Mark Your Calendars:
- May 7, 2024: (New date – weather dependent) Whole School and Gr. 6 Farewell Photos
- May 7, 2024: Kindergarten Orientation – 5:00pm in Learning Commons
- May 8, 2024: Hats on (again) for Mental Health (correct date)
- 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
- May 23, 2024: Wonder Day
- May 24, 2024: Deadline to order Costa Vida fun lunch using HealthyHunger.ca
- May 26, 2024: School Council hosted online parenting information evening
- May 31, 2024: Grade 6 Tour to FE Osbourne School
- June 7, 2024: Sports Day
- June 10 – 14 & 17 – 22, 2024: Swim Lessons
Dear Silver Springs School Parents and Guardians,
We are so excited to see the arrival of May and all the growth it brings in our gardens, in nature and in our students’ learning. This past Thursday we held our Spring Concert. Wow! What a fabulous performance of music from around the world. Our students did such a fabulous job singing, playing instruments, drumming and dancing. Thank you to Mrs. Blenkhorne for all the work she has put in to make this event such a success. Many thanks to families who were able to join us in our celebration of music.
BIG NEWS! Before and After School Care at Silver Springs School: We are happy to announce that TOPP KIDS has been chosen as our new childcare provider located at Silver Springs School. Before Care begins at 7:00 AM. After Care is offered until 6:00 PM. They will be open for PD Days, Teachers Convention and Spring Break! Choose Part-Time, Full-Time or Drop-In Care. All families must attend Silver Springs School! Their program is not just for those who need care but for every family that wants to see their child grow outside of school during those critical hours.
To register, please visit www.TOPPKIDS.com and complete their online application form. REGISTRATIONS OPEN MAY 6TH, 2024. Registrations will be first come, first served as limited spaces are available. For additional information please email registrations@toppkids.com or call us at (403) 452-8677
Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10: This coming week we take the opportunity to celebrate our teachers. We want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for all they do to support our students’ learning - the connections and relationships they make with students, the safe and caring classroom communities they establish, the engaging learning tasks they design and prepare, and their on-going communication with students and parents.
Whole School Photo and Grade 6 Farewell Photo on May 7: Lifetouch will be at our school on Tuesday, May 7 in the afternoon to take photos of all the students together (Kindergarten to Grade 6) outside on the hill as well as a photo of the Grade 6 students that will be leaving our school at the end of June. Fingers crossed for sunny skies on that day! If you want to order a photo, please order online at mylifetouch.ca. Cost is $15 per photo. You will need the Picture Day ID which is as follows. Please note that no money will be accepted at school and all photos must be ordered online only.
- Whole School Photo Picture Day ID – EVCZV2THB
- Grade 6 Farewell Photo Picture Day ID - EVCV8QFM7
Schoolwide Field Trip May 9: Our schoolwide field trip to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is just a week 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 make sure your child is dressed for the weather and ready to be outside for the day. Check your MyCBE PowerSchool account to pay the $10.00 fee for this trip. Trip information and acknowledgement of risk forms went home with students on Wednesday or Thursday.
Planning for Next Year: This week, we finalized our budget for the 2024-2025 school year. Currently, we are planning our staffing on conservatively actual numbers of 246 students. We are planning for one AM kindergarten class, three classes of grade 1 / 2, three classes of grades 3/4, and three classes of grades 5/ 6. We will continue to have a part-time music teacher with classroom teachers taking on the teaching responsibility for Physical Education. As student numbers change over the coming months, we must remain flexible and have several other scenarios planned in the event we need to make changes to our classroom configurations before the end of August.
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.
Michelle Ryskamp,
Principal, Silver Springs School
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SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATES
School Council Meeting: Join us for our May School Council meeting on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in the school Learning Commons at 6:30pm. If you are not able to meet us in-person, you can always join us online using the following link: Join the meeting now
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 – May 26 @ 6:30pm! Each year, our School Council receives a grant to provide our families with a speaker 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: Tammy Schamuhn from The Institute of Child Psychology (instituteofchildpsychology.com) - you can check out her bio here: Bio & Photo
Description: Are you wondering how to handle screen use in your home? How much screen-time should you allow every day? When should your child get a phone? What is the impact of technology on your child’s ongoing development? Are you feeling frustrated by technology overload in your home? Ready for a roadmap on how to maximize the benefits of technology while nurturing your child’s emotional, social and cognitive potential?
The use of technology in homes has increased rapidly over the past decade. Although helpful in many ways, it has also triggered many questions. In this online workshop, the impact of technology use will be explored, in addition to research-based strategies geared to help children and teens manage screen use.
This workshop will empower the adults in a child’s life to make informed, practical decisions regarding technology use at home.
When: Sunday, May 26, 2024, at 6:30pm (1 hour session)
Where: From the comfort of your own home via Zoom - Please register in advance for this meeting with this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpcOCqqT4oHNL21yVqSs0xyQ82E-kwUiMq
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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)