News & Notes
Volume 13, No. 4
October 5, 2017
Vision Health
October is Children’s Vision Month and we encourage all parents to help their children to see their full potential.
One in four children has a vision problem that can interfere with learning and development. Unfortunately, vision problems often go undetected. The consequence is that children wonder why they can’t keep up when the truth is, they can’t see well. The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends that children have a comprehensive eye exam between the ages of 6 and 9 months. Preschool children should undergo at least one eye examination between the ages of 2 and 5 years and school age children (6 to 19 years) should undergo an eye examination annually. For more information or to find an optometrist near you, visit doctorsofoptometry.ca.
School Photographs
Photographers from Lifetouch will be here on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, October 10-11, 2017. Our schedule for photography is as follows:
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 – kindergarten, grades one and two; and,
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 – grades three and four.
Relational Bullying
Bullying, especially among girls, is often cloaked in hurtful gestures, words and statements instead of pushing and shoving. It is both subtle and insidious and sometimes appears as excluding others, spreading rumours, and name calling – all of which are often missed by adults. We can combat this by teaching our youth how to be kind, thoughtful, and caring as described in the article located at:
https://www.verywell.com/ways-to-prevent-relational-aggression-girls-460671
Please take some time to read this article and have a conversation with your children about how they handle situations like this.
Fire Prevention Education
Some members of the Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s Fire Department will be here on October 11, 2018 to do presentations to our learners in grades two and four about fire safety. On your behalf, we extend our thanks and appreciation to the fire department for taking their valuable time to share this important information with our young learners.
School Council Election
We thank the following candidates who have offered themselves for election to our School Council.
Todd Churchill lives with his wife Kimberly and two sons, Hunter (8) and Carter (6), both of whom currently attend Beachy Cove Elementary. He is a registered professional engineer with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Masters of Applied Science in Environmental Engineering. Consistent with the ideals of his profession, Mr. Churchill believes in employing my professional skills to help strengthen his community through advocacy on social issues and through active fundraising and support of local children’s charities.
Calvin Hollett works as a project manager in a consulting engineering firm. He has two boys who are his world; one is seven and in grade two at Beachy Cove and the second is a little over one year old. Mr. Hollett is engaged in all aspects of his children’s lives especially when it comes to learning and education. He volunteered as a coach for the Portugal Cove-St. Philips minor soccer program in 2016 and he can be found at any activities in which his children are involved. He is a hardworking, dedicated individual who is not afraid to express opinions while respecting thecomments and opinions of others, allowing for meaningful debate and discussion to take place.
Fran Vokey is a parent of two children in grade one at L’école élémentaire Beachy Cove Elementary. She has volunteered at the Learning Commons at Beachy Cove once a week since September 2016; she enjoys the time with the students and staff and she is grateful for the opportunity to contribute. She also volunteers at the YMCA where she teaches Yoga, Pilates and other fitness classes. Her education background is in arts and business. Before becoming a stay at home parent (or as she likes to call it, the home organizer) she worked at the Alumni Affairs Department at Memorial University as the Annual Fund Development Officer. In that role, she communicated with alumni, current students, and managed the annual fund-raising campaign. Her family appreciates BCE’s cultivation of community engagement and parent involvement and she welcomes the opportunity to participate in the school council at BCE.
Dean Kearney holds undergraduate degrees in Arts, Education, and a graduate degree in education. An educator with fifteen years of experience, he is the proud father of a kindergarten student. He has served on school councils as teacher representative at various schools in rural and urban Newfoundland. And, after completing the necessary training, Mr. Kearney will be a leader with our PCSP Beavers.
