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Character Trait of the Month: Kindness
ADMINISTRATOR’S MESSAGE
Snow has arrived and the Christmas season is upon us. Many Swan Hills School staff and students are readying themselves for the upcoming Christmas concert, and we hope you will all join us for the evening. Basketball season has begun so we will be seeing a great deal of competition during both our home and away games.
In the new school year, Senior High students should have a variety of new CTS course options available to them (2nd semester), and Junior High students should also notice an expansion of what we are able to offer for their option courses. We are looking into additional program supports and educational software for Elementary students that we hope to implement in the new year.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. Stay warm; be safe; and we’ll see you all next year!
APPROPRIATE OUTSIDE CLOTHING
Winter is here and the staff would like to remind all parents to dress their children for the cold weather. The students are outside for breaks throughout the day and need that warm clothing. It is important for elementary students to come with snow pants or waterproof pants. This will prevent your child from having to sit in wet clothing or call you in the middle of the day to bring dry clothing to the school.
COLD WEATHER POLICY
Students will stay inside if the temperatures outside reaches -25 degrees with the wind chill. If there is no wind, students will stay inside if the temperature reaches -25 degrees. The safety of students is our first priority, so we will use our best judgment before sending students outside. Please ensure that your child is dressed properly for the weather.
Our AMA Safety Patrollers follow the same policy as the school for weather conditions.
Our policy states “students will have inside recess if the temperature hits -25 with or without wind chill. Therefore, if the temperature is -15, but the wind chill puts us over -25, students will stay in. If the wind is calm, the temperature must be -25 in order for students to stay inside.”
Therefore, if the weather conditions fall within these criteria, Patrollers ARE NOT expected to be outside. Their safety and the safety of students comes first.
BUSSING
Reminder: if an item does not fit in your child’s backpack it is not permitted on the bus.
Please remind your children to dress for colder weather. In the event that the bus breaks down en route, we will be walking to school. Also, please talk to your children about waiting for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching to get on it. When it is icy, the bus may slide upon final braking and the kids need to be in a safe place off the road.
STUDENTS AFTER SCHOOL
Please be reminded that students who do not have after-school commitments must leave the school or be picked up by 3:45, as there is no supervision after that time. We have had some issues with students found either walking the hallways or being outside alone, and this creates a safety risk for them. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
The Swan Hills School Christmas Concert is Tuesday, December 19, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.
We are very excited to celebrate the Sights and Sounds of Christmas through song and dance performances. This concert will feature traditional, pop, classic and contemporary Christmas songs and dance performances. All students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will be performing in the concert this year, along with the Junior and Senior Hand Bell students. The students have been working on songs in English, German and Spanish/Mexican. They have been very excited.
We encourage students to wear their Christmas best dress for the concert. Any senior or junior handbell performers are encouraged to wear dressy apparel, preferably black and white if this is available.
Students can be dropped off at their classrooms at 6:45 p.m. As well, the gym doors will open at 6:45 p.m. the night of the performance.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school at 780-333-4471.
PHPS SURVEY
PHPS will once again be contacting parents as part of the annual satisfaction survey. Expect a phone call from a district representative during the month of January. This person will ask you a variety of questions ranging from character education to extra-curricular programming and everything in between. This is an opportunity to provide feedback about Swan Hills School and influence the planning process.
TRUSTEE MESSAGE
I have recently had the opportunity to volunteer at the Halloween Howler and to participate in the Remembrance Day ceremony, these events take time and effort to carry out, thank you to all the staff, students volunteers that contribute to these school events. Swan Hills school was one of two schools in the division that saw an increase in enrollment this year excellent news for Swan Hills! New this year our grads will have the opportunity to take the rock the diploma, prep session, this will be offered and supported by the division. I can’t stress enough the importance of your local school council, this is where your voice can really impact your child’s education. These meetings are meant to consult with the parents on upcoming issues or topics, meetings are held the third Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m., I hope to see you there! Please reach out to me at any time with your comments, concerns, and good news stories. Nancy.Keough@phpschools.ab.ca.
