November 2024

Hello everyone, and happy November! It's hard to believe that two months have already flown by! I am so happy to see all of the hard work that is going on in classrooms this year. Everywhere I look I see students solving problems, thinking critically, helping each other, organizing ideas, and investigating. It is truly exciting to see the gains already being made by our students this year.

During the month of November we will be focusing on promoting peaceful play. With Remembrance Day falling this month, it's a perfect time to focus on the importance of taking care of each other, on de-escalating conflicts, and on working out problems with our words.

I'm excited to see the school once again full of parents next Monday and Tuesday for our conferences. Because the conferences are only 10 minutes long, it is very important to begin and end on time. Please allow yourself plenty of time to park and find your child's classroom. If you arrive late, your child's teacher will still have to end on time.

Finally, I would like to thank parent council for the hard work that they do. They have purchased a new set of boomwhackers for our music program, and they will also be renewing our Tumblebooks subscription, providing books in many languages for a multitude of families. I encourage all caregivers to get involved in parent counsel by supporting fundraisers, volunteering to help out at events like our weekly hot lunch, or attending meetings the third Tuesday of each month.

Regards,

Kathleen McLennan

We use our ROAR every day.

We do our best in every way.

We make strong choices.

We respect all voices.

We strive for more.

Here we ROAR!

November 1 Staff meeting/Division PD/Staff Collaboration (No School for Students)

November 3 Daylight Savings Ends

November 4 & 5 Parent Teacher Interviews

November 7 Photo Retakes in the morning

November 8 Remembrance Day ceremony

November 11 Remembrance Day (No school for students)

November 12 Day in Lieu for Parent/Teacher interviews (No School for Students)

November 12-15 Fall Break. Schools Closed

November 19 Parent Council Meeting at 7:00pm

November 23 Grade 5 volleyball tournament at Jack Stuart school @9:00am

November 24 Family Art Day

November 25-29 Book Fair.

November 27 Family Night at the Book Fair 3:30-6:00pm

November 29 ROAR Assembly

M/W Kindergarten / Maternelle (Mrs. Skoglund & Mme Urkow)

November 29

December 13

T/Th Maternelle (Mme Urkow)

November 8

Don't forget about our school home page that has a complete and up to date list of important dates and information. https://sifton.brsd.ab.ca/

Please Remember to complete the School Verification form on SchoolEngage . Here parents can confirm contact numbers and ensure information for students is up to date and accurate.

If you need to come to the school for any reason, please check in at the office. Anything that needs to be dropped off or picked up can take place there. To avoid disruption to learning, parents should not be going to classrooms or dropping off/picking up from lockers.

Parent Teacher interviews will take place on November 4 & 5 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm.

Please click on the link below to schedule your time with your child’s teacher if you have not done that yet.

https://sifton.parentconferences.net/

How to Login into School Appointment Site:

Go to the web site and click on the "REGISTER" menu tab and create an account. Then login and add your students to the system.

After the students have been entered you will be able to schedule an appointment immediately by selecting a teacher and clicking the "Book" button. Select an available time slot, click it and then click the "Book Appointments" button. Repeat this for each student.

When you are finished you can view your appointments from the "PROFILE" tab by selecting "View Appointments". You can also print your appointments from the view screen.

Photo Retake Day is Thursday, November 7 in the morning.

Friday November 29 is our ROAR Assembly. Please wear your house colour to school .

This year Ecole Sifton School was one of the recipients of the GreenUp Grant from Fortis Alberta. Fortis awards these grants to schools who are looking to create or enhance their environmental programs. On Wednesday October 30th 2 representatives from Fortis Alberta were at the school to deliver a cheque for $1000 that we will put towards our outdoor garden space.

Winter is fast approaching, and with it coughs and sniffles! Regular attendance at school is important for student success, but it can be a challenge to decide how sick is too sick to come to school.

The ASEBP website offers free information for families looking to support their child's mental health and wellness. Check out this article about fostering your child's self-esteem.

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair is happening November 25-29! We host 1 book fair a year.

Parents are welcome to come visit the book fair whenever it is open. We are hosting a family evening for the book fair on Wednesday, November 27, from 3:30 - 6:00pm.

Please watch for more information coming home including a schedule to let parents know the date and time their child's class is coming down.

Hosting a Scholastic book fair helps us purchase the newest bestselling books that the students are all craving to read, as well as resources for the school that teachers request. Thank you in advance for supporting the École Sifton School Book Fair!

