811 Grandin Drive, Morinville, AB T8R 1L7 PH: 780-939-3593 FAX: 780-939-3576 www.ghp.gsacrd.ab.ca/

School Learning Team

Principal – Mr. Allan Menduk Vice-Principal – Mr. Sleight Anstruther Vice Principal – Mrs. Nadine Trenchard

Learning Support Facilitator – Mrs. Jodi Ostafichuk School Counselor – Mrs. Tracy Delhez

Pedagogy Lead – Mrs. Nicole Baker

“A League of Our Own……”

Message f rom Adminis trat ion September has come and gone and we have a great deal of thanks to give to our students, parents, and staff for a great start to the school year. In the month of September, we held our annual meet the staff dinner. We were very pleased to have approximately 200 people join us. We had a fantastic turn out and we want to thank all of the parents and students who took the time out of their busy schedules to spend the evening with us. As we approach Thanksgiving, there is much to be thankful for. We want to thank our parent volunteers who came out to assist with the Terry Fox Run. We are also very pleased to have a number of parents who have offered to be volunteers in our school as part of the volunteer forms that went out in September. We continue to encourage parents to volunteer in our school. In the month of October, we continue to look forward to working with our students, parents, and community stakeholders to build our culture of excellence in learning. If you have any questions or concerns surrounding the programming for your child, please feel free to contact the school. Student Union Ticket Packs All books and monies must be returned by Friday, October 16th. As a reminder, the funds are used to bring in our guest speakers and will support our school-wide year-end field trip.

Parent Counci l Meet ings Wednesday, October 14th @ 6:30 p.m. All parents are welcome to our meetings, which are held on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the library. Terry Fox Run We are very pleased to announce that we donated money to The Terry Fox Cancer Foundation. The money was raised during our Annual Terry Fox Run. We are very proud of all the effort displayed by our students. Many students ran a personal best. Students and faculty participated in the run, and continued with some team-building activities within their Homeroom classes. Regis trat ion Fees Parents, please be advised that registration fees for your child for the 2015/16 school year should have been paid by Sept. 30th, 2015. If you have not paid your child’s fees, please contact the office at 780-939-3593 for further information. Thank you. Parent Teacher Interv i ews Wednesday & Thursday, October 21st & 22nd from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. To book your Interviews go to www.schoolbookings.net Event Code: Y3QBS The website will open at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 8th

October 2015 Remember to call in your child's absences. Thanksgiving Celebration Thursday, Oct. 8th @ 11:00 a.m. Assembly Schedule Picture Re-Take Day Thursday, Oct. 8th (Morning) No Classes Friday Friday, October 9th ATA Institute Day for Faculty No Classes Monday Monday, October 12th

Thanksgiving Day Band Parents Meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13th @ 6:15 p.m. in the Library Parent Council Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14th@ 6:30pm Parent Teacher Interviews Wednesday & Thursday, October 21st & 22nd from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Faculty Meeting Oct. 23rd Early Dismissal @11:36 a.m. We Day Tuesday, October 27th Halloween Carnival Friday, Oct. 30th Dress Up

Thanksgiv ing Celebrat ion & Food Bank Drive Thanksgiving Food Bank Collection As an act of mercy for the hungry in our community, G.H. Primeau students will be invited to collect items needed by our local food bank. The food bank especially needs items families pack in lunches for their children:

Juice boxes Granola bars Cans of fruit Canned meat and fish Peanut butter Cheez Whiz Jars of Jam

Pork and Beans and canned tomatoes are also needed items. Items will be collected throughout October.

Me to We group heading to We Day! 15 students and two adults will be heading off to We Day in Calgary on October 27. All students interested in attending We Day must complete a project promoting a social justice issue they would like to see us tackle this school year. All projects will be presented during the week of October 5. Creativity and thoughtfulness required! We will pray with thankful hearts for all of our blessings at our Thanksgiving Celebration on Thursday, October 8th at 11:00 a.m. You are welcome to join us in this celebration. The Great GHP Halloween Carnival in i t s 21st Year ! Once again GHP will be hosting our annual Halloween Carnival on Friday, October 30th as a service project. An invitation has gone out to the students from Notre Dame School. Our student’s will be setting up and working in a variety of booths for students to take part in. This year we will be giving prizes out at individual booths. To assist the ‘Me to We – We Scare Away Hunger Campaign,’ we are asking students to bring a food bank donation on this day. Allergy Aler t : With Halloween around the corner and birthday parties being a special time for children, we want to inform parents that we do have a number of students in our school that have severe tree nut and peanut allergies. This can be a difficult time for the food-allergic children. If you would like to send in baked goods, please be careful about the ingredients. Please list the ingredients on the outside of the package and when preparing “treats” please pay close attention to cross contamination in your kitchen. There are a number of Halloween treats that can be purchased at the supermarket that are certified ‘nut free’ or ‘peanut free’ that are available at no additional costs should you wish to send Halloween treats with your child on October 30th. It would be especially helpful if you could let you child’s teacher know a few days ahead of when you’d like to celebrate your child’s birthday or Halloween, so that the food-allergic child can provide his/her own safe treat. As with birthday and holiday parties, we must be extremely careful about the ingredients in all of the food items. Please do not enclose candy or other treats with holiday/birthday cards.

