PHOENIX SCHOOL
http://phoenix.sjsd.net
Phone: (204) 889-5053, Fax: (204) 889-5060
Principal: Mrs. Linda Daniels
April 2015
St. James Assiniboia School
Division
MISSION STATEMENT
To prepare all students
to succeed in a
changing world.
SCHOOL MOTTO
“At Phoenix, We Care!”
Early Dismissal @
2:30 p.m.
Apr 7
Apr 21
May 5
May 19
June 2
Kindergarten
Registration
Children who will be
5 years old by
December 31, 2015
(born in 2010) are
eligible to register for
Kindergarten for
September, 2015.
Please share this
information with
neighbours and
friends with children
of this age.
Principal’s Message
Welcome back, everyone! We are in for an exciting new spring
term.
We start our term with two plays at the school. On Wednesday,
April 8th we will be seeing “The New Canadian Kid” presented by
the Manitoba Theatre for Young People. On Wednesday, April 15th, we are seeing “Emily
Carr”. As we all know, learning occurs in a variety of situations and definitely goes beyond
the lessons developed by the teacher. In fact, a child’s greatest role models and teachers are
the parents.
The school is also planning a parent evening at the school. Tuesday, May 12 from 6:30 to
7:30 the school will be hosting a special evening for parents and children. The topic is Staying Safe with Social Media. There will be two presenters: Andy McKiel, a curriculum
coordinator with the school division who specializes in technology and an R.C.M.P. officer
from the Headingley office.
As we all know, spring signals the renewal of the outdoor world. The snow will eventually
disappear. Blossoms and buds will soon start to appear and some of us will be planning our
gardens. This excitement and renewal is also part of the school system. Administration,
teachers and school staff begin the huge undertaking of planning for a new school year. The
current school year is not yet finished but we are planning for the next school year.
The school staff will be reviewing our progress on this year’s school goals and we will be
developing goals for next year. As well, the school will be looking at ordering supplies for
next year so that all of our basic needs for learning and for working at the school are met.
Staffing will be assigned to the school and then the teachers and administration will start to
develop the student placements for the various classrooms for the coming school year. The
school will again be sending out a letter requesting parental feedback about your child to
assist with classroom placements. It is important that these forms be completed and returned
to the school in a timely fashion.
In addition, there is excitement in the planning for a new play structure at the school. There
is a committee that has been established and it is the intent of the committee to have plans in
place for parental approval at the Annual Parent Council Meeting and Barbecue which has
been scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars as this will be a very informative event at the school.
Mrs. Daniels
Phoenix Staff would like to extend their heartfelt
gratitude and thanks to students and their parents
for their beautiful messages, cards, gifts, and tasty
treats for staff appreciation in the month of March.
Your generosity and on-going support are very
much appreciated!
IMPORTANT DATES
Apr 14 Family of Schools
Concert at Westwood
Collegiate in evening
6 pm—7 pm
Apr 15 Emily Carr
Musical Company
1:45 pm
Apr 22 Gr. 4 Immunizations
May 12 Parent / Student
“Staying Safe with Social
Media”
6:30 pm –7:00 pm
May 18 Victoria Day
May 28—Welcome to
Kindergarten
Night
2015—2016
Sept 9th, 2015 Meet and Greet
1:00 pm—4:00pm
5: 00 pm—7:00 pm
Sept 10, 2015 Meet and Greet
12:15 pm—3:00 pm
Sept 11th First Day of School
2015 In-Services
Days (No School)
Friday
Apr 24
Friday
June 12
Tuesday June 30
All Visitors Please
Report to the
Office for a Visitor
Badge.
2015-16 Classroom Configurations
The school division has awarded Phoenix School both a morning and afternoon kindergarten class. Unfortunately, our enrollment at the
Kindergarten level is very low and we are looking to have more kindergarten students register. Please advise any neighbours and parents to register their kindergarten children as soon as possible. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Kindergarten – a morning class and an afternoon class Mrs. Turabian
Grade 1
Mrs. MacLean
Grade 1 / 2 combined
Staff not assigned
Grade 2 / 3 combined
Mrs. Andranistakis
Grade 2/3 combined
Staff not assigned
Grade 4/5 combined
Mrs. Slyker
(For your information, Mrs. Slyker has taught both of these grade levels and combined classrooms at her previous school placements in
the St. James-Assiniboia School Division.)
