DUNDURN SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

February 4th, 2016 Principal - Mr. Jason Hill

Vice- Principal - Ms. Kirsten Tucker

Admin. Assistant - Mrs. Connie Lenard “A Community of Inclusion, Innovation and Excellence”

Feb. 8-12

Staff Appreciation Week

Feb.12

Bucket Filler Assembly 9:05 am

Spirit Day Dress in Red/Pink

Valentine Dance 1 -2 pm

Feb.13-21

February Break (No School)

Feb.22

Blades “Team Up For Respect”

Hockey - Grade 4/5

Feb.24

Table Mountain Field Trip

Grade 5/6

MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE January was a fabulous start to 2016 here at Dundurn School with a lot happen-ing. On January 8th, Mr. John Kuzbik, Director of Prairie Spirit School Division, visited our school and spent time in Mrs. Shannon-Wobeser’s grade 3 math classroom. Mr. Kuzbik observed the students dig deeper into what equality means in mathematics. On January 15th we held our monthly Bucket Filler Assembly, recognizing stu-dents in grades K through 6 for their efforts and work over the past month. This month’s focus was upon students displaying strengths in the areas of problem solving and effort/excellence. Congratulations to our Bucket Fillers and again thank you to our School Community Council (SCC) for providing the colourful Bucket Filler t-shirts which our students proudly wear. Also on the 15th, students and staff enjoyed a pizza lunch provided by the SCC – thank you to Mrs. Bodna-rek and all of SCC members who helped prepare and deliver the pizza. On January 22nd, Mrs. Fiedelleck’s grade six class held a fundraising event rais-ing just under $1000 towards various local charities. The 6’s are earning their seat at the March 2nd We Day at the Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon with events and activities such as this – excellent job grade 6! On January 28th our Diggers Basketball Team started their home-and-away se-ries with South Corman Park School. All players played well and our gym was packed with parents and family members cheering on all athletes. Our players looked very sharp in their brand new Diggers jerseys – way to go Diggers! Congratulations to Mrs. Freeden and her husband on the birth of their son Hendrix Michael Freeden who was born on Monday, Feb. 1st. Mrs. Freeden did a fantastic job as our SERT teacher this year and we hope she enjoys her year “off” with her bundle of joy. With Mrs. Freeden’s departure, we welcome Mr. Taylor Holubetz to the position of SERT at the school and he is already doing a fantastic job. Mr. Holubetz will be at D.E.S. every second day as he is also the SERT at Aberdeen Composite School. For those on Twitter and looking to hear/see more of what goes on at Dundurn Elementary School, check out our Twitter Feed at Dundurn Elem School. As well, our School Division has given our PSSD website a make-over and it is now even easier to navigate and find information about the school division. Check it out at https://www.spiritsd.ca – under the schools tab, follow the links to Dundurn Ele-mentary School to find out more about our school. As always, if any questions or concerns please contact the school or Mr. Hill.

Jason Hill

Principal Dundurn Elementary School

Box 250, 302 - 3rd Avenue

Dundurn SK. S0K 1K0 (W) 492-2050 (Cell) 291-8076

(Fax) 492-2084

Feb. 4th , 2016

-13 C

Wind Chill –17C

Dates to

Remember

Counsellor’s Corner – Mrs. Leier

Addressing Excessive Reassurance Seeking – Part 2 continued from January

GRADUAL:

This method works best for reassurance that has been a longstanding problem and occurs

in more than one area, or for youth that find the idea of a “cold turkey” approach too hard.

You and your child can use a plan to gradually roll back reassurance in a step-by-step,

planned and predictable way.

Explain to your child that his or her anxiety bully is bossing him/her around but that you

feel confident you can work together to create a multi-phase plan to get rid of reassurance.

Starting with Phase 1, you can agree to give only 1 item of reassurance per situation or dai-

ly (you decide). But after a few days you need to move to Phase 2, which would be no reas-

surance at all. Each time a situation occurs and your child asks for reassurance, or seeks it

out from other sources, you or the other adult (e.g. a teacher or coach) can offer one of

these examples:

“You already know the answer to that question. I am not going to answer that.”

“It sounds like your anxiety is acting up. What could you do to boss it back? Could you

try some relaxed breathing? Are there any helpful thoughts that you can tell yourself?” “What do you think? How could you handle that?”

