HAPPY HOLIDAYS

From all of us to all of you, we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Winnipeg Harvest

We will be collecting for Winnipeg Harvest at our Winter Concerts again this year...

10 Most Wanted Food Items

Canned fish and poultry – tuna, or salmon (packed in water) chicken or turkey Canned fruit and vegetables (packed in own juice) Canned stew, chili, brown beans Peanut Butter Baby Food – jars of chicken, beef, vegetables or fruit, infant cereal such as oatmeal, barley or rice, Formula with added iron (While donations of infant formula with added iron are needed, Winnipeg Harvest supports breastfeeding.) Whole grain pasta/whole wheat pasta Rice – brown, converted or parboiled Canned spaghetti sauce or tomatoes Cereal – high fiber, non-sugar coated Canned soup – lentil, pea, vegetable Please share what you can spare of these non-perishable food items. These food items reflect recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide and are supported by Manitoba Dietitians.

If you are in need of food, call Winnipeg Harvest at (204) 982-3581.

WINTER CONCERT

THANKS

Thank you to the Linwood School Gr. 4/5 Giving Tree Club for collecting winter hats, mitts, scarves, ski pants and jackets for our school. These items will help us get through the winter. 

THANK YOU From PARENT COUNCIL

Pictures With Santa
The Stevenson-Britannia Parent Council would like to thank all the families who attended the pictures with Santa this past Friday.  We would also like to thank the parents who volunteered their time to help us out.  As well, we would like to give a great big thank you to Santa, who took time out of his busy schedule to come and visit with our families.  We hope everyone had a great time!

Gourmet Kitchen Fundraising
The Stevenson-Britannia Parent Council would like to thank all the friends/families who participated in our Gourmet Kitchen Fundraiser.  If you have not yet picked up your order please contact the school to make arrangements to do so. 
 

Pictures With Santa

Our Annual Pictures With Santa Event

Thanks to our Parent Council for organizing this well-loved event and making it such a success!

We hope all families who could come had a good time!

Book Fair

Lots of great books at great prices (make great Christmas presents)!

Dec. 4 (4:30-7:00pm) & Dec. 5 (9:00-11:30am)

Open House Conferences

We invite you to come to the school on:
Thursday: 4:30 - 7:00 PM 
OR
Friday: 9:00 - 11:30 AM

This Thursday, December 4th and Friday, December 5th, we are having our Student-Led Conferences at the school. The purpose of these Conferences is for your child(ren) to share with you what is happening in their classrooms and to give them the opportunity to demonstrate, reflect on, and celebrate their learning and their own growth this year.

We have an Open House format so that you and your child(ren) may come when it is convenient for you during the Conferences times. The focus is on student learning. There may be multiple families in the classroom at one time. So, this is not an ideal time to discuss any concerns you may have about your child. If you would like to arrange to speak privately with your child's teacher, please contact her/him directly.

We also want to remind you that there are no classes for students on Friday.

See you soon!

Report Cards

First Term Report Cards go home today, Nov. 26.
Take the time to review your child's report card with him/her and celebrate all their accomplishments.
Information is also included on our upcoming Open House Conferences on Dec. 4 & 5.

Practice Lockdown

We had a school-wide practice lockdown today. Everyone did a great job at hiding out of view and being very quiet. If anyone has any questions about this practice, please contact Ms Couch or Mr. Miller.

School Grounds

This winter, we want to make plans for improving our school grounds starting next spring.
We value having input from our students, parents, and community.
We will have a meeting on Dec. 1 at 10:30 AM at the school.
Please contact the school (204-832-1359) if you are interested in attending the meeting or if you have any ideas or skills or supplies to offer.

Parent Council

We are still looking for a Treasurer for Parent Council.
Next meeting is on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 6:30pm in the school Library.
All parents are welcome.

Outdoor Play & Cold Weather Policy

At Stevenson, we believe that play is important.

A healthy mind and healthy body go hand-in-hand. Outdoor recess is a time to connect with friends, and recharge through exercise. In this light, all students are expected to go outside for recess. 

