Colts Connection For Parents
September Edition
Welcome Back!
Welcome back to another spectacular school year at Ponoka Elementary School! If you are new to our school the Colts Connection for Parents is a monthly newsletter as such shared with our parents via email and posted to our website and Facebook page each month. The Colts Connection is a way for parents to stay connected with what's happening (or happened) at Ponoka Elementary, some tips/tricks/ideas for parents/guardians to support their child through their educational journey, and ways that parents can be involved with our school.
This school year brings a bit of a shift in our focus in student learning. For the past eight years (at least) we have focused our learning as an education team around supporting literacy at PES. Although this is still important to us and we will continue to learn and grow to support our students in this area, we have recognized a need to shift our focus on improving Numeracy instruction and developing strong Numeracy skills in our students. As we head down this path as school team, the partnership with our families to support and continue this learning at home is equally important. Throughout the year in the Colts Connection we will be sharing different easy and fun ways to continue the numeracy learning from the classroom into your homes each night.
Along with our shift to Numeracy we are also continuing to use Second Step to support Social Emotional Learning in connection with the Physical Education and Wellness curriculum. We started this work last year with the support of School Council and have found value in the learning opportunities through this program. The four major themes Growth Mindset & Goal Setting, Emotion Management, Empathy and Kindness, and Problem-Solving. These themes will be featured in the Colts Connection for Parents throughout the year as well.
Terry Fox Run
On September 19th, we hosted our annual Terry Fox Run. In traditional PES fashion, students and staff went above and beyond to help raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation! As a school we raised $13 600 and shattered our previous year's amount by over $1 000. Our school's goal was $10 000 dollars and since we beat it, the students who raised the most money in each grade got to dye Mr. McEntee's beard! Congratulations to Gabe, Brynn, Marek, Theo, Annabelle, and Harmony for raising the most money in their grade! A huge thank you to Mrs. Wilkins, Miss Comeau, Mrs. Mulzet, and Miss Rogalski for organizing everything. Also a huge thank you to the community of Ponoka and beyond for helping support such a great cause and tradition at Ponoka Elementary!
Government Mandated Numeracy and Literacy Assessments
Over the past few years we have had to administer Numeracy and Literacy Assessments to all Grade 1-3 (for a couple of years Grade 4) as mandated by Alberta Education. Over the summer, Alberta Education, released an update increasing the frequency of these assessments throughout the year. The assessments themselves are intended to be used by teachers to help identify needs of students in the areas of Numeracy and Literacy and guide their instruction throughout the year. This is something teachers have been doing long before Alberta Education's mandate. There have been a few challenges in administering these assessments this year. The first is the timeline in which they need to be completed, all assessments from Grade 1-3 are to be completed and results submitted by September 27th. This is a very short turn around and a time where we typically are working to build routines, structures, and connections with students to ensure they feel safe and comfortable to support a successful school year. One of the things that has been noticed is there have been some undue stress on students who are just starting the schooling career. We have been trying very hard to make this as stressless as possible, but in some cases it is just too much.
Along with this, all of the assessments require teachers to work one on one with a student for the assessment, thus we are trying to manage students in the first few days/weeks of school while also completing 1:1 assessments with little or no interruptions to support the student completing the assessment. These assessments are required to be done again in January for all students, and then again in May for students deemed "At Risk" in January. Added to this are Kindergarten assessments. Again, we have and will assess students to identify needs and to better program for our students, in the past, we have had the autonomy to determine when and what assessments to use.
There will be some valuable information that we receive from these assessments, and it will support the programming for our students. The results will help to identify areas of strength and areas of growth for students. The results are not reported directly to parents, but teachers may refer to the assessments when speaking to areas of growth or strengths throughout the year.
All in all, we wanted to ensure that parents/guardians are aware of the updated mandate from Alberta Education and to provide some background if you hear your child talking about a reading or math test they had to do in the first few weeks of school.
Orange Shirt Day at PES
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent-Teacher Interviews for Grade 1-6 students are being held on Thursday, October 10th from 3:30-7:00 pm. These interviews will be by appointment. Information on how to book your time slot with your teacher will be sent out this week.
