Thank you to those members of Team Awesome's families who were able to come for the Meet & Greet last week. The children loved hosting although some had a difficult time when parting. If you were unable to attend we will have other opportunities to invite you into our learning spaces this year.

​​Summer is over and fall has certainly arrived. In fact, it seems as if it arrived when I wasn't looking because wasn't it just too sunny and too hot out there? In Kindergarten, one of our Big Ideas in Science is that daily and seasonal changes affect all living things and therefore we keep a close eye on the weather. In September Team Awesome was surprised we changed the season from summer to fall when it seemed as if it was still summer outside but with all the falling leaves has decided that it is now indeed autumn. To notice all the changes the cooler weather has brought, Team Awesome took a 'Signs of Fall' walk around our school. We began with a review of our senses and which ones we could use to investigate changes fall has brought to the world around us. We smelled the air and leaves and pine cones, we listened closely for autumn sounds and crunched leaves in our hands, we felt the cool wind on our faces and talked briefly about which things we love to eat in the fall (pumpkin pie!). Then we used our sense of sight to search for signs of autumn in our schoolyard and finished up with a discussion of the difference between coniferous and deciduous trees. Throughout our walk we gathered up items Mother Nature had thrown away to make a poster to label and display so we could share our signs of fall with the rest of the school. Now, how will we make a 'Signs of Winter' poster?

​By now we are sure you have heard plenty of garbled stories about the book The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, which we read two Fridays ago. To our surprise there was a note at the end of the book from Chester Raccoon inviting us to find him somewhere in the school. So off we went, following the clues, meeting new people and seeing new places in the school. We were sad not to catch Chester as we were so certain that we would, but he did leave us each a heart for our hand and some apples before returning to the book. Boy, do we wish we could have bottled the energy, excitement and joy generated by this activity (to be imbibed by us at a later date, probably around Xmas). We have since read the book again (hoping we would find another note but alas), and we acted it out with paper Chester puppets we made. We  also learned to sign 'I love you' so if your child has been making punk rocker 'devil' finger signs at you they are actually trying to show you how much you are loved. We love Chester Raccoon!

• An information sheet regarding the Art Starts presentations at BEST for the year went home last week. If you missed it, let us know.
• Thank you for your donations to the Terry Fox Run at BEST.
• The PAC fundraiser The Great Big Deal Coupon Book brochure went home today. Each coupon book is $10 and loaded with great local deals. Return the order form with money and receive your books shortly. All funds raised go back into our school.
• We will begin our library time with Ms. Kipp on Monday. The children will each bring home one book. Please return it before the following Monday.
• The fire drill scheduled for Wednesday Sept. 28 has been moved up to Monday, Sept. 26. 
• Lunch orders for October are due back Tuesday, Sept. 27.
• Thursday, Sept. 29 BEST will recognize Orange Shirt Day. Wearing an orange shirt and promoting the slogan, Every Child Matters, is an affirmation of our commitment to raise awareness of the residential school experience.
• PAC pizza day orders are due back Thursday, Sept. 29 with lunch delivered on Friday, Oct. 7.
• Friday, Sept. 30 is our second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. There will be no school. This day honours children who never returned home, survivors of residential school, as well as families and communities impacted by residential schools.
• Team Awesome will NOT be attending the Adams River salmon run on Oct. 5. It is a bit too soon for a field trip for us but we will be having one towards the end of October. More info and permission forms will be posted closer to the date.
• Some of the Team still need a pair of headphones for our tablets.
• If you haven't returned the 2km Walking permission forms or Rivers Day form please submit them as soon as possible. Thank you.
• Please send a water bottle with your child's name on it in their packs. They will be returned home each day for washing. 
• Please send utensils with your child in their lunch kits. Make sure they are ones you are willing to maybe not get back although we encourage the children to reuse even plastic utensils.
• Please do NOT send toys or items from home to school. These things get lost or broken and cause issues and often crying in our learning spaces.
• If your child is exhibiting illness symptoms of any kind they must be kept home. Thank you. Don't forget to send a box of tissues.

Go forth and call your Bestie!​   

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 month. 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 42nd anniversary of Terry's Marathon of Hope, Bert Edwards Science and Technology School will once again be celebrating Terry Fox, a Canadian hero. Terry Fox activities will occur on Friday, September 23. Activities will commence in our learning space at about 10:30 when we will learn about the Marathon of Hope and we will then move to the gym for an assembly starting at about 11:00. Afterward we will all move outside where most students will participate in running around the whole school grounds although some of the intermediates will be running a longer distance along Schubert Drive. Consider sending your child in a Terry Fox t-shirt, if they have one, or their BEST swag.
We are proudly committed to raising much-needed funds for cancer research. Please consider supporting our efforts for this very worthwhile cause. If you would like to donate, we will be collecting Toonies for Terry so students can bring in a toonie or donation that will be collected by teachers. Thank you in advance.