January Events/Activities

LSK NEWSLETTTER WELCOME BACK TO A NEW YEAR!!

Principal’s Message… Ms. Kelly Oliver Pusu'l Puna'ne. Happy New Year. After having a successful, fun and productive 2019, we look forward to having an even better year for 2020. To support success for our students, we began this year with a few staff position changes. We are excited to return from the holidays and ready to accomplish many great things.

Our ice rink is up and running, thanks to Mr. Greg Marr and students' hard work and dedication. The rink is located on the soccer field and can be used by the community. All we ask is to encourage all to take good care of it, so that people can continue to use it. During school hours, our rule is no helmet, no ice.

Our goals for the school year are to increase language and community involvement and to improve attendance through sharing and strengthening relationships. Teachers are reaching out to parents and we are incorporating language throughout the school. Our attendance is on the rise when compared to our last year's data, especially for our older grades.

Missing school can have a snowball effect. Each day of learning builds on the previous day of lessons. Students that miss lessons can fall behind in skills, resulting in them wanting to miss more time from school because they are struggling. Research shows that kids that are allowed to miss school when they are young are more likely to skip school when they are older and are less likely to graduate.

At LSK our elementary grades start their days with 90 minutes of literacy lessons. Our teachers in P-3 attend weekly professional sharing circles with other teachers across Canada, to focus on great literacy lessons. When a child struggles with literacy, they will also have difficulties with other subjects. Literacy is the foundation of learning. When your child is late or absent, they are missing very important literacy lessons that will help prepare them for graduation.

January is the last month of First Semester for grades 9-12. Second semester for our High School Students will begin February 2nd. Students and teachers are preparing for Exams that begin the week of Monday, January 27th. Please read further in our newsletter for list of courses we are offering for second semester and more information about our exam week.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0

6th – Return to School 8th – Mi’kmaq Digital: Math with Dash Program (Grades K – 6) 8th – Junior Astronaut Program (Grades 6 – 9) 16th – 3D Modelling Mi’kmaq Digital (Grades 4 – 9) 24th – In-service (No School) 287h to 30th – High School Exams: 27th (Monday) – Block A; 298h (Tuesday) – Block B; 29th (Wednesday) – Block D; 30th (Thursday) – Block C 31st – High School Exam Make-up Day (Medical Note Only)

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Library News… Mrs. Sharon Culbertson Another Christmas holiday has come and gone. I hope that everyone enjoyed their time off and that Santa was very good to everyone. Let’s start off this New Year on a positive note. Our Scholastic Book Fair was another success! This year we sold $2,417.83 worth of product which earned the school $1,208.92 in commission. The commission was used to purchase books for students who were unable to shop during the fair, build up the classroom libraries for the Junior High ELA classroom and the Senior High English classes, purchase several Indigenous books for the library and purchase books for the Fall Fair Book Walk activity. Not all monies were spent and we have some put aside for other educational materials. Welcome back Kaleriah, Zailyn, Kingston, and a new welcome greeting to Phoebe and Sophia. Speaking of welcoming back… welcome back to Mr. Bryan Brooks. Bryan’s previous role was as the physical education teacher and this year he will be stepping into his new role as the Guidance Counsellor. We wish him all the best. Some other staff changes are in music (Dorota), Elementary Learning Centre (Mary and Joanne), physical education (Kavita) and grade two (Tyler). I wish you all the best in your new roles.

Grade Eight… Mr. Robert MacIntosh Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun Christmas season. Well now that our vacation is over it is time to get back to work. Students in Health 7 will be learning about sleep and how important it is. They will be creating a poster representing an advertisement for sleep products. Students In grade 7 Science will be learning about Engineering structures and how nature has played a part in the development of planes to subs and also cities. Grade 8 Science students will be finishing a project about city planning and design. Once they are finished their project, they will learn about motor engines as well as different lubricants. Grade 9 Science students will soon be finishing their science course so it will be review time and then exam time. Grade 7 Social students will learn about migration as well as centralization. Last but not least students in Social Studies 8 will learn about migration of people within Canada affect our identity. That’s it for me Mr. Mac

Grade Five/Six… Ms. Helena Sack Welcome back! I hope everyone had a nice, long winter break. December went by in a blur and it was filled with fun activities. The grades 4-7 were invited to see the ballet, "The Nutcracker" performed by Symphony Nova Scotia. It was an amazing performance and I hope it will become a yearly tradition. The grade 5/6 practiced hard to perform our own version of "Deck the Halls" at the Christmas concert. We nailed it! We also had a great Christmas party followed by our own "slumber party" the next day. January is going to be full of great things too! The grade 5's will be learning about ancient Egypt in Social Studies, while the grade 6's will delve into learning about various communities in Canada. We will also be starting our research for the Science Fair. Have a fantastic January!