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You may pay by e check, credit card, or deposit money to your e wallet. Go to the following website for instructions. Parents please register! Here’s how: Step 1: Go to this website: https://gsacrd.schoolcashonline.com Step 2: Register by selecting the “Get Started Now” and follow the steps Step 3: After you receive the confirmation email, please select the ‘click here’ option, sign in and add each of your children to your household account. Not only is this a Convenient/Safe/ Secure way to pay fees. You will also receive Email Notifications letting you know that there are items to be purchased. To verify that you have accepted email notifications, select the “My Account” tab, click on the “Manage Email Notifications” option. Click on the option to activate the email notification, and then select the CHANGE button to save your information. Notification Only: To receive NOTIFICATIONS and REMINDERS of a new item you MUST select the box by the following: If you are already registered and are NOT receiving the emails, you simply need to go into “My Account” and click on ‘Change Email Notifications’ and select the box. If you choose not to pay on line Please Register to receive Notifications and Reminders

Halloween at School : Halloween is an exciting time of the school year for students where they have the opportunity to dress up as their favorite heroes, fantasy characters, or professionals in our community. There are a wide variety of costumes that are available for purchase. For the most part, they are suitable for middle schools in terms of theme and ‘coverage.’ All costumes need to be respectful of their bodies and display a sense of modesty and positive messaging with slogans and images. With this said, • Make up that creates the illusion of excessive gore. • Student clothing is to cover undergarments. • Costumes are not to contain offensive or suggestive

slogans/phrases, promote or be related to the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs.

We will continue with last years request that all costume props (e.g. swords, brooms, toy guns, etc.) be left at home. Too frequently, these items are misplaced or are inappropriately used within a school context. For safety reasons, please speak to your child/ren about refraining from wearing masks that limit visibility to and from school. Any student who wears a costume that is not appropriate for a school setting will be asked to remove it. If they arrive to school wearing it, parents will be contacted to come pick up their child(ren). Junior Boys and Gir ls Vol leybal l 2015 * Once again we are running 4 volleyball teams. Two A-teams and two B-teams. Thank you to all who tried out. We are also hosting an open developmental day on Friday after school for all students wanting to practice and improve skills moving forward. *A special thanks to our coaches for time and energy put in to running tryouts, practices, games and tournament weekends; Mr. Hay (team A boys), Mrs. Boucher (team A girls), Mr. Hrebien (team B boys) and Miss Schuster (team B girls). *Please check school calendar for games and tournament schedule. All after school games are for developmental purpose and court time. Games start as soon as the other school teams arrive at GHP (roughly 3:30pm) and will generally last 1hr. Please see the player packages for any further information or contact one of the coaches. *We would also like to thanks all students showing their Primeau Pride and helping with score keeping. Go Coyotes! Counse l lor ' s Corner New Students to Morinvi l l e New Student's Pizza Lunch was a huge success! Once again welcome to our new families. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's transition at GHP please

contact Tracy Delhez, School Counselor @ tdelhez@gsacrd.ab.ca

GHP will be having a weekly support group for our students who have experienced a family loss due to death or divorce. The group will be an opportunity to share on the outside what is happening on the inside. The group will follow the RAINBOWS (Making Things Better) program, geared towards ages 10 to 14. Georges H. Primeau is a licensed site offering this program. For further information on Rainbows, please go to www.rainbows.ca. The support group will meet for 8 weeks, once a week. This program will begin in November. No Fri l l s – Hot Lunch Program Donat ion: A big thank-you to Tracey & Chris Mansbridge & No Frills for their wonderful support of all our schools and of our students in need.... we deeply appreciate it. Our school will receive approximately $800 of their donation. This will purchase approximately 250 lunches for students at GHP.

(L - R) Notre Dame School: Assistant Principal-Lisa Kleparchuk & Principal-Raymonde Roulston, Tracey & Chris Mansbridge of No Frills, Morinville Public School: Principal-Wayne Rufiange, MCHS: Assistant Principal-Wade Michael, G.H. Primeau: Principal-Allan Menduk.

