blair.sd38.bc.ca @BlairDragons MARCH 2017

Blair Newsletter �1

Sherry Elwood - Superintendent K. D’Angelo - Area Superintendent Catherine Ludwig - Principal Kirsten Wallace - Vice Principal Monica Glaboff - Admin. Assist Carrie McCarthy - Admin Assist

Important Dates

MARCH March 7 – Class Photos & Panorama March 9 – Sharing Assembly @1:30 pm

March 11-26 – Spring Break!

March 30 – PAC Mtg @ 6:30

APRIL April 6 – Camp Jubilee Parent Night April 7 – Metaphor Performance @ 9:00 April 14 – Good Friday - No School April 17 – Easter Monday - No School April 20 – Shaun Booth Performance @ 9:00 April 26 – Author Visit

PLEASE CHECK OUR LOST & FOUND.

UNCLAIMED ITEMS WILL BE DONATED OVER SPRING BREAK

TO FAMILIES IN NEED.

We Envision A Joyful Community That: Celebrates Learning Treasures Each Child Values Diversity Teaches the Ethic Of Caring Honours the Wonder Of Our Universe

BLAIR NEWS 6551 Lynas Lane, Richmond, BC

Dear Parents,

Last week parents attended a workshop in the Core Competencies. We began with sharing our wishes/hopes for our children:

happiness perseverance sense of purpose kind good decision making skills adaptable resiliency awareness or world & self understanding/appreciation of others (cultures etc..) success compassionate self-concept assertiveness confidence problem-solving skills see self as capable growth mindset courageous joy trustworthy

Our presenter shared how these hopes and wishes were tied to the personal and social core competencies:

Personal Competencies • personal efficacy (belief in one’s own ability) • self- advocacy (ability to communicate needs, interest & rights) • take responsibility for self and others • self determination (process of controlling one’s life) What can I control, what can I not

control • self-regulation (ability to know when and how to appropriately remain focused & alert)

co-regulate (with child) • well-being (physical, emotional, sexual, etc…)

Positive Personal & Cultural identity • a healthy sense of self • interdependence, contribution • awareness, understanding and appreciate relationship and cultural context • values and choices - how to stay healthy, come from home • strengths & abilities

Social Responsibility • empathy, problem resolution (ability to take perspective) • build relationships • active, caring & responsible • contribute & care for environment • peaceful problem solving • value diversity

It was an informative workshop and we plan to have more in the future. We hope you can join us in the future!

Mrs. Ludwig and Mrs. Wallace

Banner created by Phoebe Yuan, gr. 7 for the B-Ball Tournament

blair.sd38.bc.ca @BlairDragons MARCH 2017

Blair Newsletter �2

BLAIR PAC INFO

Mark your calendars:

March 31 - sushi lunch April 7 - homemade lunch May 19 - pizza lunch

Orders for the hot food lunches are due one week prior on the School Cash Online system.

Did you know that we have a Facebook page?  For more information about what's going on in the school and our District and to stay connected, give us a like!  https://m.facebook.com/BlairElementaryPAC/

Your Blair PAC Executive 

Class Photos and

Panorama Photos

Tuesday, March 7

Planning for the 2017/18 school year is already underway. A critical part of the planning process is knowing the number of students who will be attending our school this September. As you are probably aware, the number of students who enroll at a school determines the number of teachers required based on the district staffing formula. District staffing meetings for the coming school year will be commencing during the first week in April.

To help the school plan and estimate its student enrolment for this September, we are asking parents to please complete the survey form on the back of this letter (one per family) and return it to the school office BY FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2017.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request. Your assistance will help us greatly in our planning for the coming school year.

Thank you you those families who have already returned the survey.

Survey of September Return

It has been a very busy season for both teams this year. We are very proud so many students participated in the program and had the opportunity to play with so many other schools.

All students displayed excellent sportsmanship and teamwork and were wonderful ambassadors for the school. The season concluded with the always popular ‘Burnett Breaker’ Tournament which was well organized by the Grade 10 P.E leadership class. The girls and the boys placed 1st overall winning ALL of their games! Congratulations to both teams!

