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UrduRuth King Elementary School December 14th to December 18th, 2020
Our Covid Christmas video is ready to go with the children’s artwork and their beautiful singing voices recorded. Thank you to Ms. McLaren and Mr. Stephenson for organizing this and for all the staff and students for making this happen for our parents to see. I will attach the video in a separate email on Monday, December 14th. Enjoy the Winter Break!
BE KIND, BE CALM, BE SAFE!
Here is your week at a glance.
This Week:
| Monday – Dec 14 | · Lunch Program – Carrot cinnamon loaf, Cheese and Chicken Quesadilla |
| Tuesday – Dec 15 |
· Lunch Program – Open faced pizza bagel and a red apple · Popcorn and Smencil Day for those who have ordered · Tacky Christmas Sweater Day |
| Wednesday – Dec 16 | · Lunch Program – Greek feta croissant turnover and banana |
| Thursday – Dec 17 | · Lunch Program – Open faced philly cheesesteak and yogurt |
| Friday – Dec 18 |
· Lunch Program – back up meals · Several classes are having PJ day, but we will have an official PJ Day in January as well for the whole school. · Last Day of school before the winter break; Enjoy the Holidays! STAY SAFE EVERYONE! |
Reminders:
| Please remember to do the Daily Health Check with your child and keep them home if your child is sick. | After school pick-ups – Please make sure you have pre-arranged a meeting spot for after school pick-ups. If your child does not find their pick-up person, it is our policy that the students come back into the building and check in at the office. | The Cold Lunch Program is available to everyone. *If you need financial assistance in order for your child/children to participate in this program, please contact the school regarding our payment options. You must register for the program so that we know how many meals to order each week. | |||
| COBBS bread is available on Monday mornings outside the gym doors. | Attendance at school is important to us. Please try to have your children at school on time and ready for school. If your child is late, please bring them to the front door to check in as all outside doors are locked. If your child is going to be away, please email their teacher. | When you are dropping off and picking up your child, please stay off the paved areas if at all possible. This will allow ample space for teachers to pick up their students. Please wear masks when on the school ground. | |||
| MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!
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Coming Up in the New Year:
| January 4th – first day back from Winter Break |
| January 12th – PAC meeting 6:30pm via Zoom – a link will be sent out to parents. |
| January 5, 12, 19, & 26th – popcorn and smencil day |
| January 14th – Earthquake Drill |
| January 15th – White Spot lunch PAC fundraiser |
| January 22 – PJ Day – wear your pajamas to school |
| January 29th – Pizza Day PAC fundraiser |
FREE SHIPPING for Virtual Family Event Nights every Wednesday until December 10th, 2020!
Place your Virtual Book Fair order Wednesdays from 6pm-8pm
to receive free shipping, directly to your home!
See the flyer for details!
Just a friendly reminder that Thursday November 19th
is early dismissal at 11:23 a.m.
Friday November 20th is a Pro D Day.
No school for all students.
The fun and excitement of a Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! To adapt to our changing needs, Scholastic has developed a program that consists of a traditional In-School Fair with a Virtual Book Fair Component, added on. We have decided to continue hosting an in-school fair at this time as doing so will enable our PAC to continue with the tradition of providing each student with a book. (Maximum credit $10. This credit cannot be redeemed through the virtual component. Students may bring additional money to shop at the fair. We will be accepting cash for the event only.) Health and Safety protocols will be in place. Students will be able to shop during their regular library time. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles will be able to make additional purchases by following the Virtual Book Fair link below.
The Scholastic Book Fair is a major annual fundraiser for our school library and as such your participation is greatly appreciated! Purchases made through the Virtual Fair Link will be delivered to your home address!
Don’t miss out!
Our Dual Scholastic Book Fair will start NOVEMBER 19th through NOVEMBER 30th. The fair will close at 2pm on the last day.
https://bookfairs-canada.myshopify.com/pages/5141362
Happy Reading,
Mr Dranchuk – Teacher Librarian
Please refrain from sending Halloween candy or treats to school at this time as we are not allowed to distribute food items from your homes due to the Covid-19 restrictions and policies.
For those who drop off your children at the “Before School Program,” please do not drop off any earlier than 7:30am as we do not have any supervisors scheduled to work before this time. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Please set up your account for CASH ONLINE as we will not be accepting cash at this time because of Covid-19. If you are having any issues with this process, please contact the school office and we can help you.
Halloween message from the School District:
Please take a moment to read the following guidelines. We would appreciate if you could go over these points with your child(ren).
These are guidelines – please check with your child’s school if they have further recommendations.
SD62 Costume Guidelines:
- Face makeup is okay as long as it isn’t too scary (students must be identifiable).
- Half masks such as masquerade masks are okay unless otherwise stated by your child’s school. No full-face masks are permitted.
- Friendly clowns, jesters, mimes, etc. are okay. No scary clowns please.
- No imitation weapons of any kind will be permitted.
Please use your best judgement to ensure costumes are appropriate for school wear.
These guidelines are in place so that students can be easily identified.
Principals and Vice-Principals may ask your child to change in the event a costume is deemed unacceptable. We do our best to create comfortable and safe environments in our schools and we thank you for helping us to do so.
New! Parents MUST book in advance to attend.