Growing Up Gir l ! ! ! My name is Cortney Lohnes, and I am the Education Facilitator for the SAIF Society. I visit schools in and around the St. Albert and Morinville area delivering prevention workshops and presentations. I have been invited by Tracy Delhez to facilitate a weekly girls workshop series called Growing Up Girl beginning this October

on Wednesday's. These workshops will focus on establishing a positive body image and self-esteem, and on effective communication, personal boundaries, and healthy relationships with others. The goal of this workshop group is to increase awareness of these issues, and also to give the participants a chance to creatively and collaboratively explore topics of interest in a fun and safe environment. Having the opportunity to engage with this material in a small group will enable the participants to use their new skills in school with the peers, and at home with their families and in the larger community. If you have any questions concerning these workshops or would like your daughter to participate, please contact Tracy Delhez at the school.

GHP is excited to begin working again with Big Brothers Big Sisters in school mentoring program! For information on becoming an adult Big Brother or Sister volunteer (only one hour a week, during school hours) please contact Mrs. Delhez, school counselor, tdelhez@gsacrd.ab.ca

IN SCHOOL Mentor ing Studies show that mentoring helps kids stay in school, avoid risky behavior such as bullying, and grow up having more respect for family, peers and community. Helping children reach their full potential can lead to positive community outcomes like a reduction in poverty and unemployment, safer schools and neighborhoods, and a new generation of civic-minded adults. In School Mentoring The In School Mentoring program provides girls and boys with a role model and a friend to talk to and share the experiences of growing up with, within school grounds. For one hour a week, mentors meet with their mentee and engage in activities such as board games, crafts or just hang out in the playground. The In School Mentoring program requires a weekly visit of 1 hour for the duration of the school year. Matches do not meet over the summer break or during other school holidays. The program strives to do the following: * provide a role model and a friend for girls and boys. * promote the importance of staying in school and

healthy relationships with family and peers. * instill trust and self-confidence in order to make

healthy decisions. * encourage leadership skills and independent thinking. * and above all, make a difference while having fun. In-School Mentoring Makes a Big Difference * 90% of mentors saw a positive change in the child

they were mentoring* * 88% of students showed improved literacy skills* * 64% had developed higher levels of self-esteem We Love Our Volunteers – So please…. Remember if you are wishing to volunteer with students you need to obtain an RCMP Security check and Child Welfare Check. A letter was sent home so there will be no charge for these checks. We are required to ensure that all parents have these documents if they plan to supervise our dances or other school events. We appreciate you taking the time to complete this process. Cheer l eading Tryouts for grade 6-8 Cheer are Monday, September 28th at Primeau and Friday 3:15p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Notre Dame Elementary. Once the team is made, practices will be on Monday's 3:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at Primeau and Wednesdays 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. at Primeau. In the event that Primeau's gym is booked for other activities, the cheer team will practice at Notre Dame at the same times. Cafeter ia :

Cafeteria Cards: Parents and guardians now have the opportunity to

purchase cafeteria cards in denominations of $10.00 and $20.00 for their child/ren. * Cards will be handed out in the Office * Student will put their name on them. In the event it

goes missing and is turned into the office, there may be an opportunity to reunite the card to the rightful owner.

* Student will sign that they received them * If bought on line the Student must bring in the

School Cash Receipt to receive their card * Please be aware that the school is NOT responsible

for lost cards they will not be replaced. Students are encouraged to treat these cards as if they are cash

* These cards may only be used for cafeteria purchases and not for kapow pops or other sales in the school.

Pro fess ional Deve lopment Day During the morning, we first reviewed our School Results for our school Learning Plan. The results of faculty discussions will be brought to our October School Council Meeting for discussion and follow up as our anticipated school goals and strategies for implementation. Please contact either one of us if you have any concerns or comments, we look forward to hearing from you. Allan Menduk Nadine Trenchard Sleight Anstruther Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal

Bussing – Arrivals and Departures : To ensure the safety of our students, we are asking parents for their cooperation and assistance in maintaining a safe pick up and drop off area in proximity to the school. Please take a few minutes to reinforce these expectation with your child(ren). There are 12 busses and over 430 students and faculty that are entering and exiting the school at these times and we want to minimize as much traffic as we can. To assist us with ensuring the safety of each of our students at the beginning and end of each day, we are requesting that parents and guardians do not enter the school parking lot to drop off and/or pick children in the morning and afternoon. The parking lot is reserved for faculty and visitors. Please be aware of the bus zones right in front of the school. These zones are located directly in front of the school and to the North of our building. We are asking parents and guardians not to stop or park in these areas during the bus drop-off and pick-up times. Please be aware of the two crosswalks in proximity of the school and school zone speeds. If parents are dropping off/picking up students, please ensure to park legally and do not block driveways or crosswalks. As a school, we want to ensure that we are maintaining positive relations with nearby residents to the school. We have had the Morinville by-law enforcement and RCMP present in the month of September. An invitation has been extended to the RCMP continue having a presence and to enforce traffic laws around our school over the course of the school year. We have had:

• A number of students exiting from vehicles into the driving lanes of the road and not the sidewalk side. As you are parking on the street, request that your children exit on the passenger side and not the driver side. For safety reasons, we are asking students not to exit vehicles in the driving lanes.

• Parking facing on-coming traffic. • Backing up into crosswalks • Entering and exiting the main parking lot. • Making u-turns • Failing to yield to pedestrians

Please take a few moments to review traffic safety with your child over the next few days to reinforce student expectations. Some key safety items include:

• Cross the streets in the cross walks. • Before crossing the street, make sure to look both

ways. Only step on to the street when vehicles have stopped.

• Students are to wait for their busses on the grass area. They are not to approach the bus until it has come to a complete stop.

• Students are not permitted to ride bikes, scooters, or skateboards while on school property. They must walk them until they leave the premises.

• If students are having to cross the street at their bus stops, they must cross in front of the bus so that:

o Their bus driver is able to signal to them that it is safe to cross.

o That on coming-traffic can see them. Lost and Found: Are your children missing any personal belongings? If so, please come down and have a look at our lost and found or encourage your child to have a look. As in previous years, all electronics, jewelry, and glasses are kept in the office. We presently have a number of electronic devices and jewelry items that have not been claimed. Microwaves : We want to remind parents that we have a limited number of microwaves in our school. We want to remind parents that microwaves are to be used to heat up/cook main-course lunch food only. Due to the cooking time requirements, we will discourage the use of our microwaves for the popping of popcorn. Emergency Lunches : We have several students who are coming down to the office to request a bag lunch. In most instances, the students have either forgotten their lunch at home or our older students did not take the time to make one. Whenever a student has forgotten a lunch, it has been our practice to contact parents to inform them that they do not have a lunch and if it is all right to provide food. The parent makes the decision to allow their child to receive a lunch or not. If a parent provides consent to the school to distribute a lunch, please advise at the time of the call of any food allergies your child may have.

Any child who requires a lunch due to financial hardship are not affected by this policy. After School Arrangements : We are receiving a number of requests from parents to speak to their child/ren regarding afterschool arrangements or students wishing to contact their parents to make plans after school. This is presently creating a number of concerns for students, parents, and our faculty:

• Students are only permitted to make phone calls from the one phone inside the office otherwise, all our phone lines are tied up as in the past– No other calls can come in or go out.

o Our front office faculty members are busy attempting to locate students prior to the end of the day and pass on messages, where they are struggling to get these messages to the student. We do not page over the intercom during classes in order to minimize disruptions.

o We are concerned that students may miss busses as they wait to speak with their parents.

At this time, we are requesting that parents and students make after-school arrangements prior to the beginning of the day.

We recognize that there will be instances where there are emergencies, where plans change. These are the exception as opposed to the norm. Goal Set t ing : Student goal setting is a process where the student with the support of their teacher and parents, students generate their goal(s). The emphasis is on the development of skills, not the acquisition of knowledge. The basis for the goals is based on a student’s self-assessment of one’s skills and abilities with the input of teacher (and parent) observations. There will be the opportunity to discuss these goals at our Parent-Teacher Interviews later this month. Once the goal is created, instructional strategies are selected that will be most effective in helping students attain the goal – Differentiated instruction. Then, upon implementation, these instructional strategies are implemented and monitored for effectiveness. The strategies are refined or revised, as necessary, based upon student performance and progress. At the end of the course or year, the student in conjunction with the teacher and parent/guardian assesses whether the goal has been achieved. Research also has documented a strong, positive correlation between setting student achievement goals and student achievement. Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, drew the following two generalizations from the research on setting student achievement goals: � Instructional goals narrow a student's focus. This

means that while students generally score higher on the instruction related to the specific academic goals, they likely would score lower (about eight percentile points) on information that is incidental to the goals, but still covered in the class.

� Students should be encouraged to personalize the teacher’s goals. Once classroom academic goals are set, students should be encouraged to customize them to fit their personal needs.

