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We will be inviting you via email to share an album of all the photos we have taken of the children on Google Photos every month. Keeping them sorted by month makes it easier when searching for a specific picture. Once we have downloaded them 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. We will continue to add pictures of 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!
 In previous years we have always had adults come into our rooms at the end of the day to gather their child and belongings. It allowed us to touch bases with parents, learn a bit about the family lives of our children, make sure each child was leaving with the proper adult and say good-bye to everyone in a relaxed manner. It was a lovely way to end the day. Our new end-of-day procedure is much less relaxed right now. The students are becoming more independent each day and so having them get ready on their own will get easier but we are missing the casual interactions with their families and getting to know them better. We are also finding that not knowing for certain the children are leaving with the adult they are supposed to be with slightly anxiety-inducing. In the mad mass rush out the door we are having to trust that they are going home with the proper adult. So you have to promise us- no matter how adorable they are (and they are pretty cute!)- you won't spontaneously decide to pick up a few extra dozen children at the end of the day.
In a world that seems to have gone slightly crazy, this seems even more important. And not just for the children but for ourselves as well.
This week 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 excited/scared/crying children with only two of us (and sometimes one!), and still managing to get to our spot on the field without losing anyone can be quite a feat. So. We practice....and discuss .... and practice some more. Wish us luck.
 In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Terry's Marathon of Hope, our school is participating in the Terry Fox Activities. We are proudly committed to raising much-needed funds for cancer research. Please consider supporting our efforts for this very worthwhile cause.
Bert Edwards Science and Technology School will once again be celebrating Terry Fox, a Canadian hero. We will be doing things a little bit differently this year. Terry Fox activities will be on Friday, September 25 in the afternoon. Our Terry Fox activities will commence in classrooms at 1:00. Weather permitting, we are then hoping to continue activities outside starting at about 1:40. Outside, students will participate in a variety of fitness activities that will be done in 40 second intervals. These activities will be done in a ‘distanced’ manner. It will be great to see the whole school outside. Consider sending your child in a Terry Fox t-shirt, if they have one, or their BEST swag. There are two ways to donate. We will be collecting Toonies for Terry so students can bring in a toonie or donation that will be collected beginning Monday, September 21. You may also donate on-line. http://www.terryfox.ca/BertEdwardsElementary |