- Book up to 48 hours in advance
- Only one adult can accompany child(ren)
- Adult must wear mask at all times
- Families may only attend/book one inside day per week maximum
- Enter the classroom by the outside yellow ramp – far corner of school
The Ruth King Strong Start schedule is;
Monday 9-11am @ the classroom
Tuesday 9-11am @ outside Centennial Park (on Carlow)
Wednesday 9-11am @the classroom
Thursday 9-11am @outside Ruth King Primary Playground
Friday 9-11am @the classroom
Please follow the link provided to register:
https://jump.sd62.bc.ca/strong_start_ruthking_bookings
It was nice to meet some more parents on the Zoom PAC meeting this past Tuesday. With COVID-19 there have definitely been some set backs, but I feel like the virtual meetings have made it easier for some parents to join the meetings from the comfort of their own homes. Thank you to the executive for setting up these meetings. The PAC is organizing a bottle drive fundraiser for this coming Sunday, October 25th from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Please save your bottles and cans for this event. Volunteers are needed, please contact the PAC either through myself or on the Facebook PAC page for Ruth King.
Please remember to check in with your child every morning to make sure they are not sick or exhibiting any signs of Covid-19. The “Daily Self Check,” is available for your reference.
If your child misses school due to illness, it is difficult for your child’s teacher to catch them up on everything that they missed, as much of what the teachers do is build into their lessons through different means, such as lectures, videos, readings, debates, oral interactions, etc. Please have your child write in a journal or tell a story, read a novel or book of their choosing, do some basic math fact practice, draw and colour, do some physical exercises, etc. The teacher will provide what they can, but it may not be exactly what your child has missed.
Important: Please send in your PINK verification forms if you have not done so already. We will only release your child to the people who are listed in your emergency contact list. If you need to change the people who are on your Emergency Contact List, please contact the school to update.
Upcoming Events: Parent/Teacher interviews will take place between November 16th to 27th. Your child’s teacher will contact you to set up a suitable time for you to meet with them. We will not be having interviews within the school building at this time, but they will either be done over the phone, through Zoom or other virtual method, or in person outside socially distanced.
October 21st – we will be having a Lock Down Drill at 9:55am
October 23rd – No School – Professional Development Day
October 27th – Public Board Meeting – 7pm
November 4th – Photo Retake Day
November 10th – PAC meeting – 6:30pm (Zoom)
November 19th – Early dismissal 11:23pm for parent/teacher interviews
November 20th – No School – Professional Development Day
We have the Great Canadian Shakeout Earthquake Drill on Thurday, Oct. 15th and there is a PAC meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, October 13th at 6:30pm. Check the Ruth King PAC facebook page for the link to join.
Please remember to email your child’s teacher if they will be away from school and also continue doing the “Daily Health Checks”, before sending your child to school. I have had to send numerous students home who have come to school sick. Thank you for your help with this.
Please remember to stay off the pavement areas where students are lining up so that teachers can social distance from you. It is preferable if you stay on the grassy areas when dropping your child off at school. If your child comes late to school, please bring them to the front entrance and call the office. (250-478-8368)
Reminder: Please do not send cupcakes or other treats for your child’s birthday at this time. Because of the Covid Rules around food distribution, we are no longer able to accommodate this within the classrooms.
Upcoming Events:
October 21st – Lock Down Drill
October 23rd – Pro D Day – no school
October 27th – Board Meeting
October 30th – Orange and Black Day or Costume Day
Reminders:
- School Photo Day is MONDAY, October 5th. Do forget to wear something nice for the photos.
- If your child is sick or going to be away from school, please email the classroom teacher rather than calling the school office. Thank you in advance.
- Monday, October 12th – Thanksgiving Day – no school
- PAC meeting will be Tuesday, October 13th at 6:30pm via ZOOM
- Thursday, October 15th – we will be having the Great Canadian Shakeout Earthquake Drill at approximately 10:15am
- Please don’t forget to do your Consents online. There are still about 30 students who have not done this yet. If you are unsure how to do this. Please call the school to ask. 250-478-8368.
- Please return the verification forms so that we can update your information in our system.
Mark your calendars picture day is
Monday, October 5th and will be
taking place in the school gymnasium.
Reminders:
**Please fill out the online consents as soon as possible. There are still 65 families who have not filled these out. It is important as we need parents to ensure they are doing the “daily health checks” at home before sending their child to school. The consent should only take about two minutes. You do need your child’s PEN number for the school cash online, which is a 9 digit number that Naomi can provide for you if you do not have this number.
School Ph# 250-478-8368. https://consent.sd62.bc.ca/apps/OnlineConsent
**Please remember to send in the forms that were sent home last Friday. These forms are very important as they update our emergency procedures and contacts. Thank you.
**On rainy days, please send your child with rain boots and rain coats as we like the children to get fresh air as much as possible even if it is raining. Because we can only let the children play in certain zones, often the students will be spending recess and lunch on the field where their feet end up wet and cold.
Orange Shirt Day is coming up next week and will take place on Wednesday, September 30th. Please have your child wear an orange shirt to school to honour those that went to residential school. Why do we wear Orange Shirts?
- Orange Shirt Dayis a day when we honour the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada and learn more about the history of those schools.
- Wearing an orange shirt and promoting the slogan, “Every Child Matters,” is an affirmation of our commitment to raise awareness of the residential school experience and to ensure that every child matters as we focus on our hope for a better future in which children are empowered to help each other.
Picture Day will be Monday, October 5th.