february news/forest green school

8/7/2019 February News/Forest Green School

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February201

1Newsletter

ForestGreenSchool

Principals Message

The weather has been up and down this year and we HIGHLY appreciate that parents are con-

tinuing to ensure that their students are dressed appropriately for the weather. We are not out

of the clear yet, and we keep the students in when it is unbearably cold. Thank you for con-

tinuing to ensure that they have the appropriate clothing for Alberta weather.

As Parkland School Division continues to look at how to best serve our students, and Forest

Green looks at optimal learning conditions for our kids, we need to have as much information

going into the next school year as possible. If you do not currently live in our attendance area

and have a child either entering Kindergarten or Grade 1 next year, please ensure that you

have a cross boundary form signed and into the office before April 15. On April 18th, we will

look at all new cross boundary registrants for Forest Green and let parents know if these new

cross boundary students will be able to attend Forest Green for the 2011-2012 school year.

Recently we have received our laptops for our grade 5-6 students and they have already been

doing some really cool things. With this 1-1 initiative, students have opportunities to really go

deeply into their learning, have the ability to create, while also learning about digital citizen-

ship. As Parkland School Division will soon be opening up Wireless Internet access for stu-

dent owned devices, it is imperative that we work with our students to guide them in appropri-

ate use of these powerful learning tools such as laptops, iPads and iPods. Although many see

iPods as simply a music device, once equipped with Internet access, they are similar to any

computer. We will be discussing with parents at our next school council meeting how we can

effectively use these devices to improve student learning opportunities in a safe and effective

manner. School council meetings this year are always held on the first Tuesday of the month

at 3:30 pm at Forest Green School.

Finally, I would really like to encourage all of you to join us for the Family Dance on March

18th at Forest Green School. Our School Council has generously donated funds to ensure that

this is a free event for all of our families. We would love to see you there as community is es-

sential in creating a strong learning environment. Please join us!

I hope you have a great month and look forward to seeing our students continuously flourish at

Forest Green!

Sincerely,

George Couros

Principal, Forest Green School/Connections for Learning

http://forestgreenschool.ca

Email: [email protected]

http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/


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If you have questions aboutweather cancellations or routedelays, schedules or any other

bussing concern, check outthe Parkland Transportation

web site @

www.parklandtransport.ca/

Forest Green School

5210 - 45 Street

Stony Plain, ABT7Z 1R5

Phone: 780-963-7366

Fax: 780-963-0341


What HAPPENED at ForestGreen!

February Grade 3 students led in aschool wide assembly discussing how thepopulation has grown and what we can doto lessen our impact on its resources.Great job Grade 3!

February 14Valentines Day at ForestGreen!

February 22Grade 6 students had theirD.A.R.E. graduation at Forest GreenSchool. Thanks to all of those that cameout!

KEY DATES FOR MARCHMarch 1School Council Meeting at Forest Green (3:30).March 11Staff will be working together at their professional development day.(No classes for students!)

March 18Family Dance at Forest Green!March 22 and 23 Student-Led Conferences (4-7) PM. Please look for thegreen form that will be coming soon!

St. Patty's Family DanceMarch 18 from 6:30 to 9:30 in the Dragon's Den (gym)!

Come on out to the family dance to support Forest Green School, celebrate community spirit and have

FUN!Please RSVP with the forms that have been sent home or pick one up in the office. Admissions is free,thanks to school council!

At the dance there is an opportunity to support Forest Green School by buying raffle tickets for an assort-ment of prizes.

There will also be a concession where you are able to buy munchies and glow sticks.

We are still in need of help for the dance. If you can help by setting up Friday afternoon, 1/2 hour duringthe dance or clean up at the end please contact Nancy Sutherland at 780-963-7017 [email protected].

Thanks Nancy Sutherland
http://www.parklandtransport.ca/http://www.parklandtransport.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://forestgreenschool.ca/http://www.parklandtransport.ca/


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Internet Safety & LearningA Parent Information SessionTechnology and social media are everywhere. Children are connecting around the world at a young age, but arethey doing this in an appropriate way? Educators around the world as well as here in Parkland are using socialmedia as a way of connecting, collaborating, and creating projects that are relevant to students, while preparingthem to be responsible and ethical digital citizens.

In this presentation, George Couros, Principal of Forest Green School/CFL, will show how technology is evolv-ing in schools to create enhanced learning environments. Through the use of social media, George will showhow technology creates learning opportunities at both home and abroad and demonstrate how parents can takepart in their child's education.This presentation will be held at Forest Green School on Tuesday, March 1, at 7pm. Come check it out!

Rainbows

We are bringing the RAINBOWS program to Forest Green through

Alberta Parenting for the Future. The program was created to providechildren with an opportunity for healing after a loss (of divorce, death

and other family changes...). The children are taught skills that willenable them to cope with painful life changes and everyday issues in apositive manner. If you think your child would benefit from such a

program please contact Mrs. Kari at 780-963-7366.

The BUS ZONE

Thank you to all of our parentsfor respecting ourbright orangepylons in the bus zone. Parkland

Student Transportation hasasked that we no longer haveparents drop off their children inthe curved bus zone during thebus drop-off times (8:15-8:40am, and 3:00-3:25 pm).

Using your discretion, you arewelcome to turn around in the cul-de-sac, but do not stop. We askthat you drop off children at theskating rink which is much safer

for our students as they nowwalk safely across the soccerfield away from other cars.

Our bus supervisors will set outand remove the pylons asneeded. If you see a pylon, donot stop in the bus zone. Thankyou for thinking of the safety ofall of our children.

