The PAW Print

It's been an absolute joy to welcome your children back to SAM this week! The first days of school are always filled with energy and excitement, and it's been wonderful to reconnect with your children. We hope that the start of the school year has been smooth for your family as well. Should any questions or concerns arise over the next few weeks, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to support you!

We wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable long weekend and we look forward to having all students from K-6 will return to school on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Dawn & Cam

Week of Sept 2 - 6

• Mon, Sept 2 - NO SCHOOL (Labour Day)
• Tues, Sept 3 - First Day of Regular Classes for all Kindergarten students
• Tues, Sept 3 - Tech Tuesday "Caring for Our Devices" (Family Activity: Caring for our Devices)

Week of Sept 9 - 13

• Tues, Sept 10 - Tech Tuesday "Why We Pause for People" (Family Resource: Help Kids Balance Their Media Lives)
• Wed, Sept 11 - School Picture Day
• Wed, Sept 11 - Fun Run at Muriel Martin (4pm)
• Wed, Sept 11 - Welcome Back BBQ/Meet the Staff 5:30 - 6:30pm
• Thurs, Sept 12 - Grade 6 Day Camp

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!

We have an amazing staff at SAM that is very excited to welcome all our SAM families back to school. Please join us on Wednesday, September 11th from 5:30-6:30pm for our Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Staff evening. This is a great opportunity to come together at the beginning of the school year to see everyone again (or meet you for the first time), as well as give your children the opportunity to show-off their new classrooms and introduce you to their new teachers. Please feel free to bring your entire families to share in free hotdogs and snacks.

Once again, SAM School is participating in the annual Terry Fox Run and raising money to support cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation. Terry had a dream of a world without cancer. Please support our school's fundraising efforts by clicking here to DONATE today. This year, our goal is to raise $2970 (yes, Mr. Beauchamp chose that amount)!

Please come by the school on Thursday, September 26st in the afternoon to watch our students participate in this annual event!

At SAM School, we believe that staying active is essential for a healthy and balanced life. That’s why we offer a wide range of curricular and extracurricular activities designed to get our students moving, no matter their interests or skill levels. From team activities to individual challenges, our staff offer a variety of opportunities throughout the year to inspire a love of physical activity, teamwork, and personal growth. We’re committed to providing every student with the opportunity to explore their potential, stay active, and have fun in the process! Here are a few upcoming opportunities for our students:

Division 2 students who are interested in participating in cross country running are invited to a short meeting with Mr. Beauchamp on Wednesday, September 4rd in the gym at lunch. Mr. Beauchamp will provide you with some information as well as permission forms.

SAM School has a long running history of participating in the Terry Fox Run and fundraising to support cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation. This year, our annual school Terry Fox Run will be hosted in the afternoon of Thursday, September 26th. Please click on this link to donate to cancer research and support our kids in their work to help their community.

Recess Club is up and running for our Division 1 students. All Division 1 students are welcome to meet Ms. Sara in the playground during lunch recess to play some organized games.

Through the month of September our Physical Education team will be focusing on 'Playground Games' as part of our commitment to fostering positive peer interactions during free play and game play. These activities are designed to encourage teamwork, inclusivity, and the joy of shared experiences. We look forward to seeing our students engage in these fun and cooperative games, building friendships and learning important social skills along the way.

Digital technology and social media in our world continues to evolve at a lightning fast pace. All students need digital citizenship skills to participate fully in their communities and make smart choices online and in life. To better support our students navigate the complexities of our digital world, our SAM staff identified three priority areas to help support the development of our students' digital citizenship skills. This year, we will focus on:

• explicitly teaching students responsible use of technology and engagement in digital environments,

• establishing consistent and clear expectations for screen time at school, and

• supporting families to learn about and empower informed decision-making about screen time at home.

Throughout the school year, you will notice that our school has scheduled a variety of Tech Tuesdays. On a Tech Tuesday, homeroom teachers will provide developmentally appropriate digital citizenship lessons focusing on a particular theme. These lessons take on real challenges and digital dilemmas that students face today, giving them the skills they need to succeed as digital learners, leaders, and citizens tomorrow.

To support these lessons, SAM School will be utilizing The Common Sense Education K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum that was designed and developed in partnership with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education—and guided by research with thousands of educators. Throughout the year, we will continue to provide updates to our families regarding our Tech Tuesday Themes, and share information that parents can also use at home.

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. Consider signing up for our Hot Lunch Healthy Hunger program to support SAM School!

Our first Pizza Day will be Tuesday, Sept 17th and our first Hot Lunch will be Friday, Sept 27th (Subway/Booster Juice).

For more information, or to sign-up for Hot Lunch, please visit our website at: Hot Lunch Orders