Principal’s Message - Fall has arrived, bringing with it lots of rain and

possible snow! Please remember to have your child dress for the cool weather.

Gloves, mitts, toques and warm coats will soon be a must. It is important that students be

well-dressed in order to enjoy their outside recess.

It was with great pleasure that we met parents, grandparents, and students’ siblings at the Open

House. Thank you to our School Community Council members who provided a great hot dog

supper for us to enjoy. We had a good turn-out, but would like to have more. Do you have ideas

to make it even better next year?

I encourage you to do daily checks of your child(ren)’s agenda and or classroom blog (usually

the senior students). Homework for the evening will be noted as well as important upcoming

events. The agenda is also a great way to communicate with your child’s teacher(s). Creating a

routine for homework will help to make this time less challenging. MOST times, homework will

only consist of reading or doing math facts, unless the child was unable to complete the daily

work within class time.

Please go visit our school website from www.knoll.gssd.ca, as all our school activities and

important dates are listed on the calendar.

It is my pleasure to welcome new families to M.C. Knoll. Besides our new

Kindergarten students, we had an additional sixteen families join us!

Please remember, our doors are always welcome for parents to talk with

us.

I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Please take the time to enjoy the family

and friends around you, and where possible, welcome new people to

share our bountiful lives.

M.C. Knoll School Newsletter Tamara Hall - Principal Phil Adams - Vice-Principal

tamara.hall@gssd.ca phil.adams@gssd.ca

Issue #2

October, 2016

306-786-5540

Learning Improvement Goals - Each year, as a school community, we set learning targets. This year, our goals focus on:

1. Fitness goal - We’re aiming for 90% of our students to meet the fitness outcome found in the Saskatchewan curriculum. Endurance, stamina and a raised heart rate for a sustained time is healthy for us all!

2. Math goal - We will be working on basic facts, and once mastered, using them to problem solve. You need to have an automatic response to simple math facts before finding easy success with more challenging math concepts.

3. Writing goal - In alignment with the provincial standards, we are working toward having all of our students communicating through written work at or above grade level.

If you have not yet paid your child’s school, supply and band fees they are as follows:

Kindergarten School & Supply Fees $ 20.00

Grade 1, 2 and 3 School and Supply Fees $ 30.00

Grade 4 and 5 school Fees $ 10.00

Grade 5 band fees $ 37.00

Gr. 6, 7 and 8 band fees $ 75.00

Terry Fox National School Walk

On September 27, our school walked the perimeter of the school grounds in support of Terry Fox. M.C. Knoll had a goal to raise $2,500 for the Terry Fox Foundation. In total, the students raised $3394.90! Way to go! We can each help fight in the battle against cancer!

Just over 60 runners in Grades 3 to 8

were members of the 2016 M.C. Knoll

Knights’ Cross Country team. All of the runners participated

in 3 meets so far this season: Cherrydale Run for Peace, Deer

Park Meet, and Saltcoats Autumn Summit Meet. There were

19 Knights that qualified for the final District Meet on

October 6 at Cherrydale.

Congratulations to all of the runners on the

cross-country team. The runners definitely

developed healthy lifestyle habits. The coaches,

Mr. Schendel and Mrs. Erhardt, and the rest of

M.C. Knoll, are very proud of the runners!

Hearing vs. Listening (Adapted From: “Is There A Difference Between Hearing and Listening?” by Becky L. Spivey, M.Ed.)

The words “hearing” and “listening” are often used interchangeably, but how do these acts differ? Hearing is a sense, whereas listening is a learned skill. Hearing involves the perception of the sound. Listening requires a person to hear the message, understand, and respond to it.

Listening is as important in the ability to communicate as speaking clearly. A child with poor listening skills may misunderstand the message being spoken to them, creating frustration for both the person they are communicating with and the child. Parents may think their child is ignoring them, not paying attention or being silly, but these behaviours may indicate receptive language difficulties (understanding messages received).

What can parents do? Model good listening skills for your child. When your child speaks, be interested and attentive. Make sure you have your child’s attention before giving instructions. Limit the distractions in your environment. Keep directions short and simple and in the order they need to be completed. Ask your child to repeat the steps they need to complete.

Canteen

Milk and chocolate milk are sold to everyone every school day. Gr. 7s & 8s buy from canteen, but M.C.

Knoll’s Grade 6s sell beverages on a cart to our younger students (K-5). Milk/Choc. Milk - $0.75

The schedule for selling food items to our younger students is as follows:

KA, Grade 1 Day 1 Grade 4 Day 4

KB, Grade 2 Day 2 Grade 5 Day 5

Grade 3 Day 3 Grade 6/7/8 All Days

The canteen sells a variety of product including some for snacks and others for lunches. Prices usually

range from $0.50 to $3.00. The product does change depending on availability, but often includes: soup,

KD, chili, granola bars, juice boxes, crackers and more. We are trying to stay with healthy foods and so are

avoiding pop, energy drinks, chips or other less healthy choices.

