The PAW Print
Friday, September 13, 2024
The first few weeks of school have been truly exciting, and we were thrilled to see so many of our students and their families come together at the Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Staff event. With many new families joining our SAM community this year, it was wonderful to connect so early in the year.
Inside our classrooms, things are in full swing as students dive into the 'Week of Inspirational Math,' begin the first cycle of SAM Explores (Outdoor Education, STEAM, and Drama), and settle into their regular classroom routines.
Our students have also been busy outside the classroom with grade 6 camp, cross-country running, handbells, and the launch of SAM Chorus. We’re also excited to share that our students and families have already raised over $1,800 for cancer research as part of our Terry Fox Fundraiser! We encourage you to consider donating and invite you to come out and cheer for our students as they Run for Terry on the afternoon of Thursday, September 26th.
Thank you for your continued support, and don’t forget to check out the rest of our newsletter for more updates and celebrations!
Dawn and Cam
Week of Sept 16 - 20
- Grade 3 & 4 Week of Inspirational Math
- Tues, Sept 17 - Tech Tuesday "Managing Device Distractions" (Family Resource: Managing Device Distractions)
- Tues, Sept 17 - School Council AGM Meeting (7pm SAM Library)
- Tues, Sept 17 - SAM Fundraising Society Meeting (6pm SAM Library)
- Wed, Sept 18 - FunRun at Ronald Harvey 4pm
- Fri, Sept 20 - NO SCHOOL (PD Day/Staff Meeting)
We are thrilled to share the excitement both the school and students are experiencing with the launch of our new Soccer Academy! The enthusiasm on the fields is contagious, and all the kids look fantastic in their new gear as they proudly represent our school.
We have just wrapped up our first two weeks of training on the school fields. During this time, the students have been engaged in small-sided games, focusing on dribbling, passing, and decision-making. This has not only sparked their passion for the game but also allowed us to get to know each of our student athletes and tailor specific training exercises for each group within their sections.
Next week, we look forward to updating everyone on our training program for the entire school year. Stay tuned for more exciting developments!
Are you or anyone in your family a "math person"? When I was younger, I thought some people were naturally good at math and others weren't. I believed math was all about how fast you could find the right answer. It wasn't until I became a teacher that I realized math is more about deep thinking than speed.
This September, our students (grades 1–6) are participating in a Week of Inspirational Math (WIM), with Kindergarten joining in early October. These sessions help students develop a growth mindset, think creatively, work together, and understand that math is for everyone. They also learn that mistakes are essential for brain growth!
Here's how you can support math learning at home:
- Discuss the brain's ability to grow: watch The Neuron Song for younger kids or this clip from The Human Body for older ones.
- Help kids embrace mistakes: read Mistakes That Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones.
- Explore open-ended math prompts as a family at mathbeforebed.com
Happy mathing!
Mr. Makovichuk
SAM School has been doing an amazing job of fundraising to support cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation. This year our school's goal is to raise $2970 to support cancer research and we are already at $1666!!! Great work, SAM! Please click on this link to donate to cancer research and support our kids in their work to help their community.
This year, our annual school Terry Fox Run will be hosted in the afternoon of Thursday, September 26th.
Congratulations to SAM Chorus
Last year, our SAM Chorus participated in the St. Albert Rotary Music Festival, and they were recommended to the Alberta Provincial Music Festival. There, they were awarded second place in the province and their recording was passed along to the Canada West Performing Arts Festival. We are happy to announce that the SAM Chorus was awarded second place at that festival as well, and they received an absolutely glowing adjudication. Well done, SAM Chorus!
SAM Chorus - Fall Season
We are ready to start a new season of SAM Chorus. All Grade 4, 5 and 6 students who love to sing are welcome to attend. The Chorus will rehearse every Tuesday morning in the music room from 8:00 - 8:40 am, beginning on Tuesday, September 24th. Registration forms will be available for students next week. **Please note: There will be no rehearsal on Tuesday, October 1st. We will rehearse on Thursday, October 3rd that week instead.
SAM Songsters - Looking Ahead
We have many excited singers in our younger grades who are asking about our junior choir. Our SAM Songsters choir for students in Grades 2 and 3 will begin in January, and will rehearse once per week during lunch recess. Stay tuned for details in the New Year!
Sewing Help Needed!
