At Donald C. Jamieson Academy, our staff and students are certainly having a fun-filled fall season! Take some time to view our October Newsletter to see just how much fun and learning is taking place here, as well as to stay up to date on the events taking place in the coming weeks.

Also, many of the day-to-day activities that take place at DCJA are shared on X (formally Twitter). We encourage families to follow us on X in order to stay up to date on the happenings in and around our school! Follow us @dcja_nl.

Between exploring living and non-living things, apple tasting, and celebrating the letter "D" by opening a Doctor's Office, our students are certainly having a blast learning in the Primary Wing!

Whether it's digging for fossils or creating weather stations, the Elementary Wing is full of inquiries and fun!

Recycling, puzzles and outdoor exploration is the name of the game in our IRT Wing!

On October 2, 2024, Grade 4 - 7 students travelled to the Marsytown Track & Field Complex to compete in a Cross Country Race that was hosted by Sacred Heart Academy. The runners were excellent ambassadors of DCJA and certainly made us all proud! Hats off to the students who participated.

A special shout out goes to the Grade 3 & 4 Boys Team as well as the Grade 5 & 6 Boys Team for earning the Team award, as well as the following individuals who placed in the top 3:

1st Place - Emmett Turner & Rebecca Evans

2nd Place - Jordan Matthews & Brooke Evans

3rd Place - Parker Vaters & Bailey Harnett

Great job everyone!

On Friday, September 30, 2024, our school honoured Truth and Reconciliation with a meaningful project that brought students together. Each class painted vibrant rocks, each adorned with symbols and messages reflecting the importance of understanding and honoring Indigenous history and culture. The rocks were displayed in the school entrance, creating a colorful mosaic that serves as a reminder of the journey toward reconciliation. This hands-on activity encouraged students to learn, share, and connect with the values of empathy and respect, fostering a deeper appreciation for diversity within our school.

In Ms. Herridge's fifth-grade class, students were buzzing with excitement as they organized their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. The students were proud to work together on this project! From creating colorful posters to spread the word about their project, to visiting classrooms to collect donated items, the class learned about gratitude and community as well as the importance of helping those in need.

Ms. Herridge's class would like to thank everyone who donated to the Food Drive! Pictured below is the Grade 5 class making their donation to the Food Bank on Friday, October 11, 2024!

Each year, DCJA partners with the Burin Volunteer Fire Department for Fire Prevention Week. This year, Fire Prevention Week took place from October 7 - October 11, 2024. Throughout the week, students from Kindergarten to Grade 5 visited the Fire Station to learn about the importance of Fire Safety. The Fire Department gave away prizes to 12 lucky winners as well.

This year's winners were:

Kindergarten: McKenna Keating & Logan Ducey

Grade One: Brielle Grandy & Benjamin Stewart

Grade Two: Emma Jane Abbott & Abigail Abbott

Grade Three: Dean Gover & Haleigh Ward

Grade Four: RJ Wilson

Grade Five: Tame Mohammed

Grade Six: Elizabeth Devereaux

Grade Seven: Elanna Clarke

The Fire Department also picked one student from our school to act as the Fire Chief for the Day! This year's Chief, Mr. Dakota Isaacs, was escorted to school on the Fire Truck, and was tasked with showing Sparky around our school. Thanks for all of your help, Dakota!

On behalf of the entire DCJA School Community, we would like to thank the Burin Volunteer Fire Department for their continued dedication to fire safety education. We truly appreciate all that you do!

DCJA will host a Cross Country Race for students in Grade 3 to Grade 7 on Thursday October 17, 2024, here at our school. Please note that this event was originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, but has been rescheduled due to the forecast. Schools from around the Burin Peninsula will join us for this event.

DCJA students wishing to participate must complete the Permission Form which can be found on RYCOR. Students will be dismissed as normal and are asked to be back to the school for 3:30 pm. Families are asked to park in front of DCJA, or along the highway and are welcome to stick around and cheer on our runners!

Halloween festivities will kick off at DCJA on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, with a Halloween Sock-Hop & Dance. This will take place in the cafeteria and a snack canteen will be offered. A variety of snacks can be purchased at the cost of $1.00 each, and must be paid with cash. Please see the designated times below for each event:

12:30 to 1:00 - Grade K & 1

1:00 to 1:30 - Grade 2

1:30 to 2:30 - Grade 3 & 4

6:30 to 8:00 - Grade 5, 6 & 7

(Please note that students in Grade 5, 6 & 7 wishing to attend the dance must complete the Halloween Dance Permission Form on RYCOR.)

Festivities will continue the following day, on Thursday, October 31, 2024, with our second annual Halloween Fair!

There will be no classes for students on Friday, November 1, 2024. Staff will be participating in Professional Learning on this day. When students return to school on Monday, November 4, it will be Day 3 on the schedule.

DCJA will hold a Remembrance Day Commemorative Assembly on Friday, November 8, 2024. Staff and students are asked to wear red or black for this important event.

Furthermore, in observation of Remembrance Day, there will be no classes for staff or students on Monday, November 11, 2024. When students return to school on Tuesday, November 12, it will be Day 8 on the schedule.

Thank you to all of the teacher sponsors who make these extra curricular activities possible! Our students are very lucky to have such dedicated teachers who help make their educational experiences extra special!

Education Accord NL is working toward a 10-year education transformation and wants to hear from you to improve educational experiences and outcomes in our province.

Please take 15 - 20 minutes and share your thoughts by completing the Education Accord NL online survey at educationaccordnl.ca/survey. All responses from the survey are anonymous.

We are looking for feedback from educators, educational support staff, administration, parents, caregivers, community members, and students who are 15 years of age or older.

Visit our website for more information educationaccordnl.ca