Susan Keough has two children at Beachy Cove, one in grade one and one in grade four. Susan stopped working outside the home after her oldest child was born almost nine years ago. Prior to that, she worked at DFO in Media Relations for eight years. She really values being a part of the school community and interacting with the teachers, staff and students. She enjoys her time volunteering in the school library. She has also had the opportunity to co-coach several students in the metro league soccer. Her favorite part is getting to know the children and seeing how they support each other. She is also a volunteer with Team Broken Earth, an amazing organization founded by members of our Beachy Cove school community. Susan would really enjoy becoming more involved in our school and helping where she can and she is thankful for the opportunity.
The election will occur on October 11, 2017 from 8:10am-8:10pm.
Hallowe’en
Before we know it, we will be head and ears into Hallowe’en festivities in our school and in our community. Our classes will hold Hallowe’en parties during the last hour of the day on Tuesday, October 31, 2018. As you and your child(ren) plan costumes and such, please remember that costumes and costume props (i.e., axes, guns, etc.) of a violent nature are not permitted.
While we appreciate the many kind gestures like treat bags, loot bags, cakes, and cupcakes that come our way on Hallowe’en, experience has taught us to say, “No, thanks!”. If you wish, you can provide a snack for your own child(ren); however, we cannot accept containers of cakes, cupcakes, loot bags or other treats for the whole class due to the number and types of allergies we have in our school. And, because of the sheer number of items we have seen in the past, we have found ourselves spending our afternoons distributing treats and contending with the massive cleanup that ensues.
Thank you for your cooperation in adhering to these expectations.
Beachy Cove Mascot
At Beachy Cove Elementary we are very excited to announce the arrival of our school mascot. Over next few days our mascot will be visiting your child’s classroom. During that visit your child will be informed that our mascot does not have a name and that we are running a Name the Mascot contest. Our mascot is a puma and will be making special visits to classrooms and participating in many school activities throughout the year. We would like for you to chat with your child and brainstorm possible ideas for the mascot name. If you and your child decide on a name, can you please write the mascot name, your child’s name and teachers name on a piece of paper and return it to your child’s classroom teacher by October 13th. Thanks for helping us build school spirit!
Climate Change
Our grade four learners were delighted to host Jessica Madden from the Conservation Corps of Newfoundland and Labrador this week to learn about climate change in our world. Our learners were very engaged in this presentation and asked some very thoughtful questions.
Remembrance Day Assembly
Our annual Remembrance Day assembly is scheduled for Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 1:30pm. This year’s assembly will be hosted by our grade four learners and they warmly welcome family members to attend.
Parking Lot Volunteers
We are looking for a few volunteers to assist us on our parking lot during the morning drop-off. We’re looking for adults to open up car doors for parents to facilitate efficient drop-offs in our “kiss n’ ride” lane. If you have a few minutes to spare on weekday mornings, please let us know and we will get you set up to assist; even those who can do this for a morning or two a week would be warmly welcomed.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Thank you so much for your kind and generous donations to our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. The response has been simply overwhelming and through your generosity, many families in our area will have food on their tables. The Community Food Sharing Association will be at the school tomorrow to collect the many, many boxes of food we have collected.
Allergies
We have many learners with life threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. Consequently, peanuts, tree nuts, and products containing them, including peanut butter, are banned schoolwide.
You should also be aware that soy butter products which have been formulated to have the same consistency and taste as peanut butter is also banned. This is to avoid any potential for confusion and mistakes in consumption by our learners with allergies.
Another of our young learners has a life-threatening allergy to sesame seeds; however, while we don’t have a ban on sesame seeds and products containing them, we strongly encourage our families to bear this in mind when shopping for and packing lunches and snacks for school.
We have another learner who has a life-threatening allergy to kiwi fruit; however, it is not an airborne allergen. Consequently, kiwi fruit, like sesame seeds and products that contain them, are not banned but we encourage caution when packing them.
Finally, cooked eggs (i.e., boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, fired eggs, poached eggs, egg salad sandwiches or in any other stand-alone form) are also banned.
All of the families affected by these allergens extend their thanks and appreciation to our entire school community for adhering to these expectations.
