1951 Estevan Road Principal: Mrs. Jacquie Poulin
Nanaimo, B.C., V9S 3Y9 Secretary: Linda Cowling
Phone: 250-754-5442
Fax: 250-741-8310 Date: September 17th, 2003
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our families back to Princess Anne. If you are new to this school community, an extra welcome to you! It has been great meeting so many families over the first couple of weeks. Please be sure to introduce yourself to me when you are in the school, and please be patient with me as it may take a month or two before I learn everyone’s name.
We have had a smooth start up to the year, and our classes were set by the first Wednesday. Our staff have helped students settle back into routines quickly and the classrooms and halls are already full of educational experiences.
The staff at Princess Anne recognize and value the significant role you have in your child’s school life. The importance you place on your son or daughter’s education, and the interest you show in ensuring your child has sufficient sleep, healthy eating habits and daily opportunities to read and make decisions all have a tremendous impact on their progress. These important considerations, along with your ongoing involvement in your child’s daily school life have a tremendous impact on the level of success and happiness your child will enjoy this year.
Once again, I look forward to meeting all of you and working with you. Thank you again for the warm welcome I have received. Everyone has clearly shown me that Princess Anne is “A Great Place To Be”!
As many of you have noticed, our school got a fresh coat of paint this summer. Our entire exterior has been brightened up with a new colour on the trim, both top and bottom. I have heard a lot of positive comments from students, parents, and staff. The school does look great.
I also want to compliment our students for their excellent conduct when the painters were here. Students were respectful to the painters, stayed away from areas freshly painted, and were flexible when we needed to change entry/exit doors due to fresh paint. Well done!
For safety purposes, the District’s facilities department has also extended the current fencing to include the entire perimeter of the school’s playing fields. When the fence is complete, the entire back section of the soccer field will be fenced and there will be a fence between the playground and the parking lot.
Please take the time to get to know all of our great staff here at Princess Anne.
Kindergarten – Mrs. Rebecca Bayda
Grade 1/ 2 – Mrs. Wendie Harrington
Grade 2/3 – Mrs. Anita Mayor
Grade 4/5 – Mr. Fred Shaw
Grade 6/7 – Mrs. Kanachowski-Biggs
Lifeskills – Mrs. Jeanne Wiseman
Library – Mrs. Naomi Hurwitz-Adams
Music – Mrs. Barb Jubenville
Student Support – Mrs. Elsa Armstrong
Counsellor – Mrs. Helen Lunney
Speech/Language Pathologist – Ms. Amy Flemiing
Secretary – Mrs. Linda Cowling
Aboriginal Education Assistant – Ms. April Shade
Education Assistant – Mrs. Karen Birch, Mrs. Karen Elliott, Mrs. Carolyn Greves,
Mrs. Susan M’Gonigle, Mrs. Darlene Trinkwon, and
Mrs. Joyce Wenner
Noonhour Supervisor - Mrs. Valerie Harvey
Principal – Mrs. Jacquie Poulin
PRINCESS ANNE SCHOOL’S NEWSLETTER, September 17th,
2003 p.2
Morning Bell - 8:45 am
Outside Play - 11:20 am
Lunch/Inside eating time - 11:45 am
Afternoon classes begin - 12:05 pm
Recess - 1:15 pm
Classes resume - 1:30 pm
Dismissal - 2:45 pm
** Friday – early dismissal at 1:55 pm
** Kindergarten – 8:45 –
11:15 am
(Kindergarten parents please note the change in dismissal time)
News from your Parent Group – Pat Hall, Chair
Welcome back, and welcome to all of our new families. We are off to a great start at Princess Anne, and look forward to a busy year. We will start with our First PAC Meeting, Thursday, September 18th, 7:00 p.m. This is a wonderful chance to share ideas about our school, and, for our new families, to learn about the way our school works. Please plan to join us.
School planners are again being used to support student growth in setting goals and developing organizational skills. These planners are also excellent communication tools between the home and school. Student planners were distributed to all students during the first week of school. The school has been collecting $5.00 to cover the cost of the planners. Thank you to those who have already sent the planner money in to the school; if you have not, please try to do so as soon as possible. Thank you.
Also, for the first time this year, the Parent & Student Handbook is found in the front
portion of the planner. This section of
the planner has a great deal of information with regard to our school code
of conduct, student expectations, and general policies and procedures for this
school and the district.. Please be
sure to take the time to read through these pages carefully.
Please mark your calendar for the opportunity to have your child(ren)’s picture taken:
v Monday, September 29th starting at 9:00 a.m.
v Re-takes are currently set for Wednesday, November 19th, beginning at 9:00 a.m. This date will be confirmed in our next newsletter.