Once your child is comfortable at this level, you will then move to the final phase. This is where you generate some anxiety by creating doubt in your child. For example, your child asks, “Are you sure I can’t get sick from touching that door knob?” and you respond, “I don’t know. May be you will. May be you won’t.” Your child may become upset at first but remind him/her that s/he has many tools in to help him cope. Other examples of what to say

include:

“Perhaps you won’t be able to fall asleep at Cali’s house. What would you do if that hap-

pened?”

“Some people don’t get accepted into college. Some people do. Life is full of surprises.”

“You might fail. But you might not. There is no crystal ball.”

What to Expect:

When you first stop giving reassurance, your child or teen will probably be very anxious. In

fact, he or she might become very angry or frustrated and even throw a temper tantrum.

This is normal. It is important that if you have decided NOT to give reassurance, that

you stick with it! Children and teens often get very angry when they do not get the reassur-

ance that they have come to expect. If you keep at it, and stick to the plan, your child will

stop seeking reassurance from you and start managing anxiety in more healthy

ways. During this early phase it is important that you give your child as much attention and

support as possible in other ways. This can help your child when s/he must tolerate your

refusal to provide reassurance when the anxiety peaks. It can also help you to feel more

confident about what you are doing, if you can recall the fun you had with your child earlier

that day when later on s/he is name calling what an awful dad you are for not answering a

simple question.

Counsellor’s Corner Continued

Tips for Success:

To maximize success consider these guidelines:

Identify the 4-Ws: What, When, Where, and Who. Be clear with your child about which fear

and related reassurance you are targeting; when you will target it; where; and with which

people. For example, “Megan, we have agreed that I will not answer any of your ques-

tions about getting sick (what) after school and in the evenings (when), at home (where),

and this includes your dad and I, as well as your sisters (who).” Mom and Megan may de-

cide that it is too high up on her Fear plan to tackle this reassurance out in the communi-

ty, and for those situations, a single reassurance statement will be provided. Once she is

doing well at home, then they will tackle community reassurances.

Get everyone on board: If you plan to stop giving reassurance to your child, it is important

that everyone in your child’s life agrees. If your child can simply get reassurance from

someone else, this strategy will not work.

Make sure your child or teen understands and agrees with the plan: When he or she is calm

(not experiencing anxiety), explain what the plan is, and why you are doing it. Include

him/her in designing a plan if needed.

Keep in mind that our annual Scholastic Book Fair fundraiser will be held in March during the week of parent/teacher interviews. We have had tremendous support over the past few years, and it is great to see how excited the students get when we are able to get so many great new books to add to the library collection. Come on out – there’s something for every-one!

We are a ‘Nut Aware’ school At Dundurn School we are committed to provide a safe environment that is inclusive for all children. In common with most other schools, we have a number of children with nut allergies. The purpose of this newsletter item is to give families the infor-mation they need to support us in providing a safe and inclusive school.

Why ‘Nut Aware’? Dundurn School is ‘Nut Aware’. We do not describe the school as being ‘Nut Free’ because we can’t guarantee that students or adults have not brought nuts, or traces of nuts, into the building.

What is Anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can be life threatening. Approximately 1-2% of Cana-dians live with the risk of an anaphylactic reaction. Food allergies are the most common cause of anaphylaxis. The most common food allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, egg and milk prod-ucts. Anaphylaxis can affect multiple body systems. This can range from skin inflammation to ana-phylactic shock, which is an explosive over-reaction of the body’s immune system. This can be characterized by swelling, difficulty breathing, abdominal cramps, circulatory collapse, coma and, ultimately, death. Source: Anaphylaxis Canada Prevention It is our responsibility as a school community to avoid exposing students with allergies to the prod-ucts which could start an allergic reaction. This means that we take great care to avoid any prod-ucts that could contain allergens in our school snack program and other food items that are brought into school. We ask parents to exercise care when preparing lunches to carefully check labels and to not send any products which contain nuts, or traces of nuts. We also ask that families exercise care when baking for snack or fundraisers.

Treatment The best treatment for food allergies is prevention. However our staff are trained to recognize the symptoms of an allergic reaction and, if necessary, deliver the medications which help to reduce the reaction. When an incident of anaphylaxis occurs, first responders will be called, as well as the parent of the child.

Common Questions

What if my child has peanut butter for breakfast? Could this cause an allergic reaction for another child at school?

The answer is ‘Yes’. Children should thoroughly wash hands and brush their teeth before coming to school.

