added.

SCHOOL

EVENTS

Cross Country The Cross Country Team is heading to Delisle on Wednesday October 2nd to participate in the division cross country meet. We

wish them the best of luck and hope they have a good day of racing!

House Leagues

This year’s House League program started off with a Gym Blast . Our schedule has started with Mat Ball being the first game. Students in Grades 5 and 6 play on Tuesdays, with students in grades 3 and 4 playing on Thursdays. Come on out for some fun!

Digital Diggers

The Dundurn Digital Diggers will start this month on Wednesday October 18th. Students interested

will bring home a permission form to sign to stay after school. We are going to work on certain fo-

cuses throughout the year such as creating using videos, share the final products and teach each

other what we learned. This group is open to Grades 3-6. If you have any questions please con-

tact Mrs. Shannon-Wobeser.

Terry Fox Week Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.

This quote seems to reflect the effort the students, staff and families of Dundurn Elementary School

demonstrated in raising money for Cancer research. We are not a big school but we raise a tremendous amount of

money. This year we raised $1012.85! This is the largest amount of money we have ever collected. It was exciting to

see the students learn about Terry Fox and his accomplishments. There were examples of students bringing in their

own money which shows how much they care. Thank you to the Anderson’s for bringing in the animals to KISS!

Thank you to the staff for being such good sports! Thank you to everyone who brought in donations!

Milk /Juice Noon sales

White and Chocolate Milk AND Juice are available daily for .50

cents each. Students may also purchase a Juice/Milk card for $3.00

(6) or $6.00 (12)

Pre K - Mrs. Peters

The Pre Kindergarten classroom has been busy learning routines and the names of their sixteen classmates. An important part of this month has been learning how to play with and interact with their new friends and learning how our day has a pattern to it. They have learned some new po-ems and songs: Way Up High in the Apple Tree, Head & Shoulders, Row Your Boat, The Apples

Grow on Trees & I’m a Little Pumpkin. The children love trying to guess the mystery bag item and we have been guessing each day’s mystery person by using clues to figure out which classmate is it (although they do not fit in the mystery bag!!). We

have had fun playing at Reece Ryde Park, the school playground and we walked to Labyrinth Park looking for and collecting leaves.

At October’s Family Days we will make “All About Me” sunflowers. All parents are invited to our Halloween Party on the afternoon of October 31

st

12:30 – 2:30.

We remind students and families that all students should be enter-ing and exiting the school through their assigned doors, not the front door. As the front foyer and office is a busy area we ask for your assistance in minimizing traffic through the front of the school. A reminder to that all visitors to the school must report to the front office as soon as they enter the school. Contact Mr. Hill at the school with any questions relating to this matter.

Jason Hill

Principal

Dundurn Elementary School

Box 250, 302 - 3rd Avenue

Dundurn, SK S0K 1K0

Prairie Spirit School Division

(W) 492-2050

(Cell) 291-8076

Piano Lessons Available in Dundurn

for beginners up to Grade 8 Piano level

age 7 and older (adults and seniors welcome)

32 weekly lessons from September 2013 to May 2014

$15/half hour lesson (up to 32 lessons for the school year)

Children's' lessons occur at the Dundurn School during school hours or shortly after school.

Adult lessons to be arranged.

If interested, please contact Kathryn Peters at 544-2789 or kpeters53@gmail.com.

Kindergarten - Mrs. Crawford & Mrs. Dodge

Kindergarten is off to a fantastic start this year. Kayden and Nigel both had birthdays in September. Please visit the library and read all about the Kindergarten students. Their stories are attached to life size drawings of them and they are scattered around the library. Miss Lemieux's grade 4 class came to work with the Kindergarten class so they could share what they are learning about day and night in science and work together in their science journals. Thanks Grade 4's. We appreciate your help. The class was excited to participate in the annual Terry Fox walk. Thanks also to Mrs. Krueger for telling the K's great stories during library time and to Mrs. Thurlow for teaching them how to use the Ipads. That's all for now.