Grade 4 / 5 combined
Mrs. Adams
Grade 4 / 5 combined
Mr. Mikkelson
Music
Mrs. Sadr
Physical Education
Mrs. Bremner
Resource / Guidance
Mrs. Lauder
Reading Recovery
Ms Rollins
Administration
Mrs. Daniels
Secretary
Mrs. Howard
As you can see from the listing, the school is anticipating some staff change. As in any system, staff may select school changes as new
positions become available in the spring of each year. A more complete list of staffing for 2015-16 will be available sometime in June.
Spirit Week 2015
We had a wonderful Spirit Week the last week before break. Mr. Mikkelson and his Youth Forum students planned many exciting days.
We enjoyed the following activities:
Monday
Pie Throw
Tuesday
Chews Day
Wednesday
Wear Blue Day
Thursday
Electronics Day
Friday
Pajamas and Stuffy Day
The monies raised from these various activities were sent to the Froese family in Kane, Manitoba after their tremendous loss in a house fire earlier in
the winter. The school sent a cheque for $1059.71 on behalf of all the students and families of Phoenix School.
Thank you so much for your generosity. It is appreciated
.
Phoenix School Project Fair
This year there were 44 projects entered in the Phoenix School Project Fair. This represents 31% of our student body from Grades 1 to 5. Last year
we had 39 projects entered in the fair. All the judges commented on high quality of ALL of the projects.
There were several class projects submitted by the primary classes. These projects are invaluable learning tools as the students explore and learn
about all the different components of a project and the method of entering a project in a project fair.
The following projects will be representing Phoenix School at the Divisional Science Fair on April 8 th:
Gr.
Level
3
Student Participants
Name of Project
Lake. L
The Peregrine Falcon
3
Melting Matters
4
Jacob. B &
Evan. K
Brady. C
Inside a Computer
5
Sarah. A
Vaccines and Immunity
5
Allergies
5
Brooke. S &
Jenna. C
Reed.M
What is a Star Fish?
5
Christopher.C
Can a Paralyzed Person Walk Again
5
Trent.G &
Ethan. N
The Biomechanics of
Pitching
5
Jasper.B
Fabulous Flax
Congratulations to all our students for their wonderful projects. We wish our 9 student teams well on their judging at the Divisional Science Fair.
Jaylene. M will be representing Phoenix School at the Divisional Heritage Fair in May with her project entitled, “The History of Headingley”. We
wish her well at the Heritage Fair.
Thank you to the committee and the judges for an excellent Project Fair. Well done, students and families.
Phoenix School Blog
Phoenix School now has a blog! Our blog may contain some of the same information included in our newsletter but there will be some distinct
differences:
The blog information will be quite current and immediate. You will not need to wait until the beginning of the next month for the information
which may be in the newsletter.
The blog will contain pictures. Pictures take up too much space for our electronic newsletters so the blog will be a real positive for the school.
The newsletter will contain information relevant to the administration of the school and up-coming plans and events. It is still an excellent
vehicle to convey information to families and as such will continue to be an excellent source of information for all families.
Our blog address is:
[email protected]
Enjoy!
Elementary Parent Survey
Every two years, the various education levels of the St. James-Assiniboia School Division ask their families to provide feedback to the
schools on how we are doing. This year it is the elementary schools’ turn to implement a parent survey. This survey was sent out just
prior to Spring Break. If you did not receive an email with the information and you are interested in completing the survey the link is as
follows:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/eysurvey2015
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Roots of Empathy
We have just completed our sixth classroom visit with our Roots of Empathy babies. They
have reached a number of important milestones and the students love observing their
growth and development. Every visit is met with anticipation over what the babies might
be able to do at this stage of their development.
The past month’s theme in the Roots of Empathy program was infant safety. This lesson
focused on teaching that babies should never be left unsupervised, and that it is the
responsibility of the parent and/or caregiver to make sure the baby’s environment is safe.
The theme for April is on communicating.
Roots of Empathy Babies Needed
Phoenix School implements 2 Roots of Empathy Programs at the Kindergarten and Grade 1 levels. The
mothers / parents come to the school once a month to meet with their class of students and staff to discuss the baby’s growth, needs and to explore the beautiful relationship between the parent and child.
The goal of the program is to teach the children the concept of empathy and how to use these skills of
empathy in their daily interactions with others. Research has shown that the Roots of Empathy Program
increases the child’s ability to read social cues and to have appropriate social literacy.
The program begins in October and the baby has to be between 2 and 4 months of age. That means the
baby is usually born from May to September of that year. The school will need two (2) babies for the fall.
If you or anyone you know; would be willing to participate in this valuable program; please contact the
school at 204-889-5053.