Are the peanut butter alternatives, such as ‘Wow Butter’ safe to send to school? There are several peanut butter substitute products which do not contain common allergens, however we ask that parents exercise caution with using these products as they are difficult to distinguish from peanut butter and may cause confusion, or even anxiety, for students with allergies.

More Resources There are many websites which list nut-free and allergen-free products. These can be reached with

a simple Google search. However, families should still carefully check labels.

GOOD SAMARITAN FUND The Dundurn Good Samaritan Fund exists to help children and families access opportunities for sporting or cultural activities. If you would like your child to play hockey, learn to dance, learn to play an instrument or participate in any sporting or cultural activity but the cost is a barrier, please contact the Good Samaritan Fund for assistance. The Fund is administered by Jason Hill and Steve Menshenfriend. Anyone can apply and there is no means test.

To find out more, or apply for assistance, please contact Jason Hill at 492-2050.

Administering Medication School Board policy #413 regulates the ability of employees to dispense medi-

cations. If your child requires medication, prescription or non-prescription, dur-

ing school hours, please contact the school to arrange to pick up the appropri-

ate forms also on the school web site. We are unable to dispense any medica-

tions until this procedure has been followed.

Attendance If your child is absent from school, please contact the school before 8:50 a.m. OR send a note with

a sibling or email. It is our policy to contact all parents if your child is absent and we have not re-ceived notification.

School Phone #306-492-2050 Mrs. Lenard’s email : connie.lenard@spiritsd.ca

Pre Kindergarten - Mrs. Peters

February is here!! We will be talking about friendship and feelings this month. The Pre K’s will

practice some new poems, songs and games. We will be reading lots of friendship books.

Whenever we can we will be playing outside on the awesome snow hills on the school yard. We

have also brought the outside in: playing in a bucket of snow and discovering what salt does to ice.

We are going to have a Beach Day in Pre K on Friday February 5, so we can forget winter for one

morning and pretend we are at the beach.

February also brings Valentine’s Day. This is a family Friday so please try to attend

with your child. This year we celebrate on Friday, February 12.

Library days are Tuesdays. Please return the previous week’s books so your child is

able to sign out a new book. Also please continue to phone the school if your child will

be missing Pre K. There has been a lot of sick children in all of Dundurn School, so

lets stay home so as not to “share” germs.

Industrial Alliance Insurance Prairie Spirit provides accident insurance through Industrial Alliance Insurance that provides insurance cover if your child has an accident at school during the school day. Children are also covered if the accident occurs at a time when they are involved in any extra-curricular activities before or after school hours, including school trips. In the unfortunate circum-stances of needing this insurance, the school will need to be notified of the accident immediately so that they can submit an incident report to the insurance company and provide the parent or guardian with a claim form. The parent or guardian will need to pay any expenses initially, then ask the appropriate medical authority to complete and sign the form. The par-ent will then submit the form directly to Alliance Insurance. The claim process is between the parent or guardian and the insurance company. Industrial Alliance Insurance does offer additional KidsPlus Accident Insurance should you wish to purchase it. Details can be found in the KidsPlus Accident Insurance Package.

Grade 1 - Mrs. Granatier – Sabin

In Grade 1, January was…February is…..

January was - ing at the Dundurn rink. We are getting more confident and doing so well. We have been busy

learning about snow and showing our learning.

January was learning about a,e,i,o,u- Grade 1’s were working hard on their vowel sounds. We were also working hard on our

words too! We are going to bring books home to read to mom and dad!

February is Day - Poems, stories and hoping for an early spring.

February is the Day of School - Celebrating, working together with the grade 2’s.

February is - Appreciating others, exchanging valentines, dancing in the gym, skating, and enjoying delicious treats –

Thanks parents!!

February is learning about our “I wonders.” The students asked, “What happens to the animals in winter?” We will be

inquiring and finding the answers together.

February is reading our REE books , writing in our journals , adding and subtracting , and Filling Each Other’s

Kindergarten – Mrs. Bellina

Kindergarten has had a great January! We have been skating and sledding and playing in

the snow! We have been so lucky to have such wonderful weather! This month we have fin-

ished up our number unit in math! We have been creating puppet shows and a few drama activ-

ities. Kindergartens have mastered our morning routine and this week we learned all about the

letter G. We are working hard on our sight words and sounding out words in our morning mes-

sage! We are moving into exploring magnets in our science discovery. In our health class we

are exploring emotions through books that we are reading – this is going wonderful and our

Kindergartens are so great at picking up on the feelings of others! In art we will be creating

our own Kindergarten books – making our illustrations out of plastercine! Keep an eye out for

our wonderful creations!