We are looking for parents and/or grandparents to help sew simple flute cases for all of our Grade 4 students, and new students in Grade 5 & 6. There are 110 cases needed this year, and we’re hoping to gather about 5-6 volunteers to get the job done! If you are interested in helping out, please email Mrs. Moran at alana.moran@spschools.org for more information. We are also happy to accept donations of plain or patterned fabric.
SAM School is excited to announce that our SAM Clothing Store is open again! If you are interested in purchasing some school swag, please visit our online clothing store. Order deadline is September 16th!
Our amazing SAM Fundraising Society is once again starting to plan an amazing line up of fundraisers and activities for our SAM students and families this year. All proceeds made from SAM Parent Fundraising activities go to support many wonderful opportunities for our SAM students.
In previous years, our SAM Fundraising Society has donated $20,000 to purchase equipment to help start-up our STEAM Lab, provided swimming lessons for all of our students, funded our playground equipment, and purchased Chromebooks for student use. This year, our Fundraising Team is providing swim lessons at Fountain Park Pool for all our students from K-6 this year!
Consider joining us for our first meeting on Tuesday, September 17th at 6pm in the SAM Library. All are welcome! Once again, if you are not able to attend the in-person meeting, parents are welcome to join us online using the following Google Meet link: September Fundraising Meeting.
Our amazing SAM Fundraising Society is once again organizing a Hot Lunch program for our SAM students this year. All proceeds made from Hot Lunch go to support many wonderful opportunities for our SAM students. Our first Pizza Day will be Tuesday, Sept 17th from Panago Pizza. Orders for hot lunch close five days prior to the lunch date.
For more information, or to sign-up for Hot Lunch, please visit our website at: Hot Lunch Orders
Reminder that our first SAM School Council will take place on Tuesday, September 17th at 7pm. As this meeting with serve as our Annual General Meeting, the agenda will include:
- Review of roles and responsibilities of school councils
- Reviewing our School Council purpose statement
- School Council elections
This is a great meeting to come to if you're interested in taking part in many conversations regarding our school community. If you are not able to make the meeting in-person, please feel free to join us online using this Google Meet link: September School Council Meeting.
This past June, the Minister of Education released a ministerial order restricting the use of personal digital devices (e.g. cell phones) in classrooms, and directed school divisions to develop and implement policies to enforce this by January 1, 2025.
The division has begun work on the division policy, which will include the following:
- K-6 students will be encouraged to leave their personal digital devices at home.
- Should a student at any grade choose to bring their device to school it must remain on silent mode and out of sight for the entire day.
- Confiscation, restriction and/or prohibition of personal devices may extend to:
- students and staff;
- Instructional and non-instructional time;
- time students are being transported;
- time staff are working; and/or
- specific locations in the building or on school property.
- Schools will take into consideration the school’s student demographic (age, developmental stage, etc) when creating site policy.
Many of our schools already have practices in place limiting cell phone use during the day, which will remain in place until our division policy has been developed. Please contact your child’s school if you have any questions about their current practices.
As we work on the division policy, we invite parents/guardians to provide input through our policy engagement session on Thursday, September 26 at 6 pm. Register here. Please note we have room for 45 participants. If you are unable to attend the session, and wish to provide input, please email paul.macleod@spschools.org.
More information on cell phones in classrooms is available here.
On Thursday, September 26th Hillgrove will be hosting a parent internet safety session with the Northern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. As we know how valuable this is for all families, Hillgrove has extended the invitation to other school communities as well. Parents can click here for session details and registration.
Your children are doing a wonderful job of getting settled into their new routines. It is very common for some students to experience a bit of anxiety or hesitation while they are transitioning into a new year. We want to reassure you that our teaching and support staff are here to help them feel comfortable and reassured as they get settled in. Consistent daily routines will help all our students adapt smoothly. Here are a few things you can do to help with the morning drop-off transition:
- Establish a morning routine: Keep the same wake-up, breakfast, and departure times each day to create predictability.
- Offer positive encouragement: Give your child a quick, confident goodbye and remind them of something they can look forward to during the day.
- Stay calm and consistent: If your child feels upset, try to stay calm and reassuring. Let them know their feelings are normal and that they will have a great day.
- Encourage independence: Let your child take small responsibilities, like carrying their own backpack, to build confidence in starting the day.
- Trust in the process: Allow your child to transition into the school day with the help of their teachers, knowing they will be supported throughout the day.
Thank you for your partnership as we support your child's transition!
