ABERDEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 2191 Van Horne Drive Kamloops, BC V1S 1L9 Phone: 250-372-5844 Fax: 250-377-2253 Safe Arrival: 250- 828-6959 http://aberdeen.sd73.bc.ca Sally Zryd Principal Katrina Sewell Vice Principal Building community, Inspiring confidence, Opening minds What a fantastic month we had at Aberdeen Elementary. We were very busy. This is not going to change over the next two months. I know field trips are planned, grade 7 celebration is being planned, track meets are starting and there will be so many exciting events to share. For me, the highlights were Battle of the Books, the grade 7 band concert and our clan group activities. I truly enjoyed the Elementary Swim Meet held at TCC. Our young swimmers represented our school very well. Next year, we would like to have even more Aberdeen swimmers join our team. Students from grades 4-7 just need to be able to swim 25 meters. We have amazing students and staff. Are you on Facebook? Aberdeen Elementary has a new site. In addition to finding updates on the school website, you can now see up-to-date information and events on our Facebook page. Planning for Fall As we are now full swing into the final three months of the school year, I would like to remind you of the process that is involved in planning for the upcoming 2015 year. Now that Montessori and Regular Kindergarten registration is complete, I have sent in our projected enrollment numbers to the school board office for September, based on my knowledge of new registrations, and any students who I know will be leaving the school at the end of June. Please let us know ASAP if you are planning to move before September, as every student counts when it comes to planning the classes. The number of classes and staffing is based upon the numbers I sent to the board office. The teaching staff and I will begin to draft out class configurations, and in June we undertake the exercise of class placements. The placement of students for the coming school year is a thoughtful and complex process. The primary principle considered when placing students is to find the most suitable classroom placement where the student's academic program and social emotional needs are met in the most appropriate manner. Many factors are considered when making placement decisions: class size- instructional groupings- special needs grade balance - behavior/work habits-social growth and development -student learning style- student leadership -male/female ratio. Placement Requests for September We value your input and although we may not be able to meet everyone’s request we will certainly take your concerns and requests seriously when we assign children to their new classes. Requests are often made based on rumour and not first hand knowledge. Each year the staff wrestles with placement decisions and, it is usually the case that 99% of placements are fine. Worries that might seem enormous during the first few days of school usually disappear once classroom programs and relationships have been established. I do not know which teachers will be assigned to the specific classes. Our staff will meet and go through a process that considers the following factors. This list is not in priority order:  The learning style of the student  The child’s physical and social maturity  The child’s intellectual development  The age of the student  Behaviour issues and class dynamics  The placement which will afford the child the greatest chance of success  Parental input  The best interest of the school Although the school will not consider requests for a specific teacher, we invite parents to provide us with information relating to your child. If you do feel the need to make us aware of anything pertinent that we need to know when making these decisions, please describe for us what you feel would be the best learning situation for your child. Please put it in writing and submit to me by the end of May. Have a wonderful May and enjoy the warmer weather. School Dress Code – With warmer weather here to stay (hopefully!) I think it is an appropriate time to remind everyone of our school dress code, as outlined in our school handbook: Our school is considered a ‘place of work’ for students. It is expected that our students will respectfully represent Aberdeen Elementary both in and outside of school. At school, and at all school functions, students are expected to dress in a manner and style appropriate for school. The student dress code for Aberdeen Elementary includes the following: * * * * Clothing with logos and sayings that promote the use of products that are illegal, racially offensive, contain sexual innuendoes or profanity, or promote any form of harassment or violence are not permitted. Clothing can not be a distraction to others within the learning environment. Revealing or see-through clothing is not appropriate. For safety and health reasons, footwear must be worn at all times (with the exception of gymnastics). Appropriate gym strip as outlined by your child’s teacher should be at school and available to students at all times. Please Note: In any of these violations, students will be asked to cover up or be given a school shirt to wear for the day and told not to wear the offending clothing to school again Track and Field Congratulations to our Relay Fest teams who competed at TCC on April 8th. Thanks to Mrs. Doherty for sponsoring this event. Our intermediate classes have been participating track or field events preparing for our school track meet, which has been set for Tuesday, May 5th. Students should come prepared for unpredictable weather, including layered and flexible clothing, runners, a water bottle, sunscreen, and lots of healthy snacks to keep their energy throughout the day. This is always an exciting day, and with the help of our PAC, a concession will also be offered for the day. A special thank you to the SKSS high school students who will help our staff run our track and field events! Our spring band concert took place April 22nd in the afternoon and evening, with our grade 7 band performing. Our band has been working extremely hard under the direction of Mr. Powrie and Ms. Clarke they did an awesome job! Flag Football I am excited to say 35 students, male and female, from Grade 7 are participating on the Highlanders' two flag football teams this season, coached by Ms. Clarke and Mr. Powrie. Games