Actually, I'm not sure if its Rivers Day, River's Day or Rivers' Day so we'll leave that discussion for another time. Rivers Day will consist of a number of stations to take place by the river, hosted by presenters, and each class has signed up to visit four stations. The whole of BEST will be making its way down to the beach off Schubert Dr. for a 10:15 welcome presentation on Friday, Oct. 2. Team Awesome will have had their snack and used the bathroom (although there will be a porti-potty available) before we leave for the beach and will attend two stations before lunch. We will eat our lunches on-site so will take our packs with us, and I have not signed us up for the third station so we can have an extended play period after eating. After attending the final station we will make our way back to the school for the end of the day. Because we will spend the day at the river, please make sure to send a water bottle and dress your child appropriately. We can always take sweaters/hats/mitts off and put them in our packs if needed. Field trips seem to increase the children's appetites with all of the activity so another sandwich or extra snacks in lunches is never a bad idea. If you would like to join us for the day, or part of the day, you are more than welcome. We are aiming to leave the school at approximately 9:45 or you can meet us at the beach. Looking forward to an awesome day!

Mondays will be our library day and the children were very excited for our first visit last week. They met Ms. Kipp, our librarian, and had a look around the library. Ms Kipp showed us how to use our Spot Cards to mark our place when we remove a book from the shelf, she read us Mr. Wiggle's Book, which reminded us how to take care of books and then we chose a book and signed it out on the computer. We will be bringing a new book home every week as long as we have returned the book we borrowed the previous week. If the book becomes lost or damaged, it will have to be paid for before another book can be signed out. We put our books in the special library book bags to keep them neat and clean for the trip back and forth between school and home. We loved going to the library!

I am so thankful that it is a short week for Team Awesome as the days are taking their toll. The children are tired and it is showing in little ways... sometimes big ways. A three day weekend will give them a chance to recuperate as the next two weeks are our first real full weeks, with plenty of activities, and I expect our little peeps to be tuckered by Thanksgiving weekend. Enjoy your extra day with Team Awesome!

• Tomorrow, Friday Sept. 25, is an NI Day so there is no school for the children.
• Don't forget to send library books back for exchange on Monday. Just pop them back into the special library book bag and drop them into the labelled container inside our classroom door.
• Lunch orders went out for October and are due into the office by Sept. 30 at the latest.
• We have begun sharing our Family Projects. Please feel free to send them back as they are finished.
• The BEST PAC has sent home our first fundraiser- coupon books. If you would like to buy one, just keep the one that was sent home with your child and return $10 in the envelope. If you would like more than one, there is an order form inside the envelope. If you do not want any of the coupon books, please return it to the office in the envelope it was sent home in by Friday Oct. 2. Thanking you in advance for your support.
• Next Friday, Oct. 2, is River's Day, which will see the whole school spending all or part of the day down at the river with guest presenters. More info will come next week.
• School supplies fees can be paid at the office.
• Buddy Bags do not usually go home over long weekends (but sometimes I forget and schedule them).
• It is still chilly when we go out for recess so please remember to send sweaters/ coats.
• Lost sweaters/ coats can be found in the Lost & Found bin by the parking lot doors.
• Thank you for donating to the Terry Fox Run. There were some minor glitches and the intermediates will run next week. Unfortunately the TRU Wolf Pack had to cancel for today but Ms. Chernoff did a wonderful job of warming us up.

Go forth and Be Awesome!
PS Click on the pics to make them bigger

As you all know, the Terry Fox Run is a non-competitive event where people get together as individuals, families, and groups to raise money for cancer research in Terry's name. It is a day of celebrating Terry's legacy and helping to keep alive his dream of finding a cure for cancer. BEST, and the other schools in SD 73, participate as well by providing time for students to learn about Terry Fox and participate in a school- sponsored run. Our Terry Fox Run will take place tomorrow, Thursday Sept. 24, in the afternoon. The school will gather in the gym for a short assembly at 1:00ish, which will include a warm-up activity led by some of TRU's Wolf Pack students, before heading outside to run. The intermediate students have a route that takes them to Schubert Dr. while the primaries run around the school grounds, staying inside the fence. If you would like to send a toonie for Terry there will be a labeled donation container in the office, or I can collect it in our classroom. You are also more than welcome to join us for the afternoon if you are able. By participating, you will help share Terry’s example of courage, strength and hope.

My brain is pudding. It's official. You can call me Mrs. Pudding Brain. I felt pulled in a kijillion different directions this week. But Team Awesome did great for their first mostly-full week. There were a few bumps in the road- crashes, outside voices inside, running, melt-downs, tousles over toys- but nothing unexpected and on the whole they did well. And we all survived to come back next week. And I hope that everything was so awesome for them that they all want to come back next week. Cause I'll be here. With my pudding brain.

• Buddy Bags went home for the first time today. Please return them by Monday.
• Monday, Sept. 21 will be our first library day. A book will come home with your child. Please return it by next Monday so they can take out a new one.
• Thursday, Sept. 24 is the Terry Fox Run in the afternoon. Please feel free to join us.
• Friday, Sept. 25 is an NI Day so there will be no school for the children.
• The children are welcome to bring a water bottle with their name on it and leave it on the back counter. We do have a fountain in our room.
• Take Home folders are to be returned every morning please and put in the Home Box.
• I often copy things on papers that were already copied on and discarded so if there is something on the back of your child's paper that seems odd that will be why.
• September sight words will be: I, a, like, the
• We begin sharing next week. On your child's day please try to avoid toys and send them with something interesting.
• Family projects were sent home this week. Please feel free to send them any time they are finished.
• If you could return the Chirp magazine form that went home last week, even if you don't want to subscribe (just check NO and put child's name on it), we earn stickers for our class.
• There are extra notices/ info on the hallway bulletin board by the exit doors- help yourself.
• Feel free to share this site with family members.
  

Go forth and Be Awesome!

Wednesday and Thursday we will be talking about fire drill procedures and practicing what to do as the first of six fire drills will happen at the end of the week. The bells can be loud and might frighten the children but after the first two they are usually much calmer and things go smoother. Obviously, the first priority is to get the children safely out of the building but if they are screaming or upset it is hard for them to listen for directions. Supervising the front of the line, the middle of the line and the back of the line of screaming/crying/hysterical children all by myself, and still managing to get to our spot without losing anyone can be quite a feat. So. Wednesday we practice....and discuss .... and practice some more. Wish me luck.