Principal’s Message

St. Michael’s School September 2015

A hearty welcome back to the St. Michael’s school community for the school year 2015-16. After a successful transition to Holy Spirit Catholic School Division last year we look forward with optimism and hope that the upcoming year will be filled with success in all endeavors; from those that are faith oriented to those of an academic nature. Ultimately, through hard work, communication, collegiality and most importantly through the grace of God I am more than confident all of us will continue to make strides.

Our division and school theme this year is Horizon of Hope. Tuesday’s school activities were centered on this theme to give students and staff a better understanding of the concept. In short can there be a better human striving than hope that allows all for a sense of ongoing optimism and the ability to dream?

Of note our school has crossed the threshold of 100 students. At year’s start we are sitting at 101 students excluding pre-school. I thank all for your support, energy and commitment to St. Mike’s. The work continues. We do not relent.

We welcome all of our staff back save for Chad Kletzel who has been replaced by Mr. Derek Cambridge. Mr. Cambridge has a background in Math and Science and has taught for 17 years. He and his wife have two small children, Larson and Mackenzie. He comes to us by way of the Calgary Board of Education. We welcome him and wish him the best in his new undertaking.

Please find enclosed our school calendar which will assist families in their yearly planning. Jr. and Sr. High students were given their individual timetables on Tuesday. Other housekeeping items will be forthcoming.

As always please be reminded our doors are always open to discuss matters that concern your child and our school. And we thank you once again for entrusting your most precious to us. We do not take this responsibility lightly.

Finally, I sincerely pray for God’s blessing this year in all we undertake. We do nothing without His guiding hands.

Yours Most Assuredly in Christ

Chris Sumner

All parents transporting students, other than their own, for any school activity must complete a Volunteer Driver Authorization Form (attached) as well as provide the school with a current 5-year Driver’s Abstract (no more than 7 demerit points), proof of $2,000,000 liability insurance, current Criminal Record Check & Vulnerable Sector Search and a copy of you valid Driver’s License. These documents must be provided each year.

Volunteer drivers are an integral part of our students educational experience. Without your help it would be more costly for us to run our sports programs and field trips. Please consider volunteering to drive students. We ask that your forms and paper work be completed as soon as possible.

An invoice for school fees will be mailed to you short-ly. Fees are due on or before September 30. Please note the Yearbook fee is optional. If you are not able to pay your fees by the due date please contact the school as soon as possible to make alter-nate arrangements.

Page 2 St. Michael’s School

Transporting Students

School Fees Welcome Back BBQ A free “Welcome Back” barbecue will be held on Thursday, September 17 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to join us for supper. Come out and meet our newest staff member and catch up with returning staff. We look forward to seeing you there!

Bell Times Please note classes start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:17 p.m. Morning supervision will begin at 8:15 a.m. Students should not be at the school prior to this time. Jr./Sr. students enter the school at 8:20 and Elementary at 8:25. Bell times are as follows:

Announcements 8:30 Classes begin at 8:33 Elementary Recess 10:35—10:50 Lunch Break 12:10—12:45 Elementary Recess 1:45—2:06 Dismissal 3:17

Concession Once again students in Grades 5 & 6 will be participating in the AMA Safety Patrol Program. These students will pa-trol the intersection to ensure student safety. Please remind your children to respect the duties of our patrollers. We ask that all students and parents cross the street at the patrolled corners.

Parking stall are avail-able along the east and west sides of the school and should be utilized. Parking in front of the school in not permitted from 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m. This allows busses proper access to the school. Everyone is asked to comply with the posted parking signs for student safety.

Newsletters Newsletters are published once a month and will be sent to families electroni-cally by email. If you do not have an email account or prefer a paper copy, please contact the school to make those arrangements.

Parking The concession is open for business. A menu with price list is attached for your reference. Students are asked to continue pre-ordering their lunches. This enables faster service and shorter lines. Milk cards are available at $10.00 for 10 milk. If you are able help in the concession during lunch hours please be at the school by 11:45 in order to get things prepared. Volunteering an hour of your time is great-ly appreciated. For more information please call Mrs. Mastel at the school.

