VOYAGEURS ARE
Safe, Respectful &
Do their Personal Best |
Safe, Respectful &
Do their Personal Best |
A HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPALIt has been a most exceptional year and schooling around a pandemic. We have come such a long way from the initial start of the school lock down this past April. As I reminded myself of the many achievements accomplished by our school community this past year, I am truly grateful for the diligent work of our school staff, the steadfast support of our parent community and the resiliency of our students. Together we have kept up with the demands of our circumstances. As a community we have learned to be flexible and adaptable, to work collaboratively on keeping school a safe place, and to support each other in ensuring the children have a positive and successful school experience. As a community we will continue to brave this storm. We can go the distance because together, we are Voyageurs Strong! With but a handful of days to go to a well deserved break, and as 2020 comes to an end, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our ÉSMS families a safe and happy holiday. Merry Christmas & Joyeux Noël! SPREADING CHRISTMAS CHEEROur grade 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 students are hoping to warm hearts and keep the community connected through messages of love and joy during a pandemic Christmas. They’ve been busy creating beautiful Christmas cards for our local senior residents of the Chalet Malouin and friends at Smile Epic. Each individually crafted card contains a special Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays message hand written by the students. When asked how the elders will feel when they receive their cards, students shared many sentiments of love and gratitude. While Aaron is wanting to warm hearts, Larry is looking to make the seniors smile and Kadynce is hoping for their hearts will be filled with joy. The students feel as good about making and delivering their cards as the seniors do who will receive them. As so well said by Rayah, “I feel happy because I am giving joy to other people”. Alexander and friends Cheyenne & Ciara shared that making the cards for the seniors made them feel happy because the people at the chalet are in lockdown and they can’t get out to see family and their not allowed visitors. “Our cards will make them happy” the girls added. Our students have once again shown us that happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. NEW PAPERLESS REPORT CARDS TO BE SENT HOME THIS WEEK Student report cards will be emailed to all families by this Friday December 18th. The report cards will be sent to the email address we have on file. We understand some parents would also like to receive a paper copy; if this is the case for you, please let your classroom teacher know and we will be sure to send one home with your student once the emailed versions have gone out. Please note that any inserts, forms or lists that would normally be included with the report card will either be sent home with your student or posted on the school website. Just a reminder Maternelle and Kindergarten do not receive a formal written report card at this time. The first formal written report will be in March of 2020 for the Kindergarten/Maternelle students. TELL THEM FROM MEStudents in grades 4 to 8 participated last week in the province based Tell Them from Me survey. The survey asks students questions about their school and home life, as well as their feelings about how things are at school. It seeks feedback about how students spend their time both in and out of school hours, for their thoughts on academics and current social school issues (such as bullying), and for their perspective on physical, social, and emotional wellness. The results of the survey are shared with the school division and with the school, with the intention of having student voices impact change to help make the school an even better place for everyone. BEING ME, LIL' Steps to Big ChangesMeet Cindy, Cristabelle and Wilbert. They’re all part of the “Being Me” program happening in our grades ½ and ¾ classes. The program uses the story of “Cindy and Cristabelle's Big Scare” to teach children about anxiety, worry, fear and how to manage these emotions in a healthy way. The fainting goats Cindy and Cristabelle share their story of anxiety on the farm after a coyote comes to pay a visit. Their anxiety that follows prevents them from having fun on the farm and enjoying life as they did before. Wilbert the pig helps by teaching them strategies such as his deep piggy belly breathing, being mindful and sitting like a pig in mud and more! In the Being Me Program, the students each get their own toolkits that come with sensory tools. Brooke commented that “All the tools we have in the kit helps me feel calmer when I’m stressed. I’ll take out the muddy paddy or the squishy Wilbert and I feel better.” Hailey adds that she put her worries in the worry box and then they go away. The animals really make the learning fun and help students make connections to their own experiences. Oliver shared that the program allows him to be able to share his feelings and my though. It’s helped him manage his anxiety. In a time where we have seen anxiety increase for many children due to the pandemic circumstances, the program is making a significant difference in our students' wellbeing. We are very fortunate to be part of the program’s first year piloting year and are grateful to Mme Lucy and her furry companions for this incredible opportunity. We hope one day to be able to visit Cindy, Cristabelle, and Wilbert in person! For more information about online parent resources and online courses such as “Cindy and Cristabelle's Big Scare; An Interactive Approach to Addressing Childhood Anxiety” ( through the Institute of child psychology), please see the Lil' Steps Wellness Farm website at www.lilstepswellnessfarm.net A GRAND SEASON FINALE FOR BUCKET BALL SCRIMMAGEThe grade 5 & 6 students are celebrating the success of their bucket ball season by recognizing great sportsmanship. Caenan Holdnick, River Preteau, Morgan Penner and Nate Hamilton were selected and honoured by their peers for their extraordinary display of sportsmanship. This comes after 5 weeks of bucket ball scrimmage games between 6 competing teams, where following each game, students rallied to select a sportsmanship recognition for a student on the opposing team. What about the four earned them the award from their peers? Nate shares that you can be kind while being competitive. “It’s important to be positive and to encourage others”. Ceanan adds that the importance of sportsmanship is about even when you’re losing it means you’re still nice to the opposing team. And to River being a good sport is saying “good job, nice try, good blocking”. “Whenever my team or the opposite team made a goal I always congratulated them.” Morgan shows her sportsmanship by playing by the rules, including others, and always being kind. For all four students it was an honour to be chosen. Students have not only greatly developed their teamwork abilities and sportsmanship qualities, they’ve been able to practice some physical education skills despite the many COVID restrictions in place. Mr Dan adds that students have learned important life skills such as responsibility as a teammate, being on time, playing by the rules, including everyone regardless of ability level, sharing the workload, being resilient, shaking off missteps and staying in the game, and always, always doing their best. Congratulations to all grade 5 & 6 students for their exceptional team spirit. DONATION REQUEST - GENTLY USED WINTER CLOTHESWith Phys. Ed. classes being outside, in addition to early arrivals at school and three recess times, we are noticing some students are not prepared to be outside for this duration of time. Some of that preparation is based on our students realizing winter has arrived, and that they need to be outside for a good hour or two per day. However, in some cases, our students lack the essential items required to stay warm for an extended period of time outdoors. We are reaching out to our school community! If you have any gently used outdoor clothing that you can donate to the school, we would appreciate it. We are looking for all sizes of winter clothing articles that will assist K-8 students. You can send your items with your child OR you can drop them off at the front office of the school. Just buzz at the entrance and someone will meet you at the door. We thank you in advance for your support in keeping our students safe during our long winter months. Comments are closed.
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