King Traditional Newsletter December 18

28776 King Road, Abbotsford, BC V4X 2R4 604.857.0903 kingtraditional.sd34.bc.ca
Principal, Mrs. Peggy Antifaeff
December 18, 2015
Dates to Remember
Dec. 21 – Jan. 1 – Christmas
Break – No School for
Students
Jan. 4 – School Re-opens
Jan. 8 – SOM Assembly
8:50 a.m.
Jan. 14 – New Parent Info
Session – 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 15 – Hot Lunch Day
Message from the Principal:
Principal’s Message:
I can’t believe how quickly time flies! It seems like only yesterday that we were cracking open those
new school supplies and settling into the routines of a new school year. I think it is the busyness of
school that makes time fly. December, in particular, has been a very busy month. The halls of King have
been filled with Christmas cheer as we have joined together for our potluck, staff appreciation
luncheon, SOM Assembly, concert practices, and today’s sing along.
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
Thanks to all of the parents who helped make our staff Christmas luncheon such a pleasure. We all feel
very grateful to have such supportive families and it was wonderful to be able to sit down together as a
staff and enjoy a festive meal. Thanks to everyone who sent food for the lunch, to those who
decorated, and to those who served this wonderful lunch.
PAC Potluck
A big thank you to our amazing PAC and the many parents who helped organize this important school
event. Thank you to everyone who pitched in to make this a special evening. Also, thank to everyone
for attending this event. Events like these help to make our community strong and reinforce the
importance of school to our students.
Christmas Concert
Bravo, boys and girls! Our Grade 1-3 Christmas Concert was a great success. We hope that you enjoyed
this gift of a fabulous holiday performance. I am very proud of the effort that our staff, students, and
parents put into preparing for this festive presentation. Merry Christmas!
Winter Vacation:
It is the last day of school before Winter Break. Students will return to classes on Monday, January
4. Have a wonderful holiday with your family. We look forward to continuing to work together to
provide the best educational experience possible for all students at King Traditional Elementary in the
New Year.
Monthly Tenet: Emphasis on literacy, including phonics
At school …
At home …
Daily language exercises and review
Read with your child to model and support reading habits
Emphasis on grammar acquisition to improve literacy skills
Provide a quiet time and space to work and read
Regular reading time set aside each day
Visit the public library on a regular basis
Extensive classroom libraries that foster a student’s enjoyment of reading
Encourage your child to select reading material from different genres
(mysteries, “how to” books, fiction/non-fiction, magazines,
newspapers)
Classroom/school libraries that help develop a student’s ability to read
for different purposes (fiction/non-fiction, picture books, magazines)
Non Instructional Day-November 27th
Virtue of the Month – Generosity
What is Generosity?
There will be no school for students as staff will be doing various professional development activities.
Generosity is giving and sharing. You share freely, not with the idea of receiving something in return. You do not expect or request
recognition for your acts of kindness. You find ways to give others happiness, and give just for the joy of giving. Generosity is one of
the best ways to show love and friendship.
Kindergarten Registration
Registration information can be found at http://www.sd34.bc.ca/schools/registration/kindergarten
If you have a child entering Kindergarten in September 2016 registration will begin shortly after school is back in session after
the Christmas Holidays.
On Thursday, January 14th from 6:30-7:30pm, we will be hosting an information night for new parents who are interested in
having their child enter our Kindergarten program next year.
Mark your calendars:
These are the dates for upcoming PAC meetings this year.
January 28 8:45am
February 17 7pm
April 21 8:45am
May 18 7pm
June 15 7pm (elections and some budget items for next year)
Everyone is encouraged to attend PAC meetings.
Winter is Here!
Please be extra careful walking and driving to and from the school when the temperature drops. We will do our best to keep things
clear and salted when it is icy, but there is a lot of ground to cover.
Brrr…it’s cold!
This is just a reminder for parents that the school dress code is still in effect. As the temperature drops, you may need to bundle your
little one up in layers to keep them warm. Please remember that undershirts and tops layered under our white shirt should not be
visible. They should be white and should not have logos that can be seen through our uniform shirts. Also, for warmth in the
classroom please have your child wear their uniform vests and sweaters as non-uniform items will need to be removed during school
time. Thanks for helping us maintain our dress code and our traditional values.