St. Michael’s is very fortunate to have an active Parent Council. Meetings are held once a month beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the school library. Free child care is provided at all meetings. The first meeting of the new school year will be held Thursday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. following the Welcome Back barbecue. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. Your support is always appreciated.

St. Michael’s School is once again participating in the annu-al Terry Fox Run by walking around Bow Island on Thurs-day, October 1st at 1:40 p.m. This is the 35th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run and to ensure students participate for 35 minutes the students will continue with some additional fun exercises when they return

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Terry Fox Walk

School Council

The students trav-elling to Europe are once again holding Pita Pit days as well as Panago Pizza days up to December 2015. The first Pita Pit day is set for September 24. Forms will be given to students this week. Please have them back to their homeroom teacher no later than Sep-tember 17. Thank you for supporting this fundraising

Staff Room The school staff room needs your help. Over the summer one of the fridges lost the will to continue working. We are need of a replacement. If you or someone you know has a refrigerator they would like to part with that is in good working condition and a very reasonable price please let us know. The fridges are needed to hold extra concession and hot lunch supplies and well as supplies for cooking classes. We are also looking for an extra freezer to hold concession supplies. We thank you in advance for your help.

AR Program Europe Trip The AR Program (Accelerated Reader) will be rolled over to start on September 3rd. It was great to see students participating over the summer break!

Kindergarten The first day of Kindergar-ten is Tuesday, Septem-ber 8th. We look forward to seeing all those excited new faces.

See You At The Pole Parents and friends are

invited to join students and staff at St. Michael’s flag pole on Wednes-day, September 23rd at 8:00 a.m. for our annual See You At The Pole. SYAP is a global day of student prayer. We will gather to pray for our school, students, staff and the community.

to the school. Students have been challenged to beat last year’s fundraising record of $7495.13 by $35.00. Pledge sheets have been given to students and must be returned to their homeroom teachers by 9:00 a.m. October 1st. GOOD LUCK!

St. Michael’s School has a Twitter Account which can be accessed as follows: @smbischool. Follow us on Twitter to find out school sports scores, activities etc. The school Twitter account is managed by teachers only.

Grade 3/4 News The Grade 3 class will be writing SLA’s (Student Learn-ing Achievements) in short time blocks between September 14 and 25. More information will be sent to their parents before they are administered.

The Grade 3/4 class will head-ing out on a field trip on Monday, September 21st. They will be participating in “Science in our Backyard”.

School Pictures School picture day is set for Thursday, September 24 begin-ning at 8:40 a.m. LifeTouch Photography will once again be taking our pictures.

CONCESSION MENU

Chicken/Taco Wrap $3.75 *Fruit Popsicle $0.75

Chicken/Taco Quesadilla $3.25 Cheese Strings $0.50

Chicken/Taco Salad $3.25 Large Chocolate Milk $2.00

Plain Salad $2.25 Small Milk (wh/choc) $1.00

Grilled Cheese $2.25 Canned Juice $1.50

Pizza $2.25 Juice Boxes $0.85

Cinnamon Buns $2.75(Tuesdays Only) Water $1.00

Trail Mix $1.25 Ranch Package $0.25

Yogurt & Granola $1.00 Milk Card (10) $10.00

Yogurt only $0.75 Hotrods $0.60

Fresh Popcorn $2.50 (Fridays Only) Halls $1.50

Fruit Cups $0.75

Cross Country St. Michael’s is once again offering cross country training as an extra curricular activity. This is open to all students Grades 3 - 12. Thank you to Mrs. Weatherhead for taking on this program.

September 2015

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ST. MICHAEL’S BOW ISLAND 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR

Aug. 28, 31 Operational Aug. 28 School Opening Mass Operational 2 Instructional 0

AUGUST 2015 S M T W Th F S 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

SEPTEMBER 2015 S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

Sept. 1 First Day Students Sept. 7 Stat Sept. 18 SMBI SI Operational 21 (23) Instructional 20

Oct. 2 SMBI SI Oct. 12 Stat Oct. 13 SMBI SI Oct. 26 Division PD Operational 21 (44) Instructional 18 (38)

OCTOBER 2015 S M T W Th F S

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

NOVEMBER 2015 S M T W Th F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30

