Good afternoon families,
Last week, I talked about how empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of others – is a cornerstone of meaningful relationships and a respectful community. There are many ways we work on this at school and this week, I would like to take a moment to share how you can help at home.
There are many ways we can work together to build a strong foundation of empathy:
- Model empathy: Talk about feelings, acknowledge differences, and celebrate what makes each person unique.
- Listen and learn: Encourage open conversations about inclusion, diversity, and belonging, giving your child the change to ask questions and share their thoughts.
As the winter break approaches, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for the vibrant and supportive community that you help create at our school. This season offers a wonderful opportunity to pause and cherish the moments we spend with friends and family and loved ones. We have been embracing the spirit of the season by fostering kindness with our “Caught you doing something KIND” incentive during the lunch hour each day. Students are getting stickers when they are “caught” doing something kind at lunch and as a class they are working towards an “extra” PE class of their choice with Ms. Wright in the New Year!
Ms. Christina is Retiring!
It is with mixed emotions that I share that our wonderful Ms. Christina has decided to retire after over 10 years of working at West Springs School! We are so happy for all that is in store for this next chapter for Ms. Christina and we will miss her deeply. Her smile, positive attitude and genuine care for each and every student at our school is what makes the office such a warm and welcoming place. We are so thankful that she has been answering your calls, giving out bandaids and ice and phoning parents over the years and she will be tough to replace!
The school has embarked on the hiring process and will have an announcement as to who our new office assistant will be in the New Year. Ms. Christina’s last day will be January 10, 2025.
Congratulations Ms. Christina!
Student drop-off safety concerns – PLEASE NO Jaywalking!
We are seeing incredibly unsafe practices more and more frequently during the morning rush for drop-off. Please prioritize the SAFETY of your child and others over the convenience of letting your child out of the car in the middle of the street or having them run across the road. The alley across from the Bus Zone does not have a marked crosswalk; students must walk down to the crosswalk where they can cross safely.
The school and many parents have reached out to Calgary Police Service to express the issues with drop-offs in the hopes that they can support us. We understand that the weather conditions and icy roads have meant that traffic is slow and roads are slippery. We want to remind parents that each time you choose to jaywalk with your child they notice and that this is not safe. Those slippery roads also mean that it is harder for cars to stop when a child darts out into the road. Thank you for your help in keeping everyone safe this winter.
Please remember to use the Hug and Go on the school side of Wentworth Avenue. Again, please choose safety over convenience.
Spirit Week Activities at West Springs School
- Monday, Dec 16: Sing along at 9:30 – 9:50 am in the gymnasium. Parents and guardians are invited to join. There are no individual performances by classes.
- Tuesday, Dec.17: Holiday Head Gear – Top off your look with festive hats, headbands, or toques or wear your favourite festive outfit today!
- Tuesday, Dec. 17: Whole school JINGO with Admin and the Specialists at 2:45 – 3:15 pm
- Wednesday, Dec. 18: Drumfit performance at 2:30pm. See below for which classes are performing today!
- Thursday, Dec. 19: Drumfit performances: 9:30am, 11:00am, 2:30am. See below for which classes are performing today!
- Friday – Whole school assembly about Winter Solstice with a story and celebration at 12:00pm.
Music Notes
Hello West Springs parents,
I hope that you are enjoying the mild winter weather. Here are a few highlights from each grade over the past two weeks:
Kindergarten: working on developing our singing voices, clapping simple rhythms, and singing along with "Frosty the Snowman", noting that if you know the tune of a song but not all of the words, you can sing with a sound like "la la" or "lu lu".
Grade 1: Great job to our grade 1s on their sharing assembly. I was pleased with the kids' performance of "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music.
We have been working on a few assessments these past two weeks, including reading and clapping rhythms with ta (quarter note) and ti-ti (eighth notes), listening for and identifying the sounds of different rhythms (made of ta, ti-ti and the ta rest), and the rise and fall of melody (simple melodies made of So and Mi, focused on correctly hearing high notes and low notes).
Grade 2: We have been working on several assessments, including reading and clapping rhythms including ta (quarter note), ti-ti (eighth notes) and ta-a (half note), and reading and identifying solfege names (Do, Re, Mi, and So, Mi, La) from sheet music. Later in the year we will be reading and identifying songs with Do, Re, Mi, So, and La.
Grade 3: We have been working on several assessments, including reading and clapping rhythms including ta (quarter note), ti-ti (eighth notes) and ta-a (half note), ta-a-a-a (whole note) and equivalent rests, reading and identifying solfege names (Do, Re, Mi, So, La) from sheet music, listening for the sounds of different emotions in music, listening for tempo (the overall speed of a song), and the sound of major and minor chords.
Grade 4: We have been working on several assessments including reading and clapping rhythms including ticka-ticka (sixteenth notes), identifying note lengths from sixteenth notes to whole notes, and listening for the sound of different emotions in music, listening for tempo (the overall speed of a song), and dynamics (how loud or soft a song is).
Choir: I am very proud of the Grade 3/4 Choir for their work on our song "Home", which they performed at the Grade 1 sharing assembly. I look forward to hopefully working further with this choir at some point in the new year. I also plan to do a Grade 1/2 at some point in the new year.
Have a great week! Best, Mr. Peter Vooys
On the Horizon
Dec 18-19 Drum Fit Assemblies:
- Wednesday December 18: 2:30 pm – Lynn/Fero M/W, Lawford, Pajot, Dziadyk, Ferguson, Shillington/Winters, Intramural group (gr.4)
- Thursday December 19th:
- 9:30 – Kinsey Tu/Th, Mason, DeGeer, Taylor, Nishimura, Intramural group (gr.4),
- 11:00 – Lynn Tu/Th, Alfredo, Azmier, Moxon, Nasr/Delongchamp, Okubanjo, Intramural group (gr.4)
- 2:30 pm – Fero Tu/Th, McKnight/Hendriks, Dewar, Fong, Baskerville/Thompson, Intramural group (gr.4)
See schedule for specific class information! Drum Fit Schedule
Friday, Dec 20: Last Day of school before winter break. Tuesday/Thursday Kindergarten students today.
Jan 6 First day of school after winter break