Bear Blast

As we are all Treaty people, we take time to honor the land of Treaty 4 and all that it offers for us and our families through many generations. This land has served as a traditional meeting ground, gathering place, and traveling route for the Cree, Dene, Nakota, Saulteaux, and Ojibway People since time immemorial. We recognize this land as the homeland of Metis Nation Eastern Region II. We honor the ancestors and footsteps that have fallen in these lands. We also acknowledge that our use of this land has come at a cost, the cost of colonialism and the residential school system. We commit to working together toward reconciliation and forging a better path forward.

I am sure that many of you saw last Friday, that the teachers and the province have reached a tentative agreement. Unlike the last one, both sides are endorsing this deal, meaning that both sides think that it is the best that they can do.

It has been a difficult year with our families often caught in the middle of the conflict between the government and the teachers. Although an uncomfortable place to be, it was the appropriate place as the heart of our conflict was our students and our families. From the outset of the conflict, the greatest challenge has been to find common ground to address the growing and changing complexities of classrooms in Saskatchewan. This has been the primary goal of the teacher bargaining team throughout, to keep our students and our families at the center of the discussion. Although many pieces factor into a negotiation, we always kept our families as our primary concern. The result of this was resistance by government. This is not because the government doesn't also value our families, it was simply a great divergence from what had been done on the past. As with any change there can be resistance. The unknown of how it would look to cooperatively manage classroom complexity lead to apprehension to even begin the discussions on the part of the government bargaining committee. However, though the support of our students and families and the perseverance of the teachers, we were able to help the government to understand the importance of this issue and conversations have moved forword.

Over the next week, teachers will engage in town hall meetings to hear the details of the agreement. It will then be up to each teacher in the province to determine if they feel that the conversation has moved far enough along to sign the agreement. At the end of May they will cast their vote to accept or reject the agreement. The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation has recommended accepting the agreement, but has ultimately left the decision up to us, the teachers.

Thank you to our families for your continued understanding and support, I hope that we are on the home stretch.

Each week, Mr. Mielke will post a pic of a strange object. Submit your answers of what you think it is to ppcs@nesd.ca. All the correct answers will be put into a draw for a weekly prize.

Two weeks ago the answer was Hey Arnold - The winner was Jayme Musikov, sorry for the delay on that one.

Last week's answer was Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, unfortunately no one got it right.

This week, who remembers this industrious heroine from the early 2000s? A live action movie came out in 2019.

On Thursday (May 23) the High School Cross Country and Junior Badminton teams will be doing spring cleaning at the sunset club. We are trying to have our athletes give back to a community that gives them so much.

After a five year hiatus, the Larwood Shaw Memorial Pool in Porcupine Plain will be reopening for the 2024 season! This provides a great opportunity for students and young adults to become employed as a lifeguard and/or swimming lesson instructor. If you or someone you know is 14+ years old and interested in lifeguarding, contact Ben at larwoodshaw@gmail.com or 306 813 8140 (cell). We encourage you to reach out whether you are certified, planning on getting certified, or would like to learn more about the certification process.

Each month, we will be putting out a family calendar which will include major events for the month. We will do our best to be as comprehensive as possible, but please continue to check the Bear Blast for updates. This will include our home games and our practice times, as well as special events. We encourage families to print a copy (click the pdf file to download) of the calendar and keep it handy.

Volunteer of the Month

Mrs. Lechler has taken on a crew of Jr. Badminton players. We appreciate her knowledge and the time she spends with our younger students as they learn the game. It was a rocky season with all that was going on but hats off to her for making the best of it and getting some players to Nessac. Thank you for all that you do for Bears Athletics.

Athletes of the Month

Hana Teale

Hana Teale is a pick for this months athlete. Coming off a strong Nessac Badminton performance Hana has leapt right into the track season. Hana is a hard worker and asks questions on where to improve. Good luck in your Track and Ball season Hana.

Caden Brezinski and Nick Patchin finished off High School Badminton playing with a run to the Nessac Playoffs. The quick , agile duo did some damage in boys double play but unfortunately did not advance to the regional playoff. Best of luck in your future guys and thanks for being a part of Bears Athletics.

Please note, as we get used to this new system, please be aware that punch card balances may be up to 1 week behind.

You can click the button below to check on how much your child has left on his/her punch card. To help support privacy, we have developed account numbers for each student. The account number is their grade followed by the last 4 digits of the phone number we have on file. For example, my son Noah is in grade 5. His account number would be 059017.

Once you click the link below and find your child's account number, you will see a number to the left of their account number (i.e. 17). That number will not change, so you only have to remember that number going forward.

We hope that this will help our families.

Once again, Jigs and Carolines will be offering hot lunches on Wednesday and Friday. Please order directly from them. Stay tuned.