Our school, and many of our teachers, have active Twitter accounts. We use this to communicate short bursts of timely information. Our main school account (@beachycoveelem) has 2014 followers which means that this system works well.
If you don’t have an account, you are encouraged you to get one and follow us so that you can stay informed.
Late Students
We extend a big “Thumbs up!” to all of our learners and their families who arrive at school on time for the beginning of our instructional day. Ensuring that we are at our desks, ready and organized for learning by 8:30am each morning is really an important life lesson that is reflective of promptness and respect for others as no one is interrupted by late arrivals.
Recycling Blitzes
We accept recyclable beverage containers at our recycling shed every Tuesday morning during morning arrival. Thank you so much for your anticipated support and cooperation.
If you are interested in volunteering with us on our parking lot from 8:10am-8:30am each morning, please let us know as soon as possible.
Upcoming Events
Please note the following dates for various events scheduled for this year. We reserve the right to change these dates with advance notice to you.
Professional Development Day (no school) – Friday, October 6, 2017;
Thanksgiving Holiday – Monday, October 9, 2017
District close-out (no school) – Wednesday, October 18, 2017;
Remembrance Day Assembly (grade four) – Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 1:30pm;
Remembrance Day Holiday (no school) – Friday, November 10, 2017;
Remembrance Day Holiday (no school) – Monday, November 13, 2017 (yes, both days);
Term I Progress Reports Released – Monday, November 27, 2017;
Term I Parent-Teacher Interviews – Thursday, November 30, 2017 (closing at 11:00am);
Professional Development Day (no school) – Friday, December 1, 2018
Grade 3/4 Christmas Concert – Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 1:00pm;
School Closes for Christmas – Friday, December 22, 2017 at 12:30pm;
School Re-Opens following Christmas Break – Monday, January 8, 2018 at 8:30am;
KinderStart Parent Orientation – Tuesday, January 10, 2018 at 3:30pm;
Grade Four Immunizations – Thursday/Friday, January 11-12, 2018;
KinderStart # 1 (no school for K) – Friday, January 26, 2018;
Professional Development Day (no school) – Friday, February 9, 2018
Mid-Winter Break (no school) – Friday, February 16, 2018;
Mid-Winter Break (no school) – Monday, February 19, 2018 (yes, both days);
Education Week – February 18-24, 2018;
Skating Sessions (details to follow) – February 20-23, 2018;
KinderStart # 2 (no school for K) – Friday, February 23, 2018;
Term II Progress Reports Released – Monday, March 19, 2018;
Term II Parent-Teacher Interviews – Thursday, March 22, 2018 (closing at 11:00am);
KinderStart # 3 (no school for K) – Friday, March 23, 2018;
School Closes for Easter Vacation – Thursday, March 29, 2018 at 2:40pm;
School Re-Opens following Easter Break – Monday, April 9, 2018 at 8:30am;
Earth Day Assembly (grade three) – Friday, April 20, 2018 at 1:30pm;
KinderStart # 4 (no school for K) – Friday, April 27, 2018;
Art Day (details to follow) – Friday, April 27, 2018;
Spring Concert for grades 1/2 – Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at 1:00pm;
Kindergarten Spring Concert – Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 1:00pm;
Professional Development Day (no school) – Friday, May 18, 2018
Victoria Day (no school) – Monday, May 21, 2018;
KinderStart # 5 (no school for K) – Friday, May 25, 2018;
School Leaving Ceremony for Grade Four – Friday, June 1, 2018 at 1:00pm;
K-2 Sports Day – Tuesday, June 19, 2018;
3-4 Sports Day – Thursday, June 21, 2018;
Alternate Day for K-2 Sports Day – Friday, June 22, 2018
Alternate Day for 3-4 Sports Day – Monday, June 25, 2018;
School Closes for the Year – Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 12:30pm.
A respectful community of leaders and learners.
Une communauté de modèles et d’apprenants qui se respectent.