January Newsletter

January Events

Jan. 10 to 31—Get Active Wednesdays after school program every Wednesday until March 7th for students who have signed up.

Jan. 16—Home & School meeting 7pm. All are welcomed.

Jan. 17—Early Dismissal at 1 1 : 1 5a. m.

Feburary Events

Feb. 1— NO SCHOOL

Feb. 7 to Feb. 28th—Get Active Wednesdays after school program every Wednesday until March 7th for students who have signed up.

Feb. 8—Ski Martock safety presentation for Gr 3-5 students

Feb. 15—Ski program at Ski Martock for Gr 3-5 students

Feb. 19—NO SCHOOL

Feb. 20—Home & School meeting 7pm

Feb. 22—Ski program at Ski Martock for Gr 3-5 students

Feb. 28– Pink Shirt Day. Students are encouraged to wear pink to show their support against bullying

Upcoming Events

We have purchased a class set of used cross country skis from Ski Martock. Our students will be using the skis in some gym classes and at lunch on snowy days.

Martock still has many sets of these skis for sale, so if your child enjoys this sport do consider purchasing a set!

CROSS COUNTRY SKIS

SKI PROGRAM The students in grades 3-5 will have an opportunity to participate in a ski/snowboard program at Ski Martock. The program will run on Thursdays on the following dates: Feb. 15th, Feb. 22nd, Mar. 1st and Mar. 8th. More detailed information will be sent home at a later date.

If you have any questions about this program, please feel free to contact Ms. Allen or the office. All forms will be due to the office by Monday, Feb. 5th.

NEW PRIMARY STUDENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2018

If you have a child or know of any families who may have a child turning five years old by Dec. 31, 2018, please contact Mrs. Jackson at the school 902-792-6700 as soon as possible. Even if you are considering delaying school entry, we would like to include all potential new primary students on our list.

ABSENT STUDENTS

Please call the school if your child will be absent. Procedures from the Department of Education mean that if you call in to report an absence, you no longer are required to send a written note when the child returns to school. You can call 902-792-6700 anytime – day or night - and leave a message for Mrs. Jackson. Simply state your name, your child’s name and date/reason of absence. Please note: students absent on early dismissal days are recorded as absent for the day. Early dismissal days include a full block of literacy and math instruction in the morning so attendance is very important. We appreciate

parents’ efforts to ensure regular attendance!

Any changes due to road or weather conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances, are announced by the school board in several ways:

Twitter: Follow @avrsb

Radio (AVR Network, Magic 94.9 FM, K-Rock 89.3 FM, and CBC Radio 1 in Halifax)

Television (ATV Breakfast Television)

Websites: (www.avrsb.ca, http://avrnetwork.com, www.magic949.ca, www.krock893.com, www.cbc.ca/stormcentre/ns)

Text/email notices through AlertSolutions and Notify me. (see website for more details).

Recorded message on AVRSB Regional Office phone line, 990-538-4600 or 1-800-850-3887 (for early morning cancellations).

SCHOOL CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our SchoolsPlus Mental Health Clinician, Lisa Beck-Evoy, will be offering a program (January to March) as part of our grade 3/4 health class called “Friends for Life”. Friends for Life is a step-by-step program designed to help children gain skills to manage worries/fears and be able to problem solve difficult situations. They learn awareness of their feelings, recognition of how worries/fears present as physical sensations in their bodies, and strategies to manage those sensations. The impact of our thoughts is explored and they learn to recognize unhelpful thoughts and to develop helpful coping thoughts to mange negative thinking. They also learn about the importance of connection to others and develop a support network. There are at home activities the children can practice, which often involves family participation, as well. The activities are intended to be helpful and fun.

FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Our Schools Plus Mental Health Clinician, Lisa Beck-Evoy, will be offering a program in our school called “Options 2 Anger”. Options 2 Anger is a program designed to help children under-stand anger, frustration and other intense emotions that can lead to negative actions and ultimately conflict, consequences and social challenges for young people. The program teaches youth to become more aware of their feelings and to begin exploring emotional options. Young people require abstract, hands on, interactive activities to build a solid understanding of concepts of dealing with various emotions in healthy ways and begin empowered to make positive choices. Most people think of anger/frustration as a primary emotion; however , in most cases, it is a secondary emotion. For example, as a result of an unpleasant event, we may get angry rather than deal with primary emotion. Throughout this program, students will learn about their anger/frustration—what causes it and the skills to appropriately communicate and express how they are feeling.

