April 2015 - SD68 School District

1025 Morningside Drive, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6C3
Telephone: 250-758-5711 Fax: 250-751-1873
Website: http://schoolsweb.sd68.bc.ca/hammondbay/Pages/default.aspx
School Year: 2014 – 2015
Issue #8 – April 2015
Principal’s Message
This is an exciting time of year
at Hammond Bay. We have so
many exciting activities still on
the horizon before the end of the
year.
As we move into the week of the
Spell-A-Thon tests, I would like to take this
opportunity to congratulate our students for
taking on the challenge of learning all those
words. I am looking forward to hearing how
well you’ve done!
We have begun our whole school weekly Neck
Point Walk/Runs in preparation for the Track &
Field season.
Please have a look at our bulletin boards that
showcase the students’ art. There are some
wonderful creations to be seen!
Throughout the year we have been continuing to
work on our school goals: literacy and numeracy,
by designing and implementing two interactive
projects. Our Monday morning announcements,
during the past few months, have been written
and presented by our students in various grade
levels. The “news of the week” includes local
news, school news, sports information,
birthdays, and usually a joke or two. Our second
project is Math Olympics, upcoming on May 6th.
Students will have the opportunity to participate
in a series of math games designed to support
and strengthen their basic math skills, an area we
have been working on this year.
Please join us on May 7th for Young
Entrepreneurs. Our Grade 6 and 6/7 classes will
be presenting and selling their wares to students
and parents as part of the final project for the
Young Entrepreneurs program. Booths will be
set up in the gym for the day.
The foyer of the school is receiving a facelift.
The Hammond Bay basketball hornet logo has
been removed and in its place will be an art wall,
to display and celebrate the many creative pieces
our students are making.
Thank you to all parents and community
members who participated in the Your Voice
2015 consultation. The full report of results is
available online on the school district’s website:
www.sd68.bc.ca. A thank you also to Mrs.
Therriault, our PAC Chair, who presented to the
Business Committee regarding the Board of
Education’s
commitment
to
the
construction/addition to our gym.
Principal: Christine Bohm
Vice-Principal: Sharyn Andruski-Collins
Secretaries:
Susan Clark
Laureen Petley-Jones
Public consultation is underway also regarding
the proposed calendar and bell schedule for next
year. The survey and all supporting documents
can be found on the school district’s website, and
is available until April 19th. I would encourage
all parents to participate in this consultation.
In addition, the Board of Education will be
holding a series of public meetings regarding the
budget for next year. The complete list of dates
of the meetings is available on the school
district’s website.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns
about your child’s educational program, please
do not hesitate to contact me.
Christine Bohm
Mme. A’s Corner
On April 27th, Luv2Groove will be at Ecole
Hammond Bay. Julia will present workshops in
dance for all students. Thank you to the Parent
Advisory Council for supporting the Professional
Artists at our school this year. Luv2Groove is
the last group to perform this year. Other
performances were Taiko Drums, Dufflebag
Theatre presenting Snow White, and Will Stroet
and His BackYard Band.
Writers’ Club and Drama Club will wrap up
soon. Student leaders have indicated that they
would like to continue to promote drama at our
school in the fall.
There will be an assembly on April 28th at 2:00.
Assemblies offer an opportunity for classes to
share their learning, to practice performing and
being an audience member, and to bring together
our large school community for celebrations and
announcements. I would like to thank teachers
and students for preparing assembly
presentations. Bravo!
In closing, I would like to expression gratitude to
the teachers and students in the lower portables.
Music classes are engaging and noisy classes and
the classes in portables are impacted by the
twenty-two music sessions held each week in my
portable. Merci!
Ecole Hammond Bay – Newsletter
Page 2
Are you moving?
Erase Bullying Resource
If you are planning to move away from the
Nanaimo area or are transferring your children to
another school next year, please advise the office
as soon as possible. Your cooperation greatly
assists us in determining our numbers and school
organization for the 2015-16 school year.
The Ministry of Education in conjunction with
School Districts across the province have
developed and implemented an online student
and parent resource about and to report bullying
incidents. Please visit www.erasebullying.ca for
more information.
Class Placements for 2015-16
Student Council
Staffing for the next school year has yet to be
finalized by the School District; however
Hammond Bay staff will begin the process of
student class placements in the last month of
school.
The staff works carefully as a team to discuss the
best placement for their students. We consider
the following criteria when making these
decisions;
Gender balance
Mix of academic ability levels
Student learning style
Teaching style
Student’s special needs
Child and parent relationship with teacher
Maturity level
Work habits
Physical and intellectual growth
Contractual agreement
Educationally relevant information from
parents
The decision for placement is primarily based on
the recommendation of the student’s present
teacher(s), the person(s) most familiar with their
needs but according to the School Act, it is
ultimately the Principal’s decision and
responsibility.