Generally speaking, a child who is too sick to go outside at recess is too sick to benefit from attending school. We do not have indoor supervision for students during recess. Indoor recess is only permitted in exceptional circumstances. 

During severe weather conditions, as outlined by division policy, all students will be supervised indoors. When the wind chill hazard is at or colder than -28 degrees, students will not be permitted outdoors. When the wind chill hazard is between -25 degrees and -28 degrees students may go outdoors for a shorter outdoor recess, up to 10 minutes.  We call this shorter recess a "fresh air break". 

The same rule applies to our student safety patrols. We ask that in these cold weather conditions that parents assist with the safe arrival of your children to and from school. There will not be any student safety patrols on duty on these days.

Please ensure your child is dressed for the weather everyday as conditions often change throughout the day.  Many families also choose to send extra socks and/or mittens in their child's backpack for extra comfort when gear ends up wet.

Upcoming

Koats for Kids

Koats for Kids is an organization that helps families in need by providing winter outerwear. Coats, ski pants, hats and mittens are distributed through schools. We also have some hats, mitts and scarves at the school as well.

If your child or children are in need of winter clothing, please contact the school at 204-832-1359, and we will arrange to access needed winter wear for you.

If you have winter wear that you wish to donate, gently used outerwear can be dropped off at any Fire Paramedic Station or at Perth's. You can also send clean outerwear to the school and we will graciously use it for other Stevenson families in need.

Keep warm!

Remembrance Day Assembly

Our Remembrance Day Assembly will be on Nov. 7 at 11:00 AM in the school Gym.
All families are welcome to attend.

There is no school on Monday or Tuesday next week.
Monday: Divisional Inservice
Tuesday: Remembrance Day

THANK YOU

Thank you Stevenson community for your generous donations to our school.
We raised over $4000 to put towards our kids!

Parent Council

All parents are welcome to join the Parent Council Meeting in the school Library on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6:30pm.

SPIRIT WEEK

Monday:         “Dress as your Favourite Teacher”

Tuesday:       “Blast from the Past” (Dress in clothes from long ago, or your favourite era.)

Wednesday: “Head Topper Day” (Top your head with a hat or crazy hair!)

Thursday:      “Pyjama” Day (Wear your favourite pyjamas. Please leave your stuffed toys at home.)

Friday:            Halloween (Bring your costume for the parade and your party.)

Please bring in your money for our school fundraiser on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

We will have a "Dance-a-thon" on Friday, Oct. 31 to celebrate!

Individual and class prizes to be won!

 

Manitoba Education Safety Tips

Please see the Manitoba Education website for many different safety tips.
Healthy Schools

Recycle My Cell

We have signed up to support Waste Reduction Week.

There are many ways you can participate in helping to reduce waste in our community:
From Oct. 20 - Nov. 21, you can bring in your old cell phones to the school:
Recycle My Cell



Until October 31, you can bring in plastic bags to the school for the Plastic Bag Round Up.
Get plastic out of our community!

FLU SEASON

Flu season is now upon us. We have had several cases of the flu already this year at the school. We will be reminding students about practicing good daily strategies to avoid getting sick: washing your hands with soap and water often throughout the day and always before you eat, getting enough sleep every night, being physically fit, and eating healthy foods.

Please continue to teach your child(ren) at home about the importance of these daily practices in order to keep healthy.

You can also go to the WRHA site to find out information about their free flu shot clinics in our area next week: St. James Flu Clinic

Stevenson-Britannia DANCE-a-THON

Stevenson-Britannia DANCE-a-THON

Stevenson-Britannia School is participating in our 3^rd school-wide Dance-a-thon! This year, we are raising funds to help purchase classroom materials and supplies for our students. The Dance-a-thon will be held on Friday, October 31^st from 10:30-11:30 AM, so mark your calendars! You are welcome to attend and to be dazzled by the dancing talents of our students.

Students are encouraged to take the pledge form that will be coming home to friends and families to ask for their support. We would like to have all pledge forms and money returned to the school by Wednesday, October 29^th.