Research indicates a strong, positive correlation exists between targeted goals and student performance on standardized tests. � For instance, students whose teachers developed high-

quality student achievement goals showed more than a year’s worth of gains on independent state standardized assessments and national assessment.

� Similarly, when student achievement goals were created, a strong correlation between the formulation of student achievement goals and student achievement was found.

I t i s c ruc ia l that your ch i ld a t t ends the parent - t ea cher in t e rv i ews on e i ther October 21st or 22nd. Two Household Famil i es and Information Sharing : We recognize that some of our students live in two-household families. It is important for that students living in two-households establish family routines that set up children for success in school. School districts assume joint custody, unless the school where your child(ren) attend is provided with a court order restricting legal custody of a parent. Schools can assist during times of transition in maintaining a stable environment for children and youth. Please let your child and his/her teacher know about your child’s living arrangement. If co-parents share information about schedules, extra-extracurricular activities, assessments, and parent-teacher conferences, students are better positioned for success. In addition, school learning teams are best able to celebrate student progress and work in partnership with parents to address concerns when custodial parents communicate with each other about their children’s education. Faith News: G. H. Primeau celebrated its first celebration for the whole school community on September 11. "Gathering Our Flock" was the theme of the Celebration, and our GHP flock is being asked to extend its blessings to the community by collecting items for the Morinville Foodbank. Specifically, we are asking to fill their need for jam, ham and other canned meat (salmon, tuna, chicken, etc.) Donations can be dropped off at the school or sent with your child. Our Thanksgiving Celebration will take place on October 10 at 10:00. The community is welcome to attend. Our grade 5 classes participated in a fantastic faith filled Welcome Back Rally with Criss Cross Ministries in September. The gym was alive when the grade 5 classes sang, played games and watched skits that encouraged them to see each other in the likeness of God. Students were reminded God made them 100% GOOD and that it is our responsibility to see that in each other! Doug Kramer and his ministry team will be visiting classes throughout the year to inspire faith and love in our students. The Primeau Me to We group will be collecting food bank items instead of Halloween candy as part of the We Scare Hunger campaign. Look for us on Halloween Night. Your generosity is appreciated. On Sunday November 1st at 11:00 Ecole Georges H. Primeau Middle School is hosting a Mass at St. Jean Baptiste Parish. We would like to invite all of our families to this annual celebration of Catholic Education in our community.

Inc l ement Weather : The District believes that, schools should remain open during inclement weather; however, it recognizes that weather conditions may result in school closures, early dismissals and/or adjustments in regular bus schedules. However, in extreme weather conditions, the final decision to send a child to school or to the bus rests with the parents even though buses and schools may be operating. Parents shall ensure that their children who are passengers on a school bus or who are walking to school are properly dressed in accordance with prevailing or potential weather conditions. For all students accessing transportation services, parents/guardians will be advised of the status of transportation operations and school closures via one or more of the following methods: automated phone notification system, radio, television, and/or website messaging. In each instance, these announcements will be made the preceding evening or between 6:00 a.m and 7:00 a.m. on the same day that bus services are to be suspended. The decision to operate the busses is made by the Secretary Treasurer from our District Office. Announcements of any cancellations will be broadcast on the following radio and television stations: · AM Radio Channels: 630, 740, 790, 880, 1260 · FM Radio Channels: 91.7, 92.5, 96.3, 97.3, 100.3,103.9, 104.9 · Television Stations: Global, CityTV, CTV It is recommended to parents that two or more broadcasts be heard to ensure accuracy. During the winter months, it is very important that parents make advanced and adequate provisions for their child(ren) in the event that weather or mechanical difficulties may:

• Force suspension of regular bus service. • Cause early dismissal of students. • Result in a bus being more than ten (10) minutes late

for a scheduled stop. As a school community, we are working on an internal protocol to explore how the ‘school day looks’ for students who are attending school during poor weather. Storage o f Winter Boots As a reminder to our returning families and information for our new families, at Ecole Georges H. Primeau Middle School we have a different way of storing boots. We do not use the boot room areas to store footwear. Due to the congestion in the boot rooms, we want to alleviate the problem of footwear going missing/being moved, resulting in students missing their busses.

