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Attachments:

• Alberta Education: Invest in the Future
• Alberta Health Services: Promote Positive Mental Health with Nutrition

Character Trait of the Month – Tolerance

Willingness to try to understand others’ habits, beliefs or ideas

ADMINISTRATOR’S MESSAGE

Students and staff are all back to school, and winter has decided to give us a little more cold weather to go with the new fallen snow. Many students will be keeping warm through heavy participation during the basketball season that is now underway. Our teams will be playing throughout the district, with several home games during January and February, so come out to watch and support the players in their close competition.

The first semester is quickly coming to a close, and Senior High students are reviewing and studying for the provincial diploma exams they will be writing later this month. We are nearing the half-way point of the school year, and everyone, so far, seems refreshed from their break and ready to move into the second half of the year with great enthusiasm.

In this issue of the newsletter, you will find information about the upcoming Pembina Hills Public School Division and the Alberta Education surveys. Please take the time to provide feedback and guidance to help the district and our school in decision-making to best serve our students. Also, please contact me whenever you have questions or ideas that could help grow engaging programs for our students.

Have a great month, and I hope to see many of you as you visit the school for various activities in the coming weeks.

UPCOMING KEY DATES

• January 10  – Early Dismissal
• January 11 – Taco-in-a-Bag
• January 17 – School Council Meeting
• January 19 – No School
• January 31 – No School

PLEASE NOTE EARLY OUT DISMISSAL TIMES ARE 2:33 p.m.

PHPS SURVEY

In January, Pembina Hills Public Schools’ staff call parents to ask 25 questions about how our school and the school division are doing. The goal is to reach every parent. Please take the time to do the phone survey. Your answers will help us plan for our school and our school division.

When are we calling? Jan. 3 through Jan. 24

Who will be asking the questions? Division staff

How long will it take to do the phone survey?  Between 3 and 6 minutes

Is this confidential?  We do not share respondents’ names; your responses will be anonymous.

What if I’m not home when you call?  We will leave a call-back number: 780.674.8531

For more information contact Debbie Westman, PHPS, at 780.674.8531.

BATTERIES

The school is still collecting large unwanted dead batteries (car batteries, etc.). Money raised from the donations will be spent on enhancing our CTS programs (woodworking, etc.). Batteries can be dropped off at the small shed behind the school or contact Kent Hooey.

STAY UP TO DATE

Families and the community can stay informed of all that goes on at the school by visiting our website: www.swanhillsschool.ca. Check out our daily announcements and news feed, to which you can subscribe to receive notifications of updates via email. View the calendar, photo galleries, and activity schedules, including athletics. Download lunch order forms, student handbooks, and supplies lists. Get contact information for teachers, information about volunteering at the school, and so much more. P.A.W.S., School Council, and Grizzly Cubs all have a presence on our site as well. Check it out!

COLD WEATHER POLICY

Students will stay inside if the temperatures outside reaches -25°C with the wind chill. If there is no wind, students will stay inside if the temperature reaches up to -25°C 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.

AMA Safety Patrol at the School: Patrollers follow the same policy as the school does for weather conditions.

Our policy states that “students will have inside recess if the temperature hits -25 with or without windchill. Therefore, if the temperature is -15, but the windchill 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 this criteria, Patrollers ARE NOT expected to be outside. Their safety and the safety of students comes first.

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Alberta Education’s Accountability Pillar: Information for Parents

As an annual check-up on the education system, the Accountability Pillar provides an opportunity for Alberta Education and school authorities to ensure that we are equipping students for success.

The Accountability Pillar uses a set of 16 indicators. Data on these indicators consists of surveys of students, parents and teachers on various aspects of education quality, student outcomes such as dropout and high school completion rates, and provincial assessments of student learning.

From January to the end of February, Alberta Education will be conducting the annual Accountability Pillar Survey.

• In January, parents of students in grades 4, 7 and 10, will receive a survey from Alberta Education.
• In February, students in grades 4, 7 and 10, and all teachers will be completing their surveys online at school.

All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with your school.  In addition to English and French, the parent survey is available in Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic, Blackfoot, Dene, Cree, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Urdu.

Your participation in the survey helps provide important information on the quality of education your child is receiving, so we encourage you to return your survey promptly.

Survey results will be available to school authorities in May 2018, and will be reported publicly as part of their 3-Year Education Plans and Annual Education Results Reports.

For more information see: About the Pillar