Nov. 11 Stat Nov. 16-20 Options Week Nov. 30 SMBI SI Operational 20 (64) Instructional – Elem & Jr. High 14 (52) Sr. High 19 (57)

Dec. 18 2:00 pm Dismissal Dec. 21-31 Christmas Break Dec. 25 & 26 Stat Operational 14 (78) Instructional – Elem & Jr. High 14 (66) Sr. High 14 (71)

DECEMBER 2015 S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

JANUARY 2016 S M T W Th F S 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24/31 25 26 27 28 29 30

Jan. 1 Stat Jan. 1-3 Christmas Break Jan. 29 SMBI SI Operational 20 (98) Instructional – Elem & Jr. High 20 (86) Sr. High 20 (91)

Feb. 15 Stat Feb. 16 & 17 No School DIL Teachers Feb. 18 & 19 SWATCA Operational 20 (118) Instructional - Elem & Jr. High 15 (101) Sr. High 15 (106)

FEBRUARY 2016 S M T W Th F S

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29

MARCH 2016 S M T W Th F S

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

Mar. 4 SMBI SI Mar. 7 Spiritual Development Mar. 25 & 27 Stat Mar. 25-31 Easter Break Operational 18 (136) Instructional – Elem & Jr. High 16 (117) Sr. High 16 (122)

Apr. 1-3 Easter Break Apr. 18-22 Options Week Apr. 25 SMBI SI Operational 20 (156) Instructional - Elem & Jr. High 14 (131) Sr. High 19 (141)

APRIL 2016 S M T W Th F S

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

MAY 2016 S M T W Th F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

May 23 Stat May 24 SMBI SI Operational 21 (177) Instruction – Elem & Jr. High 20 (151) Sr. High 20 (161)

Jun. 21 Nat. Aboriginal Day Jun. 24 Last Day Students & Staff Jun. 27 Open for exam Operational 18 (195) Instructional - Elem & Jr. High 18 (169) Sr. High 18 (179)

June 2016 S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

JULY 2016 S M T W Th F S 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24/31 25 26 27 28 29 30

HBI Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 4

Volunteer Automobile Driver Authorization

To be read by the volunteer driver BEFORE filling out the form.

NOTICE RE: INSURANCE COVERAGE VOLUNTEER DRIVERS: Those wishing to act as volunteer drivers for school division activities and who are planning to use their own vehicle would be well-advised to inform their insurance company. With regard to insurance coverage, the school division insurance policies have been endorsed to provide excess liability insurance for volunteer drivers. At the present time, the maximum excess amount is $9,000,000. However, the school division’s insurance does not come into force unless there is a claim in excess of the liability limits in the owner’s insurance policy (e.g., if the volunteer driver’s insurance limit was $200,000 – which is required by law – and there is a judgment of $400,000, the driver’s insurance would cover $200,000 and the school division’s excess liability insurance would cover the remaining $200,000. Damage to the owner’s vehicle is NOT insured by the Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 4. School division excess liability only applies when no payment has been made for the use of a private vehicle (e.g., gas, mileage, etc.). When payment is made for the use of a private vehicle it is incumbent upon the owner of the vehicle to arrange for proper and adequate insurance through his own insurer. If you are doing a lot of volunteer driving for school, sporting or church activities, etc., we would suggest that you review your insurance limits with your agent to ensure that you are adequately protected. _________________________________________________________________________ Notes to the Application on other side: Note #1: Applications can be approved only when the driver possesses a valid driver’s

license and is able to respond “no” to questions concerning convictions and suspensions.

Note #2: The owner of the vehicle is expected to inform his/her insurance agent of the

intention to use the automobile and to act as a driver for school board activities. The majority of insurance companies do not require an endorsement to auto policies or an additional premium charge because this driving is classified as occasional and is not done for compensation.

Note #3: It is required by the division that volunteer drivers carry a minimum

$2,000,000 personal liability limit. News Release from Community Health (Lethbridge) Parents please be advised: A child who is under the age of six years and whose weight does not exceed 18 kg (40 lbs) must be properly secured in a child safety seat. This does not include a booster seat. (Approved booster seats may be used once the child is six years of age or weighs more than 18 kg (40 lbs).