Parents may submit a letter to the Principal
stating the type of learning environment you
believe your child would need to be successful.
Please do not indicate a specific teacher, but
rather I would ask that you frame your comments
in constructive and positive terms which
highlight the educational merits for your child.
Teachers will also be reading the letters. Please
do not make an appointment with the teacher or
myself to discuss the content of your letter.
Only written requests to the Principal,
submitted by May 22, 2015, will be considered
in the process. In arranging new classes, we
will endeavor to place students in the best
educational setting. Please note that teacher
assignments to specific classes will not be
confirmed until late June, or even September.
Thank you for your support and cooperation.
Student Council members are excited about
several projects as we head into the last two
months of school. The students are planning a
bake sale and a Bring Your Own Banana Day
(Banana Royale). The dates will be in May/early
June and will be announced over the coming
weeks.
Proceeds will go towards Nanaimo Foodshare,
providing breakfasts during the summer for
children in need. Our Council members also
voted to have their goat money sent to Kenya
and have chosen clean water as the pillar they
would like to support for Free The Children.
They have raised over $800 and counting
towards global and local causes.
Felicitations!
After School Expectations
Hammond Bay School is located in an ideal
setting. Students love to stay after school and
play on the playground and in the surrounding
forest. Only two school staff offer after school
supervision (Front and Upper Playground) for 15
minutes after dismissal. Due to this limited level
of supervision, I would like to thank parents for
picking up their children promptly after
dismissal. Students playing in the forest should
be directly supervised by their parent or a parent
designate. Unaccompanied students are not
allowed in the forest. Please review expectations
regarding “stranger safety” with your children.
We often have strangers walking through our
school grounds or walking in the forest on their
way to Neck Point Park.
Spring/Summer Allergy Season
We have had many students come to the office
complaining of seasonal allergies such as
itchy/watery eyes etc. If your child has seasonal
allergies, please stop by the office to complete a
Medication Form and provide us with your
child’s allergy medication (Benadryl/Chloratripolon). This will save you a trip to the school
with medication.
Students must not keep
medication in their backpack; it must be stored at
the office.
Spell-a-thon
The big test is taking place the
week of April 20-24. Following
the test, students will be asked
to collect their pledges and
return them to the school by
April 30th. Various prizes will
be awarded to students on
Ecole Hammond Bay – Newsletter
Friday, May 8th in recognition of their
participation. Thank you to PAC for sponsoring
this event. This is an important PAC fundraising
event and we would like to thank all families for
their support.
Assemblies
Please join us on April 28th at 2:00 pm in our
gym for the following Grade 3 class
presentations: Mme. Anneli/Mme.Knight and
M. Mercier.
Concours d’Arts Oratoire
Our Grade 4-7 students worked hard on their
Concours d’art oratoire speeches and
presentations. Congratulations to all the
participants who presented and to those who
continued on to the District competition.
Track and Field
Track and Field practices
have now started in the
students’ PE classes.
Grade 3 to 7 students were
invited to participate in our
School Track and Field Meet
on Monday, April 20th at the
Rotary Bowl.
It was a
beautiful day with all of our students
demonstrating their athletic prowess. Thank you
to all the parents who volunteered. The donation
of your time is greatly appreciated.
Over the next few weeks, students who have
qualified will then continue their training in
preparation for the Zone Meet on Wednesday,
May 27th.
Age Groups for Track and Field are:
Tykes – born in 2005-06
PeeWee – born in 2003-04
Bantam – born in 2001-02
Healthamongus
Upcoming on May 12 - 15 students in
Kindergarten – Grade 3 will participate in the
annual Healthamongus Days event with
Nanaimo Parks and Recreation at Beban Park.
Healthamongus Days is an event with games and
activities to encourage a healthy lifestyle through
activity. This year the activities will be taking
place outside, so remember to dress for any type
of weather!
Class/Team/Whole School Photos
Lifetouch Studios will be here on
Friday, May 29th for class, team
and whole school photos.
Dress Code
As in the past, we
appreciate the fact that our
students come to school
appropriately dressed for
our school activities and the
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weather. Please remember to have a pair of
running shoes for PE at school if you are
planning to wear sandals. Flip Flops are not
appropriate footwear for school. T-shirt logos
must be appropriate and shirts should cover the
midriff and should not be off the shoulders.
Clothing or jewelry that have references to drugs
or alcohol may not be worn to school. Beach
wear: spaghetti strap tops, short shorts,
muscle shirts, open back t-shirts etc. are not
to be worn at school. Students will be asked to
change or school clothing may be offered if
alternative clothing is not available. Casual
school wear is expected to be worn by all
students.
