Aspen Grove

Elementary School

Newsletter http://www.gppsd.ab.ca/school/aspengrove/Pages/default.aspx

Monday, October 17, 2016

Admin Message:

This past week has dumped us solidly into winter.. It is important that students are arriving to school dressed for the weather. While students may have outgrown last year’s winter clothing, dressing in layers may be appropriate until winter clothes can be obtained. Please let the school know if your family is in need of clothing and we will support as we can. Our school is focussed on continual improvement and offering the highest of education quality for students. Our planning, priorities, and commitments center on improving student engagement. Student engagement is defined in education as “the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education” http://edglossary.org/student-engagement/ . We make effective use of our PLC collaborative time on Friday afternoons to implement and reflect on instructional strategies, as well as pursue common goals such as curriculum focus, common assessment, and plans for responding to students who are not learning to the best of their ability. Our very active Parent Council is always welcoming newcomers. Tonight at 6:30 pm, our second meeting will be taking place. This involvement is one way of understanding the leadership and direction of the school and being a part of the process for providing input into the variety of programs we offer students. If you are new to the neighborhood and would like to get involved with a great bunch of parents, or if you find that you have a little extra time in your schedule, we would love to see you this evening. Halloween is fast approaching with exactly two weeks before the much anticipated day. Classes will continue as normal on October 31, but we will be hosting a costume parade in the morning, starting at 9:20am. Parents are always welcome to join us and watch our costume parade. During our costume parade is the only time that students will be able to wear their masks. This is to ensure that everyone enjoys the day, without being scared or uncomfortable in any way. Since we are a K-8 school and we want all of our students to feel safe and cared for, all students need to dress respectfully - any students wearing inappropriate costumes will be asked to change. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions regarding school and this newsletter, please feel free to call Aspen Grove at 780-538-3009. Aspen Grove Admin Team

Upcoming Events Oct. 17- Parent Council Meeting-6:30 pm *Oct. 19- Hat Day *Oct. 21- District PLC- No School *Oct. 28- Early Dismissal *Oct. 28- Halloween Family Dance 6:30-8:30 pm *Oct. 29-Triple Ball *Oct. 31 - Halloween AM parade, Time to be Announced, PM classroom celebrations. *Nov. 3-Fun Lunch *Nov. 4- Early Dismissal *Nov. 10- Remembrance Day Tribute- 10:40-11:10 am *Nov. 11- Remembrance Day- No School

Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aspengroveschoolgp Follow us on Twitter: @AspenGroveGPPSD

Visit our School Website: www.gppsd.ab.ca/school/aspengrove

Aspen Grove School Newsletter 2

School Fees Our school fees for this year are: $50 for ECS, $80 for Grades 1-4, and $90 for Grades 5-8. Grade 7’s and 8’s also have a $20/option block fee, to a maximum of $60.00, in addition to their school fees. Currently, we have 67% of our families who are yet to pay this year’s school fees. Please make arrangements to pay these fees as soon as possible at the school office. We are set up to accept debit, credit cards, cheques, and cash. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the school office and we will help in any way we can. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Attendance The attendance policy at Aspen Grove School reflects that of the Grande Prairie Public School District Board. We recognize that regular attendance is important for a child to achieve his or her full potential. The Board expects every child to attend regularly which means children are expected to be in school every day that the school is in operation unless the absence is considered an excused absence. Excused absences are considered to be illness, medical, optometric, dental and/or chiropractic appointments, death in the immediate family, court appearance, religious holidays and ceremonies, family emergencies and personal reasons deemed justifiable to the school. During our recent Turkey Trot Celebration, three lucky names were drawn from the list of students who have missed only 2 days or less all year. These students then celebrated by throwing a whip-cream pie into each of the administrators faces, all in good fun! As a school, we will continue to recognize good attendance. Come to school everyday - keep learning, and join in the fun!

School Newsletters:

To have our school newsletters emailed directly to you, please subscribe for this service . This is

done on our school website homepage at:

www.gppsd.ab.ca/school/aspengrove

THANK YOU: Save on Foods , Superstore and

CO-OP for sponsoring our Turkey Trot. Your generous

contributions made it possible for 28 lucky students to have

turkeys and pies go home for their Thanksgiving weekend!

Heiho Dojo, Mr. Gerald Logan and Ms. Caverly LeClerc for offering sessions and sharing their expertise during our first

Gator Blocks activities in grades 5-8.

“Striving for excellence in education and nurturing responsible, caring citizens”

Aspen Grove School Newsletter 3

Communication, Collaboration, Culture = Engagement Our main priorities at Aspen Grove include communication , collaboration , and supportive culture , all aimed at improving student engagement. There are many great things happening in our classrooms everyday and we want to share them with parents. Partnerships have always been the foundation of public education and this remains true today. We strive to be active communicators and want to share the exciting and excellent things happening at our school. Being involved in the school events/activities helps build a connected culture that also helps engage your children in school and learning opportunities. Please follow us on social media, subscribe for our school newsletters, and always know you are welcome to stop by the school and say hi! We want you involved in your child’s education and do not want you to miss out on anything happening in our school. Parking We want to remind parents that our staff parking lot is not a drop off zone and ask that you NOT drive/park in our staff parking lot, as this puts the safety of children at risk. There is a sign in the middle of our parking lot - please do not go past this sign, for safety reasons. Parents may drop children off by quickly stopping on the south side of the bus lane, or by parking away from the school, along the sidewalk running the length of 63rd Avenue. We have our Grade 5 students trained as AMA school patrollers to handle our crosswalks, and they are helping keep everyone safe. Thank you for your assistance in keeping the crosswalks clear of vehicles. We NEED our parking lot and our bus lane to be safe zones for our entire school community – your help is greatly appreciated.

