Selkirk Montessori School E
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Selkirk Montessori School E
Selkirk Montessori School E-Newsletter JANUARY 2015 From The Academic Head, Erin Hayes It’s here, it’s here! It has arrived! The best term of the year! taking responsibility for choices and negotiating opportunities. Guess what happens when students have forged strong bonds with their teachers and each other? Students have the confidence to take healthy risks, acknowledge mistakes, and to learn from both. Guess what happens in term two? All of the above! It is the most wonderful time of the year! Guess what happens when students have internalized the routines and expectations of the classroom? They easily become absorbed in the tasks at hand and the learning opportunities that surround them. Guess what happens when the exceptional experiences of term one (team building activities, concerts, holiday festivities) subside? Students become wholly engaged in their core academic learning, A big shout out to Daisy Jassar who is our fundraising coordinator for the SPG. Along with Shilpa Ghandi, she works tirelessly throughout the year to make sure our reciprocal value fundraisers happen. In the lead up to Winter Break, with the help of her band of merry elves, she coordinated both the poinsettia and the Purdy’s fundraiser. The money from all of the SPG fundraisers goes straight into programs and materials for your children. cont’d on page 2... Inside this issue: From the Board of Directors 2 Registration information 3 4 “You are never too old to set another goal or dream another dream.” 5 6 Bear’s Den 7 Dates to Remember 8 C.S. Lewis Message from Erin Hayes (cont’d) With Daisy’s youngest son graduating this June, we are going to have some big shoes to fill. If you are interested in becoming the SPG fundraising coordinator, or would like to run an event, please get in touch with any SPG member or stop by the office to find out more. A big thank you as well to our resident crafting elf. She plans, gathers supplies, works with kids, follows up with teachers and makes sure every student in our school has an opportunity to make the ornament prepared for that class. She then sets up the giving tree for all to admire the works of our students. She is one of our ubervolunteers! Thank you for this very special Selkirk tradition. Our many holiday fairies also created a kindness advent calendar and a beautiful Hanukkah display in our display case. Delightful to be in the hallways and overhear the students take notice. They opened with a powerful reflection, written by the students, “ Nearly all the cultures we studied for this project had most or all of the following elements included in their celebrations: lighting of candles and colourful lights, sharing festive foods with others, giving small gifts to loved ones, displaying bright decorations, singing or listening to music, giving to the poor and hungry, asking and giving forgiveness, gathering with family, expressing thanks to God and or nature..” I know my daughter and I are inspired and feel a deeper sense of appreciation for, and connection to, her peers for it. What a culturally rich school we have! I also want to thank all the parents who donate their time and precious resources to share their winter traditions and celebrations with our students. You could see that modeling reflected at the winter assembly hosted by the Sea Star and Cormorant classes. (more photos on page 3) Page 2 S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R Assembly Photo Gallery So many celebrations to enjoy in our rich, multi-cultural school environment. Thanks to all of our students and families for sharing theirs with us! From the Pacific Montessori Society Board of Directors To cover increased operating costs for the school, the board has approved a modest 1.5% increase in tuitions for the school year 2015/16. This will result in an additional cost of $7 to $12/month per child. This is balanced by new funding sources that the school administration has been working on as part of the approach to keeping tuition increases moderate and balanced. The majority of the increased revenue will be used to provide a 1% increase to the staff salary grid. The board has recently launched a strategic planning process. Our expectation will be to complete a three year plan by the start of the 15/16 school year. We will be inviting input from all parents and staff in the new year through a survey planned for early February 2015. This is your opportunity to help shape the school and our planning and we urge you to take the time to provide us with your feedback. We look forward to working with you to make our great school even better. Page 3 S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R Registration for 2015-2016 Re-Registration We will email a registration form to you next week. Deadline for the return of completed registration forms is Friday, January 30th. Please be sure that you have read and understood all of the information on the forms. You must mark the programs you require and sign the form for it to be considered complete. Remember that space is limited and we do operate using a first-come, first-served model to fill spots. Siblings If you are a returning family and have a new sibling to enrol for the 2015-2016 school year, instructions for registration of siblings are in the package mentioned above . Again, the deadline for submission is Friday, January 30th. Waitlisted Children We expect to be in touch with families of children on the waitlist by mid to late February. Please be patient….but don’t hesitate to contact us if you are anxious! I am always happy to hear from parents that they are still keen to get their child(ren) enrolled. Not Returning The decision to move a child from one school to another is never an easy one; however, for many reasons (religious affiliation, finances, moving, convenience, family history – just to name a few) you may decide Page 4 not to return to Selkirk for the 2015-2016 school year. We’ll be sorry to see you go. We ask that you let us know as soon as possible. Your child will let us know if you don’t; maybe not in so many words, but in their own way, that they are not coming back. It has been our experience that children become confused when they are told they are making a move. They wonder, “Is Selkirk still my school? Is there any reason to keep working hard here? Do I still have to follow the rules of the school?” We’ve even had children say, “I don’t have to listen to you because I’m not coming back to this school.” You can imagine the detrimental effect this can have on your child’s education, especially as we still have six months of school to get through! We want to ensure that your child’s experience