Thanks for all of your support! We are having a fabulous New Year!

Grade 3 - Mrs. Shannon – Wobeser

. Good Morning Dundurn School! This is Joey, Bryn and Logan with the morning newsletter. By the way s’up!!

We have been working extra hard on math. We have worked on addition and are now working on subtraction. We need to learn our math facts and then we can earn a movie.

In Science we are making bridges out of materials we bring from home. The point of the bridge is to learn the different strengths of material and how to build. We can build a truss bridge!

In writing we are working writing the middle of our stories. We are working with Mrs.GS and Mrs.Shannon on improving the middle of our stories.

In gym we are working on basketball skills and we are playing games. We have been skating the past several Mondays and we have been helping each other.

In genius hour we are going on Wonderopolis and then we are searching stuff up and write down information about it. In art we are drawing and thinking about perspective in a landscape drawing.

Thank you and have a good night!

Joey, Logan and Bryn

Grade 2 – Mrs. Catton

Well, January was another busy month for us. It is hard to believe that we

have almost reached 100 days of school! In ELA, we have been working on ques-

tioning in reader’s workshop and we have just nicely started

working on how to write a paragraph in writer’s workshop. In

Math, we just finished our Addition to Subtraction to 18 Unit

and have started our measurement unit. In Science, our focus

has been on liquids and solids and we will soon start learning

about Air and Water in the Environment. In PE, we have had

several opportunities to go skating and we are improving so much each time. In

Social, we are continuing to learn about the Arctic community and First Nation

customs. Happy Valentine’s Day! I look forward to seeing you all at Parent Teach-

er Interviews in March!

Grade 4- Mrs. Krueger

Greetings from Grade 4! It has been a busy month, as students have been hard at work

in all subject areas. We have been reading and writing all sorts of Poetry in Language Arts,

and are looking forward to creating and sharing our own “Where I’m From” poems. In math

with Mr. Hill, we have finished up our unit on Division and are now working on geometry and

area. In Arts Ed we explored the art of Ted Harrison and created some beautiful paintings in

his style. They are on display in the library, so be sure to stop by and check it out! In Social

Studies we have started a study on maps and globes. Our next focus will be First Nations in

Saskatchewan. In Science we are continuing to explore the properties of Light. We have en-

joyed skating in Phys Ed, and developing our basketball skills. In Health with Mr. Hill, we

looked at what is stress and how to deal with it.

In this season of friendship and caring, our class has decided to get involved with the

‘Valentines for Vets’ program. We are making valentines that show our

appreciation for our veterans and we will be sending them off ASAP.

Our school is planning a Valentine’s Day celebration on the last day of

school before the break. That afternoon we will have a school wide

dance as well as a class party. I will send home a class list prior to that

date. February birthday greetings go out to Isabella. Have great day!!

Lastly, I’m sure most of the class is looking forward to the upcoming break. I hope you

all have a relaxing break, filled with family, friends and fun!

Grade 5 - Ms. Tucker Social – Canadian Citizenship Test

Gym – Basketball Genius Hour- presentation (free choice topic) Art – We assembled a Canada flag like a puzzle and colored and painted it for in our classroom Math- IXL - adding and subtracting decimals ELA – paragraph writing and we started the novel Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli Reading – book talk – Genres topic We finished reading Pippi Longstocking and had a Swedish smorgasbord while we watched the movie. In science grade 5 has started a unit looking at Properties and Changes of materials. In health, we looked at what is stress and how to deal with it. (Mr. Hill)

Grade 6 - Mrs. Fiedelleck

This Grade 6 class continues to impress me! They’ve accomplished personal goals by set-

ting targets, dates and specific requirements. They tracked their progress, made tweaks and

stayed focused. Another highlight was a fundraising initiative to raise money for Adopt a vil-

lage, SPCA, Children’s Hospital and New Hope Dog Rescue. Again, they went above and beyond

the call of duty. Students made a plan, brought in their own product, set up a booth and spent

many hours of their own time preparing. In the end they raised a combined total of $907.

Students are currently working on decimals, fractions and their multiplication math facts. In

social and science they are focusing on First Nations, culture diversity and simple ma-

chines. As well as, Underground to Canada novel study in ELA.

We are looking forward to a hard earned February break and a ski trip to Table Mountain on

February 24th.

