It never fails to surprise me how empathetic children are. When do we lose some of that? This week we participated in the Terry Fox Run but before that happened, I wanted the children to know what and who they were running for. We watched a short video about Terry Fox but the children had more questions and had missed some of the crucial information I wanted them to know so we watched a longer one. Of course we are all familiar with Terry's story but for Team Awesome it was new. And they were rapt watching him run with one leg and they had so many questions. We discussed his grit and determination and perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity and how we need to be like Terry when faced with something that seems just as difficult as running a marathon every day, whether it is writing our name or zipping up our coat. And they were sad, so sad, that Terry only had one leg and that after everything that happened he got sick and died. And so we ran. And it felt hard. But not as hard as it was for Terry. 

​Team Awesome did well for their first partial week. I am so proud of them! Please give them kudos at home for their good listening ears, helping hands and inside voices. Sometimes applying these concepts immediately is difficult for little peeps but Team Awesome did a great job. We have talked every day about being a team and working together and taking care of our school family just as we would our home family and Team Awesome worked very hard on doing all those things this week. Does that mean we won't revisit those ideas almost daily and need reminders for the rest of the year? Nope. But it is an awesome start to their Kindergarten year.

• Don't forget to send the Take Home folders back each morning and your child will put it in the Home Box on their way in.
• Library books are due back on Thursdays or put it into the Library bin beside the Home Box whenever you are finished.
• School supply fees are due into the office. Thank you.
• If you would like to send a water bottle with your child's name on it to leave on the back counter, you are welcome to. Remember to take them home occasionally to wash, especially after an illness. We do have a fountain in our sink but it is difficult to work.
• Although we are not in cold season yet, it is coming (we have had sniffles already). If you have already sent a box or two of tissues for our classroom, thank you.
• I know I said we would be done signing papers for awhile at your interview but apparently I lied. A Student Verification form came home this week. Please insure all information is correct on the Student Verification form and correct anything that needs fixing and return it to me or to the office. Thank you.
• I sent the 'share' email for the Google photos this week so let me know if you didn't get one. Actually, two- one for the videos and one for the photos. It was difficult to decipher some of the email addresses and I might have made some mistakes. If there were two addresses I sent it to both to be sure you received at least one.
• Scholastic book orders were due today, Friday, Sept. 15. 
• The first Buddy Bags went home today with three children. Please return them on Monday. There are instructions inside the front cover of the journal. Check the calendar for your child's weekend.
• Sharing will begin Monday, Sept. 18. Check the calendar for your child's day. Please refrain from sending toys to share.
• BEST will be hosting a Community Meet & Greet for parents and families the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 20. From 8:35-8:55 parents are welcome to come in with their children, see their classroom/ locker/ desk etc and meet their teacher.
• The September Family Project went home this week and is due Monday, Sept. 25, or whenever you have finished it. Have fun!
• There will be a fire drill on Thursday, Sept. 21 and Friday, Sept. 29. We will be talking about what will happen and practicing what to do so we are prepared. 
• ​Friday, Sept. 22, is an NI day which means there is no school for students.
• School photos are Thursday, Sept. 28.

Go forth and Be Awesome!

​The BEST PAC has sent home our first fundraiser of the year today- coupon books- but I noticed there were no instructions with the envelope, just an order form. If you would like to buy a book of coupons keep the one that was sent home with your child and return $10 in the envelope. If you would like more than one booklet, there is an order form inside the envelope to fill in and return to the office by the due date. The extra books will be delivered to you at a later date. If you do not want any of the coupon books, please return the book sent home today to the office in the envelope it was given in by the due date. If you have any questions, please call the office (250-376-2205). Thanking you in advance for your support of BEST and our students. 

POSTPONED

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 Friday Sept. 15, just before lunch. The school will gather in the gym for a short assembly at 11:15ish, which will include a warm-up activity led by some of BEST's staff, 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 event if you are able. By participating, you will help share Terry’s example of courage, strength and hope. This year, BEST has a goal of raising $300.00 for cancer research which is just over $1.00 per student. Mr.Law has given us a jump on the goal with a personal donation. Let's go BEST!

If you are what is sometimes called a "repeat customer" or if you have been browsing around the site, you will know that I post a Week In Photos every Friday. On average I take between 300 and 500 photos throughout the week. On Friday I must then download, edit and upload the aforementioned photos to this site. All of this takes the whole of my Friday evening and while it is a labour of love, I have to admit that by the time the end of the week rolls around, I am looking forward to some brainless activities that don't involve my job (like most of you, I am sure). So I will no longer be posting the photos on this site but will be inviting you every month to share a new album of all the photos I have taken on Google Photos. There is a maximum of 2000 pictures allowed per album which will necessitate a new one every month or so. I will download them on Friday (or Saturday) for the week and you will be able to peruse them at your leisure and download, save and/or print all of your favourites to your own computer without altering the album in any way. I will continue to add pictures to special events as well as make videos, which will also be shared with you in Google. Don't forget to share your favourites with family!

​A reminder that BEST is a nut aware school as we have students with severe allergic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts in the school. In order to minimize the chances of those students coming into contact with nuts I respectfully ask that you refrain from sending products with nuts in your child's lunch to school. If your child has eaten peanut butter or other nut products before leaving for school please have them wash their hands thoroughly. Although we encourage young children to share, the students in our class will be discouraged from sharing their food, drinks and eating utensils with others in order to provide all children with safe conditions. I realize that helping us to maintain a nut-free classroom takes a certain amount of effort and diligence on your part, and I thank you in advance for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe, healthy environment for all of our students. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or the office at the school.
There are a number of spreads that are similar to peanut butter that are acceptable substitutions. SunButter (made of sunflower seeds), NoNuts Golden Peabutter (made of peas) or WOWBUTTER (made of soy) are all safe alternatives although they do not taste exactly like peanut butter, and can often be found in local supermarkets.