NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER Thursday, November 1, 2018

School Growth Goal #1- To Improve Student Literacy

On reviewing our School Growth Plan from 2017-18, I wasn’t surprised when I saw that our school community had selected “Reading” as our first goal. Each year we have a Drop Everything And Read day to recognize the importance of reading in our everyday lives. We know that it is an essential transition when we go from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” In an effort to help us reach our goal of improving our reading, we have a variety of strategies at work. First and foremost is our amazing staff who are determined to make a

CATS R.O.A.R. �1

Upcoming Events Nov. 1 - Gr. 5/6 Girls’ Vball (Home) vs. LWMS 2:30 Nov. 8th - “Buster the Bus” presentation for Kindies and gr. 4s. Nov. 9th - Remembrance Day Ceremony 10:30am Nov. 14th - Internet Safety Presentation for parents. 6:30-8:00 @ the DESC

Nov. 15 - Gr. 5/6 Girls’ Vball @LWMS / Gr. 5/6Boys @SMS

Nov. 15 - Crafts & Gifts Fair 4:00-8:00

Nov. 17 - LIONS Children’s Xmas Auction 12:00pm @Howard Johnsons

Nov. 20/21 - Parent Teacher Interviews (Goal Setting)

Nov. 21 - PAC meeting 5:30-6:30pm

Nov. 30- Hot Lunch!

M.V. BEATTIE BULLETIN

“You are never too old (or too young) to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S. Lewis

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER Thursday, November 1, 2018

difference in the lives of our students. Together, we use a shared language when we introduce our students to strategies that support them in developing reading skills. Many of you will be familiar with “Eagle Eye” “Lips the Fish”“Stretchy Snake” and “Chunky Monkey” - to name a few. This shared language creates an important repetition for our youngsters as they move from one classroom to the next.

We also have wonderful volunteers that help us with our “One to One” reading program, A.L. Fortune students and former grads also join us to work individually with our students, we have a “buddy program” that provides our intermediate students with leadership opportunities, while also supporting our primary students to build their skills and confidence. Also, we are incredibly fortunate to have Jill Haskett, as our LIT teacher, who provides intensive support to our developing readers, and is an incredible resource to the rest of our staff. And…last but not least, we have YOU. We know that as parents/guardians you juggle many responsibilities related to running your households and raising your children, and there may be nights when the idea of 20 minutes of reading with your child is a struggle…but thank you for taking the time. It is arguably the single most important thing that you can do to help your child become an effective reader…and learner.

In the New Year, on our website, we plan to feature instructional videos that show Mrs. Haskett with some

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Community Service

Our Enderby Lions Club

continue to support our school

and community in many

wonderful ways. They recently

donated more than $400 to

support our lunch program,

and as we approach the holiday

season, we have been told that

they will continue to support

our families in need. They will

be hosting the LIONS

Children’s Christmas Auction

at 12:oo noon on Sat. Nov. 17 at

the Howard Johnson Hotel.

The funds raised will provide

grocery vouchers to local

families. If you are able to

make a small monetary

donation or donate an item for

the auction, it would help

sponsor a family! Questions?

Please call Abby Pavelich

(250-838-9280) or Sheila

Forster (250-838-6721)

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER Thursday, November 1, 2018

MVB students working together on reading strategies. We are hopeful that the descriptions of the process, along with the visual examples will give parents/guardians an important resource to aid in reading practice within the home.

School Growth Goal #2- To Improve Social Responsibility

“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”

Social responsibility is simply part of who we are at M.V. Beattie. I have been incredibly impressed by the efforts of our students to look outside of themselves and seek ways to support those in need. Earlier this year, our students raised over $1200 for the Terry Fox Run, they have created bake sales as a fundraiser to support a family in need, they provide a valuable service as helpers to the Seniors’ Luncheon program, and most recently created a “We Scare Hunger” drive to bring

in food donations. I have also noticed how our students look after one another, and seek ways to resolve disputes peacefully. Improving Social Responsibility is always a worthy goal, and I am proud of our students for all of their efforts to make our school and community a better place!

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On Nov. 20th, we will be having a shortened school day (dismissal at 12:00), in order accommodate Parent Teacher Interviews. You are now able to make an appointment on ParentConnect to meet with you child’s teacher. If the 20th doesn’t work for you, there are also times set aside for after school on the 21st. We are hopeful to meet with all families to explore the successes and challenges of the past few months and, perhaps most importantly, work together to create meaningful goals that will pave the way to future improvement. Here are a few ways to help you to

prepare for these meetings.

Prior to the meeting: 1. Talk to your child about what he/she is most proud of so far this year. It is always great to start with “what is working" as it is helps to build confidence. 2. Ask your child what else he/she is “good at” and also what subjects/activities seem “harder.” 3. Ask your child what he/she does when learning is difficult. Helping your child learn to persevere when things are challenging will be an important lifeskill.

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER Thursday, November 1, 2018

Hallowe’en Festivities

What an incredible day! We started with a Hallowe’en Fashion Show in the gym, followed by some dancing to some “oldies but goodies”: The Monster Mash and Thriller. After that our students went back to classes and did CandyCorn Math, Scary Stories, and a host of other seasonal learning activities. After lunch the gr. 5/6s had a dance, while others played games or had class parties. It was a memorable day filled with both spooky costumes and bright smiles.

Thank you to the many parents/guardians for cheering on the fashion show participants and also providing Creepy Cupcakes, Evil Eyeballs and, of course, for helping the kids look spooktacular!

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PTI cont…4. Consider what information you could share with your son/daughter’s teacher(s) that would help them understand where he/she is at. What motivates? What causes a shut down?

During the meeting:

1. Start with the positive. Perhaps, share the story about what your child is most proud of so far or what he/she feels good about. This will likely elicit other examples from the teacher’s perspective.

2. Consider questions you have around different types of progress, for instance: Mathematics, Language Arts, Peer Interactions, ability to follow instructions, Fine Arts and Physical Activity.

3. Co-create learning goals and methods to support your child’s ongoing development. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (meaning: we create a timeline)

Post-Meeting: Did you forget to ask something or mention something that would be helpful? No problem…give us a call or send your teacher an email. Communication is key. Please always feel free to touch base with us. We are partners in your child’s education!