A great big THANK YOU to Parent Council for helping us pay for our Tumblebooks subscription. Last year students read over 2000 books in Tumblebooks.

All staff and students have access to our Tumblebooks subscription. It gives you access to over 1900 books in various languages. Please click on the Tumblebooks logo to get started at home. You may also access Tumblebooks through the app available on the apple store and google play store.

Due to copyright laws we can not post the username and password in this newsletter. Mrs. Grant will be sending home bookmarks with the login information. Also you can check with your child's classroom teacher (many have posted it in their google classrooms).

The next parent Council meeting is Tuesday, November 19 at 7:00pm in the Library Learning Commons. All parents/guardians of students attending Sifton are welcome to attend.

Hot Lunch is available to order for students in Grades 1 - 5.

If you have ordered hot lunch and you child is absent, their lunch will be donated unless you contact the school by 12:00pm to make other arrangements. Unfortunately we can not offer refunds for any reason. Thank you for your understanding.

Ordering for December will be open from November 15 to 25. After that no more orders can be submitted for the month.

December Hot Lunch:

December 13 Booster Juice

December 20 Subway

Please place your ordering using our online payment system : https://www.studentquickpay.com/brsd/

Without parent volunteers we would not be able to have hot lunch.

If you would like to help distribute hot lunch please sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/9bbr3YJ8G6bDUHGg7

Thank you for your support!

This year, Parent School Council is directing much of its fundraising efforts in support of the school’s music program! We recently learned that many frequently used classroom instruments are in dire need of a tune-up or even a complete replacement—some are over 40 years old! In addition to investing in classroom instruments, we are raising funds to amplify our music-related technology and help ensure students can access performances and specialized workshops led by music educators. Please support our fundraisers—let’s strike the right chord and create a symphony of generosity together!

You are invited to join local art therapist, Carole Preston, for a FREE hands-on family workshop

that involves the creation of art between family participants and explores the value of arts in

mental health.

Sunday, November 24

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

École Sifton School Gym

This workshop will focus on the value of the arts in supporting positive mental health and

healthy attachment within families. The workshop is arts-based, accessible and will introduce

parents/caregivers to art making as a valuable tool for enhancing family life and interaction

between family members.

This workshop is open to current students at École Sifton as well as their parents/caregivers and

siblings.

This event has restricted seating and is limited to 20 families. It will be a first come, first serve

sign-up. If you register for the event but are unable to attend, please phone Sifton school at

780-672-2980 as soon as possible to let us know. Families who register but fail to attend the

workshop will be charged a $5 NO SHOW FEE. The cancellation deadline is 3:00 PM on Friday,

November 22.

To register please complete the Google Form found online here:

https://forms.gle/heigAEfFyhSosmRZ7

Questions? Contact École Sifton at 780-672-2980.

This workshop is brought to you by the École Sifton Parent School Council through an Alberta

School Council Engagement Grant from Alberta Education.

Dear École Sifton School Community:

The snow reminds us that winter is just around the corner! Fortunately, we can leave the chill outside by creating cozy spaces with a collection of seasonal greenery while supporting our school’s music program.

You can place your orders by visiting the École Sifton School Winter Fundraiser website. Feel free to share the link to your social media and generate further support for our school - just ensure your family and friends are local and can pick up their orders from the school or that you can deliver to them.

Order Deadline: November 13, 2024 @ Noon

Order pickup details will be finalized closer to the date.

Our goal this year is to sell 250 plants and every purchase will support our students’ learning experiences. Let’s make this fundraiser a huge success!

Thank you for your support!

École Sifton School Parent Council

Want a chance to WIN a beautiful poinsettia from our winter fundraiser?

Here’s how to enter:

1. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

2. Like our post.

3. Tag a fellow Sifton parent in the comments.

It’s that easy! The more parents you tag, the more chances you have to win! Let’s spread the word about all the exciting things happening at Sifton Parent School Council.

Contest ends November 25, 2024. Winner will be announced shortly after! Winner must be a Sifton parent.

Help us grow our community by spreading the word to more Sifton parents.

The Sifton Parent School Council is considering a fundraiser that’s sure to be a-peeling! Please complete this short zesty survey to gauge family interest - delivery of oranges and grapefruit would take place in March 2025.

Follow Us!

Facebook: Ecole Sifton Camrose Parent Council

Instagram: parentcouncilsifton

Connect With Us!

Email: parentcouncilsifton@gmail.com

An account has been opened at the bottle depot where families can drop off bottles any time, and the funds can go towards the school. Ask to donate them to "Sifton School Parent Council" when you drop them off.