Westboro Weekly Newsletter

November 11: Remembrance Day

November 11-15: November Break - No school for students or staff

November 19: School Council Meeting 6:30 p.m. in the school library

November 26: Grade 2 and 3 field trip to Salisbury Composite High Theatre

November 29: Report Cards available for viewing at 3:00 p.m.

Looking ahead:

December 4: Christmas Concert

December6: Early Dismissal

Westboro Elementary will be closed for fall break from November 11-15. The school will reopen on Monday, November 18. If you need to speak with someone before the school reopens, contact Elk Island Public Schools Central Services at 780-464-3477. Please note that their offices are closed on Monday, November 11.

Have a wonderful break!

Pease see the agenda for the upcoming School Council meeting on November 19, 2024.

Westboro School Council Agenda November 19, 2024

Westboro Parent's Society Agenda November 19, 2024

Please see the meeting minutes from the School Council meeting held on October 8, 2024.

Westboro School Council Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024

Westboro Parent's Society Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024

We are happy to announce that you can now place your hot lunch (and future fundraising) orders online using MunchaLunch.com! You can pay for your orders online using credit card (Visa / Mastercard), debit-credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay or pre-paid credit card.

Ordering is now available until November 18th!

Hot lunch will be on November 22!

HOW TO REGISTER:

1) Go to: https://munchalunch.com/schools/westboro

2) Click the “Register Here” button (as shown below). The system will guide you through.

3) After adding your children, click the green “Order Lunch!” button to order.

4) Next time, just click the “Login Here” button to access your account.

HOW TO REGISTER IF YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT AT A DIFFERENT SCHOOL:

1) Go to: https://munchalunch.com/addaccount

2) Click the “Start” button. The system will guide you through.

3) After adding your children, click the green “Order Lunch!” button to order.

4) Next time, just click the “Login Here” button to access your account.

ORDERING INFORMATION:

· If you need assistance with ordering, or do not have access to the internet, please contact our new hot lunch coordinator, Nicole at westborohotlunch@gmail.com

Please note if your child is ill on a lunch date, you are welcome to come and pick up their lunch by 12:30 p.m.; otherwise please consider it a donation. Consistent with previous years, there are NO REFUNDS.

We are always in need of volunteers! There is a volunteer page in the online system where you can checkmark which dates you are available. The hot lunch coordinator will then contact you with a proposed schedule.

Our thanks to the Westboro Elementary parent community for supporting hot lunch and to our wonderful volunteers who help make this program a success!

The Westboro School track team tryouts for Grades 4, 5 and 6 students will begin after fall break.

Grade 5 and 6 tryouts are 7:35-8:20 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19 and Thursday, November 21.

Grade 4 tryouts are 7:35-8:20 a.m. on Wednesday, November 20 and Friday, November 22.

During track tryouts and regular track practices, the doors open at 7:30 a.m. Track students are to enter the school at the front door, quickly put their backpacks away, get their running shoes on, and bring a labeled water bottle. The track team members are to wait quietly outside the gym doors for the track coaches. The track team will be running in the gym and the hallways. They should wear appropriate sports clothing (t-shirts, shorts, sweatpants, running shoes, deodorant…). There will be just under ten minutes for the students to change, have a quick snack or time of relaxation before classes begin.

Once the tryouts are completed, the track practices run every Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:35-8:20 a.m.

If your child is interested, the permission form must be signed via Permission Click before the first tryout date. https://permission.click/MXwLD/ca

Westboro recognizes and thanks two amazing teams from our AMA Safety Patrol Team. Grade 5 students Hayden and Amelia, as well as Grade 6 students Kalista and Katie Anne have been dependable and responsible in arriving for their shifts and working hard to keep all of us safe! Congratulations on a job well done and on being named Patrollers of the month!

Bullying is a relationship problem that involves a power imbalance, which is why it can be so challenging to overcome it by ourselves. Regardless of where bullying happens – in school, the office, at home or in the community – there are people and resources that can help.

This year’s theme, #WhereToTurn, encourages everyone to recognize that help is available, no matter who or where you are in the province. By using the hashtags #WhereToTurn and #BullyingAwarenessWeek, you can help raise awareness that there is always somewhere to turn for support.

Together, we can all strive to model healthy relationships and stand up to bullying in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities.