To address this, we have the following arrangements: Grade 5 and 6: Mats have been purchased for all of the classrooms. Students can store their boots in their homeroom. Grade 7 and 8: Since far fewer students at this age level bring winter boots, students can request an additional locker from the office with a partner (2 students per locker). School Counci l – Searching Nominat ions for Execut ives : At École Georges H. Primeau Middle School, we have truly been blessed by the hard work that our School Council and Friends of Primeau that had occurred. Their input and support have been instrumental in the work that we have done within our school community. This year’s executive is:

Chair – Tracy Strand Vice Chair – Charmaine Enns Treasurer – Jackie Luker Secretary – Lindsay Richardson Grade Level Reps: Grade 5 – Kathy Santrock Grade 6 – vacant Grade 7 – Dolly Bolen/Jennifer McRae-Roddis Grade 8 – vacant

We are inviting any interested parents to serve as our school’s grade 6 and grade 8 parent reps. Our next School Council is October 14th, 2015 at 6:30 pm in the school library. A School Council consists of parents/guardians, teachers, school administration, student and other community members, where the majority of the council members be parents and guardians of students registered in the school. In Alberta, all publically funded schools are required to have a School Council. Our School Council meets once a month (typically the second Wednesday of the month except for December and June where there are no meetings), where we will be setting a limit of a maximum of 1.5 hours. At École Georges H. Primeau Middle School, our School Council plays an integral role in the development of school policy and supporting the future directions of the school by sharing their input with school administration. We are proud that the direction that our school has undertaken last year and this year is a result of the important contributions made by our School Council – we would not have seen the success we have seen in the last year without their input and support.

Bul ly ing Concerns : If you have any concerns about bullying and your child, please report this to your child’s teacher or administration as soon as possible. The sooner we are aware, the faster we can take steps to address this. Too frequently, a school finds out about these matters

after the issue has been present for weeks or even months after the initial transgression. Robust Devices As we continue to develop our use of robust devices in our school, a free 60 day trial has been offered by Pearson for our students. After the trial is complete, interested parents may continue at their cost. See the information below. Hello! We have a 60 day trial (until Nov 21) of Pearson's eTexts textbooks. They have our Voices in Democracy (Gr 6 SS) as well as our Math Makes Sense textbooks. There are also numerous other etexts available.

To access this trial, you must create a Pearson account. Once you create an account and enter the access code below, you only need to sign in to access the resources. You are welcome to share the access code with students. 1. Go to www.pearsoncanada.ca/pearsonetext 2. Click "Login/Register" button 3. On the next page, click "Register." 4. Click "I Accept" on the License page 5. Follow the instructions for setting up an account (create a username and password) 6. When prompted, use this access code: TUBERT-PRINK-RADIC-CANNA-HIJAZ-CAKES 7. Complete the rest of the registration process. 8. When complete, go to the same URL as above, and login using your username/password. 9. The first time you open any given eText, you will be asked to create a Course Title. This step can be skipped by clicking "Create Course Later." Any feedback on the use of this resource is appreciated!! PowerSchool Updates: Parents have the opportunity to automatically receive updates for their child’s progress and attendance through PowerSchool. However, parents have the manually make that request (at this time, the school cannot set it up on their behalf). To configure the parent account for PowerSchool to receive these regular updates, the parent must:

1. Login to PowerSchool 2. Under the Navigation Menu, select Grades and Attendance.

3. Select Email Notification

4. Complete the form as desired:

Gallup Student Pol l Our school & district will participate once again in the Gallup Student Poll. We will use the data from the student Gallup Poll as a measure in determining our success in achieving the goals outlined in our Three Year Education Plan. By taking this important step, we are joining thousands of others in helping to measure the hope, engagement, and well-being of our students. The web-based survey will take place during the month of October and will include all grade 8 students. Families will receive full details by email.

GHP Attendance Number: (780) 939-3593

October 2015Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3Canadian Achievement Exams

Day B Day A 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Picture Re-Take Day (AM)

Thanksgiving Celebration at 11:00 a.m.

Assembly Schedule

No ClassesATA Institue Day

Day B Day A Day B Day A11 12 13 14 15 16 17

No ClassesThanksgiving Day

Morinville Band Parents Association Meeting @ 6:15 p.m. in the Library

Parent Council Meeting @ 6:30 p.m. in Library

Day B Day A Day B Day A 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Parent Teacher Interviews5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Parent Teacher Interviews5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Early Dismissal - 11:36Staff Meeting Day

Day B Day A Day B Day A Day B

25 26 27 28 29 30 31We Day A Team Lunch Activities A Team Lunch Activities GHP Annual Penny Carnival

A Volleyball Teams Tournament in Spruce Grove2:30 p.m. Departure

A Volleyball Teams Tournament in Spruce Grove

Day A Day B Day A Day B Day A

No body is perfect St. Albert Family Working Group

Did you know?

About 6-8% of kids are

affected by a food allergy.

20% of children are following

some type of restricted diet.

