Hello West Springs School Families!
As Elder Kerrie Moore has taught us, we start our professional learning days and all staff meetings in a good way with a sharing circle. We stand in circle and share our thoughts and reflections with each other. We have been taught that the circle is important because when we stand in circle, we are all equal. No one is in front of you, no one is behind you. No one is above you and no one is below you. Today, we were lead by one of our grade 4 teachers who asked us to share what made us smile this week. One at a time, speaking in turn according to the direction of the sun, teachers talked about some of this week's experiences with their students – your children – that had made them smile. I was struck by the diversity of the stories shared and the incredible relationships that have developed between the teachers and the students and I felt an enormous sense of pride and gratitude for how strong the connection between our staff and students has become during these first two months of the new school year. Fostering effective relationships is one of the fundamental components of our profession as teachers and is at the heart of everything we do in teaching and learning. I want to thank you, parents and guardians, for being our partners in learning and for working with us in service of our students. Thank you for sharing your children with us each day and for the smiles we get to enjoy as a result while they are in our care.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Westgate
Halloween
Halloween falls on a school day this year, October 31 (Thursday next week). Not all families in our community recognize or celebrate the same holidays, events or dates of significance. It is true of many celebrations and dates of importance like Solstice and Equinox, Halloween, Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Lunar New Year and many others. This is a fact and this is OK! At WSS, we acknowledge and respect all students, their families, traditions and roots and celebrate our diversity as a community. We use the events happening around us, as well as those sometimes less recognized, as learning opportunities in classrooms to talk about the “why” of these events and learn about how our differences make us great.
Students and staff are invited to wear costumes to school on Thursday, October 31. This is an optional activity. There are important guidelines that must be considered and followed by all parents and students when choosing to wear a costume:
- Costumes with any type of mask, attached or otherwise, or other “Halloween masks” that cover the eyes or face are not permitted for safety and security reasons.
- Some of our students are going swimming next week. Please consider that if your child is going to the pool on Halloween, they will also need to be able to take off and put on their swimsuit AND their Halloween costume. Simple is better.
- If you are choosing to send your child in a costume, they will need to be in the costume all day (unless they are going to the pool). Students must be able to participate in their regular school programming including sitting on the floor, being physically active and comfortable. No large boxes, inflatables or other oversized costumes are permitted.
- Students must be able to use the bathroom independently. A good rule of thumb is a simple costume that students can wear over top of their clothes.
- Costumes must be age-appropriate and must not include any type of external or removable accessory (weapons, swords, wands, light sabers, etc).
- Costumes of a violent or gory nature are not permitted.
- If a child is struggling in some way with their costume, parents and guardians may be called to bring regular clothing to school.
- Please remember that it is never appropriate to wear someone else’s traditional or cultural clothing as a costume.
We ask that families not send candy or food to give to other students, as we cannot distribute or share them with students for many reasons including allergies and our Administrative Regulations around the distribution of food.
A special Thank You to the volunteers who made the Halloween Howler a success again this year! Our students and families love this annual event and last night was no exception.
Remembrance Day Assembly
Our Remembrance Day assembly will take place on Thursday, November 7 at 2pm. As per the Remembrance Day Act, we will observe a moment of silence at 11am and will come together as a school beginning at 2pm for the assembly. This is a change from previous communication that had the assembly occurring in the morning. The change has been made to accommodate the swimming so that all students can take part in the assembly.
Happy Diwali to those celebrating on Thursday!
Happy Halloween to those participating this week.
On The Horizon
October 28 Swimming all week: Baskerville/Thompson, Azmier/Dziadyk, Taylor/Ferguson
October 28 Rescheduled Wetland Guided Walk for Kindergarten
November 7 Swimming all week: Shillington/Winters, Fong, Kinsey, Moxon/DeGeer
November 7 Remembrance Day Assembly 2pm
November 8 No School for students - Maatoomsii’Pookaiks Professional Learning Day for staff
November 11 - 13 Fall Break - School is Closed
Have a wonderful weekend!
Susan and Leah, WSS Admin team