MUSIC PROGRAM Melissa Braun and Adam Hill from the Squamish Academy of Music are working with teachers to set up practice schedules and dates for the remaining concerts. The Kindergarten, Grade 1 & 2 concert will be on March 10th. The Grade 3/4 choir and the school band will have a concert in May. LIBRARY Hand in your home reading sheet and see your name on the new Home Reading Button Blanket! Students in Mr. Castrillo’s class are working on proposals to upgrade the appearance of the school library. We can’t wait to see the presentations from the design teams.

TEEN MENTORS The Teen Mentors Program is off to a successful start. The little buddies are enjoying their sessions with their big buddies. If you are interested in any of the programs Big Brothers/Big Sisters offer, please talk to your child’s teacher or Ms. Brown at abrown@sd48.bc.ca

FSA (Foundation Skills Assessment) All Grade 4 students will be participating in the FSA Assessments. Practices are scheduled to start next week and continue into February. The exam will be administered during the week of February 12th. The main purpose of the assessment is to help the province, school districts, schools and school planning councils evaluate how well students are achieving basic skills, and make plans to improve student achievement. Foundation Skills Assessme n t BOKS BACKGROUND

BOKS (Build Our Kids’ Success), an initiative of the Reebok Foundation, is a free before-school physical activity program aimed to get children moving in the morning and their brains ready for a day of learning. In 2009 Kathleen Tullie, mom, co-founder and Executive Director of BOKS, read Spark, by Dr. John Ratey which states “exercise is the single most powerful tool that we have to optimize the function of our brains.” Spark, which clearly defines why kids should be active before school, inspired Kathleen to create a program at her children’s school. With school approval and a group of passionate moms, BOKS was launched. Providing a completely free robust curriculum, BOKS seeks to empower the community to help the youth of this generation embrace healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Sample Lesson Plan

PAGE 2 ELEMENTARY SPEAKING MISSOULA THEATRE Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) will be at our school the week of February 1-6! It is an opportunity for 50-60 students in grades 1-6 to learn and perform a full-scale musical all in one week, complete with costumes and a set. Auditions will take place after school on Monday, February 1, followed by after school/ evening rehearsals on Tuesday through Friday of the same week. Matinee and evening performances will be held at the Eagle Eye Theatre on Saturday, February 6th. The success of the program relies on the assistance of parent volunteers, please contact the PAC to learn more and find out how you can help. Some of you may be familiar with MCT if your child has attended other local schools and can speak to the fun, high quality experience it is. Please note: there is a $50 fee per child for the amazing week-long experience, and while all attempts will be made to cast everyone who auditions, there is a limit of 60 children in the production so there is no guarantee that all children will be able to participate.

In the meantime, we need to secure home stay arrangements for the two MCT Tour Actor/Directors for the week, so if you have spare bedroom(s) in your home, PLEASE consider being a home stay family for one (or two!) of the MCT staff and let Hilary Bloom (PAC parent and MCT contact) know: hjbloom@gmail.com. The staff are self-sufficient and meals/transportation do not need to be provided, although a location close to school is preferable; a clean, private bedroom with access to a bathroom, kitchen and wi-fi is the requirement, and it's imperative that we secure this ASAP.

For more information on MCT, visit http://mctinc.org/ or contact Hilary with questions/offers to help. Further details will be sent out in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

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COMMUNITY INFORMATION