Here are a few ways Westboro Elementary is taking part in Bullying Awareness Week:

• Daily morning announcements focused on building empathy and positive relationships.
• School wide theme based on the book: Be a Bridge by Irene Latham & Charles Waters. Each student and staff member will create a self-portrait to display on the Counsellor’s bulletin board with the quote: Love is the bridge between you and everything—Rumi. Mini people will be linked in a bridge to signify community connections. Students and staff will create a Bridge Builder Pledge.
• Teachers will provide mini lessons on kindness, Bully Awareness, and Bully Prevention. Incorporate Restorative Practice strategies to build connections among students and staff, respect diversity, highlight care/encouragements instead of criticism, positive peer conflict resolutions. Each week, our staff Weekly Bulletin will include information and strategies on how to create a ‘Safe Haven’ for all staff and students.
• Sharing circles in classes to discuss friendship skills and promote positive interactions.

A heartfelt thanks to our school community for your incredible generosity with food donations for the local food bank! We collected 188 pounds of non-perishable food items during our food bank drive. Your kindness is making a real difference. And a huge shoutout to the amazing food bank volunteers who picked up everything with smiles and hearts full of compassion. Together, we’re spreading hope and making our community stronger.

Why play math games at home?

·Provide purposeful practice of number facts

·Meaningful opportunities to think strategically

·Develop critical thinking skills

Social-Emotional connections:

·Taking turns

·Working with others

·Communicating clearly

·Follow expectations/rules

Games such as Yahtzee, Pig, and Crib are highly engaging and easy to play!

Need a new game? Try Trash! Trash is an exciting card game that is a fun way to recognize and practice numbers in a ten-frame. See who can organize their Trash the fastest!

Helping your child as they learn to write can feel complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Encourage your child to try out real-life writing tasks to help develop their skills. Here are some practical ways to get your child writing:

• Write a grocery list
• Create a to-do list for weekend activities and chores
• Write an email to a teacher to ask a question about an assignment
• Write a Get Well card or a Thank You card
• Keep a gratitude journal
• Write a review for your favourite restaurant

Making writing authentic to what happens in daily life can help your child grow in expressing themselves or organizing their thoughts. For more writing practice ideas, check out this article.

Alberta Health Services is proud to offer FREE online programming to caregivers of school-age children and youth as well as adults in the community who want to learn more about addiction and mental health topics.

Sessions are offered online through the Zoom conferencing application. A link to access the online session will be sent by email to those who have registered for the session.

This workshop is about using solution focused therapy principles in parenting. In this workshop you will learn ways to communicate with your children that will harness their strengths, resources, and focus you and your child on positive solutions to handle everyday challenges.

Wednesday, November 13

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Webinar Registration - Zoom

In this workshop, we will describe and explore healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationship patterns. We will learn about effective communication and practice discussing topics related to romantic/intimate relationships in ways that are grounded in your values.

Wednesday, November 20

1 - 3 p.m.

Webinar Registration - Zoom

Highly sensitive teens are often misunderstood by parents and teachers as they often have stronger emotional reactions. In this presentation, learn why this happens, and the necessary tools required to help these teens manage their emotions so they don't become derailed.

Thursday, November 28

10 - 11:30 a.m.

Webinar Registration - Zoom

Join the EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team for an evening of learning and connection. Enjoy soup and bannock from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by art with Métis Knowledge Keeper Connie Kulhavy and Giant Floor Map teachings from the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. The event is free, and all are welcome to attend.

Event Details:

Date: Nov. 20, 2024
Time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Location: A.L. Horton Elementary, Gymnasium
5037 48 Ave, Vegreville, AB

RSVP by November 18

Join us for our annual Celebration of Lights to start the holiday season!

Festivities will take place at Festival Place on Saturday, November 16 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

• wagon rides with Santa
• LED tree light up at 5 p.m.
• cooking decorating kits
• letters to Santa
• campfire cooking
• holiday crafts and more!
• 
  

Dress for the weather as most activities will be outdoors.

Read the full news release

https://www.strathcona.ca/cou.../news/news/2024/11/1/col-24/

We got you covered for fall break! Join us for an exciting night of fun as we snack, laugh, and challenge each other through fun minute-to-win-it games and activities! Compete in various online games and join the leaderboard for a chance to win prizes.

Learn more and register at https://ow.ly/STFC50TSJ7r