HOLY SPIRIT CATHOLIC SCHOOL DIVISION NO. 4 VOLUNTEER AUTOMOBILE DRIVER AUTHORIZATION FORM

A. School: ____________________________________ School Year: ___________________________

B. Volunteer Driver’s Name: ____________________________________________________

Volunteer Driver’s Address: ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Telephone Number: ____________________________________________________

Driver’s License Number: ____________________________________________________

Driver’s License Class: __________________________ Expiry Date: _______________

**Has your driver’s license been suspended in the last three years? (See Note #1). YES � NO �

If YES, please provide date of reinstatement: _____________________________________________

**Have you been involved in any accidents as a driver during the last three years? YES � NO �

If YES, please give details: ___________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

**Have you been convicted of an offense under the Traffic Safety Act 2003, related regulations, or for

any motor vehicle related offense under the Criminal Code during the last three years?

YES � NO �

If YES, please provide particulars: ____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

C. Vehicle: Make ____________________ Model _____________________ Capacity ______________

Vehicle Owner’s Name: ____________________________________________________

Insurance on Vehicle-Company: ____________________________________________________

Agent: ____________________________________________________

Policy #: ____________________________________________________

Liability limit: ____________________________________________________

Passenger endorsement: YES � NO � (Please see Note #2)

D. Commitments:

**I agree to abide by the requirements of the Traffic Safety Act while acting as a volunteer driver for

school functions. I undertake to report to the school principal all accidents and any suspension of my

license or change in my insurance status which may occur after the date of this authorization while it

remains in force (i.e., current school year).

**I have advised the insurance company that I have applied to serve as a volunteer driver.

**I agree to operate the automobile referred to herein in a safe manner, to drive in accordance with the

Traffic Safety Act, to limit the number of passengers to the number of seat belts which are usable and to

comply with the directions of teachers or agents of the Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Separate Regional

Division No. 4.

I accept the foregoing undertakings and certify that the information contained in this application is

accurate to the best of my knowledge:

Please sign below:

Driver: ______________________________ Vehicle Owner: __________________________

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:

The above-named driver is authorized to assist the school during the current school year. The help is appreciated.

Signature of Principal: ________________________________ Date: ___________________________________

Healthy Children Parent Newsletter

September 2015

To find an electronic copy of this newsletter, visit: www.albertahealthservices.ca/csh.asp

Nurture with Nature!

Reconnecting kids with nature has been shown to help children focus in school, boost a positive attitude and increase physical activity. Children are certainly losing touch with the outdoors—a Canadian study shows that the number of kids who play outside at school decreases from 87% to 17% between grades 3 and 11. Seventy percent of youth spend an hour or less outdoors daily.

The effects of exposing and connecting children to nature are widespread and valuable. School grounds made greener by planting trees, building ponds and fostering gardens increases physical activity in elementary school children. Even having green space nearby has been shown to temper stressful life events in younger kids. Just 20 minutes walking in a park could ease ADHD symptoms and significantly improve concentration.

How can parents help:

Start slow and make it a family goal to have at least 15 minutes of ―green time‖ a day, even if that just means a walk together outside. Role modeling is essential to fostering a child’s positive connection to nature.

Advocate for more time outside for your children at school, be it through extra gym classes outside or making outdoor learning a part of the other class lessons.

Don’t let the cold or snow stop you in Alberta! Many communities have free access to a variety of outdoor activities – Just make sure to bundle up!

Nurturing your child with nature is an easy way to improve their entire well-being. For more information and ideas, visit the Children and Nature Network at www.childrenandnature.org.

Physical Literacy and Safe, Healthy, Active Kids

We’ve all heard that becoming literate in reading, math, writing and science is essential for children to be successful in life but did you know that it is just as important for your child to be physically literate. Physical literacy means children are competent and confident with movement and sport skills such as running, throwing, catching, skipping, balancing and jumping.

Sport and recreation injuries account for 40% of all injury related emergency room visits in school aged children. We can help reduce that rate by promoting physical literacy education in schools. Research shows that children who are physically literate are much less likely to be injured while playing sports. Children who stay safe while being active are also more likely to continue to have energetic, healthy lifestyles in adulthood.