Library News
Students are choosing a variety of books to read
at home and in the classroom. Many will search
our digital library catalogue for a specific book
or author collection. Searching the library with
this tool includes understanding the process of
locating and retrieving information. Grade 3
students begin by learning about subject
categories while grades 4-7 students can apply
this knowledge independently when necessary.
Our library catalogue is available online. The
Destiny program is what runs it. You can find
our school using destiny.sd68.bc.ca and connect
to student link to then scroll down to our school.
Click on catalogue to access database.
Teachers are selecting collections and resources
to use as well. Keeping up with the circulation
demand of fiction and non-fiction materials is
challenging! A gentle reminder that parents are
welcome to come by and take books home to
share with all members of the household. Thank
you parent volunteers, Rachel and Allison, for
making it worthwhile. We need more of you!
BookFest, Vancouver Island Children’s Book
Festival, will take place on Saturday May 2nd
from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM offering sessions
throughout town. Do check the list of presenters
and register by going to www.bookfest.ca as
sessions identify both the author / illustrator and
intended age groups. We are fortunate to have to
two authors coming to our school on April 29th
and 30th. Thank you PAC for making this
possible! Author Vikki Van Sickle will present
to our gr. 5-7 students while author/illustrator
Wallace Edwards will engage our gr.1-3
students.
Do spring into books by choosing from a variety
of genres. It’s refreshing!
Robert Lussier, Teacher-Librarian
Tammy Trickett, Library Assistant
Sports
As we wind up the Sports season, I would like to
take this opportunity to thank all of our parent
coaches, helpers, and teacher sponsors for their
Ecole Hammond Bay – Newsletter
dedication and support in making the SD68’s
Interschool Athletic Activities program 2014-15
such a wonderful opportunity for our students to
participate in.
Congratulations to all the students on their
outstanding athletic performances this year!
Our Basketball teams, PeeWee and Bantam,
boys and girls, enjoyed an action packed, nailbiting season. Congratulations to the Bantam
Boys who placed 2nd, and the Bantam Girls who
placed 3rd in the District League.
Student Lunches
We are getting an increasing number of requests
for snacks and lunches from our students. While
we do have some food to help when students’
forget their lunch or who are still hungry, it is of
a small quantity. Therefore, we would please
ask you to make sure that you send enough food
for your children if possible as our ability to help
is very limited.
Cougar/Bear Safety
In the spring, summer and fall, bear sightings in
the vicinity of schools are fairly common and
occasionally there is a sighting of a cougar. All
sightings should be reported to 1-877-952-7277.
Ask for the conservation officer on duty.
Below are a few basic safety rules with regard to
cougars. More detailed information is available
on the internet at www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/
 Never approach a cougar. Although
cougars will normally avoid a
confrontation,
all
cougars
are
unpredictable. Cougars feeding on a kill
may be dangerous.
 Always give a cougar an avenue of
escape.
 Stay calm. Talk to the cougar in a
confident voice.
 Pick all children up off the ground
immediately. Children frighten easily
and their rapid movements may provoke
an attack.
 Do not run. Try to back away from the
cougar slowly. Sudden movement or
flight may trigger an instinctive attack.
 Do not turn your back on the cougar.
Face the cougar and remain upright.
 Do all you can to enlarge your presence.
Do not crouch down or try to hide. Pickup sticks or branches and wave them
about.
Students walking to and from schools:
 Walk in groups.
 Stick to the roads – do not walk through
bush.
Bike Safety
As summer approaches and the
weather is getting better, here
are a few bike safety rules to
remember:
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Always wear a safety approved bicycle
helmet.
Always ride in view of your parent or
guardian.
Let you parent or guardian check that
your bicycle is in good mechanical shape.
Make sure your bicycle is safe and has
reflectors, lights and a bell.
Look both ways at intersections and
make eye contact with drivers before
proceeding.
Give a warning as you approach
walkers/runners to pass them.
Watch closely for cars leaving driveways.
Ride with traffic.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
April 20-25
Monday April 27
Spell-A-Thon
Book Fest Opens
Monday April 27
Luv2Groove
Dance
Workshops – First Class
@ 9:00 am
Tuesday, April 28
Assembly Div. 7 & 8@
2pm
Wednesday, April Author Vikki Van Sickle
29
Grades 5 - 7 @ 1:30 pm
Thursday, April 30 Author Wallace Edwards
Grades 1 - 3 @ 1:40 pm
Monday May 4
Non-Instructional Day No Students Attend
Wednesday, May 6 Math Olympics AM
Thursday, May 7
Entrepreneur Fair Gr. 6
&7
Monday, May 11
Early Dismissal 1:45
PM
Tuesday, May 12
Healthamoungus, Gr. 3
9:45-12:15 Beban Park
Wednesday, May Healthamongus Gr. 2
13
9:45 – 12:15 Beban Park
Thursday, May 14
Healthamongus Gr. 1
9:45 – 12:15 Beban Park
Friday, May 15
Healthamongus,
Kindergarten, 9:45 –
12:15 Beban Park
Monday, May 18
Victoria Day
Monday, May 25
Early Dismissal 1:45
PM
Wednesday May 27 Zone Track/Field Meet
Friday, May 29
School Picture Day
Wednesday, June Last day of school for
students
24
Thursday, June 25
Non-Instructional Day
Friday, June 26
Administrative Day –
Schools closed.