As in the past, the photos are taken on a pre-payment basis – orders need to be submitted no later than Monday morning, September 29th. Please note that class and group photos will be taken in the spring, as usual, and class photos will be issued to all students, free of charge.
The purpose of our early detection system is to find out as soon as possible the whereabouts of each student not accounted for in class. If you know that your child/ren will be away from school, or late arriving, please call or notify the school as soon as possible. (You can leave a message on our school’s answering machine at any time.) If we have not been notified of an absence which is reported on the morning and afternoon Attendance Forms, we will call you to be sure that your child is safe. Thanks for your assistance with this system.
We will once again be implementing the Virtues program this year at Princess Anne. The first Virtue will be “Responsibility”. This was presented at the Monday Morning Assembly on September 15th, and we will focus on this virtue for the following two weeks.
“Being responsible means that others can depend on you. You are willing to be accountable for your actions. When things go wrong and you make a mistake, you make amends instead of excuses. When you are responsible, you keep your agreements. You give your best to any job. Responsibility is the ability to respond ably. It is a sign of growing up.”
This would be a great time to chat with your son/daughter about some of the responsibilities s/he has at home and to the family. Children often enjoy being given a chance to demonstrate how they can help out and be responsible for little jobs at home. We would love to hear at school what children are doing at home with this virtue.
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PRINCESS ANNE SCHOOL’S NEWSLETTER, September 17th,
2003 p.3 |
We are participating in a fundraising campaign with Earthtone Recycling Solutions. This program involves collecting used laser and inkjet cartridges. Our school will receive funds for these cartridges and students can win prizes. There is a collection box in the front area of the school near the juice box and can recycling area.
Please
bring in your used laser and inkjet cartridges and help support our school!
Daily
Physical Activity and Promoting Healthy, Active Lifestyles.
Last spring a local member of the Nanaimo community,
and paediatrician, made a presentation to the
Board of School Trustees. His
message was one of concern in regards to childhood activity levels, and the
rise of childhood obesity. He was
requesting that the school system continue to be part of the solution by
increasing the awareness around daily physical activity and healthy eating. This idea was supported by the Board, and in
turn, by our schools.
In support of this community approach, throughout the
year the school newsletter will contain articles about basic fitness,
nutrition, and other information around healthy lifestyles. These articles will be written by a variety
of experts in our larger community, including a nutritionist from the Health
Unit and a local paediatrician.
We look forward to sharing the information and trust
that as a community, we will work toward a positive solution.
On the Road to Improved Fitness
We all know the health benefits of an active
lifestyle. Improving our fitness level
helps to control weight gain, lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of a
number of illnesses and disease.
Increased fitness relieves stress, gives you more energy to perform
everyday tasks, stimulates creativity and mental power. We all know it’s good for the body and mind,
yet we seem to have gotten out of the habit of moving. Our jobs and lives require less and less
physical exertion. Our children are
watching more TV and playing video games instead of playing outside.
Becoming fitter doesn’t have to be complicated or
time-consuming. Regardless of age,
size, current fitness level, job or family commitments we can all incorporate a
little more movement into our daily lives.
Simple things like taking the stairs instead of the
elevator. Walking to the corner store
instead of driving or taking our children to play in the park instead of
watching TV after dinner, are all very
simple ways to get moving and can fit into everyone’s busy schedule.
Walking is one of the easiest form of exercise. It doesn’t require any special equipment and
we all know how to do it. We can walk
with our kids. If they are too young to
walk they could be brought along in a stroller. The first step is to get outside. Walk for as long or as far as you feel comfortable. Play in the backyard with the kids. Take a soccer ball or Frisbee to the
playground. You and your children will
not only reap the benefits of a higher level of fitness, but will enjoy the
opportunity to spend some quality time together.
Becoming fitter doesn’t require that we spend more
time or money than we have available.
It doesn’t have to mean joining a team or training for a marathon. Make that small investment toward a more
active lifestyle and you will be rewarded by a healthier, happier body and
mind.
Take care!
(written by Kim Gagliano)
The local Health Authority has asked us to inform our communities about the Healthy Kids Dental Benefits program. If you do not have a dental plan and you receive or qualify for subsidized medical coverage from Medical Services Plan of B.C. or if medical coverage is a benefit of your job and you work part time or have low income, your children may still qualify for dental coverage through Healthy Kids.
The benefit covers part of the fees for check ups, cleanings, and basic treatment. To see if your child does qualify, contact the Dental Health staff at 755-3332/755-3333.