There will be a popcorn and movie celebration for the classroom that raises the most money. In addition, there will be prizes for the students who raise the most money in each classroom and a GRAND PRIZE for the student who raises the most money overall!

We thank you in advance for your anticipated support in this worthwhile event!

Please ensure that the money envelope and pledge forms are labeled with your child’s name and room number!

Please, CASH ONLY

Bag Up Manitoba

Do you want to make a difference in our community? Stevenson-Britannia School has once again registered for the Plastic Bag Round-Up Challenge for 2014. Please send your child to school with as many plastic bags as they can handle for the month of October!

Walk to School With Us on Thursday This Week

October is International Walk to School Month
In celebration of this, Stevenson is having its annual Walk to School Day on Thursday, October 9. We will meet at the Rod’s Football field at 8:35am (Silver Ave. and Ferry Rd.). We will walk along the north side of Silver Ave. to the school. If your child is bussed to school, the bus will drop the students off at the field to join in the walk. Staff will be there to supervise students. Families, please feel free to join us in our walk to school. Once we arrive at the school, we will have a brief assembly to start our day together outside.

LUNCH SUPERVISORS

We are looking for lunch supervisors at Stevenson. If you are looking for part time work, and love working with children, this job is for you!
The hours are 11:40 AM - 12:40 PM Monday to Friday

October Dates to Remember

October 6 - Assembly in Gym 9:00 AM (families are welcome)
October 7 - Early Dismissal 3:10 PM
October 9 - Annual Walk to School Day (see note coming home for information)


October 13 - Thanksgiving - NO SCHOOL


October 17 - Picture Day - all day


October 21 - Early Dismissal 3:10 PM


October 24 - Inservice - NO SCHOOL
October 31 - Halloween

Toonies for Terry

We will have our Terry Fox Run on Friday, Sept. 26.
Bring in a toonie for Cancer Care Research.

Parent Council

Congratulations!
We have a Parent Council again this year.
Thank you to the parents who were able to come to our evening meeting this week.

Thank you to the following parents for taking on executive roles in order to have a Parent Council:

Mrs. A. McLean: Co-chair
Mrs. H. Wells:     Co-chair
Mrs. A. Myers:    Secretary
Mrs. R. McKay:  Treasurer (interim)
We will need another parent to volunteer to be Treasurer within the next few months.
Please contact the school if you are interested.

Parent Council Needs You

Our Parent Council Annual General Meeting is on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 6:30 PM in the Library.
Come out to see what it is all about or to become part of the executive.

Bord-Aire

Fall/Winter Free Play

The City of Winnipeg presents the Free Play program at Bord-Aire CC. Here's the details:

* For kids 6-12 years old
* Begins Sept. 30
* Runs from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays
* Supervised but unstructured


http://www.bordaire.com/news-and-events.html

Dot Day

Today was International Dot Day at Stevenson, based on a story called, "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds. The story tells us all to 'make our mark', be creative, be proud, and to help each other.

We listened to "The Dot Song" today at school during our school-wide Music Listening Time.
Here it is:

PARENT COUNCIL

Our Parent Council holds 4 events throughout the school year. To ensure the success of these events, we need the help of parents/guardians.  All we are asking is for an hour of your time to volunteer at one of these events. Please fill out the form you received from your child's teacher and return to the school as soon as possible. Thank you for your time.  If you have any questions/concerns please leave a message for a Parent Council member at the school.

Remember: Our AGM is coming up on Sept. 23 at 6:30pm in the Library

Sincerely,
Stevenson Parent Council

Free Compost

At Stevenson, we have a very active composting program, thanks to Mr. Doty and his helpers.

We turn this:

Into this:

We have lots of good compost ready for your gardens. Bring your own pails. Stop in at the office. We want to share with you. 

WELCOME BACK

Welcome back Stevenson staff and families!

