Berwick & District School

BERWICK & DISTRICT SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER

May 2014

Please remember that Berwick & District promotes a scent aware and peanut aware school.

twitter@BerwickSchool

SCHOOL NEWS:

Early Dismissals/No School:

Principals Message: May is here and we are still freezing! This month brings longer days and lots of events. Please check the calendar because there are a number of changes from the one that went out at the beginning of the school year. There is great temptation to stop concentrating on school when the days are longer and a new round of extra-curricular activities start. I would ask that parents/guardians help us by encouraging your children to stay engaged in their studies up until the end of June. Also, please ensure that if your child is going to be missing any school at all, they speak to their teacher, in advance if possible and be diligent in addressing what was missed. With the large volume of storm days teachers are very focused on providing learning opportunities for the outcomes to each subject. Working hard together means that your child/children will have a solid foundation for next year.

Our first speaker, Dr. Deb Day, of our Speaker Series was a tremendous success. She was informative, entertaining and had a strong message that we all need to hear and put into action. Thanks to Mrs. Dickie and her committee for putting this event together.

A special thank you goes out to Bluewave Energy for donating our DARE shirts that will be given to our Grade 5 participants on May 13th at the DARE closing. Constable Jeff Wilson has been leading the DARE program this year and we are very appreciative of his time, expertise and caring.

Update from the Student Leadership Council: Boy it’s been a busy month for our Student Leadership Council as the months are ticking by! So many things have been going on it’s hard to keep our heads wrapped around things! These are some of the things that have been going on in our school in the past little while:

·  Intramurals! What a huge hit! Tuesdays and Thursdays (as you already know) are the days that anyone can participate in intramurals. Anyone can show up to play the sport being played that day or if you want you can just sit and watch your team give their best effort. We have students refereeing the games and making sure all goes well during the games. Keep up the great fun!

·  Beach day was one of our spirit days that we have just had in our school. It was a great success! It was great to see everybody wearing their sunglasses, towels, hula skirts, etc. (Great job planning committee!) Later that day we had a grades 5-8 dance. From what I heard it was a great time. People did group dances (Y.M.C.A., Cha-Cha Slide), easy to “move” songs, and even a limbo competition! The house that got the most points for this dance was the Red Team however the Green Team is still in the lead! Thanks for showing the great school spirit Stingers! Remember that the House that wins with the most points in June gets a special trip – might be swimming, might be Upper Clements Park… who knows. Keep participating and have fun on your way to earning points toward this trip! Also, the class(es) with the most Spirit Awards will win a class party – maybe pizza, maybe ice cream, not sure yet? J

Please continue to keep listening to the morning announcements to keep posted about our upcoming events in our school.

Thank you for being such great students and making this a productive and successful month!

Yours Truly,

Luke Folker Grade 7 Class Representative

Healthy Schools Update: Our Committee has fulfilled some pretty big goals - the Activity Buckets have been distributed to all classes Grades 4 to 8. Students are going to be trained to run the air compressor so that they can independently maintain the equipment. Our Wellness Room is almost ready for Yoga - our staff class starts on May 12th and the student class starts May 14th. Permission forms will be available soon. This 4 week, once per week class will be a sampler of Yoga and Zumba and will help us evaluate the room and what we need for the fall. Teachers will get tips on how to teach students to relax and offer activities for mindfulness. You will hear and see more about this as we move through spring and early in the fall.

Our Speaker Series event on Resiliency was a success! We had 30ish very keen attendees, a great presenter, awesome snacks/beverages, resources to take home and amazing student leaders greeting and babysitting. Absolutely fantastic feedback - get set for the next event which will take place in the fall - topic is "Social Media and Kids"!

Thanks so much to all of the helpers that make these events and initiatives possible. We had generous support from Tim Hortons, Foodland, Union Street Cafe and New Minas Walmart. Those partnerships are so encouraging and make such a difference in our school.

PTSA: This month’s meeting will take place on May 20th at 6:00 pm in the Family Studies Room.