Virtue of the Month We believe infused character education assists to produce cooperative, contributing, and caring individuals, who know how to do the right thing when nobody is watching . Our virtue of the month is one way we promote positive interactions and developing character. We believe in developing an active, supportive, stimulating environment to promote positive attitudes towards school and lifelong learning. Together, we are helping create responsible, caring citizens.

LET’S GO GATORS!

October 29 marks the Triple Ball Tournament. This is a lead up game to volleyball designed to assist with skill development. Grade 5 and 6 boys and girls will be practicing for this tournament. Save the date! Come and cheer on our students! Venue and start time information will follow shortly. “To be kind is more important then to be right...Many times what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks, but a special heart that listens.” - author unknown

“Striving for excellence in education and nurturing responsible, caring citizens”

Aspen Grove School Newsletter 4

Parent Corner

October Math Tip

Halloween Family Dance

Come out for loads of family entertainment! Date: October 28

Time: 6:30-8:30 pm in the gym Cost: $10.00 /family

Remembrance Day Tribute

On November 10 at 10:40 am, Aspen

Grove School staff and students invite

you to attend our Remembrance Day

Tribute. Several student presentations

will take place during our

commemorative assembly. Please call

the office to indicate your intention

attend and we will ensure adequate

seating.

“Striving for excellence in education and nurturing responsible, caring citizens”

Aspen Grove School Newsletter 5

Tech Tip of the Month

5 Tips to Keep Kids Safe in the Cyber World . An excerpt from “Keeping Kids Safe in the Digital World” by Sharon Vinderdine 1) Location, location, location: Whenever possible, have your computer or laptop set up in a public area of the home so that you can casually stroll by and see what your children are up to online. Institute a family rule that tablets and mobile phones are using in the living room only. 2) Staying on top of social: Always get a list of your children's social media usernames and passwords, consider "friending" them on their social networks, and talk to them about being responsible when setting up these accounts. Have them show you the sites and apps they are using, and let them be the "teacher." 3) Share with one, share with them all: Educate your children about their digital footprint and what is appropriate to share online. Ensure they understand that anything they post, regardless of whether they have a private or public account, can be shared and will stay online forever. 4) Take action: Install parental control software on your child's mobile device. Have a conversation with them about the fact that you are trying to protect them rather than invade their privacy. There are all sorts of digital tools that can help monitor and protect your child and their device -- take advantage of them! 5) Teach critical thinking and reward it: Demonstrate how to identify safe, credible websites and other digital content. Encourage them to be cautious about clicking on suspicious links and speaking to people they do not know. Encourage the positive by praising their good choices and remaining engaged about what communities, games or apps they enjoy.These are starting points that at a bare minimum we need to be doing as parents. The Internet can be an amazing source of information but an incredibly scary place to share the ins and outs of our lives. Use with caution.

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” - Dalai Lama

Fun Lunch will be held approximately every third Thursday. Please refer to the student agenda for the dates. All ordering and payment is done

online via the Munch a Lunch program.Ordering cut will always be the Fridayprior to the fun lunch date. New menus

will be available at the beginning of the month and can be found online at:

http://munchalunch.com

“Striving for excellence in education and nurturing responsible, caring citizens”

Aspen Grove School Newsletter 6

Great Gators These deserving Aspen Grove students have shown their awesome Aspen attitudes in the classroom and around the school and have been awarded for being Great Gators. Well done!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any

direction you choose. You’re on your own.

And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll

decide where you’ll go. -Dr. Suess

“Striving for excellence in education and nurturing responsible, caring citizens”

Aspen Grove School Newsletter 7

School Safety To help create a safe and welcoming school atmosphere , we have the following information to share.

1. Supervision is provided at 8:00 am. When students arrive at school, they are expected to assemble in the playground area where they can play and be supervised until the bell rings at 8:10 am.

2. At 8:10am, students are invited to move inside to ready themselves for the start of the the school day at 8:20 am.

3. Supervision is provided at morning and lunch recess, when students are active outside.

4. All doors are locked, with the exception of our front door. This is the only door parents and guests are to enter the school through. This is for safety and ensuring we know who is in the school.

5. At the end of the day, if you are picking up your child, please feel welcome to make yourself comfortable in our Learning Commons Area, out front of the office. Classroom instruction continues until the end of the day, and we do want to continue this climate of learning. Thus, we will be limiting parent movement in the hallways and have parents waiting in our learn Learning Commons Area. This also allows us to accurately keep track of who is in the building, for safety purposes. Thank you so much for your understanding and for prearranging to meet your child in this area, if are intending on meeting your child at the end of the day.

Gr. 5 & 6 Biking Unit - PE

Our Learning Commons Area

A great place for students to engage in learning - connected to the library

and central to our entire school!

Thank you to our Maintenance Staff for their commitment to this

project. Also, thank you to our entire School Community for your

patience as we developed this space over the past few months.

Looks GREAT!

“Striving for excellence in education and nurturing responsible, caring citizens”