We have reached the final days of school for 2024. December is always a busy time, and this year has been no exception. We’ve had a wonderful end to the year, filled with school events celebrating the Christmas season. Last week, our Christmas concert showcased an excellent performance. Many thanks to our students and staff for their hard work and dedication in making the concert a success. A special thanks goes to Mrs. Tanton and Mrs. McKay for their extraordinary efforts in organizing both the concert and the play.

Yesterday was one of my favorite annual events at Daysland School as our school community came together for our Christmas Dinner. Our students enjoyed a meal in their cross graded squads. We want to thank our school council, and our amazing parent volunteers that donated food supplies, as well as their time, to serve our students. It was a fantastic time and we are so thankful for our school community and families that make it possible.

Despite all the holiday activities, it’s important to remind students to stay focused on their schoolwork. This is particularly crucial for our high school students, who will return to diploma and final exams in January. An exam calendar is included in this newsletter. The upcoming break is an excellent time for all parents and students to check PowerSchool and use the opportunity to catch up on any missing assignments. For our younger students, we encourage families to support literacy and numeracy skills over the holidays. This could include reading together or playing family games that incorporate numeracy concepts.

As mentioned in the last newsletter, we are excited to welcome back Mrs. Walker to her role as our secondary math and science teacher. She will take over from Mr. Charchun, who has been filling in for her since September. Thankfully, Mr. Charchun will remain on staff, transitioning to the Grade 4 Homeroom position while continuing to teach Junior High Industrial Arts until the end of the semester. During this transition, Mrs. Walker will also teach some Grade 4 Science for a few weeks.

This week also marks an end to Mrs. Tucker’s time in the Grade Four classroom. We are very thankful for her contributions and efforts to ensure a smooth transition for Mr. Charchun as he moves into his new role as the Grade Four teacher.

As we wrap up the calendar year, we wish our entire school community a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please know how much you are appreciated. We look forward to working with and serving you in 2024.

December

20 - Last Day of Classes

23 to January 3 - Christmas Break

January

6 - School Resumes

7 - Sr. B B-Ball @ HRA

8 - Jr. B-Ball @ Round Hill

9 - Sr. B-Ball @ Bashaw

10/11 - Lloyd Sather Tournament

13 - Jr. B-Ball @ Ryley

14 - ELA 30 Diploma Pt. A

17 - Math 30 Diploma

20 - ELA 30 Diploma Pt. B

22 - Jr. B-Ball @ Forestburg

27 - Last Day of Semester 1

28 - Semester 2 Begins

29 - Jr. B-Ball @ Tofield

31 - Staff Meeting/PD/Collaboration Day (no classes)

Fees are now due for all Semester 1 courses, including Q1 and Q2 Junior High Options. Current school fee statements have been emailed to families. Please make payments online or at the school by cash or cheque to BRSD at your earliest convenience. Thank you!

We recently informed parents that cheques provided to Daysland School are payable to BRSD. To ensure that everyone is aware of why this is the case, BRSD is now in charge of the accounting in several schools throughout BRSD. However, we are still in control of any funds that are dedicated to Daysland School in the form of fees, payments and donations, just as we were before. We are still able to track all of the information around funds provided to our school, it is just the accounting process that has changed. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact our school administration.

Our Basketball season is in full swing, with our Junior and Senior High Teams already participating in league games and tournaments. Thank you to all of our parent volunteers for donating to and working the concession for the annual Senior Boys Ice Breaker!

Parents are reminded that Board policy requires all students who ride the bus to wear (or carry) clothing suitable for the weather conditions. This includes headgear, hand covering, and appropriate footwear. Students who arrive at school inappropriately dressed will not be allowed to ride home or to/from sporting events or school planned field trips until they have proper gear dropped off or are picked up by a parent.

As we enter the season of weather related bus delays and cancellations, BRSD would like to remind parents to check their school website or the BRSD website for updates. If there is a change to the schedule it will appear in an ALERT banner at the top of the website. If there is no banner, all routes are running as scheduled. Every family affected by a bus route delay or cancellation also receives an automated phone message.

Daysland School Learning Commons

Wednesday, January 15 @ 7:00pm

Everyone Welcome!

You can also attend virtually.

Check the Daysland School website the day of the meeting for the link.

If you are interested in purchasing Daysland School clothing, please visit

https://dayslandschool.entripyshops.com

Orders can be placed at any time of the year and will ship directly to the purchaser.