Once again our school participated in the Terry Fox Run. All of our students donned their runners and headed out to the field at 1:30 pm on Friday, September 12th to show their support. It was great to see the enthusiasm. Thank you to Mr. Shaw for organizing this event. A tally of the funds raised by our school will be shared in the next newsletter. Donations are most welcome for the balance of this week.
We have one large set of keys in the school office. These were turned in at the end of June, but it’s always worth it to try
again! Among the identifying items are
a heart-shaped compass, a whistle, and a disc with a man’s name on it. The winner of these keys is the one who can
tell us the name on the disc.
PRINCESS ANNE SCHOOL’S NEWSLETTER, September
17th, 2003 p.4
Lunches to Go – article written by Jeri Manley,
Nutritionist for the Nanaimo Health Centre
Back to school means back to packing lunches to go for
many students. It helps to set up for
success by planning how ‘food for thought’ can be tucked into the lunch bag.
To best nourish the mind and the body, try to include
a food choice from each of the basic four food groups:
Ø GRAINS – Vary
the breads and think of stuffing pita bread or creating a tortilla wrap. Muffins, bagels, bannock, crackers or rice
cakes vary the base for other foods.
Pasta, hot or cold, is a beginning to many lunch ideas.
Ø PROTEIN
RICH FOODS – Think of the bean family – chick peas in a salad or
spread as hummus. Tuna, salmon and eggs
create variety. Cold meats and turkey
or a piece of chicken are basics. Offer
a container of nuts or sunflower seeds.
Ø MILK
PRODUCTS – Wash down the other foods with milk or fortified soy
beverage in a thermos or a UHT drinking box.
Cheese and yogurt are obvious choices.
Think about a hot, milk based soup for the thermos.
Ø VEGETABLES
AND FRUITS – The more the better! Use fresh, frozen, canned, dried choices or juices. Salads and soups provide variety.
To make sure the food is eaten, involve your child in
choosing the food for lunch and in helping with its preparation. Set up a
preparation area where ingredients, containers or wrappers and a sink are close
at hand.
To help keep the food safe until lunchtime:
Ø
Pack soups, stews, chili, spaghetti and other hot main
dishes in a wide-mouth thermos.
Ø
Pack sliced meat or cheese sandwiches frozen (they
will thaw by lunch).
Ø
Pack sandwiches next to a container of frozen juice or
milk – safe sandwiches – cold mild!
Ø
Send milk in a chilled thermos.
For many more ideas, pick up a copy of ‘Lunches to go’ at the Nanaimo Health
Centre, 1665 Grant Avenue, Nanaimo.
Recycling
Once again, Princess Anne School is registered in the
annual recycling contest sponsored by Encorp of Canada, to vie for a chance to
win $500.00 for our school. Last year
we slipped from our previous 13th position in the province, 25th,
for the most returnable beverage containers per person. Let’s see if we can do better this
year. In the front hall by the office you will see 4 plastic containers,
in which to place your recyclable drink containers. We accept all types of refundable plastic, glass, tetras, and
cans. All the money raised is put back
into the school for various needs for the students. We are also helping to put less garbage in our landfills.
Please help us reach our goal to better last year’s
totals. When cleaning out your garage,
basement or closets, remember our bins and bring in your containers to the
school, so that we can sort them and send them away for redemption. Thanks to Mrs. Harvey and Kelly Schmidt, who
take on this job with Mrs. Wenner.
Dates to
Remember
(Fall, 2003)
Thursday, September 18 – PAC Meeting – 7:00 pm. Everyone most welcome.
Monday, September 22 – Professional Development Day – no school for students
Monday, September 29 – Individual Photo Day – 9:00 a.m. start
Monday, October 13 – Thanksgiving Day. Schools closed.
October 20 – 23 – Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences. Please watch for your notice.
Friday, October 24 – Professional Development Day – no school for students
Tuesday, October 28 – North Zone, Small School Cross-Country Meet
Thursday, November 6 – District Cross-Country Meet
Friday, November 7 – Fine Arts Performance at Cilaire– Axe Capoeira – time TBA
Monday, November 10 – Remembrance Day Assembly, 10:50 a.m. You are welcome to join us.
Tuesday, November 11 – Remembrance Day – schools closed.
Friday, November 28 – Term 1 Report Cards issued
Friday, December 5 – Fine Arts Performance at Cilaire– HOJA – time TBA
Saturday, December 13 – Fabulous Christmas Craft Fair and Tree Sale, sponsored by the PAC
Tuesday, December 16 – School Wide Skate, Frank Crane Arena. 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 17 – Family Craft Night – 6:30 pm
Friday, December 19 – Schools Close for Winter Vacation, 1:55 p.m.
Monday, January 5, 2004 - Classes resume for the spring term.