COAST MERIDIAN NEWSLETTER€¦ · Changes to the School Day for 2015/2016...
Transcript of COAST MERIDIAN NEWSLETTER€¦ · Changes to the School Day for 2015/2016...
Changes to the School Day for 2015/2016
Our school year next year is a late start, with school beginning on Tuesday September 8, 2015. All elementary schools will need to have 298 minutes of instructional (class) time per day to meet the Ministry minimum requirements. This means that schools will need to add 6 minutes of instructional time per day in order to meet the minimum requirements. Our Bell Schedule for 2015/2016 will be: Welcome Bell: 8:27 a.m. Classes start: 8:32 a.m. Recess: 10:12 – 10:27 a.m. Lunch: 11:45 – 12:30 p.m. Afternoon session: 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
COAST MERIDIAN NEWSLETTER
Principal: Mrs. T. Starr www.surreyschools.ca/schools/coastmeridian
Newsletter # 10 May 29, 2015
Track and Fie ld
Congratulations to all of our students who participated in the William Watson Mini Track Meet and the District Track Meet held this week. An incredible bunch of athletes! Thank you to the many parents who helped out driving students to the two track meets. A particularly big thank you to the staff organizers and coaches: Ms. Nelson, Ms. King, Ms. Schiewe, Mrs. Gagel, Ms. Panagopoulos and Ms. Chim who volunteered their time before and after school to coach our students.
Principal’s Message May has been a really busy month around the school. Early in the month, we enjoyed the Green Thumb Theatre production, Celestial Being, followed by many wonderful fieldtrips, two track meets, a week of Zumba dance and of course, the Spring Concert, It’s Saturday! We were so proud of the students and gratefully acknowledge the time and incredible talent that Ms. Chim put in to bringing out the best in our kids.
Just less than one month left in the school year as we scramble around to finish all of the projects and curriculum areas for the year. Many students have the idea that they can ‘wind down’ in June because they are almost out of school for the summer when, in fact, the opposite is true. Similar to when we go on holidays, we are always busier in the weeks preceding the holidays. Please do not allow your son or daughter to talk you into letting them stay home or leave school early on the pretense that “we don’t do anything in June anyhow” because this simply is not true. Students are being encouraged to get assignments completed and units finished in order to complete Term Three so that they have an accurate assessment before proceeding to the next level. Teachers’ reporting is not completed until the week prior to school getting out so every day, every experience is a valuable learning experience for your child.
Thursday June 4, 2015 (11:30 a.m. – 1:00p.m.)
Please join the PAC and Staff at the Toast to Coast Celebration as we extend thanks to the many parent volunteers and staff that makes Coast Meridian such a wonderful
place to grow and learn. (Please RSVP to the School Office)
Jump Rope for Heart It is spring and that means we look for ways to have fun and exercise outside! At Coast Meridian we will once again have our annual Jump Rope for Heart skipping event. We are campaigning by making it a whole-‐school event – all of the classes will be outside skipping on
Friday, June 5th at 1:50 p.m.
We have enough ropes for the students but your child is welcome to bring in a personal skipping rope if they would like to do so. Beginning June 1st, each student is encouraged to bring in a Toonie that we will contribute to the Heart and Stroke Foundation for their research and continued work on educating people about heart disease. As an appreciation for making this annual contribution, our school receives a selection of fitness supplies from the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Thank you for supporting this endeavor again this year.
Water Bottles In keeping with good health, and our effort to become a water only
school, thank you to the many families who have sent their child to school with water bottles. This is especially important with the onset of warmer weather to keep kids hydrated and comfortable. We have a bottle refilling station in the front area by the office so students can replace the water throughout the day with fresh filtered water. Also remember that many of the bottles are the same style or similar, so please be sure to mark your child’s name on the bottle so it can be returned if left outside of the classroom.
Non-Instructional Days (Pro-D) and Early Dismissal Days for 2015-2016
The Surrey Board of Education has instructed that the following days will be non-‐instructional (Pro-‐D) days throughout the school district next year. The Board has also declared that there will be an additional four (4) school closure days attached to the end of spring break. Dates to note are listed below. Non-Instructional Days Monday September 28, 2015 Friday October 23, 2015 Friday November 13, 2015 Friday February 19, 2016 Friday May 6, 2016 Monday May 30, 2016 Early Dismissal Days @ 1:30 p.m. 1. Tuesday October 27 2. Wednesday December 16 3. Thursday March 10 4. Tuesday May 17 Springbreak and School Closure Period (includes Good Friday and Easter Monday) March 14, 2016 to Monday March 28, 2016 School re-‐opens Tuesday March 29, 2016 Last Day of School for next year: June 23, 2016
Please let the office know if you are planning to move over the summer, or if your child not be returning to Coast Meridian in September.