Physical Education… Ms. Kavita Siewrattan PreK to Grade 2: Students warm up and perform a variety of stretches to get ready for the day's activities. This month will be a focus on listening skills and development of motor skills such as catching, kicking, throwing and hitting. Games included red light-green light, bean bag toss, beach ball catching and carrying balls with spoons. Grade 3 to Grade 6: Focus on strategy and movement. Students played a variety of different tag games and further into the month will play scooter hockey, crab soccer and European handball. Grade 7 to Grade 9: Review of sport techniques learned earlier in the year. Weather permitting students will go outside for snowshoeing activities and ice hockey. Students are asked to ensure they are prepared to go outside for some of the PE classes.

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High School Mi’kmaq… Mr. Greg Marr Month: January – Punamujuiku’s – Tommy Cod Spawning Month Season: Kesik – Winter Theme: Winter Activities Winter Clothing Outdoor Education: Ice Skating, Rabbit Snaring & Ice Fishing For the month of January, we are going to continue our focus on Mi’kmaq activities for January. ‘Punamu’ when translated is a Tommy Cod. Some of the activities planned for January/February will be Rabbit snaring and Ice Fishing. Students should dress for the weather ‘Paskuta’sin’. The outdoor rink is just about ready for skating. We are in the process of fixing a few of the bumps. Mkumi is ice. Alipqomi is ice skating. In the coming days, we will be organizing a schedule for the outdoor rink during school hours. Remember NO Helmet – NO ice time. At times, we will be needing volunteers to help clear and water the ice. Early Literacy Intervention… Ms. Angela Maloney Welcome Back Students! After a much-needed Christmas break, ELI is back in full swing. All ELI groups will start where they left off in December. ELI Facts Evidence Based Reading Intervention Strategies

• Repeated Reading. • Assisted Reading. • QAR: Questions-Answer Relationship. • Visualize the Text. • Visualization, or mental imagery, is one of the best reading intervention strategies. ... • Students must be taught by using an interactive read aloud (often called a "Think Aloud").

Early literacy refers to the development of skills students need in order to transition from learning to read, to reading to learn. These skills include vocabulary, phonics, language, and numeracy, to name a few. Early literacy gives students the foundation they need in order to learn and grow.

Grade One… Ms. Leanne Foster Wow! Its 2020, not only a brand-new year but a brand-new decade. Grade 1 is ready for a roaring good start to the year. We are keen and ready to get back to work. We are continuing to follow the literacy program set by the Martin Family Initiative, we are now working at a deep level on D level books for reading and writing. We are developing our ability to integrate and use meaning, structure and visual information when processing our literacy materials. In Math we are continuing our unit on addition and subtraction. Help your child by quizzing them on their doubles (1+1=2, 2+2=4, 3+3= 6 ....) to 10 and addition facts for numbers 1-10. January is a long, dark, cold month so we need to work together to keep our spirits up, our motivation high and our bodies dressed warmly. Happy New Year Everyone.

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Grade Seven… Ms. Erika Hilchey Hello everyone! Welcome back to school after the holiday break! I hope everyone had a relaxing time off and got to enjoy some down time. For the month of January, we are going to be focusing on persuasive writing and analyzing short stories. Our Articles of the Week this month will focus on Mi'kmaq hunting and fishing rights and their relationship to the treaties that were signed. Students will be expression their thoughts and opinions on this topic in round table discussions and writing pieces. Outside of academics, I am hoping to get an afterschool yoga program started the first week of February. This will run on Thursday from 3:10-4pm and all equipment will be provided. If you have any questions, concerns or just want to chat about the school year feel free to contact me at the school, via email or on social media. Happy January! Erika High School Resource… Ms. Meredith Conrad Welcome back, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break! There are lots of exciting activities coming up in the High School Resource room. Some of our grade 12 graduates have begun to paint their ceiling tiles. We are starting a cultural mural on the back wall in the resource room #2410, anyone interested from grades 7-12 are welcome to participate! See Ms. Meredith for more details. I will also be teaching IPP English 10 when the new semester begins in February. I am looking forward to seeing some of my resource students in the classroom setting! Wela'lin, Meredith

Elementary Learning Centre… Ms. Mary Davies Hello Everyone. From now on you will

be seeing me in the role of Learning

Centre teacher. A new year and a new

position. I am enjoying all the students

and am getting to know them better.