If you think this program may benefit your child, please contact Mrs. King or your child’s teacher to discuss. There will be a limited number of spots available for this group. There is no cost to participants. It will occur at the school on Thursday mornings (January to March).

OPTIONS 2 ANGER

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UNEXPECTED CLOSURES

In some cases a decision may be made by the Superintendent to close schools early due to an impending storm, or other urgent situation. In these cases we generally have less than one hour to prepare for dismissal. While we will make every effort to contact parents, it is very important that all families have an emergency plan in place, and that children be clear on what they should do. It is also essential that your child’s teacher and the school office have current, updated telephone numbers, contact names and any information pertaining to an emergency dismissal. Emergency closures will be announced on the school board website, on local radio stations, and by the school “Alert” notification system (by email, text and phone). In the event of an unexpected early dismissal the school board will be

sending direct notices through the Alert Notification system, using the contact information you have provided to the school. We will also send information from our school using the Alert Notification system, as well as phone calls to try to notify parents.

It is a great help to us on the day if parents could notify us by email or phone that you have received the message, and specify any instructions for your child.

While we will try our best to reach you, being prepared for the unexpected is an important skill for children to learn. It is very important that all students know what to do if they get home and no one is there.

You can help us streamline communication in the event of an early dismissal. We would appreciate an email to wfds@avrsb.ca or a call to 792-6701 to let us know plans for your children if you hear on the radio or receive a message that school will be dismissed early. If we receive confirmation that you are aware that school is dismissing early, we will not call you. Please include your name, your child(ren)’s name(s) and grade(s) and any instructions in your message.

FLU PREVENTION (HAND WASHING, WATER BOTTLES)

Students are reminded to wash hands frequently, cough into their sleeves, and not to touch their mouths to the drinking fountains when getting a drink. Please reinforce these guide-lines with your children at home, as well. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to send a filled water bottle with students each day in their lunch box (and take home each night for cleaning). While regular attendance at school is very important, please keep students at home if they are showing flu-like symptoms.

ARRIVAL TIME Reminder: students should be arriving at school between 7:50 a.m. and 8:05 a.m. Students who walk or are dropped off should arrive no earlier than 7:50 a.m. as supervision is not available before this time, and picked up at 2:15p.m. (11:15 a.m. on early dismissal days). For additional information on the daily schedule, etc., please refer to the Parent/Student Handbook 2017-2018 that was sent home in September. Children who are on the grounds before 7:50 a.m. or after 2:15 p.m. will not be the responsibility of the school.

We do appreciate your efforts to get students here prior to the class start time. Students who arrive late miss valuable instruction and morning routines that help get them ready for a successful day. Thanks for your support!

“Riverview Skating Club

Registration for skating programs (10 weeks) – Wednesday Jan. 24th & Friday Jan. 26th from 5 – 8pm and Saturday Feb. 3rd from 10am to 1pm. All regis-tration will take place at Newport and District Rink and will be ongoing.

Skating session begins Feb. 7th at Newport Rink. All skaters will be part of our an-nual ice show and this year’s theme is “Tangled”.

The Riverview Skating Club offers programs for beginners to

competitive skaters. See website for Calendar and Ice Schedule for more details, www.riverviewskatingclub.weebly.com.

You can also find us on Facebook or e-mail tleopold@ns.sympatico.ca for more details.”

LOST & FOUND

There are a number of items in our lost and found. If your child is missing something, please feel free to have a look on your next visit.

As cooler weather approaches, please be sure to send children to school with appropriate outdoor clothing, as we go out for fresh air and exercise each day at recess and noon. Students not wearing snow gear will be asked to stay on the paved areas. Please ensure students’ name are marked on sweaters, jackets, boots, mittens, etc. for easy identification. Several items have been added to our “Lost & Found” shelf. Any families needing assistance with acquiring winter weather clothing should contact the school – we always have some extras we would be happy to pass along!

WINTER CLOTHING