We start our school year with a big thank you to Mr. Johnston (Caretaker), and to Mr. Bangit and Mr. Lywak (Evening Cleaners), for making our school look so clean, tidy, and polished.
Also, thank you to our teachers for getting the classrooms ready.
Everything looks fabulous. Now, we just need our students to make the school complete!
We are ready for you, students.

Every September we say hello to new members of the team at Stevenson School.

Welcome to the following new staff:
Mrs. Beazley returns this year as a permanent teacher. She is teaching Grade 4/5;
Miss Long returns this year to teach an additional Grade 4/5 class;
Mrs. Omand is our new Grade 1 - 3 French Teacher;
Miss Kumar is a Grade 1 Teacher (for Mrs. Hardy while she is on mat leave);
Miss Moniz returns as our Grade 1/2 Teacher (for Mrs. Buchanan while she is on mat leave);
Mr. Wesselius returns as our Librarian (for Mrs. Wood while she is on mat leave);
Miss Hagel, an Educational Assistant, was married over the summer and has changed her name to Mrs. Anderson!

We welcome our families back to the first days of Opening Conferences on Wednesday, September 3 from 1:30 PM to 7:00 PM & Thursday, September 4 from 9:00 AM to 3:45PM.  Please phone the school at 204-832-1359 to make an appointment with your classroom teacher.  While you're in the school stop in at the office, and catch up! 

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER

This was such a great year of learning for everyone, particularly, in using technology safely and productively, as well as in working to our strengths at Stevenson. On behalf of all the staff at Stevenson, I wish you a restful and relaxing summer.

We will have a few staff changes at the school for 2014-2015:
Mrs. MacKay is moving to Voyageur School. Mrs. Beazley will continue at our school, and teach Grade 4/5 again. Also, Miss Long will join our staff again to teach Grade 4/5. Mrs. Buchanan will be on maternity leave. Miss Moniz will continue at our school, and teach Grade 1/2 in her classroom for the year. Mrs. Hardy will continue to be on maternity leave. Miss Kumar will join our staff and teach Grade 1 in her classroom for the year. Mrs. Wood will continue to be on maternity leave and Mr. Wesselius will stay on as our Librarian for next year.

Also for next year, we will no longer use AGENDA books. We will use Blogs, Remind!, Twitter, Instagram, and email to communicate any written messages to you.

Dates to remember:
August 20: Office opens - Call 832-1359 to make a Conference appointment with your child's teacher
September 2: Inservice Day - NO SCHOOL
September 3/4: Conferences
September 5: First Day of Classes

Be well,
Jane Couch

SUMMER READING

SUMMER READING GIFT FOR YOU

Dear Parents:

Stevenson-Britannia School is starting a summer reading project.  We have partnered with “First Book Canada” to purchase books for you. Research shows that students who do not read daily over the summer, can lose skills they have learned during the past year at school. It is referred to as the “summer slide”. We want to help you to “battle” against the “summer slide” this year.

Every student from Kindergarten to Grade 5 has chosen stories to take home to read with you. These are your books to keep! There is no expectation for you to return these books in the fall. Feel free to give the books to others when you are finished with them. If at the end of the summer you would like to return/exchange these, or other books you have at home, bring them to the Reading Corner in front of the office at the school. We currently have a Parent Book Exchange there. Now, we will start a Student BOGO (Bring One, Get One) Book Exchange.

Here's a brief video with some helpful tips for summer reading:

Wishing you the best for a fun and safe summer holiday. Happy Reading!

THANK YOU

The Parent Council at Stevenson Britannia would like to thank the parents & family members who volunteered at the school BBQ.  Without them it would not have been a great success.  We would also like to thank the staff and students who assisted us with setting up.  The Parent Council would also like to extend a thank you to Ryan Price (balloon artist) and Paula's Face painting for entertaining the kids. It was a great evening and nice to see everyone!

NICE TO SEE EVERYONE

Thanks to our Parent Council for organizing such a great Family BBQ and to all the parent volunteers for helping throughout the evening! Thank you to all the families who could join us on such a lovely spring evening! 