Garden Club: Now that Spring has arrived our Garden Club will meet every Tuesday from May 6th through to June 17th from 3:00-3:45 pm.

Band News:

·  Gr. 7 Band will be attending the Music Festival in Halifax on May 1st.

·  Final Boston Trip meeting is May 5th at 6:00 pm; please remember to bring all of your completed forms.

·  Our Grade 8 band students will be travelling to Boston, USA from May 14th to May 18th, 2014.

·  The Band’s Cold Plate luncheon will be held on May 29th.

·  Spring Band Concert at 6:30 pm on June 12th

Congratulations to both the Grade 5 Band and the Grade 6 Band for bringing home GOLD medals from the Annapolis Valley Music Festival. Way to go band members and Mr. Foley! A special thank-you to Fraser’s Pro Home Centre in Berwick for sponsoring a BBQ in support of the band on April 27th. We made over $500.00 and really appreciate this opportunity. Thank you as well to the volunteers and community members who came out to support the band.

Grade 8’s Orientation at West Kings is scheduled for Monday, May 12th.

Primary Orientation: Our new Primary Students will be attending on May 9th for Primary Orientation. Students in Gregan/Bishop class will remain at home on May 9th.

Moving: We are in the process of projecting numbers for next year. If you know that you will be moving over the summer and that your child/children will not be attending Berwick and District School next year, please let the office know by calling 538-4720. As well, if you know of families planning to move into our area over the summer please let us know.

Terry Fox: We recently received a letter from Rolly Fox, Terry’s Father, thanking our school for the contributions we have raised in memory of Terry over the years. In the last paragraph of the letter he said that Terry would be so proud to witness Canadians like the wonderful community at Berwick & District Elementary who bring great honour to the work of The Terry Fox Foundation. I wish I could meet every one of you, to shake your hand and personally thank you for the difference you make in the lives of so many. Terry made me a proud father – you make me a very proud Canadian.

Reminder to Parents Students who walk or who are transported in private vehicles should not be arriving until 8:20 a.m. There is no outside supervision for students.

COMMUNITY NOTICES:

Items in this section announce activities in which students or their family members are likely to participate. These are activities, which the school does not sponsor nor necessarily encourage – they are here for your information only.

The Town of Berwick Recreation is excited to offer a Spring Tennis Program this year!! For more information contact Carol Boylan-Hartling at 538-8616, Registration for Spring Tennis will take place at The Berwick Tennis Courts on Monday and Tuesday, May 5 and 6 from 6 to 8 pm. Instructors will be available for any questions.

Fun Fair and Show 'n Shine: Friday, May 23, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Cambridge Elementary School (Hwy 1, Cambridge) invites friends to attend its community fun fair. Children's games, fish pond, raffles, BBQ, Sundae the Clown and more. Also: 2nd annual show 'n shine: vintage and new autos, motorcycles and more all welcome. Free registration, paved parking, prizes for show entrants. Evening hosted by Cambridge Home & School, with all funds raised supporting school programs and services. For info: Sara, 538-9191 or .

Adult Education – Kings County Adult High School is hosting an OPEN HOUSE on Wednesday, May 7 from 2-5 pm at 34 Highbury Road in New Minas (behind the Cineplex Theatre). If you do not have a high school diploma, or need to upgrade to continue your education, we can help. Drop in to the Open House, or call us at 681-4928. Registration is open for the fall session.

The Berwick and District Nursery School is now accepting registration of 3, 4 and 5 year olds for the 2014-2015 school year. There is a formal registration day set for Thursday, May 1 from 1:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon and from 6:30 to 8:00 in the evening but you can call 538-9680 anytime for information or to register your child.

Pine Ridge Middle School Concert Band and Home and School Association invite you to a Dessert Tea and Ticket Auction on Saturday, May 3rd from 2:00-4:00 pm in the school cafeteria. Admission is $5.00; featuring a plate of delicious homemade desserts, musical entertainment, and exciting auction items to be won.

