School News
FREE Family Day Event - Mon Feb 18
BC Family Day Event The Salt Spring Arts Council presents our annual family celebration with art making, face painting, snacks and a performance by storyteller Anne Glover (www.anneglover.ca). Step into Anne's world of string stories and your shoelaces will never look the same again. Monday, Feb 18 Activities: 1pm. Showtime: 2pm Mahon Hall. Free. Thanks to our community sponsors: Country Grocer, Windsor Plywood, Harlan's Gelato and Chocolates, and the Driftwood. We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia. Yael Wand Administrator Salt Spring Arts Council 114 Rainbow Road, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2V5 Office: 250.537.0899 Fax: 250.537.1678 |
| Attachments:
POSTER Family Day 2019.pdf
Snow Days and Recovery Letter from Superintendent of Schools
Please see attached letter from Scott Benwell, Superintendent of Schools. |
| Attachments:
Snow Day recovery letter Feb 12-2019.pdf
School Wide Write
On Wednesday, February 13th the whole school will participate in the second of three "Whole School Wide Writes". The purpose of the "Write" is to collect writing samples periodically throughout the year and celebrate growth, as well as highlight targeted focus areas. Teachers meet collectively and discuss and plan writing strategies based on these as well as many other writing opportunities daily in class. These samples will be collected ongoing while at Fernwood. In the Fall, staff selected Writing as a focus area in our Growth Plan. |
Kicking off "Scientists of the Week"
Ms Bain's students had fun learning about chemistry with a unit on Slime! Kids learned about how materials act under different conditions; liquids, solids and gases. Slime can be picked up like a solid, ooze like a liquid and can change shape to fill whatever container it is placed in. It can also be bounced like a ball because of it’s elasticity! |
Dressing Warm
It's cold out there! Please ensure your child is warm and dry by sending him/her to school appropriately dressed for cold weather. Every child has room on their hooks and in their cubby for extra clothes and shoes in case they get wet or need an extra layer. The clothing items most requested at the office are mitts, toques, boots, and snowpants and we only have limited amounts of these. If you have extras that you are willing to part with, you're welcome to drop them off. |
Peer Reading Coaches
This week we began our Peer Reading Program where keen older students have been trained up on reading strategies and partnered with younger peers to enjoy reading magic! They volunteer twice a week to help boost and promote reading. As always we encourage families to read as much at home and enjoy literacy together. |
Salt Spring Arts Council Family Day Event
BC Family Day Event The Salt Spring Arts Council presents our annual family celebration with art making, face painting, snacks and a performance by storyteller Anne Glover (www.anneglover.ca). Step into Anne's world of string stories and your shoelaces will never look the same again. Monday, Feb 18 Activities: 1pm. Showtime: 2pm Mahon Hall. Free. Thanks to our community sponsors: Country Grocer, Windsor Plywood, Harlan's Gelato and Chocolates, and the Driftwood. We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia. Yael Wand Administrator Salt Spring Arts Council 114 Rainbow Road, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2V5 Office: 250.537.0899 Fax: 250.537.1678 |
| Attachments:
POSTER Family Day 2019.pdf
Baseball Registration
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Review of the Inclement Weather Procedures (Snow)
Schools are notified as soon as possible when it comes to inclement weather changes and how it will affect the buses or the school being open. We will post information on our school web page, update our school answering machine and also when possible send out an email to the school news email list. Updates are often first posted at https://sd64.bc.ca/ (the District homepage) if you would like to look ahead of time. (Note about the Snow Phone Tree: In previous years we have produced a snow phone tree for those parents who wished to be phoned at 6:30 am approx in the morning who were unable to look at the school webpage or retrieve email. How it works: The phone tree is started by the first parent and if you are called as part of the phone tree, your responsibility is to call the person listed just below your name and relay the same message. If you get voicemail or no response at the phone number you are calling, you are to skip to the next name on the list to keep the message going. Please reply to this school news email if you will be participating in the phone chain and provide the phone number to be called.) Here are the scenarios: A. Buses Running on Main Roads Only : Schools are Open. Please see attached "Main Roads Only" Schedule for Bus 4 and 5. B. Buses NOT RUNNING, but School Open: Most students will likely stay home but school is open. Sometimes it is safest to stay home if you know you are not able to pick up your child in your vehicle on a snow day later in the day. Staff are expected to attempt to come to work. If it is impossible or very unsafe after trying staff can report nearer their home or call into dispatch that they cannot safely make it in. C: Schools Closed: Only in extreme circumstances the school may be closed. If it snows after students have arrived at school: After we are told that, due to heavy snowfall, buses will be leaving before the scheduled time (or not running at all), the school will attempt to contact all parents to make sure that they know that students will be bused OR ARE TO BE PICKED UP. Sometimes it is safest to stay home if you know you are not able to pick up your child in your vehicle on a snow day. All staff will be deployed to make calls (including Teachers, Education Assistants, non-enrolling Teachers (those who do not have a homeroom). Teachers will have sheets to fill out that include student names and columns to record when the student has left and with whom. Please note that: • it is very important that parents have updated their contact information in the office • this includes the names of alternate contacts and their recent phone numbers • please understand that staff for safety reasons may also be needing to leave the school as well so if you notice snow outside, please call to inquire - we don't mind! • if parents arrive at school to pick up their children, they are required to let their Teacher know • if a student is going to be picked up by an adult other than a parent or recorded alternate, the parent should call the office and let us know; otherwise we cannot allow the student to leave the school |
| Attachments:
main-roads-only BUS.pdf
Registration is Starting
This year, registration is taking place during the month of February. The school is open 8:30 to 4:00 pm and please note the school is not open on Fridays - we don't want parents driving to the school when we are not open of course :) Please refer to this webpage for everything you need to know and do for: 1) Kindergarten Registration 2) Grade 5 students moving onto the Middle School (this process is handled by the Middle School - nothing is required unless you are applying to specific programs for eg. French Immersion or SEEC - forms can be found on the Middle School webpage https://sites.google.com/sd64.bc.ca/sims/home ) and need to be submitted directly to the Middle School office during this registration period. 3) Cross Boundary Requests for elementary students must be done annually and are due to the Board office by March 15. Please call the school if you have any questions 250-537-9332 and come in and have a tour of our wonderful school! Poster attached! |
| Attachments:
Kindergarten registration notice Feb 2019.pdf