The Sky Lark - Prairie Sky School

The Sky Lark
A Newsletter by Prairie Sky School
March 2014
PSS Welcomes the Year of the Horse!
Evening Events:
Thurs, March 6th and Fri, March 7th PD Days (no school)
Thurs, March 13th - End of PSS
READ-A-THON
Fri, March 14th - Student-Led
Conferences (please confirm your time
slot with your child’s teacher, no
regular school)
Visioning and Strategic Planning - All
Welcome!
*Sat, March 22nd, 6-9pm
*Sun, March 23rd, 9:30am (coffee
time) with 10am start until 5pm.
Lunch provided.
In-School Program Events:
Mon, March 3rd - Kinder Visit with
Baby Jace
Tues, March 4th - Pajama Day - Bring
your fav book, teddy and snuggly pj’s.
Mon, March 10th - 10am: Elder Hazel
Dickson
March 17th-21st - Rainbow Week
(Everyday a different Colour!)
Thurs, March 20th - Spring Festival
(morning) & Fair (afternoon)
Fri, March 21st - 10am: Spring Free
From Racism Day
*Parent are welcome to attend our inschool program events*
Welcome!
We’d like to introduce our University of Regina Pre-intern Teachers! Ms. Tessa Thacker and
Ms. Samantha Okrainec are with us every Monday morning for the next several weeks as part
of their ECS 300 course. They are observing and teaching in our Grade 4-7 classroom. Ms.
Allyson Haukeness and Ms. Brittany Larson are observing in the Kindergarten and Grade 1-3
classroom and are here on Wednesday mornings for ECS 100.
visit us @ www.prairieskyschool.net
Winter Carnival
by Ms. Anna Rose, Kindergarten Teacher
On Friday, February 14th, the whole school joined together to celebrate the French Canadian
Festival known as CARNIVAL! Students worked with multi-aged groupings, and took turns
visiting activity stations both inside and out on a beautiful, crisp winter morning.
Ms. Larocque helped to warm everyone up with a Metis Jigging lesson, while Ms. Weiss and
Ms. Robin treated us to some traditional fiddle music and a chance to play the spoons. Ms.
Rose gave everyone a sweet taste of tire- a.k.a. maple taffy – poured over fresh snow. Everyone
got to try their hand at making sculptures out of snow and ice. In the afternoon, the Grade 1-7
students also went skating. What a day!
Staffing News
by Ms. Leah Walberg, Director
It is hard to believe it has been over a full year since I began here at Prairie Sky School!
While the year has most certainly been a dynamic, rich adventure, I would like families to
know that my part in this adventure will be winding down through April. I am grateful for the
opportunity and experience, as I have learned so much and have truly enjoyed working as a
part of this community. I look forward to the upcoming visioning and strategic planning
sessions later this month that will map out the journey forward. I wish all of the families a
joyous, fulfilling future with Prairie Sky School.
Ms. Rose’s Recipe for Healthy Chocolate Covered Saskatoon
Berries
Gently melt together the following ingredients:
⅓ c raw extra virgin coconut oil
⅓ c maple syrup
1 c raw cacao powder
Place a few frozen Saskatoon berries in some mini-cupcake liners or molds. Cover with melted
chocolate. Chill until set. Enjoy!
100th Day of School
On the 100th day of school this year (March 12th, 2014), all of our teachers were struck down with
a bad case of the Green Jelly Bean Bug! We had to call in substitute teachers for the morning
and it turned out that all of them were born in 1914! Mrs. Myrtle, Mrs. Gurtle, Mrs. Bertie and
Mr. Hank made our 100th day memorable.
Our Kindergarten class made a Collection of
100 Treasures in celebration of the 100th day.
While the Grade 1-3’s engaged in 100 Random
Acts of Kindness and linked them into a Chain.
Chinese New Year Celebration & Valentine’s Day Family Dance
by Ms. Corry Moriarty, Principal
PSS welcomes the Year of the Horse!
Gung Hay Fat Choy, Gung Hay Fat Choy
Sing Happy New Year, Gung Hay Fat Choy
The new moon tells us, exactly when
To celebrate with family and friends
Clean up the house and get out the broom
Sweep out the old year, bring in the new
Bring out the apples, the oranges too
Their colors bring us joy and good luck too
The dragon dances, the lanterns light
The firecrackers light up the night
At the PSS Valentine’s Day Family dance we shook up the dance floor in celebration of our loving
relationships! A special thanks to guest DJ B-Rad! With his good tunes our students, families, and
staff grooved, learned about mixing, and participated in fun dancing games.
Read-A-Thon
by Ms. Shawna LaRocque, Grade 4-7 Teacher
Prairie Sky School is embarking on its first ever annual Read-A-Thon fundraiser from Thursday,
February 27th to Thursday, March 13th, ~ the two weeks following Saskatchewan Aboriginal
Storytelling Month.
All PSS students are asked to participate. Students are expected to read and obtain donations
from family and friends.
The Read-a-Thon is beneficial for PSS students in two ways. The program motivates students
to read more and achieve their reading goals, while raising crucial funds to support their
school. 100% of the donations will be used in support of our Music and Physical Education
Programs for much needed musical instruments and sports equipment.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation! The success of the Read-a-Thon depends on
giving encouragement and motivation for students to read, read, and read some more!
Please donate generously!
Community Cafe Notes
by Ms. Leah Walberg, Director
On February 27th, a third cafe was held to discuss the philosophies, values and cultural
aspects that are important to our community. Some conversation highlights include: staying a
small, non-institutional setting; presence of depth in various elements from programming, to
meaningful experiences and relationships; arts and nature; sense of community; and seeing the
worth and value in individuals as an important preface to education. This was the final cafe
session for the school year – thanks to everyone who came and participated in each and all
of these sessions. Notes from the evening will be posted soon on the parent website and the
parent board (by the office door). This series of conversations will be utilized as a starting point for
the visioning and strategic planning process coming up this month.
Surveys: Please fill them out and return them to the school
ASAP!
Lucy Tries Luge
by Ms. Corry Moriarty, Principal
Calgarian musician and educator, Andrea Michelle, was commissioned to compose the
musical version of a newly released children's story Lucy Tries Luge. Along with other
Canadians (including Calgary’s Mayor Nenshi) our students were asked to sing one line of
the song to accompany one page of the story! Ours was the page where "Lucy keeps her
body flat, her head it up to see. The next bend that lies ahead ...." …. then the page turns
and another group took over! We were very pleased to have been a part of this
project. All the videos and photos collected were compiled into this Canada-wide video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPsXJXC4V0A&feature=youtu.be
Other links to Lucy Tries Luge:
http://www.cbe.ab.ca/new/news2013-14/20131028-lucy-tries-luge.asp
http://readingrecommendations.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/lisa-bowes-lucy-tries-luge-an-update/
Here are some more wintery photos:
April Heads-up:
Friday, April 4th - 9:30am:
Storyteller Kevin McKenzie
Friday, April 11th - Kinder
field trip to Regina Floral
Conservatory
Friday, April 18th - Spring
Break Begins
Mon, April 28th - School
Resumes