Bel Ayr Elementary School

Dear families,

African Heritage Month was officially launched during our assembly last Friday. Students are engaged in this learning throughout the year and in February we place an extra emphasis on it school wide. Some of the projects and lessons happening in our classrooms this year include Kente Cloth Designs (4F), biographies highlighting Black Excellence (2/3B, 3/4 R, 4F and 5D), Black Business Initiative Advertising (6J), Positive Affirmations and Picture Books (1/2 HH), and Local Black Excellence Read-a-louds (PS and P/1M). Our students are using recent knowledge about non-fiction and text features to dig deep into content and demonstrate their own learning,

We are looking forward to another successful and busy month!

Sincerely,

Shawn Marsh

Principal

Please be reminded that we have students who have life threatening allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, latex, and eggs (ingestion only). We would ask that you do not send food items in lunch bags containing peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds as these can contaminate surfaces.

FEBRUARY - African Heritage Month

February is Registration Month

8: Last Day of Spring Festival (Lunar New Year - Jan 29 - Feb 8)

12: SAC/Home and School (Wed)

14: Valentine's Day (Red and Pink Day)

17: Heritage Day - no classes all schools

26: Family Bingo Night - 6:30-7:30

28: Ramadan

MARCH

7: Assessment & Evaluation Day - no classes

10-14: March Break

26: 2nd Term Report Cards Emailed to Families

29 & 30: Eid-Al-Fitr

African Heritage Month in Nova Scotia, celebrated each February, honours the contributions of African Nova Scotians.

This year’s theme, Legacy in Action: Celebrating Black Brilliance, highlights the achievements and resilience of African Nova Scotians, who have shaped the province's history for more than 400 years.

In schools, recognizing African Heritage Month is crucial for promoting cultural awareness and inclusion. It fosters understanding of the diverse cultural landscape of Nova Scotia, empowering African Nova Scotian students by reflecting their history and heritage in their classrooms. Highlighting their achievements serves as a source of inspiration.

African Heritage Month 2025 is an opportunity to educate, inspire, and celebrate the richness of African heritage in Nova Scotia every day.

To ensure we have the right staff and supports in place for September, it’s important that we gather enrolment numbers now.

Tip: Before you begin, make sure you have the following documents in electronic form (image, PDF or Word document):

• Proof of identity/age with one of the following: birth certificate, passport, immigration papers, or legal adoption papers) if you are new to the HRCE;

• Proof of home address (a recently dated official government or utility document with your current address that includes your name and date, such as water bill, power bill, internet bill, home fuel bill, a tax receipt, property assessment or a mortgage contract)

Visit the HRCE website for more information and to enrol your child today through PowerSchool Enrollment!

Don’t have a child to register? Maybe you know someone who does! Please help us spread the word and pass this information on to friends, neighbours or relatives who will be looking to register for the fall.

The second cycle of the milk program will begin on Tuesday, February 11, 2025
The second half of the year is from February 11, 2025 to June 20, 2025
Cost will be $30 for the second half of the year
We will be offering 2% milk at lunchtime
Please be reminded that if your child does not drink milk at home, it is unlikely they will drink it at school. If you missed the first round of ordering, you will find the current one in the School Cash Online system (see info below).

Our grade 6s wrote provincial assessments in literacy and math last October. The results of these assessments will be shared with families on February 20th. If you have questions about your child's results please contact Ms. Jamieson. Scores will not affect report card grades and are purely used to support individual students and to adjust our classroom instruction to respond to common challenges observed schoolwide.

Our first Artist in Residence, Jill Robinson, began working with our lower elementary in late January. She introduced Indigenous-inspired painting techniques in addition to some sharing about Mi'kmaq culture and traditions. Students are also learning about the Seven Sacred Teachings, the importance of protecting the environment, and beadwork. She will be working her way into our upper elementary soon!

Mwape Benaya, our second Artist in Residence, begins work in our upper elementary this Friday. She will bring her passion for music and theatre to share with our students. Mwape is a fourth year Law student at Dalhousie University.

Thank you to our SAC for making these experiences possible for our students!

If you are a registered volunteer (both checks submitted and up to date) and would like to volunteer some time to read with our grade 1 students please contact Mr. Marsh (smarsh@hrce.ca). Grade 1 is the most important year for obtaining the necessary reading skills and behaviours for later in life. Your help and any amount of time you can offer are appreciated!

Our Home and School will host a Family Bingo Night on Wednesday, February 26th (6:30-7:30 PM). This is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for our school. The proceeds from the

event benefit our 200+ students by providing them with items such as library books,

classroom equipment, school supplies, educational field trips, and more. Tickets and seats can be reserved beginning on February 12th when it is posted in SchoolCash Online.

We will be having our second Lockdown Drill on Thursday, February 13th, 2025. Homeroom teachers will be reviewing the procedures with their students ahead of the drill. Please click here to view detailed information about the purpose and rationale for school lockdown drills.

Our homeroom teachers will reach out this week to let families know about their plans for Valentine's Day. The planning in our classrooms typically relates to learning about the importance of showing acts of kindness to friends and family. This looks different from Pre-primary to Grade 6 so please wait to hear the specifics from your teacher(s).

Extra Clothing

With the cold, wet, and snowy weather approaching, please send extra clothes to school with your child. Pants, socks, underwear, and t-shirts are always good to have on hand! Winter hats, mittens, snow pants, boots, and warm jackets are a necessity this time of year. All students are reminded to have indoor sneakers and outdoor boots to change into this time of year.

School Closures

Sometimes schools are closed when storms or conditions become severe. The HRCE has three types of emergency closure procedures; all or some schools closed, early dismissals, and 2 hour delayed openings. There may also be occasions when buses are cancelled but schools remain open. Please read about this in greater detail in the link below. It is written in HRCE policy that teachers have to make contact with all families of elementary aged students before dismissing during an early closure.

https://www.hrce.ca/families/cancellations

How will I find out?

• By email to the addresses in PowerSchool
• By text message, if you have opted-in. If you aren’t sure if you have opted-in, text Y to the following number: 978338
• On our website www.hrce.ca
• On X (formerly Twitter) at Twitter.com/HRCE_NS
• On Instagram at www.instagram.com/hrce_ns/

Make sure you listen for either the Family of Schools name or the individual name of your child's school in cancellation announcements. Click here to find your Family of Schools.

Hats and Mittens

Students lose their hats and mitts often at school. Please make sure that all items are labelled. If you are interested in donating hats and mitts to our school we will put them to good use!

Our school will post items for purchase and assign school fees relevant to your child (eg. milk orders). You can make all purchases and payments from your phone, tablet or computer.

We would like families to register as soon as possible.

To get started, please register for SchoolCash Online. It’s free and takes less than two minutes. You will receive an email once items are posted for purchase.

Visit https://hrce.schoolcashonline.com/ and click Register to get started.

Need support? Connect with the SchoolCash Online help desk at schoolcashonline.com/Home/Support

We hope that SchoolCash Online makes paying school-related fees more convenient!

Paper Newsletters - If you wish to receive paper copies of our newsletter, please contact Ms. MacLeod in the main office (902-435-8353)

School Insurance Program (SIP) - Your child is automatically covered for accidents and injuries that happen during the school day. If you want to have 24/7 coverage including the summer months it only costs $14.00/year for a gold plan.

Email: bla@hrce.ca
Website: bla.hrce.ca
Location: 4 Bell Street, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
Phone: 902-435-8353
X(Twitter): @belayrschool