Anything new presents challenges but I

look at them as opportunities for

learning. We're all in this together. Artwork by Justice Paul, Grade 12

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Grade Nine…

Mr. Steve DeLisle Grade 7, 8, 9 Math Since the beginning of January, the grade seven class have learned how decision-making processes in school and in life often involve the use of algebra. They have recognized how numbers form patterns that can help them plan for fundraisers, make recommendations for school events, and even win class competitions. The grade eight class have been busy learning how to measure prisms and cylinders. Since most products are packaged in boxes and cans, the students have been thinking about how a box or can is made. The grade nine students will be learning about linear relations and patterns. They will model many real-world situations with a linear relation and use it to make predictions and solve problems. For example, the total cost of a pizza is a fixed cost for a particular size, plus a cost that depends on the number of toppings added. Music… Ms. Dorota Forfa Kwe'/Hi I am very happy to be joining LSK, teaching music to grades Pre-K to six. We are learning together! This month all of the grades are practising rhythm patterns, beginning with quarter and eight notes. The Pre-K and Primary class are clapping rhythms and at home you can practise with your child by playing Pat-a-cake songs like "Baker's man". Grades 1 and 2 are adding melody to the rhythm using the xylophone and marimba. Grades 3 and 4 are exploring rhythms using the West African Djembe drums. Grade 5/6 is appreciating Indigenous culture, including traditional Inuit Throat singing and popular songs by various artists, including Buffy-Sainte Marie. Wela'lin/Thank you Dorota

Grade Primary… Mrs. Sheri Brooks The primary class has been learning lots of new things this month. We are learning some more about measuring in Math and we will be learning more about numbers this month. We have been enjoying some good books and have been working on lots of great stories. The primary class is very excited that winter is finally here! They have been enjoying the snow and having fun with their friends. I would like to remind families to make sure students bring their snow gear each day so they get to play in all the lovely snow at recess! We hope everyone has a great month of January and would like to send birthday wishes to Enzly and Kitpu who are celebrating their 6th birthday this month! Grade Two… Mr. Tyler Schussler I’m excited to be starting my new role as the Grade 2 teacher here at LSK. My first priority as the Grade 2 teacher is to establish routines and expectations, especially after a long Holiday break. Routines and expectations are critical when it comes to developing a successful learning environment which is why the two-run hand in hand as they help provide structure and security to a student’s learning journey. Routines can influence a student’s social and cognitive development thus helping them better understand classroom expectations. Consistent expectations allow students to feel more confident, engaged and connected to the classroom community. Delivering consistent expectations also helps positively reinforce behaviours that are essential for learning and help nip any behaviours in the bud that may be negatively affecting the learning environment. Routine and consistent expectations are crucial when it comes to learning, this is why I’ve made it a priority in Grade 2 early on in 2020.

As we start the new year in Grade 2, we’ve also started to look at the concept of community. Students examined the differences between rural and urban communities and the services each community provide the people who live there. Students will also learn how communities change over time and the factors that drive these changes within each individual community. I’m happy to start my new role as I mentioned above and I look forward to working in Grade 2 as the student’s and I embark on educational journey that is filled with fun, excitement, and enthusiasm.