FCC Drive Away Hunger

In recognition of World Food Day, our school has decided to participate in the FCC Drive Away Hunger program by collecting donations of food for the local foods banks. We would like you to send food items to school with your child starting today and going until Wednesday, October 12. FCC will be picking up food items on the morning of October 12. For more information on this program, please visit www.fccdriveawayhunger.ca. Items most needed are pasta, rice and sauces, canned meats, fish, packaged nuts, peanut butter, canned goods (beans, soups, stews), fresh, canned and powdered milk, canned fruit and vegetables, flour, whole grain cereals, infant formula and baby food. Please give generously!

Thank you for your support! All participating schools will be entered to win up to $500.

Mr. Adams’ Amazing Math Update: We are very excited this year to be continuing our focus on basic computation and math facts as a school. Our school Learning Improvement Plan goal extends from grade 1-8 and includes students mastering grade appropriate basic facts. We believe that a mastery of these facts can help students become more confident when exploring complex math problems and equations. There are several ways that parents can support this learning at home. One program that has been successful for students and families is Xtramath. Xtramath is a daily program which has the student practice for about 10 minutes. Student are screened at the beginning and are then asked to target the fact questions which they struggled with. As a parent, you can log-in and change your child’s program to better reflect their goals (i.e. focus on division). Also, you can track their progress weekly.

Check-out: www.xtramth.org to sign your child up today! We look forward to seeing an improvement in this area and appreciate your support.

For primary students, our staff is using the “Power of Ten” program to help students develop strategies to quickly and accurately perform basic calculations. Do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher to access this program which you can then practice at home. Check-out: http://poweroften.ca/ for more information on this innovative program.

Our Goal: By June 2017, 90% of M.C. Knoll students will reach a level 3 on their grade-appropriate computation outcomes.

Expectation Reminder

Our Grade 7s & 8s are using technology in a positive way in the classroom. We have chrome books, iPads, and we even use cell phones! Students are allowed to have their cell phones as a working tool during designated times. The rest of the time, the phone must be in the storage basket OR in their locker. Students are allowed to check for texts before and after school AND for the first few minutes of the noon hour. Please remind your children to follow these guidelines. If there is a family

emergency during school time, please phone the office. Thanks!

Out of School Day Camps

We offer day camps on all school in-service days and break weeks during the 2016-2017 school year!

The days will run from 8am to 5 pm, with 7:45 am supervised drop off. The day camps will focus on keeping children and youth active, busy and engaged, through themed recreation, arts and crafts, physical activity, games, nutrition and fun activities!

Location: Jordan’s Place - 54A Smith Street West, Yorkton

Cost: $25 per day, includes a lunch and two snacks.

Please speak with Erin about sibling discounts. Spots are limited so register ASAP! Please call Erin or Justin at 306-783-2582 to register or with any questions. Payment is due in full one week prior to the day camp. Payment can be made with cash or cheque. (A NSF fee of $30 will be charged on any dishonoured cheques.)

Canadian Tire Jumpstart is dedicated to removing barriers, so children can

participate in organized sport and recreation. We see it as equipping kids for life,

because participation in organized sport and recreation increases a child’s chance

for success in life. They discover and participate. They gain self-confidence. They

develop self-esteem. They learn leadership skills. Their lives become richer. This is the power of Canadian Tire

Jumpstart.

Canadian Tire Jumpstart is a national charitable program that helps financially disadvantaged kids participate

in organized sport and recreation. It will help cover registration, equipment and/or transportation costs up to

$300.00 per child that qualifies for sponsorship.

Contact the local partners Big Brothers Big Sisters of Yorkton and Area Inc. at 782-3471, or Boys and Girls

Club at 783-2582 to find out more.

ECDAA Officials Needed! East Central District Athletic Association is responsible for the coordinating of Junior High and High School Athletics for students of the Good Spirit and Christ the Teacher School Divisions. We are looking for people interested in officiating the sports of volleyball, basketball and football. Officiating is a fantastic way to help our student athletes, make money and become involved in sport. If you have experience or are interested in learning how to officiate these sports please contact:

Cary Franklin - ECDAA Officials Commissioner Preeceville School 547 3148

cary.franklin@gssd.ca

Visit our webpage at www.knoll.gssd.ca. We have calendars, staff lists, and lots of information. Many of our teachers have blogs to keep you updated on class happenings. Check it out!

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, October 5 K-3 Thanksgiving Feast, parents are welcome

Monday, October 10 Thanksgiving Day, NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, October 11 School - Based PD Day, NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Wednesday, October 12 FCC Drive Away Hunger Pickup

Friday, October 14 Bake Sale (Grade 8 students to supply baking)

Wednesday, October 19 Picture Retake Day

Monday, October 31 Halloween parade in gym at 1:00 Parents are welcome to attend.

All community members are invited to attend the M.C. KNOLL SCHOOL

School Community Council Annual General Meeting scheduled for:

Mark your calendar to attend and find out all of the great things happening in our school!

Learning Without Limits…Achievement For All

M.C. Knoll School Library 7:00 p.m.

Monday, November 7, 2016