Mark Your Calendars:

• Oct. 16-19, 2023: Grade 3/ 4 Room 8 to Open Minds Stampede School
• Oct. 16-19, 2023: Grade 5/6 to Camp Chief Hector
• Oct. 20, 2023: No School for Students - Professional Learning Day
• Oct. 20, 2023: Deadline to Order Fun Lunch – Edo Japan
• Oct. 24, 2023: Fun Lunch Edo Japan
• Oct. 31, 2023: Halloween Howler
• Nov. 4, 2023: Turn clocks back 1 hour
• Nov. 6, 2023: Student photo retakes
• Nov. 8, 2023: Remembrance Day Assembly
• Nov. 9, 2023L System Indigenous Education Professional Learning Day – No School
• Nov. 10– 14, 2023: Fall Break – No School for Students

Dear Silver Springs School Parents and Guardians,

October continues to be a very busy month at Silver Springs School. Over the past two weeks, our grade 3/ 4 students in Rooms 1 & 3 have been at Open Minds Stampede School. This experience allows students to connect with each other and various curricular outcomes in the context of a real-world setting. This coming week, Room 8 will be heading to Stampede School and our Grade 5 & 6 students are off to YMCA Camp Chief Hector. These outdoor learning experiences should be a highlight of their school year. Our Kindergarten and Grade 1 & 2 team, have taken our students out on the land right here in our very own community, exploring nature, colours and seasonal changes. We are looking forward to our School Council sponsored Halloween Howler at the end of the month, where students will have the opportunity to participate in festive activities with their peers.

Supporting a Love of Reading: How are you supporting a love of reading in your family?  How can you make time every day to read aloud with your child?   As part of the Silver Springs School community, we all have a role in supporting readers. Children who learn to love reading will learn more and read more.  Silver Springs teachers are committed to reading aloud each day to their students.  For parents, finding time to read aloud may feel like a sacrifice or nuisance. It requires commitment and patience, but it is worth every minute… Watch this video from Calgary Reads: Reading Aloud Builds Brains and Bonds

Did you know that October is ADHD awareness month? ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. Genetics and environmental factors combine to create a situation in which the brain is wired differently. Children diagnosed with ADHD often have difficulty with an increased level of activity, challenges with executive functioning (i.e. processes that enable us to plan, focus attention and remember) as well as impulsivity and social/emotional regulation. It is important to understand that while many children may occasionally demonstrate some behaviours related to these areas, children diagnosed with ADHD experience these symptoms throughout their day and in multiple settings. As educators, our job is to support all students in developing awareness of themselves as learners while also appreciating the nuances of others’ learning profiles. We are proud of the work we do every day to support ADHD learners in our classrooms. For more information on ADHD please visit the Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada (CADDAC) at https://caddac.ca/about-adhd

Halloween is just around the corner, and we know that our school community is looking forward to celebrating this holiday in creative ways. On Tuesday, October 31, we would like to invite all students and staff to dress-up for the day. To ensure that all members in our school community are able to enjoy this holiday, we wanted to send a reminder to please be thoughtful in the selection of costume being worn to school. The following two guidelines should be considered when selecting costumes that will be worn at school:

• Be kind and consider the school community: costumes that are revealing or could be offensive or perpetuate the stereotype of someone’s gender identity, culture, race, religion, age, or disability must not be worn.
• Be thoughtful and safe: costumes that depict violence, alcohol or drugs are not appropriate. Similarly, replica weapons (e.g. gun, knives, etc.) must not be brought to school.

If your child chooses to wear a costume, consider this his/her contribution to a wonderful day full of fun events that promote friendship and cooperation. As students will be wearing costumes for the entire day, please ensure that your child is able to sit comfortably in their costume, participate in gym class, and go outside for recess and lunch break. No costume - No worries!  You are welcome to wear orange or black, our school apparel, or your favourite T-shirt!  

Children’s Mental Health and Parenting Summit: This annual summit is hosted by the Institute of Child Psychology and is happening from November 14 to 17. This year, this ground breaking event is entirely FREE and brings together a diverse community of parents, professionals, researchers, and authors, all dedicated to exploring the science of parenting and fostering positive mental health in our children. Register NOW for FREE!

Lost and Found: Our lost and found continues to grow. If your child is missing an item of clothing, please pop into the school.  We also kindly remind you to label your child’s belongings with your child’s name, so that when items go missing and are found, they are easier to return to their rightful owner.

Sincerely,

Michelle Ryskamp,

Principal, Silver Springs School

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SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATES

School Council Minutes: Thank you to everyone who came to the School Council Meeting on October 10, 2023. The meeting minutes have been posted to the school website. Here is a link to the meeting minutes: October 2023 School Council Meeting Minutes.

Halloween Howler: We are still looking for at least 4 volunteers for the ever-popular Halloween Howler! Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4FADAB28A0FF2-44943531-halloween. We'll start setting up in the gym after drop-off on Tuesday, October 31. There will be games, activities, and a dance floor. If you can only stay for part of the day, that's okay! Please note it in the comments when you sign up. We look forward to seeing you there.

2022-2023 Yearbooks: There are still 14 extra copies of the 2022-2023 yearbook available at a cost of $20 each. Please stop by the school office if you are interested in purchasing one.

Healthy Hunger: Our next Fun Lunch is from Edo Japan on Tuesday, October 24. The order cut off is 5 days before the fun lunch, so for the next lunch, make sure to get your orders in by October 19th.  If you don't already have a Healthy Hunger account, you can register at https://healthyhunger.ca/parent-register Once you log into your account, you are able to see the upcoming orders, and place and pay for orders in advance. Please log onto the Healthy Hunger website for more order information: https://healthyhunger.ca/
We need volunteers to help on the Fun Lunch days! Please sign up here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4FADAB28A0FF2-funlunch2

Thank you,

Loyce Sakuhuni and Olivia Parsons

(School Council Chair and Vice Chair)

sssparentcouncil@gmail.com