will be taking place every Thursday through the month of April and into mid May. Rotary Speech Contest Recently we had several students from Grade 7 competing in our annual speech contest. The speeches were all compelling and inspiring, and I am very proud of the effort that students put into them, not to mention the passion for topics that were inspirational and potentially life changing! Congratulations to all of our finalists, and particularly to Kelsey Crawley, who was selected as the winner and went on to represent Aberdeen at the regional Rotary contest which she went on to place as well. On Wednesday April 22nd, 13 students from Aberdeen attended the Elementary Schools Swim Meet. It was a great day with swimmers of all abilities enjoying the opportunity to race and then finish off with a free swim. Aberdeen performed very well all day and then dominated in the relays. This was a magnificent effort. The MS Read-a-thon is currently underway! The students who have chosen to take part started reading on April 20th and will continue to read until May 10 th. Thank you to those who are taking part. Please have all pledge envelopes returned to the school the week of May 10th. Congratulations to Marqus Crawford! His name was drawn from returned Satisfaction Survey forms On behalf of the staff and to win an Aberdeen T-shirt. students at Aberdeen Elementary we were pleased to raise $1015 for the Terry Fox Run. Students were successful in beating their goal of $1000. As a reward On April 21, 42 students from grades 4-6 took part in for their efforts, they enjoyed the school Heritage Fair. These children researched an extra afternoon recess topics that allowed them to build an awareness and break. understanding of Canadian history and heritage. Congratulations to the following students who are moving on to represent our school at the District Heritage Fair on May 7th and 8th. Teachers' Professional Learning Jack Cameron Marshall Hoffman Jorja Kopytko Kyra Paulsen Nic Gillespie Amelia Donald Ethan Schock Dylan Hoffman Samantha Jelfimow Carter Streek Ben Sinclair Ainsley Dempsey Adam Vukusic Abigail Biffert DO YOU KNOW...      that teachers' professional learning also takes place outside of the six Pro D/Inservice Days allotted each year? This year, Aberdeen teachers have participated in mentorship programs, attended after school workshops and weekend conferences, and pursued specialist training and Masters' degrees. that teachers' professional inquiry improves learning for students? Research and inquiry by teachers, often in their own classrooms, contributes to best practices in education. that teachers address professional learning through local specialist associations? Aberdeen teachers belong to library, music, kindergarten and Montessori groups that inquire, mentor, and support one another in their specialist areas. that teachers' professional learning includes contributions to curriculum and resource development? This year, Aberdeen teachers have been involved in developing the district's new Whole Class Reading Assessment and the Personal Responsibility competencies for the new BC curriculum. that there is a strong commitment to professional development at Aberdeen? We choose professional learning that fits both our individual long-term goals, and our more immediate professional needs (new teaching assignments, class composition, unique student needs, changing curriculum and technology). We also give back to the profession. Aberdeen teachers are regularly among those who provide workshops and share their knowledge and expertise in the district. Many thanks to Ms. Carter, Mrs. Doherty, and Mrs. Elliott, who were the dedicated coaches of our three Battle of the Books teams this year. The Grade 5 team and the Grade 6/7 team both advanced to the district finals. All three teams represented Aberdeen with great gusto. Congratulations to the following students who were chosen to represent our school at Young Artists Conference on May 15th at TRU. Kelsey Crowley, Amber Fill, Kyla Graff, Emalee Higgins, Caden Louw, Katie Ma, Adam Vukusic The Young Author’s Conference will be held on May 1st at TRU and the following students will be attending: Claire Fortems, Nicholas Gillespie, Aaliyah Hansen, Kaitlyn Humphrey, Felicie Langevin, Katie Ma, Taya McIntosh, Ben Sinclair May 1 May 4 May 5 May 7 May 11 May 14 May 15 May 18 May 20 May 22 May 25 May 26 May 30June 5 June 19 June 19 June 24 June 25 Young Authors’ Conference @ TRU Welcome to Kindergarten School Track Meet Fun Fair 5-8 pm Pro D Day Zone 1500 m Young Authors’ Conference @ TRU Victoria Day – school closed Zone Track Meet Class photos – school panorama District 1500 m District Track Meet Clarke/Powrie to Vancouver Grade 7 Farewell Dinner/Dance Primary Fun Day Parent-Teacher Interviews dismissal at 12:30 Last day of classes dismissal a 12:00 Upcoming Events Intermediate Track and Field Meet this Tuesday, May 5 – PAC will have a concession at this event. Most items are $1 or $0.50. Fun Fair is Thursday, May 7 from 5-8 pm. Lots of volunteers are needed to make this event work, please sign up for a shift at one of the stations. Sign up sheets are on the PAC notice board near the office. Also, donations of gently used stuffies are still needed for the stuffy toss, and cakes and other baked goods for the cake walk are greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at the school on the day of the Fun Fair. Art Card orders are in the works and order forms and samples will soon be coming home with your child. The last PAC meeting of the year will be held May 26 at 7 pm in the school library. Elections for next year’s PAC executive will be held at this meeting. JUMP ROPE FOR HEART Pledge sheets went home with students April 21 st. On-line donations or cheques made payable to the Heart and Stroke Foundation can be made with receipts being issued for donations 15 dollars and over. Students participated in Clan group stations led by grade 7 students this week on Tuesday afternoon. All envelopes are due to the office on May 1st. BIKE, SCOOTERS AND OTHER FUN THINGS Many of our students make their way to and from school using wheeled forms of transportation. A reminder that students are expected to use and store their bikes and scooters appropriately. Students are reminded that these items are not to be used on the school grounds between 8:00-4:00 for safety reasons.