Winter Concert Update
As you know from our last survey, the Headingley Community Center will continue to host our Winter Concert.
Several parents, either expressed verbally or on our survey, that two nights in December with so many demands at this time of the year, were difficult.
These individuals were recommending one winter concert.
The music teacher and staff have also indicated that it is very difficult to prepare two different concerts for back-to-back performances.
The staff struggled with this concern and a decision has been made to have one Winter Concert for students in Kindergarten to grade 3. In the spring,
there will be a grade 4 and 5 Spring Concert. This way students will still have their time on stage and students will be able to participate as actors and
soloists as the different plays provide opportunities.
The Winter Concert date for the students in Kindergarten to grade 3 is Thursday, December 10 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
The Spring Concert for the grade 4 and 5 students is April 28, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
News from the Music Room!
Both the Primary Choir and the Intermediate Choir have had a very fulfilling and successful festival season. The choirs performed at the St. James
Assiniboia Music Celebration concert on February 12th. The adjudicator was very impressed with both choirs and offered some valuable feedback.
During the first week of March, both choirs also performed at the Winnipeg Music Festival at Westminster United Church. The students’ voices rang
out beautifully in this amazing venue. The adjudiator, Dr. Elroy Friesen, awarded both choirs with the GOLD MEDAL! I am extremely proud of the
dedication and hard work of all choral students.
Just a reminder that all grade 4 and 5 students will be singing at the Westwood Family of Schools concert on Tuesday, April 14th at Westwood
Collegiate. The students are asked to wear their choir uniform and be at the school no later than 5:45. The concert begins at 6:00 and should be
finished by 7:00.
On Monday, May 4, students all across Canada will be celebrating MUSIC MONDAY!! This is to recognize and celebrate all Music programs in Canadian schools. The most important goal with Music Monday is to celebrate the galvanizing power of music in Canada and demonstrate how that power is
rooted in school music programs. This event can be used as a platform to inspire public celebration, awareness and discussion every year. I want to
provide a tangible demonstration of how music programs shape young lives and the fun young people have in making music. The students of Phoenix
School will be singing on the tarmac outside (weather permitting, a song called We are One. It is a song composed for all Canadian children specifically for ‘Music Monday’. More information about this exciting event will be sent home over the next few weeks.
Musically yours,
Mrs. Kara Sadr
Next Parent Council Meeting
will be April 28th, 2015 at 7:00pm
Staffing Plans: Staffing for next year is well underway. If your child will NOT be attending
Phoenix School in 2015-2016
please contact the school office.
Year End Farewell Celebration
ASSEMBLY
May 1st, 2015 @ 10:10am
Grade 1
Mrs. MacLean’s Rm
The Year End Farewell
Celebration will take place on June 22, 2015 at
10:10 am in the school gymnasium.
Everyone is welcome to join us.
Sunday
20
27
19
26
“Aladdin”
13
12
Gr. 4 & 5 Field Trip
6
5
Monday
Tuesday
14
21
7:00 Parent Council
28
2:30 Early Dismissal
6 pm
Westwood Collegiate
Family of Schools
Choir Performance
7:00 Play Structure
meeting
2:30 Early Dismissal
7
Gr. 3 Swimming
Gr. 3 Swimming
Gr. 4 Immunizations
“Emily Carr”
1:45 pm
“The New Candian
Kid”
1:45 pm MTYP
Wednesday
29
22
15
8
1
23
16
9
2
30
10:40 Divisional Choir
Performs at Phoenix
School
Thursday
Phoenix School
12:20 Assemble
April 2015
No School
Admin/Inservice
Boston Pizza
Subway
Friday
24
17
10
3
Saturday
25
18
11
4
31
24
17
Mother’s Day
10
3
Sunday
Early Dismissal
2:30
26
Victoria Day
No School
25
9:00 am Roof Top
Picture
Gr. 3 Swimming
6:30 Welcome to
Kindergarten
28
High 5
Westwood
Community Run
21
14
7
Thursday
27
Volunteer Tea
Gr. 3 Swimming
20
Gr. 3 Swimming
Parent/Student
“Staying Safe
with Social Media” 6:30 pm
19
13
Gr. 3 Swimming
6
Wednesday
12
18
11
Early Dismissal
7:00 pm Play
structure
Committee
2:30
5
Tuesday
4
Monday
May 2015
29
Boston Pizza
22
Subway
15
Boston Pizza
8
Subway Lunch
Mrs. MacLean’s
Assembly 10:10
1
Friday
30
23
16
9
2
Saturday