Full Time School Psychologist at Ponoka Elementary School
The grant and program is designed to bridge gaps in needs within school. One of the main areas of need we have recognized in our school over the past years, is the amount of grief and loss suffered by our students. Whether that loss and grief is rooted in the death of a family member or friend, or through separation of parents, students can struggle with how to manage and work through their emotions and thus are not able to focus on learning. In order for students to meet with Tammy a parental consent form must be signed. If you have any questions/concerns around this program or about Tammy's role please contact Mr. McEntee at the school.
Hometime Messages
Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring all students get home safely each day!
Dare to Care Program Free for Parents
Fortis Alberta has sponsored the access to the Dare to Care program for schools and their families across Alberta. We were lucky enough to be selected as one of those schools. The Dare to Care program is a video series on anti-bullying. There is a specific program for parents on how to identify bullying, how to support your child if they are being bullied, and much more. To access the program as a parent click on this link and register (there is no charge) once registered, you will have full access to the parent program. https://daretocare.thinkific.com/bundles/ponoka-elementary-school
Cross Country Team
Mrs. J, Mrs. Topham, and Miss Rogalski have hit the ground running...literally...with our Cross Country Team. They started practices the second week of school and 12 Grade 6 runners were off to compete in the Deer Valley Cross Country Meet on Thursday, September 26. The whole Grade 4-6 team will be competing in the New Norway Spartan Race on October 10 and the Clive School Race on October 18, with some of the Grade 6 runners having the opportunity to run in the CWAJHAA race in Rocky Mountain House on October 17th.
Change in Monthly Assembly and Awesome Awards
We are changing up how we do our Awesome Awards and monthly assembly this year. We still want to recognize and acknowledge all of our students for their hard work and successes, but it will look a little different this year. Instead of students being recognized at the month end assembly, we will recognize students each day as part of the announcements. All the award winners in the month will still have Pizza with the Principals at the beginning of the following month.
We want to continue to gather as a school community each month so we will continue our monthly assemblies, however, instead of the Awesome Awards being the focus of the assembly, a grade each month will be featured and the students in those grades will get to share something special with the whole school. Parents are still welcome and encouraged to join us for our assembly each month as it is a great way to be a part of our school community.
Indigenous History Month Art Contest Winners
Ponoka Elementary had 3 students selected as winners of the Indigenous History Month Art Contest that was held last school year. The winners were chosen at the end of June last year. The winners' art pieces were captured in book with a collection of all the winners. Congratulations to Easton M. Grayden S., and Birdie B. for their amazing pieces of art and being selected as winners of their category.
Nutrition Grant (Breakfast, Lunch and Snack Programs) Continued
Our breakfast program is served grab-and-go style but students have the opportunity to enjoy their breakfast in the Community Commons up until the 8:30 bell goes. Our lunch program provides bag lunch (sandwich or cheese and crackers, fruit, vegetable, yogurt) for students who need a lunch or need a bit of top-up to the lunch they brought. The snack program are bins that are available in each classroom for students who may not have a snack or would like a little something extra.
All of the grant funding we receive require universal access to the programs. This universal access removes the stigma of accessing the programs as all students can grab breakfast, lunch, or snacks and students who may need these programs do not feel singled out and thus are more likely to access it. Ultimately, the goal of the programs make sure students are not focused on their next meal or snack and spend more time focused on learning.
Level Up With the Youth Centre (Free Program for Gr. 6 students)
Parent Learning Session available through McMan
10 Ways to Motivate Your Child to Do Better in School
Click here for a great article from Empowering Parents by Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC, on how to motivate your child to do better in school.
Important Dates
September 30 - No School - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
October 4 - Jersey Day
October 4 - First Day of Options for Grades 4-6 (Option Fees must be paid this day)
October 7 & 8 - Picture Days
October 10 - Parent Teacher Interviews
October 11 - Staff Collaboration Day - No School for Students
October 14 - No School - Thanksgiving
October 21-24 - Kindergarten to Gr. 3 Flouride and Dental Sealants
October 25 - Staff Collaboration Day - No School for Students
October 31 - October Assembly and Halloween Costume Parade
November 1 - Staff Collaboration Day - No School for Students
September Month in Review
Phone: 403-783-3583
Email: pes@wolfcreek.ab.ca
Principal: Nathan McEntee Assistant Principals: Shelagh Hagemann & Kendall Johnson