Book Fair

Congratulations go out to Justin K. in 2A, Daniel L. in 3A, Bryn H. in4A, Shanese J. and Isabelle R. in 6A for winning the candy guess-

ing contest. All five students got a sneak peek at the Book Fair lastMonday afternoon and each got to take home a free book of theirchoice from the fair.

Thanks you to all of the families that supported the Book Fair againthis year. We had a great time this last week watching all of the ex-citement and are happy to see that our students really value a goodbook. The library will be able to add many new titles to the collectionwith the profit from the fair. A great big THANK YOU to the parentsthat came in to help, Mrs. Webster, Mrs. Boyer, Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs.Skinner and Mrs. Lamarche and of course thank you to all of thestaff for their support and especially for their help during recess andbefore and after school. I couldnt have done it without you!

Mrs. Shmyr
http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/


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Student-Led Conferences

Yes, we are holding Student-Led Conferences (formerly known as Parent-

Teacher Interviews)

A student-led conference at Forest Green will be a 15 minute chance to sit down to-

gether and have your child walk you through their learning at school, with the teacheras facilitator.

Why change?

-they make students, teachers and parents equal partners

-they help children learn to evaluate their own growth as a learner

-they focus on strengths

-they help the child set clear goals, and have the child take ownership of them

-they focus on pride in reaching goals

-they encourage advance preparation and speaking skills

-they can positively affect student success, and are more enjoyable for all!

What do I do as a parent?

-book a time slot with our office, as directed

-come to the conference with an open mind, and be ready to ask questions

-be prepared to see work samples, portfolios, and checklists, and to chat about it all

-praise your child on his/her efforts. The first time a child does a SLC, it can be a

challenge.

What are other schools saying?

the student-led conference lets you show your parents how smart you are!

A Student

Having my child lead the conference has shown me how my child views her learn-

ing. It was powerful.

A Parent

Teaching students to be reflective about their learning provides them with good life

skills.

A Teacher


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What our staff is learning Mrs. Wandio attended webinars on Reading is Thinking, Writing asThinking, and More Than A Story which all focus on Critical Thinking

Strategies in the classroom. Mrs. Cameron continued her Balanced Literacy training with Mrs. Wan-dio. Mr. Usiskin and Mr. Couros attended a lecture by Sir Ken Robinson oncreativity in the classroom. Ms. Hobbins worked with other Parkland educators on sharing criticalthinking strategies for Grade 2 students. Mrs. Johnson took a university grad course on Writing last semester andis enjoying a course in Childrens Literature this winter. All teachers have been working together on creating clear language forlearning outcomes for their subjects. Thanks to all of them for their collabo-ration. Mrs. Wandio and Mr. Couros led sessions at our annual Teachers con-vention. All teachers attended a variety of sessions. Several staff members are getting together after work to paint, draw,and talk about art in general.

If My Dog Could Talk

Forest Green is proud to support the new release of the children'sbook ' If My Dog Could Talk,' and is looking for your support!

The 24 page personally photographed book features the real lifestory of a Forest Green student and life with her Autism ServiceDog, with important resource information in' About Service Dogs'and 'Our Life with Autism.' With your support, we can make adifference to educate and empower students, their families and

communities both locally and abroad.

$3.00 per book sold at the school will be donated back to ForestGreen towards the enhancement and development of library initia-tives. Stop by the library to pick up you copy today!( $12.99 / book - cheques payable to A.Ainsworth)


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Forest Green School Blogs

Forest Green Main Blog http://forestgreenschool.ca

Connections for Learninghttp://cfl.forestgreenschool.ca

Forest Green Kindergarten Newshttp://kindergarten.forestgreenschool.ca/

Frenchhttp://french.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 1 Newshttp://grade1.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 2 Miss Hewardhttp://grade2a.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 2 Ms. Hobbins - http://grade2b.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 3 News!- http://grade3.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 3/4 Newshttp://grade34.forestgreenschool.ca




Musichttp://music.forestgreenschool.ca

SNAP Programhttp://snap.forestgreenschool.ca

The EYALT Programhttp://eyalt.forestgreenschool.ca

Buzz About Bookshttp://bwandio.forestgreenschool.ca
http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://cfl.forestgreenschool.ca/http://cfl.forestgreenschool.ca/http://kindergarten.forestgreenschool.ca/http://kindergarten.forestgreenschool.ca/http://french.forestgreenschool.ca/http://french.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade1.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade1.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade2a.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade2a.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade2b.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade2b.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade3.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade3.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade34.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade34.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade4.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade4.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade5.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade5.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade6.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade6.forestgreenschool.ca/http://music.forestgreenschool.ca/http://music.forestgreenschool.ca/http://snap.forestgreenschool.ca/http://snap.forestgreenschool.ca/http://eyalt.forestgreenschool.ca/http://eyalt.forestgreenschool.ca/http://bwandio.forestgreenschool.ca/http://bwandio.forestgreenschool.ca/http://bwandio.forestgreenschool.ca/http://eyalt.forestgreenschool.ca/http://snap.forestgreenschool.ca/http://music.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade6.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade5.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade4.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade34.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade3.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade2b.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade2a.forestgreenschool.ca/http://grade1.forestgreenschool.ca/http://french.forestgreenschool.ca/http://kindergarten.forestgreenschool.ca/http://cfl.forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/http://forestgreenschool.ca/


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february news/forest green school

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