December 8, 2023
We can be Heroes!
We come from good people. At ST’a7mes school we use our strengths to support one another; we are all connected. We show kindness, treat others with dignity and respect. We care for people in need. We are connected to and we represent our family, ancestors, and community. We work with exertion and diligence.
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Wanáxws ( Wan -ow - hw -s) I carry myself in a good way. Treat (someone) with respect: believe (someone); honour (someone).verb (t) |
Chén̓chenstway (Chin -chin - st - why) Together we hold each other up. We stand and work together. Uphold one another; support one another. Verb (i) |
Tímit (T-eh-mate) Perform (something) with all one’s might |
Ha7lh Skwayel Families -
This week started off with a lot of courage! Students who’ve been involved in our lunchtime Act Alive program performed their final piece “The Family Madrigal”. Watching them was so much fun. These kids danced, sang and performed all the actions with enthusiasm.
Curiosity, Exploration, Teamwork, Imagination were all evident in Forrest Play this week.
On Wednesday Yew Yews were processing salmon skins. Matthew had brought in some homemade tools from Antlers to scrape the scales. This was a neat way to engage with nature: repurposing and being part of the circle of life. We raise our hands to Janey Chang and Danielle Wilson Brown for their expertise and community partnership as collaborative teachers in the learning of this activity.
Sxwi7shen and Mixalh classes have also been working on their place in the circle with ideas of recycling, reusing and repurposing materials in order to be stewards of the ocean. We raise our hands to Caitlin Stanley and Talia Demus from Safe Seas for their expertise and and community partnership as collaborative teachers in the learning of this activity.
Spakwus students continue to delight us with their growth in learning to read. This process is so exciting!
Today we had our Winter Writing day. Students gathered in the gym and wrote letters to loved ones and Santa. Thank you to all the parents who were able to come out and help out with this event. Thank you to the LEX students for their leadership in preparing and serving the hot chocolate and popcorn. They helped to create such a great festive atmosphere. It was a great way to start off the festive season.
Partners in the Learning; Family Homework and reminders from the Principal:
Engaging in Learning Conversations with our Kids:
Learning Updates (Report Cards) will be coming out soon for our LEX students, Yew Yews class and Sxwi7shen class. Artifacts and Communication about your child’s learning has happened over See Saw for our Elementary Classes. Soon our LEX classes will have on going communication pieces updated to their portfolios over an Online platform called Spaces.
Sometimes it's difficult as parents to talk to our kids about their learning; we want to lift them up and give them confidence, and also talk about growth without shaming them. A great way to engage in the conversation about their projects and activities that are posted to their See Saw and Spaces is to get them to connect the activities they are doing to their play. For example – you may see your children over the weekend trying to scrape away at the ground, or rocks – and you wonder with them – “Is this kind of like the scraping you did when you processed Salmon this week?” This can start up a great conversation that can build on the learning they did at school. When we are able to find connections, it increases our brains capacity to make sense of the new things we are learning and solidifies those new ideas into our memory.
Here are some other great prompts you can use to ask your children about their learning at school:
Did anything make you laugh today?
What was the best thing that happened today?
Did you help anyone today ?
Did you ask anyone to play with you today?
Who is the funniest person in your class?
What do you think you should learn about at school?
Any new words you heard today?
Anyone in class get upset today?
Did anything make you sad today?
Did you ask for help today?
Anyone in class that you think you can be nicer to?
Can you tell me about a book you read today?
These questions can lead to conversations that can help you to understand your child’s experience at school. Also these questions can prompt a sense of agency, create space for your child to tell you about their day, create empathy and compassion for themselves and others, create connection with you, and also their classmates.
My homework for you this weekend is to try a couple of them out and see where they lead.
Outside Attire – It’s getting cold! And the playground is Icy. Much of our learning happens out on the land. Please make sure your child is prepared with weather appropriate clothing and footwear. Please chat with your students about being alert on the icy grounds – having their muscles and minds ready to keep their balance.
Backpack Buddies – Please let us know if your family is in need of support with groceries and we can add you to our back pack buddies program.
As you go into this weekend, I hope you have rich and playful conversations with your child about their life at school and their learning. May you feel deeply connected to them.
Most Sincerely,
Alysa Patching, Principal.