Requests for Special Placements
At this time of the year many parents approach teachers or me, with requests for their child’s placement for next year. A great deal of discussion and consultation between the teachers occurs prior to each and every student placement. Teachers discuss the strengths, challenges and overall learning style of the student before putting them into certain groupings. In September, teachers will be working carefully and collaboratively to determine the most suitable placement for your child based on the following criteria:
•Student intellectual, social and emotional development •Learning styles and strengths of students •Degree of independence • Integration of students with special needs •Social compatibility •Gender balance •Maintaining appropriate teacher-‐student ratios. As a result, I do not encourage specific class requests; however, I also realize that sometimes there are special considerations and concerns about their child’s learning needs that parents would like to express. In such a case, please provide me with an educationally sound rationale for your child’s placement request. Examples that are not normally considered educationally sound include a request for a specific teacher or a single grade class. Dressing for school With warmer weather approaching, students are reminded that clothing should be appropriate for school and learning:
o Tops should have straps that are at least two finger widths wide (no spaghetti straps) o Bra straps and undergarments should not be visible. o Tops should be long enough to cover the stomach area and cover the waistband of pants or shorts
while the student is sitting on the floor (if the midriff is showing when one arm is raised it is too short)
o ‘Muscle’ shirts are not appropriate o Messages/pictures on clothing must be appropriate for all ages o Skirts and shorts should be an appropriate length so that students can sit, bend and walk comfortably o Flip Flop sandals, while not restricted, have resulted in numerous toe injuries and falls both inside
and out on the playground
Thank you, parents, for taking time to ensure that your child comes to school dressed appropriately for learning.
Coast Meridian School Fees 2015/2016
Each school year, parents support their child’s formal learning experiences in a wide variety of ways. We so appreciate all that you do to ensure a successful year! In addition to providing the school supplies itemized on a grade list, parents are periodically asked for monies to cover specific items and/or special events. No student will be denied the opportunity to participate in any school activity due to the inability to pay. Please contact the Principal should you require any financial assistance. As we plan for the 2015-‐2016 school year, we anticipate the following costs: Student Planner: We encourage all students in Grades 1-‐7 to purchase a School Planner at a cost of $5.00 Included in the planner is our School Code of Conduct, School Calendar and valuable school district information. We find this to be an excellent tool for facilitating home/school communication, as well as for developing our students’ organizational skills. However, using our school planner is optional and parents may choose to purchase their own version. Field Studies and Field Trips: Classes often enjoy educational visits to community facilities that extend and enhance the curriculum. While we use school monies, PAC funds or fundraise to cover the costs of such activities wherever possible, there are times when parents are asked to contribute towards the cost of the trip. If you choose to have your child not participate in a field study, a suitable program will be provided at the school. Musical Instruments: Grade 4 students may learn to play the recorder. Students will have the option of purchasing one through our music teacher for $10 or receiving one on loan from the school. Grade 7 students who choose to take band are required to either purchase or rent an instrument. Costs vary depending on the instrument. School Supplies: Parents have the option of purchasing their child’s school supplies on their own utilizing the grade supply list which is posted on the school webpage or, for your convenience, you may wish to purchase supplies as a package through Creative Children. Payment is made directly to Creative Children. Costs for supplies vary based on grade. Your child’s supplies will be individually boxed and delivered to the school the first week of September. There is no need to shop. This option ensures quality product and accurate purchases. Kindergarten teachers will do a bulk order of supplies for their classes. Parents are asked to send $30 to school in September. This money is used for all school supplies (pencils, scissors, erasers, glue, crayons, pencil crayons, markers, folders, notebooks, etc.). Any extra supplies will be sent home with students at the end of the school year. Parents also have the option of purchasing their child’s school supplies on their own and can obtain a supply list provided by the Kindergarten teachers.
1
2
3
4
Toast to Coast (lunch)
Gr 7 Band @
NSSS 6:00
5
Jump Rope for Heart
(Bring a toonie)
PAC Fun Lunch
6
7 8
9 10
11
12
Sports Day
Playground Opening 12:45
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14 15
Cultus Lake Water Slides
(Gr. 4 – 7)
16
Crescent Beach Fieldtrip
(K – Gr. 3)
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18
Gr 7 Band Assembly
(9:00 a.m.)
19
Grade 7 Celebration Lunch
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23
Year End Assembly (a.m.)
K Assembly (p.m.)
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Grade 7 Assembly
25
Last Day for
Students
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Administration
Day
27
Our Lost and Found Bin is overflowing with children’s clothing, jackets, gym shoes, water bottles, umbrellas, boots and many other items that are begging to be returned. Please take a moment to put your child’s name on labels of jackets or even their initials would help as many of these items are expensive. With the warm weather, we see many more lunch containers, sweaters and soccer jackets being left outside on the playground and ending up in the lost and found. Please ask your child to check the bin if something is lost. If the weather is good on sports day we will move the bin outside and encourage everyone to take a quick look for items that may belong to your children. After that, we will be donating unclaimed items to Clothes on Wheels, for distribution to other less fortunate children through the Surrey School District.