Blue, purple and deep-red

fruits and vegetables keep the

heart healthy and the brain

functioning.

100% fruit juices should be

limited to ½ cup per day

because of the sugar content.

Children should have 5-7 cups

of water per day.

All babies and children from

birth to 18 years need a 400IU

vitamin D supplement

everyday.

Seniors are at greater risk of

dehydration because our

ability to feel thirst declines

as we age.

Canada's food guide

recommends that adults

participate in at least 2 1/2

hours of moderate to vigorous

physical activity each week.

Families who have meals

together tend to eat healthier

& enjoy their food more.

Family meal time is also a

chance for parents to model

healthy eating behaviours to

their children.

For more information check out:

www.health.alberta.ca/heath-info/growing-healthy.html

www.healthyalberta.com/NutritionGuidelines-Sept2012.pdf

www.healthyalberta.com/recipes.htm

www.greatist.com/health/surprising-healthy-microwave-recipes

www.stalbertcv.com

www.sapl.ca

#10, 50 Bellerose Dr

St. Albert AB T8N 3L5

eneilson@stalbert.ca

Body image is the way we see and feel about our body. A healthy

body image happens when we feel comfortable with ourselves

and the way we look. Having a healthy body image is important

because it impacts our self-esteem and overall well-being.

Healthy eating helps us look good and feel good both inside and

out, and when we feel good about ourselves it boosts our

self-esteem and improves our body image.

Healthy eating is a key to having a healthy body image.

Nutritional requirements in children are high because of

growth demands at their age.

Children are very physically active and therefore need good

nutrition.

Healthy food supports the best physical, cognitive, and social

growth and development.

Poor nutrition can lead to…

obesity

cardiovascular disease

diabetes

and other aliments.

Evidence says that peoples’ diets may improve if they are taught

how to make fast and healthy meals.

Some snack ideas for on the go…

Fresh fruit

Yogurt

Fruit cup

Raw veggies and dip

Wheat crackers and cheese

Fruit smoothie: made with milk, yogurt, and berries

Crunchie snack mix: dried cereal, popcorn, crackers, prezels

Chewy snack mix: dried fruit, raisins, with nuts/seeds

Please email feedback on this newsletter to stalbertfwg@gmail.com

It Takes a Village - Parent ConferenceA day of workshops to support parents.

October 17th 2015École Parc Élémentaire9607 Sherridon DriveFort Saskatchewan

***Lunch is provided. Childcare is available.

For more information and to register go to www.familiesfirstsociety.ca/conference

It Takes a Village - Parent Conference

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Session 1 (9:30 am – 10:30 am) Goodbye Mealtime Struggles (continued in session 2) Internet Safety Advocating for your Child (continued in session 2) Triple P: Managing Fighting and Aggression

(continued in session 2) Kids Have Stress Too! (all day session)

Session 2 (10:45 am – 11:45 am) Goodbye Mealtime Struggles (continued) Budgeting= Financial Success Advocating for your Child (continued) Triple P: Managing Fighting and Aggression (continued) Kids Have Stress Too! (continued) 5 Love Languages

Session 3 (12:30 pm – 1:30 pm) Triple P: Dealing with Disobedience (continued in session 4) Addictions Zones of Regulation (continued in session 4) Workforce Warriors Kids Have Stress Too! (continued)

October 17th 2015École Parc Élémentaire, 9607 Sherridon Dr, Fort Saskatchewan

Cost: FREE ***Lunch is provided. Childcare is available.

Session 4 (1:45 pm – 2:45 pm) Triple P: Dealing with Disobedience

(continued) Career Coaching your Teen Zones of Regulation (continued) LGBTQ - Appreciating the Rainbow Kids Have Stress Too! (continued)

Session 5 (3:00 pm – 3:15 pm) Putting Passion into Practice (all adults)

Session 6 (3:30 pm – 4:00 pm)

Laughter Yoga (everyone!)

To register: • www.familiesfirstsociety.ca/conference• Call 780-998-5595 ext 221• Drop off this registration form at any of

our programs or to our office located at 10302a - 99 Avenue, Fort Saskatchewan

For session descriptions please go to www.familiesfirstsociety.ca/conference

Please select a choice for each session.Registration and childcare drop-off (9:00 am – 9:30 am)

Name:Phone Number:Name and Ages of Children Needing Childcare:

Lunch will be provided. List any allergies:

It Takes a Village - Parent Conference

Session Description Addictions This one hour workshop will provide parents information regarding what signs to look

for in teens using drugs, information on drugs, alcohol, and healthy choices, as well as discussing the youth addiction services available and strategies to engage youth in conversations about substance use.