Grade 1 - Mrs. Granatier – Sabin

Happy (Autumn). Grade 1 was very busy in September. We have been learning the routines, reviewing our letters and

letter sounds, reading “delicious” (books), creating (patterns), learning our (colour words), filling

(our buckets), participating and raising money for (Terry Fox Walk). We are going to be a having a fun (teddy bear)

and pj day to celebrate all our hard work. This month we will be learning all about, (turkeys), (apples) and

(pumpkins). We will be busy (reading), (printing), and (writing) during Writer’s Workshop. We will be learning

all about (numbers) in math, having fun in (center time) ,listening during (sharing), working hard in

(gym), and creating beautiful (wreaths) for our front door and (turkey) and ( Halloween) crafts. We are

excited about our (Walk-A-Thon) and (Halloween) too. The grade 1’s would like to welcome Austin to Dundurn

School and (wish) everyone a safe and Spooktacular (Halloween)!

Grade 2 – Mrs. Catton

Wow, have we been busy in Grade Two! We are settling in nicely and adjusting very well. In Math, we recently finished a pattern unit are in the process of completing a numbers 1 t o 100 unit. Properties of Liquids and Solids has been our main focus in Science and we are sure enjoying the” hands on” labs. In Social, we are continuing to learn about the importance of our school within the community. Our focus in Health continues to be social skills .We are looking forward to our field trip to the Soccer Centre and Persephone Theatre near the end of this month. Birthday wishes go out to Owen and Eric this month. Happy Halloween!

Grade 3 – Mrs. Shannon Wobeser

We have continued to have a busy September but that is to be expected at our school. There is always something going on! The school collected a lot of money for Terry Fox and the Grade 3’s and I counted it. It was exciting to be the first class to know we had reached our goal. Thank you again to the Andersons for bringing in the animals to kiss (even if I had to kiss the goat!).

In math we are continuing to work on number sense. The students created number riddles and then we shared them with each other.

# 1

I am between 10 -20.

I add up to 10.

I am odd.

What number am I?

#2

My 2 digits add up to 14.

I am odd.

I start with 5.

What number am I?

In Social Studies we are going to learn about other communities in Saskatchewan, Canada and the World. We are going to begin with connecting to the school on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. We will compare our communities and what life is like for students in each community. We will begin with writing let-ters in order to get to know them.

Our reading and writing workshop is going well. The students are active participants and their sharing is an integral part of the direction our discussions take. I have had the opportunity to work individually with students and get to know them.

We are working on developing our own personal blogs. Our first posting will be our Day Zero assign-ment where students have had to create 10 goals for 10 months. I will send home the log on information for the class blog and students can log in to their own blogs to show you what they are working on.

We will be going on a field trip on Wednesday October 23rd. We will be doing an activity in the morn-ing and then going to a play in the afternoon. If you are interested in coming please let me know and I can give you the details.

Grade 4 - Miss. Lemieux It’s hard to believe the first month of school is finished and we are now into the month of October. I am hoping everyone enjoyed the first month of school as much as I did. The grade 4 class was very busy and we are looking forward to another eventful month. We enjoyed the Harvest Demonstration and Western Development Museum, even if it was a cool morning for us. We are also very luck to be able to attend Ag Experience on October 10

th. The day is going to be filled with learning and explor-

ing everything about agriculture! Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who have helped with the-se class events. The grade 4’s are also part of a “Pig Out on Reading Contest” that began on Sep-tember 30th and lasts until December 6

th. We are calculating our reading minutes at school and at

home, for a chance to win a class party. We are well into our subject areas and are continuing to fo-cus on: ELA: Friendship Unit

Science: Habitats and Communities Social: Agriculture Math: finishing Patterns and moving onto Whole Numbers

I am looking forward to another exciting and busy month!

Grade 5/6 - Mrs. Krueger & Mrs. Bellina

In the Grade Five/Six classroom our routines are well established and stu-

dents are doing a super job keeping up with assignments and homework. Please

continue to check the planners regularly, and watch for email updates.

We had a great time performing our skits and dance at our assembly last

week. It was wonderful to have so many relatives and friends join us! We had a lot

of fun taking pictures and putting together our video. It made us realize that this

class does take on a lot of leadership roles in our school! Keep up the great work!

We are finishing our Inference unit by creating and writing stories based on

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Most of the stories have a fairly ‘creepy’ feel to

them and we’re looking forward to publishing and sharing them with each other.

In Science we are continuing to study Matter and its Changes and

in Social Studies we will be looking at Canadian Heritage. Starting

next week our class will be making regular trips to the Wilson Museum

for the purpose of researching our local heritage. Halloween is not far

away, and we will soon be planning festivities and the annual carnival.

Details will soon follow. Happy Birthday this month to Stan!