Children learn to be physically literate in much the same way they learn to read and write. It’s a process of learning and developing skill over time with concepts building on one another other at each grade level. Just like other school subjects some children will find the concepts easy to grasp while others may require longer periods of time and extra help to become skilled.

School physical education programs offer all children the opportunity to learn movement and sport skills necessary to become physically literate. Curriculums are specially designed to ensure fundamental skills, knowledge and attitudes are developed. Provincial safety guidelines for physical activity have been developed to provide teachers with resources necessary to keep children safe during instructional practices.Talk to your child about how important gym class is and follow their progress with their teacher. The skills they learn in physical education class will keep them safe, healthy and happy for a lifetime.

Driving is

Does your child's school have an AMA Youth Run Club?

The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) and Ever Active Schools have brought a free, award-winning program for school-aged children to Alberta schools. We can provide your school with resources and support – from scratch or to enrich an existing run club. Learn about how to get your child's school involved at www.everactive.org/alberta-medical-association-youth-run-club.

Healthy Teens Parent Newsletter

September 2015

To find an electronic copy of this newsletter, visit: www.albertahealthservices.ca/csh.asp

Does your child's school have an AMA Youth Run Club?

The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) and Ever Active Schools have brought a free, award-winning program for school-aged children to Alberta schools. We can provide your school with resources and support -- from scratch or to enrich an existing run club. Learn about how to get your child's school involved at www.everactive.org/alberta-medical-association-youth-run-club.

Nurture with Nature! Reconnecting teens with nature has been shown to help them focus in school,boost a positive attitude and increase physical activity. Youth are certainly losing touch with the outdoors—a Canadian study shows that the number of children and youth who play outside at school decreases from 87% to 17% between grades 3 and 11. Seventy percent of youth spend an hour or less outdoors daily.

The effects of exposing and connecting teens to nature are widespread and valuable. Older children who spend more time outside are not only more physically active but also have healthier body weights. Physical activity in outdoor environments improves mental health even more than in other settings and this makes less irritable teenagers.

These improvements in mood and outlook can contribute to better body image and self esteem. Consistent, positive relationships also exist between students’ exposure to nature, test scores and graduation rates.

How can parents help:

Involve your teen in planning—hikes, kayaking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, camping. A personal investment is a powerful way to help connect teens to the natural world around them.

A garden of their own can help provide youth with structure as they compete with pressures from all areas of their lives. Control over what gets cultivated and maintenance of the fruits of their labor offers both physical and mental outlets.

Advocate for more time outside for your teens at school, be it through extra gym classes outside or making outdoor learning a part of other class lessons.

For more information and ideas, visit the Children and Nature Network at www.childrenandnature.org.

Teen Driver Safety

Driving is a risky experience for all of us but it is most risky for teenagers in their first year of unsupervised driving. Car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens in Alberta. Not all risk is bad; risk is a necessary part of healthy teen development. It is important that teens take Smart Risks when driving. For more information on the smart risk approach visit: www.albertahealthservices.ca/4938.asp

Encourage your teen to Look First. This means being prepared to drive, every time by checking road conditions and mapping routes before they get into their car. It is also important to check tires, adjust seats and rearview mirrors before driving. Remind your teen to Buckle up, no matter how short the drive. It is the law. Teens can Get Trained by taking a driver’s ed course from an unbiased expert who has years of experience teaching new drivers. Enforce with your teen that it is the law to Drive sober. Set a rule against drinking and driving.

Aside from encouraging your teen to take smart risks when driving, there are many things you can do to help keep your teen safe: 1) Set a good example behind the wheel by modeling the smart risk behaviours above. Always wear your seatbelt, never speed and be respectful of other drivers and pedestrians on the road. 2) In addition to driver’s ed, teach your teen how to drive under your supervision in low risk conditions before moving up to more risky situations. 3) Stay informed about Alberta’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws and start a conversation with your teen about it. 4) Using the Parent/Teen Driving Agreement with your teen can help you with all of these things. This agreement will help you start and keep an open, honest dialogue with your teen about their driving behaviour. It will also help you work together to set boundaries and build trust.

Driving is