Ecole Hammond Bay – Newsletter
Community Events:
Get on your bike and ride! You can take part in
Bike to Work Week in lots of different ways.
Register as an individual, a team member, or a
team leader. However you participate, it's good
for you, the community, and the environment!
Individual - Want a fun way to get fit and
healthy and do something positive for our
environment? Register for Bike to Work Week!
You can register as an individual rider now then
join a team--or start a team--later if you like. It's
quick, easy, free and fun to take part.
Check
out
http://www.biketowork.ca/nanaimo/event-info
for event and registration info.
Alcohol Sense Online Resource
The Population and Public Health Division,
along with project partners at Ministry of Justice
and the Centre for Addictions Research BC, have
launched a comprehensive online resource,
Alcohol Sense.
The evidence-based information on Alcohol
Sense helps parents learn about effective
strategies for parent-child discussions tailored to
the varying needs of children, teens and young
adults.
By giving parents the tools they need to talk to
their kids about alcohol, Alcohol Sense prepares
kids to be resilient in the face of negative
influences that can lead to risky behaviours.
As part of Alcohol Sense, nearly 10,000 liquor
licensees will display posters or tent cards
starting in April as part of the Ministry of
Justice’s amendment to the Liquor Control and
Licensing…Act
(http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/
document/ID/freeside/00_96267_01),
which
requires any business holding a license to sell
liquor to display social responsibility messaging
in their premises. These locations include
provincial and private liquor stores, restaurants,
bars and even golf courses.
Ultimately, Alcohol Sense is a multi-year
strategy that supports the Ministry’s strategic
direction and the continuation of delivering
messages that promote a culture of moderation to
all British Columbians.
Please visit www.AlcoholSenseBC.ca to learn
more and share any feedback you might have.
Keep moving, Keep Active Event
Doctors, allied health & community
organizations are
joining together in Nanaimo’s 1st Keep Active
Keep Moving Event
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Nanaimo, BC –Keep Active Keep Moving
inaugural event is taking place Saturday, May 9th
10:00 – 3:00 in Maffeo Sutton Park, 10 Comox
Rd., Nanaimo.
You won’t want to miss this. Preparations are
underway for an exciting family event, "Keep
Moving, Keep Active" led by Nanaimo doctors
who are inviting allied health, social services,
families, friends - the whole community to join
together with one goal in mind - building
towards a healthy Nanaimo. There will be free
interactive sports demonstrations – try your hand
at dragon boating, paddling, bocce ball,
basketball, Tae Kwon Do, gymnastics, Tai Chi,
Pilates - even lawn bowling! A variety of health
and social service organizations will have
information/demonstration booths in the park.
You might even get a free massage.
Join Doctors Derek Poteryko and Kelvin
Houghton at 11:00 a.m. in a Walk With Your Doc
www.walkwithyourdoc.ca, a one hour easy 3K
walk around the park. It’s for people of all ages,
no matter your ability. Then regroup in the park
for the rest of the festivities. See what persona
you'd like to put on at the Division Medical Get
Up Photo Booth. It's never too early to get
that family Christmas shot. We have lots of
props but feel free to embellish with your own.
Raffle tickets will be sold for fantabulous prizes
with all proceeds to the Kids4Kids program.
This unique after school program is a fun way of
providing access to supports and resources that
promote youth health in the broadest sense physical, mental, and social well-being. The
program provides service for grade 6 & 7
students in community schools to reverse the
cycle of poverty and welfare dependence,
improve students quality of life through
experiencing higher self-esteem, having
successes in school, and acquiring the life skills
needed to realize the value of work.
Location:
Maffeo Sutton Park, 10
Comox Road, Nanaimo BC
Date:
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Time:
10:00 – Kiosks and
demonstrations open
11 - 12 Walk With Your Doc Swy-a-lana Lagoon to Nanaimo Yacht
Club and back
12 – 3 Join us back in the park for
the rest of the festivities
Nanaimo
Association
Minor
Hockey
NMHA hosts co-ed recreational and female
recreational teams, as well as competitive teams
for players 5-20 years old. New player
registration will take place in May. Please go to
the Nanaimo Minor Hockey Association website
at: www.hockeynanaimo.com or contact their
office at 250-754-5010 for more information.