Hello WSS families,
We remain in outbreak status through the weekend and into next week. AHS will provide us with a lift date once the outbreak has been contained and the school will let families know as soon as that happens. Thank you for your continued efforts and support in helping by keeping students' home when they are ill.
The weather has finally improved and we are seeing more students ride their scooters and bikes to school. That’s wonderful! Please remember that helmets are mandatory for children and don’t forget a lock!
Evening Celebrations April 23 and 24, 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm
Your child has been placed into a team this week for the Storytelling residency. Their team number determines their performance date. ODD team numbers will perform on Wednesday, April 23 and EVEN team numbers will perform on Thursday, April 24.
We appreciate that there may be some families who have conflicts on these days with other family events or other activities. Changes to which night a student is performing CANNOT be accommodated. Most schools would only offer one night for a special event like this; we simply cannot fit everyone into the building on one night because of our fire code. Ultimately, the choice rests with you as parents and we hope the fact that this isn’t something we get to do more than once a year will mean all our students are able to showcase their incredible learning and hard work at this culminating performance.
If your child is able to attend but parents are not, that’s no problem, they can be dropped off beginning at 5:45pm and will need to be picked up at 7pm, please. Thank you!
Music Notes
Hello West Springs Families,
I hope you've been enjoying what seems to be properly spring. Here are a few learning highlights from the past few weeks with each grade.
Grade 4:
Starting to use picks to strum downstrokes and upstrokes on the ukulele, and singing "Wheels on the Bus" while strumming.
Grade 3:
Practicing reading melodies including High Do and Low So, and learning to sing "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz.
Grade 2:
Practicing reading melodies using Do, Re, Mi, So, La, and learning the silly song "Snail, Snail".
Grade 1:
Practicing our ability to echo clap and name rhythm patterns without being told the names of the notes (ta, ti-ti), and starting to learn a new song "Gotta Get Outside".
Kindergarten:
Playing some music and drama games with M/W classes and having a brief reflection about our sharing assembly performance and accompanying "It's Corn" with Boomwhackers with T/Th classes.
Choir News
I am pleased with the care and effort the kids are putting into the songs we're singing in choir.
The Grade 1s and 2s will be singing "Peace Like a River", the Grade 3s and 4s will be singing "Here Comes the Sun", and both choirs will perform "Lean on Me" together.
Grade 3/4 choir is cancelled for Monday April 15, due to the outbreak status of the school, but we are hoping we'll be able to get back to practicing together on Wednesday April 17, and I'm planning to do a makeup practice for the Grade 3s and 4s on Wednesday at lunch recess, as well. As of now, our performance dates will be April 23 and 24, at the beginning of the storytelling evening.
I have posted recordings of the piano tracks we're practicing with to my teacher soundcloud page which can be found at the following link:
https://soundcloud.com/mr-vooys
Some of the kids asked for a copy of the lyrics, so I've attached a copy of the lyrics here, as well:
I do not expect home practice at this age, but if the kids want to practice, I think that's great! Hopefully these tools will be usefully for those who will be practicing.
Have a great weekend,
Mr. Peter Vooys
On the Horizon
- April 18 Good Friday Public Holiday – Schools Closed
- April 21 System Professional Learning Day – No School for students
- April 22 Earth Day
- April 23 Jeff Stockton Evening Performance – Groups with ODD numbers 5:45pm doors open, show starts at 6 pm and will last about one hour
- April 24 Jeff Stockton Evening Performance – Groups with EVEN numbers 5:45pm doors open, show starts at 6 pm and will last about one hour
- April 28 Federal Election – WSS is a voting site
- May 1 ALL Kindergarten fieldtrip to the Calgary Zoo
- May 2 No school for kindergarten students
- May 6 Children’s Nutrition – A evening with a pediatric dietitian and the school’s lunch policies 5:30 pm to 7 pm at WSS
- May 8 School Council meeting and AGM 6 pm