Thank you to the coaches – Mr. Brown and Mr. Weilfor their leadership and volunteering to coach before and after school, and the parents who drove students to the games.

Grade 6/7 Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Season Concludes

blair.sd38.bc.ca @BlairDragons MARCH 2017

Blair Newsletter �3

WE HAVE A WEBSITE!

Satisfaction Survey for Parents Help us plan for the future by telling us about your education experience. Students in Grades 4, 7, 10 and 12, their parents and all staff in B.C. public schools are invited to participate in an annual online satisfaction survey about their school experience. The parent survey is available in 16 languages and takes about 10 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous and confidential.

The survey is open until the end of April. To take the online survey now, using a web browser such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, and go to www.awinfosys.com/surveyfull1/central/main/parentsurvey.asp?district.38. For those who do not have access to a computer, you can contact your school's office to request a paper version of the survey.

Pink Day

Being KIND to others - this was the Pink Day Message at Blair. Our students met in family teams to create a kindness quilt that is now on display in the front foyer. A family team is a group of eight students with one student from each grade. Family Teams help build connections and relationships for our students and increases their sense of belonging. These teams will meet several more times before the end of the school year.

Thank you to all the families who supported our Winter Scholastic Book Fair. Our sales totalled$3659.08. This means that Blair School receives a credit of $2927.27 from Scholastic to use for books in our library!

Way to go Blair Dragons!

blair.sd38.bc.ca @BlairDragons MARCH 2017

Blair Newsletter �4

Vision, Mission and Values ProjectStudents in Divisions 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 have been invited to help develop new Vision, Mission and Value statements for the Richmond School District. These statements will inspire and guide us in our work over the next ten years as an educational organization. The need for these statements is timely and has emerged from multiple factors including our redesigned curriculum and goals for education in BC as well as the need to update our existing statements to reflect our current community.

A Vision statement helps us imagine possibilities about what schools could be.A Mission statement describes the purpose about what schools do.A Value statement identifies the behaviours and actions that reflects our identity, culture and priorities.

Students in these divisions have begun thinking with their classroom teacher about what is important in our education system. They were asked questions, and provided opportunities to represent and share their stores and ideas in different ways. In the end, their work will be shared with the stakeholders involved in this process so that student voices are included and reflected in our new Vision, Mission and Value statements. Student representatives from these divisions will also join a sharing evening in April with our school trustees and School Board Executive staff.

Dear Families, 

With Spring Break approaching our student leadership group would like to remind families about Freedom Friday. Our leadership group would like to encourage all our students to walk or roll at least 5 minutes to school. To this end we are asking parents to park at least 5 minutes away from the school. Our Drive to 5 zones are Garrision Court, Sapphire Place and Topaz Place. All three of these locations have plenty of parking and have easy routes to walk to school. On Fridays, we will begin to close off the parking lot again now that the weather is brightening. We look forward to seeing more students walking at least 5 minutes to school. Some families must drive - we ask that you park 5 minutes away in one of our three Drive to 5 zones. 

Thanks so much.Mrs. Wallace and our Blair Student Leaders 

TRACK MEET DATE ANNOUNCED

Mark your calendar. Students in grades 3-7 will attend the Minoru District Track Meet on:

Tuesday, May 30

blair.sd38.bc.ca @BlairDragons MARCH 2017

Blair Newsletter �5

INCLUSIVEEDUCATION:ALL MEANS ALL

18th AnnualLearning & the Brain Conference

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: SHELLEY MOORECome celebrate Richmond’s diversity by uncovering what inclusion means in our schools with Shelley Moore. Shelley is a PhD student, a Richmond teacher and a consultant working with schools to support the learning and success for all students. Her work explores the benefits of

learning in diverse contexts and embracing the strengths that every student can bring to their classroom community. Shelley is also

the author of the recently published book, “One Without the Other: Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion”.

