Niton Central News

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We had a wonderful first week back to school! School can be a big adjustment as they get used to waking up early and interacting with their peers all day. Walking around the school listening to the laughter and learning that was taking place throughout the week was wonderful! I am appreciative of the positive attitude our students bring to their learning and the effort they are already putting forward!

Teachers take this time over the next couple of weeks to get to know their students, their learning levels, and what kind of materials work best for the class. Early elementary has many early learning screens coming up that focus on their literacy and numeracy skills. We also have an occupational therapist and speech language pathologist who will be coming in this week to assess students needs, as well as our therapy aide who is here weekly. We use all the information we can to best support our students learning.

We are continuing our Knight Awards to help celebrate and acknowledge all of the incredible things our students do everyday. This month, our theme is Thrive! Staff and students can nominate others based on things they see happening around the school. Thrive to us might look like,

• Trust: Building strong, supportive relationships with teachers and peers.
• Hard Work: Embracing challenges with determination and a positive attitude.
• Resilience: Bouncing back from setbacks and learning from mistakes.
• Initiative: Taking ownership of their learning and seeking out opportunities for growth.
• Voice: Feeling empowered to express ideas, ask questions, and contribute to the classroom community.
• Engagement: Actively participating in lessons and activities with curiosity and enthusiasm.

We have partnered with Yellowhead County to help paint a mural in the park behind the school on Thursday, September 12! Students will get to participate in painting the mural which is set up like a paint by numbers and if they help, their name will be added onto a plaque that will be displayed by the painting. The school has organized a schedule that will allow all our students who wish to participate to paint. Please note that the paint they are using WILL NOT wash out of clothing.

Our Junior Kindergarten program is starting next week on Tuesday, September 10 from 9:00 - 12:30. We are looking forward to the JK's joining the school!

As a reminder, our office is open from 8:00 - 4:00. If you are calling outside of those hours, we cannot guarantee that someone will be available to take your call. Please continue to call the school if you know that your child will be absent or you can email branbens@gypsd.ca.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Bailey Benson

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." ~ B. B. King

Sept. 3 - First Day of School

Sept. 10 - Volleyball Tryouts/ Practice Boys and Girls, 3:30 - 5:00

Sept. 10 - Jr. Kindergarten Begins (9:00 - 12:30)

Sept. 12 - Volleyball Tryouts/ Practice Boys and Girls, 3:30 - 5:00

Sept. 12 - County Mural

Sept. 20 - Terry Fox Run

Sept. 27 - School Acknowledged Orange Shirt Day

Sept. 30 - Schools Closed for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The 4/5 class did some review on place value and subitizing and verbalizing numbers. They used die to represent the place value positions and then read the number aloud to their partners.

In Kindergarten/ 1, they read the book First Day Jitters. The class talked about being nervous on the first day and what things may help you feel better. Then they had 'jitter juice' to help take the nerves away!

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive! ~ Maya Angelou

We are grateful for all of the volunteers we have in our school and hope that you continue to volunteer in this year. We have many programs like reading buddies, hot lunch, sports concession, field trips, and more which are able to run because of volunteers!

If you plan to volunteer for more than ten hours over the course of the school year, you will need to ensure you have a criminal record check with vulnerable sector, Forms AP 401 and AP 402 on file at the school. Criminal record checks are good for two years, the forms need to be completed annually. If you are unsure when your record check expires, you can contact the office and we would be happy to let you know. The forms have been attached and are available in the office.

Our volleyball season will be starting up quickly. A sign-up sheet has been put in the office for our grade 6 - 9 students. The coaches this year are Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. DeLeeuw. We are looking forward to a great season ahead!

• Tuesday - Volleyball Tryouts/ Practice Boys and Girls, 3:30 - 5:00
• Thursday -Volleyball Tryouts/ Practice Boys and Girls, 3:30 - 5:00

Teacher's will look at how students are doing and if they notice anything that Emma could help with, they will contact parents and then put forward a referral.