Mark Your Calendars:
- Apr. 22, 2024: Earth Day Assembly 9:15am – 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 @ 1:30pm
- May 1, 2024: Hats on for Mental Health Day
- May 2, 2024: Spring Music Concert – TIME CHANGE! 1:30 –2:45pm
- May 7, 2024: Kindergarten Orientation – 5:00pm
- May 9, 2024: Whole school fieldtrip to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
- May 10, 2024: Deadline to order Booster Juice for fun snack using HealthyHunger.ca
- May 14, 2024: School Council Meeting – 6:30pm
- May 15, 2024: Fun Snack at recess – Booster Juice
- May 16, 2024: Volunteer Tea- Time TBD
- May 17, 2024: Non-instructional Day – No school for students
- May 20, 2024: Victoria Day – No school for students
Dear Silver Springs School Parents and Guardians,
How can this be the last full week in April already?! There are only 10 weeks remaining in the school year. So much to do and learn between now and June 27! Please take the time to read through all the many up and coming events.
Support Staff Appreciation Week April 22-26: This week we celebrate our wonderful support staff. Thank you to Mrs. Bouchart, Mr. Simon, Mrs, Betiu, Mrs. Bajwa, Miss Mary, Miss Rita, Mrs. Shahwar, and Mrs. Shahid for all they do to care for our students and help our school run so efficiently.
Spring Music Concert on May 2- Time change!: The results from our Student Concert Attendance survey indicate that only 50% of our students would be able to attend an evening concert. As this concert depends on students playing various parts and instruments for numerous musical pieces, we needed greater student attendance to make this concert a success. We have therefore made the hard decision to shift our concert to school hours on May 2 from 1:30 –2:45pm.
Earth Day Spirit Day, Monday, April 22: Celebrate your appreciation for our planet Earth by dressing in nature-themed clothing on Earth Day. We will also be gathering for a short assembly led by our Red Buddy Group (Rooms 1,2,7 & 9) at 9:15am. Families are welcome to join us in the gym.
Before and After School Care at Silver Springs School: We have heard feedback from our families that childcare is at a premium in our community. In response to this need, we are currently working with CBE leasing to find the most suitable childcare provider to operate a before and after school program out of our school starting September 2024 (correction from last week’s post). This program will most likely operate in our school gym from 7:15 –8:15am and again from 3:00–6:00pm. We should have more information to share with families by mid-May. Stay tuned! Please do not contact the school about registration or a waitlist at this time.
Class List Creation for 2024-25: In the upcoming weeks, we will begin creating our class lists for the 2024-25 school year. Some parents have already indicated a preference for a particular teacher / class configuration or to have their child with a particular friend next year. It is important to note that significant time and attention goes into the creation of class lists. As teachers and the admin team meet, we aim to balance our classes based on the learning needs of students, gender and student complexity. We ask that you trust in the process. Should you feel there is a particular situation the school is not already aware of regarding your child’s placement for next year, please contact Michelle Ryskamp via email at mcryskamp@cbe.ab.ca no later than May 24, 2024, indicating your request and reasoning. While all requests will be reviewed, please note that we may be unable to accommodate them.
International Day of Design: On April 25, Silver Springs School will participate in our third International Day of Design. 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.
Schoolwide Field Trip: Our schoolwide field trip to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is just three weeks away. 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. Please check your MyCBE PowerSchool account to pay the $10.00 fee for this trip. Trip information and acknowledgement of risk forms will be sent home with students this coming week.
Swim Lessons: As is tradition at Silver Springs School, we will be taking our students to our community outdoor pool for swim lessons during the weeks of June 10 –14 and June 17-21. More information and notices will be sent home with students in the coming weeks. Classroom teachers will be reaching out to families for volunteers to help with supervising students in the changerooms before and after lessons. All volunteers must have an updated Police Clearance Check and have completed the school’s annual volunteer authorization form.
Fee Waivers: If you intend to apply for a fee waiver for your transportation, lunch supervision or student supply fee (central fees), you must submit your Fee Waiver Application using your MyCBe parent account. https://sis.cbe.ab.ca/public . The deadline to submit your fee waiver application for 2023-24 fees is June 30. Don’t wait until the last minute. Submit your waiver application as soon as possible. Need more information? Call the school office 403-777-6070.
Michelle Ryskamp,
Principal, Silver Springs School
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SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATES
School Council & Parent Association AGM: You can find the AGM and School Council Meeting Minutes here: April 2024 School Council and AGM Meeting Minutes. If you are interested in becoming a Member-at-Large for the upcoming school year, please email us at sssparentcouncil@gmail.com.
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.
Parent Information Evening – Save the Date! Each year, our School Council receives a grant to provide our families with a speaker on various topics to help parents better support their children. This year, Council has voted to host an information evening with the Institute for Child Psychology. Here are the details for the evening:
Who: The Institute of Child Psychology (instituteofchildpsychology.com)
Topic: A Talk on Fostering Stronger Interpersonal Relationships and a Sense of Belonging, combined with ideas to Manage Screen Time
When: Sunday, May 26, 2024, at 6:30pm (1 hour session)
Where: From the comfort of your own home via Zoom (link to be provided one week before presentation)
Healthy Hunger: Next Fun Snack: Booster Juice on May 15th (Order by May 10th) Next Fun Lunch: Costa Vida on May 29th (Order by May 24th)
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)