Mark Your Calendars:
- Apr. 9, 2024: School Council AGM 6:30-8:30pm Click here to join the meeting
- Apr. 10, 2024: Cobs snack at recess 10:30
- Apr. 11-18, 2024: Rocks and Rings PE Curling Experience
- Apr. 19, 2024: Non-instructional Day – No School for Students
- Apr. 19, 2024: Deadline to Order Little Caesar’s fun lunch using HealthyHunger.ca
- Apr. 22, 2024: Earth Day Assembly – parents welcome
- Apr. 24, 2024: Fun Lunch – Little Caesar’s Pizza
- April 25, 2024: International Day of Design
- April 29, 2024: Evergreen Theatre Touring Performance at 1:30pm
- May 1, 2024: School Photo @ 1:30, Hats on for Mental Health Day
- May 2, 2024: Spring Concert 6:15-7:30pm
- May 7, 2024: Kindergarten Orientation Evening – 5:00pm
- May 9, 2024: Whole school fieldtrip to Glenbow Ranch Prov Park
- May 10, 2024: Deadline to order Booster Juice for fun snack using HealthyHunger.ca
Dear Silver Springs School Parents and Guardians,
Solar Eclipse Precautions: On Monday, April 8 a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Calgary. The solar event will begin just before noon and conclude by 2:00 p.m., with the maximum coverage occurring at 12:43 p.m. We know that this unique event provides a unique learning experience for students and staff; however, there can be serious damage to vision as a result of viewing the eclipse in an unsafe manner. We have been asked by CBE leadership to be cautious and refrain from allowing students exposure to this event. We will be keeping all students indoors during class time, over recess and lunch breaks, as well as away from windows to the outside between the hours of 11:50 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. If you decide that your child will walk home for lunch on Monday, please discuss with your child not to look at the sun to protect his/her eyes from damage by the solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, looking directly at the sun is dangerous. Safe viewing of the eclipse requires wearing specialized glasses or watching through a telescope or solar binoculars that have specialized lenses and should only be performed under the direction of a professional. For more safety information can be found on the NASA website or from the Canadian Association of Optometrists.
April is Autism Awareness Month: April is World Autism Month, an annual opportunity for a dedicated conversation about autism spectrum disorder. Autism touches more than 70 million people globally. Approximately 1 in 50 children and youth are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Canada and this number continues to grow. In 2008, The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day. Now many countries around the world light up their landmarks blue to help increase understanding and acceptance of people with Autism. In 2012, the Canadian Parliament passed the World Autism Awareness Day Act recognizing April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day. During this coming month at Silver Springs School, we will be promoting awareness, understanding and inclusion in our school and community.
2024 Yearbook Ordering Information: Exciting news! The Silver Springs School Parents Association is again offering a yearbook that will capture our children’s special moments from this school year. Yearbooks for the 2023/24 school year will cost $20.00 including tax, shipping, and handling. We need a minimum of 76 copies to secure our order. Place your order now at ybpay.lifetouch.ca and enter the school ID 14625124. Yearbooks will be delivered in September 2024. This ensures all events in the 2023/24 school year are captured.
International Day of Design: On April 25, Silver Springs School will participate in our third International Day of Design. You might ask, what is International Day of Design all about? On this day, students are encouraged to make, build, and tinker. We will also focus on using the Design Thinking process in all classrooms in our school. The goal for the Day of Design is to inspire a transformation in schools around the world to incorporate design thinking into everyday practice with our students from all levels, ages, and subjects. We will spend the entire morning of Thursday, April 25th designing and building. In the afternoon, students will have an opportunity to visit other classrooms to see their creations. We are looking forward to an exciting, creative and engaging day. Depending on the age group and project, teachers may be reaching out for parent volunteers to lend a helping hand on this day.
Spring Music Concert on May 2: Mark your calendars! On Thursday, May 2, 2024 from 6:15-7:30pm, our students will be sharing the music from around the world that they have been learning in music class with Mrs. Blenkhorne. Students will be singing, playing various instruments, and maybe even some dancing. Doors will open at 6:00pm and students will be asked to head to their classrooms while families find their seats in the gymnasium.
Schoolwide Field Trip: We are very excited to announce our upcoming Silver Springs School field trip to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. All students, Kindergarten to grade 6, will be going on Thursday May 9, 2024. We will be leaving the school by bus at 9:30 am and returning to the school by 2:00 pm. Our School Council has generously supported this experience with funds for bussing. There will be a cost to families of $10.00 for programming provided by the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park staff. Please note that these fees have recently been added to your family’s MyCBE PowerSchool account.
Spring-Time Safety Reminders: With the nicer weather on the way, we would like to share a couple of reminders to our Silver Springs School families to ensure that we keep everyone safe and sound. We would like to remind our families that scooters, bikes and skateboards are not to be ridden on the school sidewalk that runs in along the front of our school. We ask that students, parents and siblings dismount and walk all scooters, bikes and skateboards through this area.
Kindergarten Registration Updates: Kindergarten registration is on-going! If you know someone, a friend or neighbor, who has a child that is age-appropriate for kindergarten for next year, please send them our way! Families are encouraged to register as soon as possible. This helps significantly with school planning for next year including teacher hiring and determining the number of classes required. Call 403-777-6070 or email the school at SilverSprings@cbe.ab.ca if you require assistance with the online registration process.
Michelle Ryskamp,
Principal, Silver Springs School
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SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATES
School Council & Parent Association AGM: Our AGM will be held at our next meeting, on April 9, 2024 at 6:30pm in the Learning Commons. If you are unable to join us in person, please connect online using the following link. Click here to join the meeting
Volunteers needed! We are on the lookout for new members to fill a few vacant parent council positions for the 2024-2025 school year. Volunteers at Silver Springs School play a very special part in our educational and community building experiences. Your help enables us to enrich learning and teaching in various ways. Volunteering is a great way to be involved in the school and many of our activities would not be possible without our dedicated volunteers.
Open positions:
- Chairperson: Vacant - No experience necessary! You will be well supported by an amazingly supportive group of volunteers on our School Council. Please note: There will not be a school council if this position is not filled. (Please see note below re: Co-Chair opportunity**)
- Vice Chairperson: Vacant (one name put forward)
- Kindergarten Rep: Vacant
- Members at Large: Many spots available
In lieu of a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson position, there is the possibility to have two Co-Chair positions. In this case, these two individuals would work together to fill the traditional duties of Chair and Vice-Chair. Please let us know if you would be interested in filling one of two Co-Chair positions by emailing us at sssparentcouncil@gmail.com, or for any of the other vacancies.
Healthy Hunger: Next Fun Lunch: Little Caesars on April 24 (Order by April 19) - Log onto healthyhunger.ca to place your order.
Parents - we need volunteers for Fun Lunch/Snack days. So far, we have very few volunteers signed up for the rest of the year. If you can help, please volunteer! Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4FADAB28A0FF2-funlunch2 Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far this year - we could not do Fun Lunches and Snacks without you!
A note about Fun Lunches: If your child is absent from school on the day of the fun lunch and you have ordered, please let the front office know if you plan to pick up the snack/lunch when you call the absentee line. Otherwise, the lunch or snack will be donated. We appreciate your understanding.
Thank you,
Loyce Sakuhuni and Olivia Parsons
(School Council Chair and Vice Chair)