The Kings Chorale Children's Chorus will be holding an open rehearsal for any students in grades 2 to 8 interested in joining an auditioned children's choir for this September on Thursday, May 22nd from 3:45 to 5:15 at the Kingston United Church. There are 15 spaces available for September 2014 and we would love to have new voices to join our 45 person choir! Please contact the conductor, Shannon Young at or 824-0358 for more information or to arrange attendance at the rehearsal or to book an audition time.

Annapolis County Cricket Club is bringing the game of cricket to Kings County in 2013. On May 3rd, 10th and 24th from 1:00-5:00 pm, interactive demonstration seminars will be held at the Waterville Recreation Club (2015 Maple Street in Waterville). Men, women and children of all ages and abilities are invited. Email

Annapolis Valley Health is offering a Helping Anxious Children Course for Spring 2014. It will be offered on Mondays, 11:00am-1:00pm, May 5, 12, 26 & June 2, and 9. Location is at Child & Youth Mental Health, 15 Chipman Drive, Kentville. It is a 5 week course for parents/caregivers of children with anxiety. Topics include: What is anxiety?, Encouraging courage, Relaxation, The importance of thoughts, Facing fears and Rewarding efforts and success.

Parents/Caregivers will be provided with education, mutual support, and assistance. Caregivers will be provided with handouts of material covered for use throughout the course and for reference once the course is finished. For whom: Parents of children diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or a child who struggles to manage anxiety; Parents who struggle with their own anxiety that may or may not be getting in the way of helping a child with anxiety and Parents looking for education, support and assistance . Please let us know if you would like to attend but transportation is an issue. There is no fee to participate. For more information, call 679-2873.

We are thrilled to be presenting the full stage production of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables one of the most beloved and longest-running musicals of all time. It is gearing up to be an impressive event with incredibly gifted actors, beautiful display of period costumes; creative set designs and hundreds of hours of dedication from the cast and volunteers. This event will be held at the Festival Theatre Wolfville from May 15-18th; Performance times are Thursday to Sunday at 7:00 pm, with a Saturday matinee at 1:30 pm. General admission is $20.00. Tickets are available at the Box of Delights or Acadia Box Office in Wolfville 542-5500 or 1-800-542-8425, Designer Cafe in Kentville, M & M Meats in New Minas, St. Joseph’s Church Office and Alliance Dental Coldbrook

Valley Athletics club will be offering a Run, Jump, Throw program beginning May 5th until the end of August. This program is designed to allow children from ages 5-16 to learn aspects of the sport of track and field. Ages 5-8 will concentrate on fun and fundamentals of movement then ages 9-12 will be in the learning to train stage, this is a process oriented group that will get to learn the basics of running, jumping and throwing. Our oldest group is for ages 13-16, this is a focus on improving performance in agility, balance, coordination, speed and stamina. Please contact for more information.

Kings Physiotherapy is hoping to promote activity in a youth with our "Get Caught" Campaign during Physiotherapy month in May. Here is how it works. Fill out a ballot and tell us what you would be "caught" doing to stay active. Ballots can be found in the newspaper, at our clinic in New Minas and at our website http://www.kingsphysio.com/. Sport Chek has donated a prize of 300.00 dollars of sports equipmentfor the school of the child who wins and Pita Pit will donate a healthy pita party for that child's class. A big thank you to our co-sponsors. Drop your ballots at Kings Physiotherapy clinic or mail them to 28 Kentucky Court, New Minas B4N 4N2.

Parenting concerns and questions? Not sure which way to turn on your “ parenting journey?” Talking through our parenting experiences with another adult can help to clarify our hopes and desires and decide which path to take to achieve these goals. Parenting Journey is a valuable new resource piloted by the Child and Youth strategy to help parents to do just that. The aim of “Parenting Journey” is not to “treat” the family but to enhance parenting skills and reinforce existing strengths. We recognize that all parents want to be good parents and we aim to assist parents in achieving this goal without fear of discrimination or judgment. There is no cost involved. Please contact Christine at Valley Child Development, 678-6111 for further information.