Colts Connection - Parents Edition

I hope everyone was able to enjoy some time with family and friends over the break. I know the unexpected extra week due to inclement weather may have added some stress to an already stressful time of year, but we are excited to have our students back and ready to learn!

December is always a busy month both inside and outside of school. In school we had preparations for the Christmas Concert (an update about this is below), a White Elephant Sale and Bake Sale to raise funds for Grade 6 Camp (a huge thank you to everyone who was able to support those two events and the volunteers who made it happen). I am so grateful for the amazing school community that supports all the different events going on at PES. I just want to say "thank you" for helping make our school as amazing as it is!

As we approach the midpoint of the year, I want to bring to the light the importance of attendance for school. I know this year (and the past couple of years) has made attendance for some quite challenging with students being ill, however, regular and consistent attendance is important. I have shared an infographic below about attendance. Regular and consistent attendance allows students to get into a routine and be comfortable with peers which enhances their ability and opportunity to learn. Disruptions in a students' routine can create anxiety as student's may not know what to expect when they return and/or may be nervous about what or how much work they have to get caught up. We do our very best to make sure students are welcome and feel comfortable when they return and make sure they get caught up on all the necessary things they missed. When possible, regular and consistent attendance makes everything easier for everyone involved and makes for the most successful learning experience for all students.

I am looking forward to an exciting January full of fun and lots of learning. Also, hopefully it will be a little warmer than we ended the year so we can be outside enjoying the fresh winter air during recesses!

Mr. McEntee

Principal

Due to school being cancelled the week before Christmas, we were unable to have our Christmas concert and thus cancelled it for this year. We know a lot of families and students were excited to have an in-person Christmas concert and so were we! As a result, we will be hosting a Spring Concert on March 23 (time TBD). We look forward to seeing everyone at our Spring Concert!

After school basketball will be starting up for our Grade 5 and 6 students. Details around schedule and start date will be shared in the coming weeks. A huge thank you to Mr. Kaegi, Mrs. Skjonsberg, and Mrs. Chapman (teacher at PSC) for volunteering their time to coach our student athletes!

We had a great turn out for Parent Teacher Interviews at the beginning of December! It is always appreciated when families can take time out of their busy schedules to connect with their child's teacher and check in on how their child is achieving. Our Grade 6s sold chili to help raise money for Grade 6 Camp and they were sold out before the night was over. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make that happen and to those were able to stop by and enjoy some chili.

A reminder to all parents/guardians, your child's academic progress (for Grade 1-6 students) is updated and posted in your Parent Portal. We encourage you to log in to your Parent Portal and check your child's progress regularly. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's progress, please contact your child's homeroom teacher.

As part of their Physical Education curriculum, Grade 1-6 classes will be heading over to the local arena to skate once a week for 3 weeks from the end of January to the middle of February. Consent forms for skating are up in the Parent Portal (under Student Fees) and need to be filled out by January 18th. The school has skates and helmets available to borrow and all students are expected to participate. Classroom teachers will be reaching out for volunteers to help tie skates (and come skating if you would like to join) as we get closer to the first day.

A friendly reminder that the Calendar page (click here to get to it directly) on our school website is up to date with events and important dates like hot lunches, after school sports, field trips, etc.

Fill out the form below and we will draw 3 names for $10 Tim Horton's gift cards.

The next School Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 30th, at 6:30 pm at the school. All parents/guardians are welcome to attend.

January 9 - Classes resume

January 18 - Hot Dog Lunch

January 18 - Skating Consent Forms Due

January 23 - Boston Pizza Hot Lunch orders due

January 24/25 - First Day of Skating for Gr. 1-6 see calendar for grades and times.

January 20 - Jersey Day

January 27 - PD Day

January 30 - Awesome Awards Assembly

January 30 - School Council Meeting