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Grade Four… Ms. Tabetha Stephens Kwe, Pusu'l Puna'ne. Happy New Year! The grade 4's would like to welcome two new students, Kaleriah and Sophia to our classroom. We hope you enjoy your time here. Grade 4's started the year off making New Year’s Resolutions and are setting new goals in which they hope to accomplish before the end of 2020. Some of the topics we will be exploring over the next few weeks will be: ELA: We will be working on Procedural Writing. Math: Equations involving Addition and Subtraction along with multiplication strategies. Science: Rocks and Minerals and also learning about to the scientific method as we prepare for Science Fair. Health: Healthy Community. Social Studies: Physical Landscape of Canada. We hope everyone has a great year. Grade Eleven… Mr. Robert Watson Grade 7, 8, 9 Math Since the beginning of January, the grade seven class have learned how decision-making processes in school and in life often involve the use of algebra. They have recognized how numbers form patterns that can help them plan for fundraisers, make recommendations for school events, and even win class competitions. The grade eight class have been busy learning how to measure prisms and cylinders. Since most products are packaged in boxes and cans, the students have been thinking about how a box or can is made. The grade nine students will be learning about linear relations and patterns. They will model many real-world situations with a linear relation and use it to make predictions and solve problems. For example, the total cost of a pizza is a fixed cost for a particular size, plus a cost that depends on the number of toppings added. Grade Three… Ms. Ambrah MacNeil Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday. It was much needed. The kids came back rejuvenated and ready to learn. A reminder to parents and guardians to check the weather regularly to ensure kiddos are dressed with proper winter wear to stay warm while they play. In literacy, grade 3s have finished exploring procedural text and are moving onto graphic novel narratives. Students have prior knowledge of standard narratives so are excited to experience this new genre. Students will be reading a variety and also creating their own. We have also begun our unit on the Acadians and students are looking forward to learning about their culture and the many parallels and relationships to the Mi’kmaq. We will be doing some fun craft activities and some exploration through texts and videos. That’s all for now! Over and out!

January Birthday Greetings… 02 – Peter Brooks (Grade 7)

03 – Bradley Michael (Grade 7)

08 – Judah Glasgow (Grade 3)

11 – Dallas DeWolfe (Grade 12)

13 – Kashawnda Gould (Grade 5)

15 – Jessy Paul (Grade 7)

16 – Enzly Sanipass (Primary)

17 – Ceanna Brooks (Grade 1)

20 – Ethan Francis (Grade 9)

20th – Tomaz Francis (Grade 10)

21 – Kispesan Julian (Grade 11)

22 – Jacobi-Lynn Marr (Grade 10)

23 – Kitpu Julian (Primary)

26 – Mercedes Nevin (Grade 1)

29 – John McDonald (Grade 10)

30 – Paris Maloney (Grade 9)

LSK NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2019

Elementary Mi’kmaq Language… Ms. Tania Gould Te'kek – It is cold. Kiskuk – Today Saponu'k – Tomorrow Pesaq – Snow is falling. Welta'si – I am happy. Lentuk – Deer Wastew – Snow Mijua'ji'j – Children L'um'j – Puppy Mia'wj - Kitten Kwe'. Hello Welta'si – I am happy that I am able to share our Mi'kmaw Language with your children. I have seen the language grow since I been here. I hope the Mijua'ji'j (children) are using it at home. I see the pride when they are speaking Mi'kmaq at school; please help me praise them in using our language. I tell our children how important it is for them to learn and keep our language alive. I let them know that it is their job to keep it alive because there is no other place on earth where you can hear our Mi'kmaw language. Our language is a gift from the Creator so we need to treasure it. Speaking one word a day is a great way to start. Please help keep it going. Together we can do this! Nemut'es app! See you again! Mi'kmaw language teacher, Tania Gould

Elementary Resource… Ms. Leslie Paul Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. The school year is well under way so many students have already participated in many new learning experiences that will assist them in their development as confident readers and writers. Many of our resource students are participating in the “Road to Reading” Program and are on the Red (first) level. Upon completion of this level students should be able to do the following:

1. Identify all consonant sounds. 2. Identify the five short vowel sounds (/a/, /i/, /o/, /u/,

and /e/). 3. Read and spell closed syllable words (e.g., bat, sit, hot,

run, fed). 4. Identify the diagraphs th, ch, sh, and -ck. 5. Read and spell closed syllable words with the digraphs

th, ch, sh, and -ck (e.g., thick, shin, chick).

Currently we have three students participating in the “Edmark Reading Program” and four Primary students participating in the phonological awareness “Road to Code” program. Each student is working at his/her own pace and the programs are adapted to meet the needs of individual students. If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to the program planning process or elementary resource, please feel free to contact me at the school. Wela’lin/Thank you, Ms. Leslie Paul