Goodbye Mealtime Struggles

Looking to make mealtimes more pleasant? In this session you will learn more about how children grow and develop eating skills, explore the many reasons behind meal time struggles, and decide which first step strategies best fit your child and family. Learn about setting a consistent routine, connecting with your child, introducing healthy new foods, and appropriate portion sizes.

Internet Safety The Internet can be a wonderful resource for kids. Kids who can simply swipe a screen can access the world with the computer. Join Constable Schepp for this engaging one hour presentation where you will leave with practical tips and strategies to help you keep your children safe while using the internet.

The 5 Love Languages of Children

Come spend some time exploring how parents communicate love and how childreninterpret love from parents. You will be introduced to the book “The 5 Love Languagesof Children” written by Gary Chapman and led through a discussion on how tosuccessfully express your respect, affection, and love to your child. Through the use ofthe 5 languages parent/families will notice the improvement children’s behavior andstrengthen the bonds within the family.

Zones of Regulation In this session parents will learn how to increase their child’s emotional vocabulary, understand self-regulation (self-control) and have a solid foundation to begin implementing the “Zones” program within their home. “The Zones of Regulation” is a simple and easy to use program that assists children in recognizing their emotional states by categorizing into four zones (colours) while giving tools to assist in self-regulation.** Program developed by Leah Kuypers, OT

Advocating for your Child

Participants in this workshop will review strategies to best advocate for their special needs/quirky child and how to communicate with various agencies to enhance supports and services. We will also explore the demanding and sometimes exhausting role of a parent with a child who has challenges. Plenty of time will be allowed for individual questions at the end of our session.

Kids Have Stress Too This workshop helps parents/ caregivers understand childhood stress and how to provide children with the tools to deal with stress effectively. We talk about the signs, symptoms and strategies to help our children manage stress.

Session Descriptions

It Takes a Village - Parent Conference

Session Description LGBTQ -Appreciating the Rainbow

This one hour workshop will provide parents with information about sexual and gender diversity in schools and communities. Topics will include: human rights, using inclusive language, myths about LGBTQ, issues for children and families, practical tools and strategies, and resources to access.

Triple P Dealing with Disobedience

This discussion provides examples of common forms of disobedience and some reasons why children have difficulty learning to follow instructions. A number of positive parenting strategies are then introduced to help parents develop a personal plan to prevent disobedience, teach their child limits, and also to manage disobedience when necessary.

Triple P Managing Fighting and Aggression

In this session parents are encouraged to share their experiences of aggressive and destructive behavior from their children, and discuss some of the reasons children fight. This group covers the skills that children need to be able to cooperate and get along with others. Parents learn how to teach skills such as sharing, communicating and being gentle. They also prepare plans to manage times when fighting and aggression do occur.

Career Coaching your Teen

Always asking your teen, “Now what,” or “What’s your plan?” This workshop explores various after school options to encourage your teen in making informed career choices.

Workforce Warriors A workshop for moms returning to work. Thinking about going back to work, but there seems to be too many obstacles? This workshop explores those obstacles and the various ways to overcome them with positive results to support your family.

Budgeting= Financial Success

Learn all about effective money management including setting budgets and financial goals, figuring out how and where you spend your money, tips to saving money and boosting your income, and responsible credit usage.

Laughter Yoga Everyone welcome! Join us for a half hour of laughs!

Putting Passion into Practice

This topic/talk explores the opportunity to shift into a state of joy and fulfillment in our day to day lives. Do you feel like something is missing in your life? Maybe you know you have a purpose but have yet to uncover it? Perhaps you just feel unhappy and don’t know why? Together we will begin to uncover those joy filled moments and learn how we can infuse them into our everyday!

Session Descriptions

It Takes a Village - Parent Conference

Time: Session Choices:9:30 - 10:30

Session 1Goodbye Mealtime Struggles

Internet Safety

Advocating For Your Child

Fighting and Aggression

Kids Have Stress Too!

10:30 - 10:45Break

10:45 - 11:45 Session 2

Budgeting= Financial Success!

5 Love Languages

11:45 - 12:30Lunch

12:30 - 1:30 Session 3

Dealing with Disobedience

Addictions Zones of Regulation

Workforce Warriors

Kids Have Stress Too! (continued)

1:30 - 1:45Break

1:45- 2:45 Session 4

Career Coaching your Teen

LGBTQ -Appreciating the Rainbow

2:45 - 3:00Break

3:00 - 3:15Session 5 Putting Passion into Practice

3:15 - 3:30Child Pick up

3:30 - 4:00Session 6 Laughter Yoga

Session Schedule