Fruit and Veggie Program
A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Kobayashi and Mrs. Herrick for their assistance with the fruit and veggie program and milk program
so far this year. This program happens 1-2 times per month and involves sorting and delivering the fruit/veggies and milk to
classrooms. This is a great opportunity for students to try healthy foods that they might balk at outside of school. Thanks for helping
to keep our kids healthy, Mrs. Kobayashi and Mrs. Herrick!
Food Bank Donations
Thank you to everyone for your great support of our Food Drive for the Abbotsford Food Bank! Many of us are very fortunate to not
have to worry about having enough to eat and we are able to demonstrate this month’s virtue of generosity by helping others.
Bradner Road Bus Loop
This is just a reminder that the driveway on Bradner Road is our bus loop. Last year, we started the year allowing parents to use the
bus loop AFTER the buses left. Unfortunately, we had some parents who did not follow the rules and some students and adults were
almost hit in the crosswalk as the cars passed the busses in the bus loop. For that reason, we had to restrict the bus loop to buses
only.
If you would like to drive thru, please use the King Road drive thru. Also, please remember that all of our students are picked up
within 10 minutes of dismissal (that’s 399 students in 10 minutes!). I believe that a few minutes of our time is worth it to ensure that
everyone is safe, don’t you? Thank you for dropping off and picking up with safety for everyone in mind.
LEGO Fans!
Mrs. Krause’s LEGO® Workshops will start again in January on Monday, January 11, 2016! The cost is $40.00 per child for a 6 week
(once a week) after school program. You can register your child by sending an email to Lili Krause at [email protected].
Dates for Classes are Mondays on January 11, 18, 25, February 1 15, and 22. Classes run from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. February 8th is
Family Day and the school will be closed.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a school-run program. It is run by Mrs. Lili Krause. All arrangements must go through Mrs. Krause (not the
office). Also, there is no supervision at the school for your child between 2:43 and 3 pm so you will need to make arrangements to
have someone making sure your child can get to the program (especially bus students) and are supervised during this time.
Festive Eating and Physical Activity:
Take this golden opportunity during the festive season to be a major influence on what your children think, do and eat. You have the
power to ensure your children have a healthy balanced lifestyle by making sure you and your family always have a variety of healthy
choices available to them throughout the holiday season.
•Keep nutritious food on hand so it’s always available.
•Involve your children in planning and preparing meals; kids are more likely to eat foods they’ve had a hand in choosing.
•For snacks, choose foods like fresh fruit, veggies, cheese and nuts that don’t cling to teeth.
Clingy foods like dried fruits, granola bars, crackers, cereal, tortillas, potato/corn/apple chips and some candies stick to teeth and can
encourage tooth decay. These foods are better eaten when children can brush their teeth immediately after eating.
•Keep fruits and veggies on the counter or in the fridge at eye level. Make a low-fat yogurt dip - sweet or savoury - to make fruits
and veggies even tastier.
•Be active yourself and demonstrate how easy and enjoyable it is. Give presents that encourage physical activity, like skipping rope,
balls, rackets, bats, bikes and sidewalk chalk for drawing playground games on the driveway at home.
•Use music as a motivator. Plug into your favourite festive songs to help motivate.
•Get active as a family with a family swim, skate, hike or bike ride.
Healthy Gift Ideas
Give the gift of healthy living with:
 a sprout growing or cheese making kit
 a cooking class
 create a cookbook of favourite family recipes
 pedometers, yoga mats, bike lights, or a physical activity book or a healthy cookbook (see the Action Schools! BC Healthy
Living Booklist for ideas)
 tickets to a sporting event, swimming pool, skating rink or local ski pass
 jars of homemade granola, muffin mixes, spices or soup – see recipe below for granola energy squares
 personalized grocery bag, lunch bag or water bottle
Severe Weather Closures
In the event that bad weather causes the Abbotsford School District to close schools prior to the start of the school day or (due to
worsening weather conditions) during the school day, the best source of information will be Abbotsford School District web site
(www.sd34.bc.ca).
As well, every effort will be made to announce school closures on the following radio stations:
STAR FM 98.3
Country107 FM 107.1
NEWS 1130 AM
CKNW AM 980
CBC-AM 690 (91.7FM)
Once again this year, the school district will be using the automated call out system to alert families of weather closures.
Calling the school to determine if schools are open should be your last resort as Ms. Hathaway does not begin work until 7:45 and
Mrs. Antifaeff would likely be outside shoveling snow.
Please note that parents always have the right to make individual decisions as to the appropriateness of sending their children to
school during periods of extreme weather. Also note that students will most likely be going outside to play at recess and lunch if
school is in session—so dress them for the weather.