Enjoy Your Break!

When should your child stay home from school?

What are some reasons I should keep my child home from school?

Fever • children with fevers, even slight fevers, should not be sent to school • a fever is a sign of illness

Vomiting and/or diarrhea • children should not return to school until diarrhea has cleared (48 hours have passed since their last symptom)

Respiratory infections • sore throat, coughing, earaches or persistent cough with discharge from nose and/or throat

Rashes • skin rash may be a sign of illness • rashes have different causes • if your child has a rash, see your doctor

Pink eye • your child can return to school after 24 hours of appropriate antibiotic

Basketball

Thank you to the Dundurn Digger Basketball Team who worked so hard this year. It was a great pleasure to coach these young athletes. They demon-strated huge growth in skill and were able to use it to their advantage during the 3 on 3 games against South Corman Park. We are so proud of each player’s efforts and sportsmanship. It was a memorable season and we look forward to next season.

Mrs.Fiedelleck, Mrs.Shannon-Wobeser, Miss Doyscher

Valentine’s Day Secret Admirer Candy grams

Don’t worry our lips are sealed! Let us know who you care about, we will keep your secret, deliver a kiss and a warm fuzzy note to that special person. Just donate $1 for every kiss

you’d like to give…..A Hershey kiss that is!

Fundraiser runs Feb 8-11th

. On February 12th

show your school spirit by bringing $1 to dress in red/pink and rock out at the school dance which runs from 1-2pm.

All donations go towards our Foster Child.

Grade 6 Fundraiser for a Cause

The Grade 6 class proudly held a fundraiser for Adopt a Village, SPCA, New Hope Dog Rescue and Children’s Hospital. A huge thank you to all those who supported the event. In total $553 was raised for Adopt a Vil-lage. The Grade 6 goal was to raise enough money to buy clean water for life for one family ($250). The goal was not only met, but it was exceeded. $354 was the combined total raised for SPCA, New Hope Dog Rescue and the Children’s Hospital. A special thank you to those students who took on the extra initiative to collaborate and put a plan into action to raise those funds. And of course, thanks to all the Grade 6 parents who made this possible by donating items, their time and giving all their support! Well Done Everyone! Dundurn is proud!

Dear Parents of Dundurn School Bus Students:

Prairie Spirit has implemented a new program called MyStop, this is a program that will let you track your child’s bus to/from school.

Please see below for more info.

Distribute Credentials

Parents need to contact Dundurn School for a username and password to login to MyStop.

This password is to be used ONLY by a parent.

We do not want just anyone tracking the bus, just the families who are on the bus.

You may use the following website/apps for ease of access:

Website: https://versatrans.spiritsd.ca/onscreen/MyStop/WheresMyBus.aspx

iOS App: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/versatrans-my-stop/id977300092?mt=8

Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tyler.versatrans.mystop

Password Changes : Parent(s) should contact the school to request a password change.

DUNDURN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Mr. Jason Hill, Principal Mrs. Kirsten Tucker, Vice Principal

Box 250 DUNDURN, SK. S0K 1K0

Ph: (306) 492-2050 Fax: (306) 492-2084

spiritsd.ca/dundurn

Dear Parent(s) / Guardian(s), September 18, 2015

As part of the Prairie Spirit School Division (PSSD) Safe and Secure Protocol, Dundurn Elemen-

tary School is now locking school exterior doors. The PSSD Safe and Secure Protocol has been

developed in the interest of student safety, while supporting a welcoming learning environ-

ment for our students, parents, staff and community members.

-All access doors (excluding the main/east entrance doors), will be locked at roughly 9:15 am,

after the morning entry bell, and remain locked for the duration of the school day.

-After the doors are locked, all access to our school for the public and late arriving students

will be via the main entrance doors.

-All supervising staff have been issued keys to open perimeter doors during the school day but

the doors will otherwise remain locked.

-Once the doors have been locked, staff members will periodically check for students arriving

late to school. This will be of particular importance for younger students and in cold weather

conditions.

This information has been shared frequently with students via daily announcements during

this week. As well, teachers have spent time in class discussing these initiated changes of the

Safe and Secure Protocol, and answering student questions and concerns. Students have been

instructed to use the main entrance when they need in and there is not a supervisor to open

a locked door.

If you have any questions regarding the Safe and Secure Protocol please contact Mr. Jason Hill,

principal of Dundurn Elementary School.

Sincerely,

Jason Hill