William Cook Elementary School School District No. #38 (Richmond)

8600 Cook Road, Richmond. B.C. V6Y 1V7 Phone: 604-668-6454 Fax: 604-668-6137

Website: http://cook.sd38.bc.ca

“Celebrating Our Diversity as Learners” Ms. S. Loat Ms. E. Lee Principal Vice Principal

COOK COUGARS NEWSLETTER

January 8th, 2018 Issue #7

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WELCOME BACK! We hope everyone had a restful and fun-filled holiday. We are happy to see everyone back at school. It will be a busy term, filled with great learning and engaging activities for everyone. Often in the new year we feel a sense of optimism. The New Year is a time to set goals and make a “fresh start”. CHOOSING OPTIMISM What is Optimism? Optimism is a way of seeing life hopefully and having an expectation of success and well-being. Optimism correlates strongly with good health and effective coping strategies. Optimism is a learned trait and, if practiced, can become a way of thinking. Why Practice Optimism? Choosing to view life optimistically can increase our brain capacity; it relaxes our amygdala, creates chemical balance in our brains, and allows our prefrontal cortex to take charge. Practicing optimism also makes it easier to learn – optimistic thinkers prime their brains to be ready to focus and make more room for new information to be absorbed and new ideas to stretch their wings. Socially, practicing optimism allows students to strengthen their perspective-taking skills and accept viewpoints different from their own, as well as connect with other people. Optimism: A Learned Skill for Success The research is clear – attitude matters! Students who are generally optimistic enjoy better physical health, have more success at school, flourish in relationships, and are more well equipped to handle stress in their lives. Brain research has confirmed that optimism is more a learned trait than a genetic one. We can train our brain to have an optimistic perspective. PRO-D DAY – MONDAY, JANUARY 22ND, 2018 This is a reminder that there is a Pro-D day this month. Teachers will be learning about the new Communication Competency and

Aboriginal content. Also there will be some time to discuss our school focus on Mindfulness. Students do not attend school on this day.

PIZZA AND SUSHI DAYS Our next pizza day is scheduled for Thursday, January 11th Our sushi day will be Tuesday, January 23rd

CHRISTMAS COTTAGE SUPPORT We are happy to report that our students and teachers helped raise $758.85 towards Canucks Place this year. This was the most that Cook students have raised at our Christmas cottage. WELL DONE EVERYONE! PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS The district is holding a Parent Information night this year: January 11th, 2018Late French Immersion @ Whiteside Elementary

The Richmond School District allows families to request transfers to schools other than their catchment year, these applications can be submitted starting at 9:00 am on Thursday, January 11th, 2018. The first round of transfers is due into the requested school no later than 3:00 pm on February 2nd, 2018. Notification of the school principal’s decision for applications received by February 2nd will be mailed to parents on February 8th. Requests after that time will be considered in June. For more information on this process, check the school district website (http://www.sd38.bc.ca/). DISTRICT PROGRAMS The Richmond School District offers both French Immersion and Montessori programs. Applications for students entering grades K, 1 and 6 in September will be accepted at the school Board Office until 4:00pm on January 11, 2017. Acceptance into these programs is done through a draw process. For more information check the district website (http://www.sd38.bc.ca/).

READY SET LEARN Cook School would like to welcome all 3 and 4-year-old children in our neighbourhood to come to a special event during the afternoon of Wednesday, February 7th. Join us in some fun activity stations. If you plan to attend this event with your child, please contact our school at 604-668-6454 as soon as possible. If you have friends or neighbors with young children, please share this information with them and urge them to attend this valuable session. EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS AT COOK SCHOOL Our Early Learning Centre (Portable 4) runs a number of programs for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Here are the details: Cook Early Learning Centre – Run by Richmond School District; Monday through Thursday afternoon 1:30 – 3:30pm; no cost for this program; drop in program, no registration required; birth to 5 years. Together Time – run by Richmond Child Care Resource & Referral Centre; Monday and Wednesday mornings 9:15 – 11:15; no cost for this program but registration required (604-279-7020); birth to 5 years Time for 2s – run by City Centre Community Centre; Tuesday and Friday mornings 9:30 – 11:30; a cost for this program; registration through City Centre Community Centre; 2 year olds CAP-C Program – run by Touchstone Family Association; Thursday mornings 9:30 – 11:15; no cost for this program; registration required (604-207-5028); birth to 6 years

