BK Bulletin

Week at a Glance

Did You Know?

That BK is getting a new park this Fall to replace our wooden park and the process is starting this weekend! Many thanks to our Friends of BK Association for all of their hard work fundraising and planning for the new park!

September 9-13

Monday, September 9

Start Bringing In Toonies for Terry

Tuesday, September 10

Bring Toonies For Terry

Wednesday, September 11

Bring Toonies For Terry

Thursday, September 12

Bring Toonies For Terry

Friday, September 13

Bring Toonies For Terry

New Student Luncheon With Mrs.Giacobbo & Mrs. Michael

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 17 - Kindergarten Bus Safety Presentation 10:45 a.m. & 12:40 p.m.

September 19 - Opening Mass & Grade 4 Bible Presentation @9:45 a.m. - St. Albert Parish (all are welcome)

Terry Fox Run (PM)
School Council Meeting @6:30 p.m.

September 20 - PD/Staff Meeting - No Classes

September 23 - (PM) Terry Fox Run Rainout Day (if needed)

September 26 - Picture Day

September 27 - Orange Shirt Day

No Kindergarten Classes Today
Districts X-Country Run (Gr. 4-6 - for those students who qualify)

September 30 - Recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day - No Classes

October 5 - World Teacher's Day!

October 11 - PD/Staff Meeting Day - No Classes

October 14 - Thanksgiving Monday - No Classes

October 16 - Thanksgiving Liturgy @1:30 p.m.

October 17 - School Council Meeting @6:30 p.m.

October 18 - No Kindergarten Classes Today

OPENING CELEBRATION

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

To kick off our GSACRD faith theme this year, Growing in Mercy, with the Son, we will gather together as a school community for our opening mass and our Grade 4 bible presentation at St. Albert Parish on Thursday, September 19 at 9:45 a.m. We will share this mass with Sister Alphonse Academy and Father Jack will be joining us to celebrate the start of this school year!

TERRY FOX WALK/RUN

The Annual Terry Fox will take place on Thursday, September 19th in the afternoon (our rain out date will be September 23rd). Students are invited to bring “Toonies for Terry” (or any amount) to donate for cancer research. Please join us in supporting this worthy cause!

We are in need of volunteers to help supervise! If you are available to help us on this day, please email Mrs. Giacobbo @ lgiacobbo@gsacrd.ab.ca

SCHOOL PICTURE DAY

School Picture Day is THURSDAY, September 26th.

After Picture Day, we will receive proofs and you will be able to order pictures on mylifetouch.ca using your Portrait ID and Access Code.

School Picture Retake Day is THURSDAY, October 24th.

SCHOOL HOURS/REPORTING an ABSENCE

Administration will be outside to greet students at the buses and in the parking lot as they arrive. Please note, our school bell rings to start the day at 8:55 and school is dismissed at 3:30. We ask that parents support their children in arriving at school on time and ensure they are picked up/bussed home at the end of the school day.

Parents are asked to notify the school using your Parent Portal on Powerschool linked here when a child will be absent.

Keeping In Touch

We value the importance of communication. You can expect to receive weekly “Week at a Glance” emails from the administration on Friday afternoons. As well, your child’s classroom teacher will provide you with regular updates and communication.

As a school we are committed to the health and wellbeing of our students, staff and families. Please know that your questions and feedback are always important to us and our staff are committed to responding to your emails during the work week (Monday-Friday) within a 24 hour period. We do want to ensure that your communication is not missed during the school day while our teachers are engaged with your children. We invite you to call the office if your child has an appointment, change in pick up, or any immediate concerns that may require assistance before the end of the school day. We will ensure that your child’s teacher receives the necessary information.

Keeping our Students Safe During Drop Off and Pick Up

For safety reasons, we ask that all parents and guardians do not park in our staff parking lot. Our parking lot is reserved for busses and staff only. The streets around our school offer several spaces for parking. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter and for keeping our little BK BobKats safe.

School Fees

Our school fees are now available to be paid. You can find this information in your parent portal on Powerschool. To access your parent portal click here.

Positive Behaviour Supports At BK!

At Bertha Kennedy Community School we strive to have our BobKats follow the "BKATS" framework - Believe, Kindness, Attitude, Teamwork and Safety. Students in Grades 1-6 who are exemplifying what it means to follow the BKATS model will be nominated by their teacher to receive the BobKat lunch with Mrs. Giacobbo & Mrs. Michael. Students will also be celebrated at our monthly BobKat assembly!

Have you heard about after-school restraint collapse?

Young elementary school kids are losing it all over the world.

It’s fatiguing to their allostatic load to keep it together all day in the face of:

strange customs
unwanted smells
irritating sensations
novel instructions
social fears

limited free mobility
lack of quiet or personal space.

By the time it’s evening, their system can not take anymore, and they crumble. What can you do?

WHEN SCHOOL STARTS:

Plan to play with your child for 10 minutes after school on the playground to ease the transition home.

Bring ice water and a snack to pick up so that at least the Hangry element is covered.

Don’t ask “how was your day?” Tell them, “it’s good to see you. I missed you” and then be quiet. Wait for them to be ready to talk rather than asking a bunch of questions. Try playing classical music on radio.

Don’t take big emotions personally. These little people are going to be exhausted and likely melting down. Expect dysregulation and tantrums as a normal reaction to keeping up with behavioral expectations all day long.

Make NO after-school plans for the first few weeks. They need to be home experiencing free, unstructured time with you close by.

What other ideas do you have? You are both gonna do great!

Reference: Mary Van Geffen

Parent Coach

School Council

SCHOOL COUNCIL

Would you like to meet new parents and get involved in our amazing school?

We are so excited to invite parents/guardians to join our School Council at Bertha Kennedy Catholic Community School! All parents/guardians are welcome to join this dynamic team who will be involved in organizing events, activities and fundraising ideas for our amazing school community! Our School Council is looking for new members to come and join our fun-filled group of people! Our first meeting will be on Thursday, September 19 @ 6:30 pm.

Thank You From The Gardening Committee!

A huge thank you to Ken H, Darlene W, Lisa-Marie H, and Kristina D for your generous donations to the Bertha Kennedy Gardening Committee!

Your support helps us keep our garden growing and thriving.

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing volunteers for dedicating their time to water the flower beds all summer long!

Kristina Dover, Lisa-Marie Howse, Robyn Lutz, Jacquie Curtis, Beth DeBruyne, Melissa Roach, Chelsee Pedwell, Bethellen McIsaac, and Lisa Kolodziej—your hard work and dedication have made our gardens bloom beautifully! We couldn’t have done it without you.