at Selkirk is a positive one, right down to their last day of school. It’s a fact of life that some of you will be leaving. Come talk to us about making the transition an easy one for your child, for their teachers and for the school community as a whole. If you have any questions about registration for 2015-2016, please email me at [email protected] or call 250-384-3414. S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R Farewell from Emily Dear Selkirk Families – When Penny first broached the subject of coming to work at Selkirk on a temporary basis, the initial timeframe she proposed was ‘just one or two weeks to help with inventory’. The past eight months have been the longest ‘two weeks’ of my life, but in every other respect my time at the school has flown right by! It’s been such a special experience to come back to Selkirk as an adult; to see just how much love and care and dedication goes into the school behind the scenes, to get to witness firsthand just how much the teachers and staff care about the children who go here. I Page 5 never could’ve predicted how much joy the job would bring me. There’s so much about the school I’m going to miss: warm hugs from smiling children, peeking into classrooms, supervising Casa lunches, the love and support of the staff, the insanity of pick-up and drop-off, office visits from little ones – and of course getting the chance to work alongside the administration and see firsthand all the amazing work they put into this school. When you’re a student at Selkirk you don’t realize how lucky you are to live and grow in this environment; you think that it’s just what school is like. It’s only as an adult that I’ve been able to realize just what a unique and incredible place the school is – and how wonderful the staff, parents, and especially students truly are. Thank you for welcoming me into your school community; it’s been such a privilege getting to know and love your children. Warm Regards, Emily S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R Outdoor Education—Term 1 Wrap Up Students in grades 7 and 8 worked with the City of Victoria to remove invasive species and replace them with native species at Cecilia Cove beach near the school. (below) They had an orienteering fieldtrip/hike to Mt. Finlayson. (below) They took part in a Cuthbert Holmes Nature Walk Fieldtrip with the Northwest Animal Preservation Society. They also had a fieldtrip to the Gorge Waterway Nature House to learn about eco-stewardship on the Gorge. Next term...adventures in outdoor education for our grades 5 and 6 students. Page 6 S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R Selkirk Parent Group (SPG) News Happy New Year from the SPG! First of all a huge thanks to everyone who sent along loonies and twoonies, and socks and shoes to provide some winter comfort for the poorest people in our city. Collectively we have provided for hundreds of Victorians who would otherwise be cold, wet and excluded from holiday traditions. Thank you, thank you! As well, closer to home, thanks to everyone who organized and supported the poinsettia and chocolate sales for the holidays. These fundraisers help provide for social and educational events throughout the year. And more thanks to those who participated in the Random Acts of Kindness calendar. A beautiful idea for all of us, children and adults alike, to share. This would be a lovely tradition to continue in the school (just saying…!) Page 7 The Lunch Program needs a new coordinator! We have been very fortunate to have Colleen Norcross shepherd this major fundraiser over the past few years, but it is time for her to move to new challenges and we need someone to step into that position. Colleen will continue for this year and mentor a new volunteer, but as we turn the calendars to 2015 the pressure is growing to find a replacement. This exciting job can be done mostly away from the school (eg it is do-able even if you are working during school hours), is mostly low intensity except for brief periods when orders are coming in twice or three times a year, and is well established so that the new person does not have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. Please consider this and speak to any SPG member if you are interested. And please join us for our next meeting on WEDNESDAY January 21, 2015 at 7:00 pm in the staff room. (Come around to the Jack Ladder Lane entrance and we can buzz you in.) S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R The Bear’s Den—A Word from the Library Heading for a great read? We are now on the countdown for the Grand Opening of the new Bear’s Den. Our Selkirk community can hardly contain its enthusiasm for the long awaited completion of our new school Library. As I wrote this, just before Winter Break, we were eagerly awaiting the occupancy permit, assembly of bookshelves, and carpet tiles and some creative and fun furnishings to arrive. Opening day will be in January, the exact date to be announced soon. Hope everyone had a relaxing holiday season with lots of time to curl up in front of a cosy fireplace and read a captivating novel. Finished reading all your new books? Wondering what to read next? Great news! It’s time to prepare for next month’s Scholastic BOOK FAIR. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and/or purchased books during the October Book Fair. Please volunteer to help at the BOOK FAIR and sign up for your preferred time. Sign-up sheet is in main floor hallway. Help promote a love of reading and support our Selkirk School Community. Please volunteer. It’s fun! Page 8 Save the Date! Scholastic Book Fair Thursday, February 26, 2015 Friday, February 27, 2015 The Fair will be held in the school Gymnasium at the following times: 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. This popular event gives you and your child the opportunity to buy quality books and products at affordable prices. BOOK FAIR Volunteers Needed (Sign-up Sheet in the main floor hallway) We will need a total of 14 volunteers for setup, take-down, and sales and customer service. S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R 2970 Jutland Road Victoria, BC V8T 5K2 250-384-3414 (tel) 250-384-3420 (fax) [email protected] We can make a difference. www.selkirkmontessori.ca Dates to Remember January 15, 2015—Open House/ Transition Meetings (5:30-8:00 pm) January 21, 2015—Selkirk Parent Group (SPG) meeting (7:00 pm) January 26, 2015—Pacific Montessori Society Board Meeting (6:00 pm) February 9, 2015—Family Day (Provincial holiday) Page 11 Once again, students have carefully prepared Angel Gifts for delivery to Our Place. We appreciate the opportunity to make a difference — especially during the holidays!
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