GRADE 7 TRANSITION TO HIGH SCHOOL Our grade 7 students will soon begin the transition to High School. Our grade 7 students have received a letter indicating their catchment high school. Counselors from MacNeill Secondary will visit our school on Friday, January 19th, 2018. At that time all students from the MacNeill catchment area will complete program planning sheets. An evening meeting for parents of current grade 6 and 7 students will be held on Thursday, January 25th at 7:00 pm. GRADE 8 INCENTIVE OUTDOOR ACADEMY PROGRAM MacNeill Secondary hosts the district’s Incentive Program for grade 8-10 students. The program focuses on outdoor experiences and has an accelerated academic program. The Incentive program is offering the following evenings: Tuesday, January 16th Parent Information Meeting 7:30pm Room 260 (Open House Night) Thursday, January 25th

Parent Information Meeting 7:30pm Room 226 WINTER SAFETY January is a very dark month in Richmond. It’s partly due to the cloudy weather and partly due to the shorter days. Walking at night can be very unsafe because of the hazardous weather conditions. With some attention to your surroundings, you will be much safer. Here are some safety tips taken from the internet http://walking.about.com/od/weather/a/nightwalking3.htm Walking at night in the winter months: You will need to be more defensive in your walking at night than in the day, although caution is always needed as cars often do not look for you or expect you to be there. 1. Use sidewalks and off-road paths: Separate yourself as much as possible from traffic by seeking out lighted paths and sidewalks.

2. Walk facing traffic: When you cannot avoid walking on the side of the road, always walk on the side of oncoming traffic so you can see and react to any vehicle. Do not walk with your back to oncoming traffic. 3. Extra caution crossing streets: Traffic does not expect pedestrians to be out walking at night. Even when crossing with a crossing light, assume that the cars coming toward you or turning toward you do not see you. 4. Safety in numbers: Use the same routes used by other walkers and runners. Drivers are more used to seeing them there. 5. Don't get tripped: Tripping hazards are worse after dark. Uneven sidewalks, roots and rocks on trails, potholes and trash on the side of streets and roads - all can lead to a slip or fall. Walk with your eyes noting the ground 15 feet ahead to see upcoming hazards. 6. Blinded by the light: As we age we lose our ability to see well in the dark and recovering after having headlights shine in your eyes. Choose a path where you won't have frequent changes in the lighting level. Do not look straight into oncoming headlights. SNOW DAYS – WHAT TO EXPECT As the winter months are coming soon, we need to ensure our community is aware of what to expect during snowy weather. Snow days’ cause inconvenience for all of us. Closing schools is a difficult decision for the school district – trying to weigh the safety of all with the repercussions for working families. To help assist families, we would like to outline what you can expect from us on a snow day.

The following things will happen: 1. Schools will be OPEN unless conditions

reach civic emergency proportions. Radio announcements will only announce those schools that are CLOSED. Most of these will be private schools. You can listen to radio CKNW 980AM, NEWS 1130AM, CBC 690AM, 1470AM, CHQM 103.5FM, CHMB 1320AM, Fairchild 1470AM, Radio India 1600AM. You can watch on television CBC, Global TV, City TV, Fairchild TV and CTV BC. You can check the school or district website for information. You can also check the district Twitter account (@RichmondSD38) Please do not phone the school. Staff will be too busy planning the day and ensuring students are safe and will not be able to answer the phone in a timely manner. If you do not hear that the Richmond School District or our own school is closed, then assume school will be in session.

2. It may not be a regular instructional day as many students and teachers may be absent. We will ensure that the children are cared for and are safe. Many alternate activities may be planned so that students who are absent will not miss much work.

3. School will have regular school hours from 8:45 until 3:00 p.m. In the event that we have to close early, students will not be sent home without contacting parents first.

You have some choices: Students are not required to attend school on a snow day if you feel that their safety or your own safety may be at risk. You may keep them home. 1. Make plans in advance for what you and your family will do on a snow day. 2. You may send your child(ren) to school 3. knowing that they will be safe and they may be participating in alternate activities for the day. So, plan for schools to be open in the event of snow. If you need clarification or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us at the school (604-668-6454).