Richmond DistrictParents Association

8:15 Exhibits Open

8:30 Welcome and Overview

8:45 Keynote

10:00 Break

10:30 Workshops

11:45 Conference Ends

Saturday, April 1st 2017at MacNeill Secondary School

For more information visit:http://latb.sd38.bc.caNote: Registrations can be done online at the website above, or dropped off at either the Richmond School District board office or the front office of your catchment elementary school.

SCHEDULE & INFO

• CODING IN THE CLASSROOM: Why all the fuss and what’s going on in Richmond classrooms?

• SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL CHANGES: How to get along well with my teens? 社交與情緒的轉變：如何與我的子女健康快

樂地度過青春期？

• THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREER AWARENESS, EXPLORATION & EXPERIENCE IN K-12 CLASSROOMS

• SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S MATHEMATICAL THINKING

• SENSE OF PLACE: Connecting our Richmond student learning with Local First Peoples

• READING & HOME WITH JOY AND MEANING

• HOW MINDFULNESS HELPS OUR ANXIOUS CHILDREN

• SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD IN THE FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAM (even if you don’t speak French!)

• THE NEW CURRICULUM AND YOUR ELL CHILD: How can you help?

• RETHINKING PREVENTION: What Adults Need to Know and What You Can Do to Help Your Kids

WORKSHOPS

FOR A FULL LIST OF WORKSHOPS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE

It is with mixed feelings that we announce that Ms. MacLean will be leaving Blair Elementary after Spring Break. Our beloved Kindergarten teacher, coach, and colleague is leaving for the Coquitlam School District. We know she has touched so many of our student lives with her love and positive energy. She will be missed more then words can describe and we wish her all the best in her new adventure.

She has written a letter to our community to say good-bye:

It is with great sadness that I am writing this letter. Recently I have moved to the beautiful mountainside of Port Moody.  Sadly this has left me with the difficult decision to move to a school district that is closer to home.  I was fortunate to be offered a position, however, the start date is after spring break and my last day at Blair will be on Friday, March 10.

Your children were such a pleasure to teach! It was a joy and a privilege to meet you all. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing group of parents and students to work with.

As Winnie the Pooh said so eloquently: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” 

A Fond Farewell

blair.sd38.bc.ca @BlairDragons MARCH 2017

Blair Newsletter �6

COMMUNITYBOOK MARK CONTEST

Richmond Public Health is once again hosting a BOOK MARK CONTEST for students in Kindergarten to Grade 7. The theme this year is “Eating together, being together”.

Entry forms are available in the office.

Good Luck!

DENTAL CARE and DENTIST SUPPORTDid you know that every 3 years we screen all kindergarten children for dental health. Sadly, for years Richmond has had the highest rate of dental decay in the province.  Many people do not realize that a baby’s teeth are very important.  Parents need to be providing mouth care to their baby from the very start of life.  Everyone should clean their teeth at least 2 times a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss once a day.  Choosing healthy snacks and offering  water between meals helps everyone have healthier teeth.  It is also important to see a dentist yearly starting  at the age of one. For families who do not have dental plans and can’t afford to see a dentist there is help available:• For children 5 years and under you can book a free appointment to see a dental

hygienist 604  233-3216• The Healthy Kids Benefit – helps cover the cost of prescription eye wear and

dental services.  This is available to everyone on income assistance and low income families. This year there has been changes to the MSP premiums and to who qualifies for this benefit

• Families can see if they are eligible using this new eligibility calculator:   https://extranet.gov.bc.ca/forms/gov/health/msppa.html

• For families who do not qualify for the Healthy Kids Benefit- referrals can be made to UBC (contact 604 233-3216)

For tips on how to care for teeth check out the BC Dental Association site http://bcdental.org/YourDentalHealth/YourDentalHealth.aspx?id=11992 or you can call our public health nurse: Sandra Shewchuk at 604 233-3155.

blair.sd38.bc.ca @BlairDragons MARCH 2017

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