Mark Your Calendars:

• Oct. 9, 2023:  No School - Thanksgiving
• Oct. 10-13, 2023: Grade 3/ 4 Room 1 to Open Minds Stampede School
• Oct. 10, 2023: School Council Meeting
• Oct. 11, 2023: Grade 6 Vaccinations - AM
• 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

Dear Silver Springs School Parents and Guardians,

Gratitude is a practice. I am a full believer in the notion that: “It is not joy that makes us grateful, but rather it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” As part your Thanksgiving long weekend, consider answering this question from Dr. Jody Carrington: Why are your people so lucky to have you? Dr. Carrington also reminds us that, "You mean so much to so many. Shine that light that is so uniquely yours. We need you." Thank you for your commitment to supporting our children.

Perhaps the conversation of gratitude can continue with your child/ren over this Thanksgiving weekend and continue as a practice of gratitude each day moving forward. Wishing you all a joy-filled Thanksgiving weekend!

Silver Springs School is committed to supporting student well-being for learning.  This means that staff intentionally incorporate strategies such as the following into our daily time that we spend with students: 

• Relationship building activities 
• Personal 1 on1 time to connect
• Use of daily check ins (typically at the door when students walk in first thing in the morning/after recess/after lunch) 
• Ensuring students know expectations in the classroom and during transition times 
• Firm but fair boundaries with clear and consistent expectations 
• Predictable routines 
• Personalized learning 
• Humor, celebrating strengths, class events 
• Physical literacy and movement opportunities 
• Use of common language for behaviour expectations (Three Pillars of Care, Expected vs. Unexpected behaviours)
• Creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences 

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!  

Terry Fox Run: We were so proud of our students as they participated in our annual Terry Fox Run on September 15. We raised approximately $535 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Many thanks to those parents who helped by patrolling the route and cheering on our students.  

Dressing for the Weather - As October has begun and we are seeing cooler mornings and variable weather conditions throughout the day, please make sure that your child has the appropriate clothing for recess, lunch break, and / or community walks. You may consider packing a pair of light gloves and a toque along. Please make sure that they have an appropriate jacket to wear and /or an umbrella if the forecast calls for rain.

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!

Sincerely,

Michelle Ryskamp,

Principal, Silver Springs School

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SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATES

School Council Meeting: Please join us for our upcoming School Council Meeting on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, from 6:30 – 8:30pm. Our meetings are held in-person in the school library. If you are unable to attend in-person, you may also join online using this Teams link:Click here to join the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

School Council Website: Did you know that we have a website with all of our school council information in one spot? Check it out here: https://www.ssscouncil.com/  You can also follow us on social media for convenient reminders: Facebook: www.facebook.com/silverspringsschoolcouncil

Instagram: www.instagram.com/silverspringscouncil

Halloween Howler: The volunteer sign-up is ready for the Halloween Howler: 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 be there for part of the time, please note that in the comments.

2022-2023 Yearbooks: There are still 15 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.

The Farm To School Fundraiser: Thank you to everyone who participated and supported this fundraiser, as well as families in need. We hope you enjoy your veggies!

Healthy Hunger: More fun lunches and snacks have been added to the calendar. 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