FAMILY BBQ on Thursday

STEVENSON BRITANNIA FAMILY BBQ

Hosted by Stevenson Britannia Parent Council

Thursday, June 12/2014

5-7 P.M.

The end of the year is just around the corner!  We invite you to join us on the playground (gym if raining) for hot dogs, chips, pop or juice.

$1.00 each

Entertainment: Ryan Price (balloon artist) will be making balloon animals with the kids. 

  Paula’s Face Painting will decorate the kids.

Raffle: Great prizes to be won!

Raffle Tickets $1.00 each, $5.00 (6 tickets), $10.00 (12 tickets), $20.00 (25 tickets)

Purchase on site, no pre-orders

Hope to see you there!

Walking School Bus June 2 - 12

Get on one of the Walking School Bus Routes for the next 2 weeks.
Have fun walking to school with us!
Don't forget to ride your bike to school on Monday for our Bike Rodeo in the morning!

Glenlea plants are ready for pick up!

Thanks to our Parent Council for coordinating this great fundraiser!

Plants can be picked up from 3 - 7 PM Friday at Bord Aire.

School Division Youth Forum

Stevenson student champions represent our school well at our School Division's 7th annual Youth Forum. 

Celebration of the Arts Evening

You are cordially invited to attend our annual Celebration of the Arts evening on Wednesday, May 21st from 5:00 - 6:30 PM. We will have special performances starting at 5:30 PM. We will also be having a Bake Sale with proceeds going to Callie's Backpacks for the Homeless. Students must be accompanied by an adult, and refreshments will be served.

New Library Technician

Mrs. Wood is away for a year on maternity leave. She has left our Library in good hands!
Welcome Mr. Wesselius to Stevenson!

May Challenges

We are taking on a few photo challenges this month. Join us by following classroom blogs, twitter feeds & Instagram accounts. Join in the fun and take the challenges yourself!

You can follow the hashtags:

#eduphotoadaymay

#mathphotoaday

Here are the rules:

Let us know if you have any questions. 

Dream Factory

Thank you to everyone for generously contributing to another great fundraiser this year from our Stevenson community. Together, our families raised:
$1 109 for the Dream Factory
Helping kids with life-threatening illnesses make their dreams come true!
Dream Factory

Spring Break Spirit Week

Thank you to our Parent Council for organizing themes for our Spirit Week activities during our last week before Spring Break. All staff and students are encouraged to participate!

Day of Pink is April 9

Order your very own St. James Collegiate Family of Schools t-shirt for:
Day of Pink 2014

THINK BEFORE YOU EAT!

Tips for buying groceries:
1. Don't shop for food when you are hungry!
2. Pretend the aisles don't exist. This is where all of the processed food is. Only shop on the perimeter of the grocery store. Generally, that is where all of the fresh food is that is healthy for you.

WE FEEL VERY APPRECIATED!

On behalf of the whole Stevenson staff, we wish to thank our parents, students, and our wonderful Parent Council for spoiling us this past week! We enjoyed all of your lovely snacks, and our special lunch on Friday. We wanted to take a picture of all of us with all of the food, but we now cannot fit into the picture! ;-)

Stevenson Goes to the Olympics!

February is I Love To Read Month and we are reading in Olympic style.

We challenge everyone to read a book for every medal Canada gets at the Olympic Winter Games!

We will also be trying versions of the sports we see at the Olympics.

Stay tuned!

If you are interested in following our athletes, go to:

Canada's Olympic Team

THANK YOU!

A very special thank you goes out to our students, families, and the whole community for raising over $9000 for the Heart & Stroke Foundation in January. Our whole school had a fun time learning how to keep our hearts healthy at the Dance-a-thon!
Dance-a-thon video

January is Heart & Stroke Month at Stevenson

We are hearing that our students are well on their way to raising over $1000.
That means they will get to watch their teachers dance!
Only 1 more week left...

Extreme Weather

Welcome back students! With the recent cold snap of extreme weather, we want to remind students and families to dress appropriately for the weather. We will likely be having indoor recesses until the cold weather lets up, but we still need to bundle up for our trips to and from school!