BK Bulletin
Week at a Glance
Did You Know?
September 11-15
Monday, September 11 -
Start Bringing In Toonies for Terry
Tuesday, September 12 -
Bring Toonies For Terry
Wednesday, September 13 -
Bring Toonies For Terry
Thursday, September 14 -
Bring Toonies For Terry
SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING at 6:30pm (all parents/guardians, please join us!)
Friday, September 15 -
Bring Toonies For Terry
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 19 - Gr. 6 Drug Awareness Class
September 21 - Opening Mass & Grade 4 Bible Presentation @10:00am - St. Albert Parish (all are welcome)
September 21 - (PM) - Terry Fox Run
September 21 - Welcome Back Event (evening) - put on by School Council
September 22 - PD/Staff Meeting - No Classes
September 25 - (PM) Terry Fox Run Rainout Day (if needed)
September 28 - Picture Day
September 29 - Orange Shirt Day
October 2 - Recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day - No Classes
October 5 - World Teacher's Day!
October 6 - No Kindergarten Classes Today
October 9 - Thanksgiving Monday - No Classes
October 10 - Thanksgiving Liturgy @ 1:15pm
October 13 - No Kindergarten Classes Today
OPENING CELEBRATION
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
To kick off our GSACRD faith theme this year, Growing in Love, with the Father, we will gather together as a school community for our opening mass and our Grade 4 bible presentation at St. Albert Parish on Thursday, September 21 at 10:00am. We will share this mass with Sister Alphonse Academy and Father Jack will be joining us to celebrate the start of this school year!
SCHOOL COUNCIL
We are so excited to invite parents/guardians to join our School Council at Bertha Kennedy Catholic Community School! All parents/guardians are welcome to join this dynamic team who will be involved in organizing events, activities and fundraising ideas for our amazing school community! Our School Council is looking for new members to come and join our fun-filled group of people! Our first meeting will be on Thursday, September 14 @ 6:30 pm.
TERRY FOX WALK/RUN
The Annual Terry Fox will take place on Thursday, September 21st in the afternoon (our rain out date will be September 25th). Students are invited to bring “Toonies for Terry” (or any amount) to donate for cancer research. Please join us in supporting this worthy cause!
We are in need of volunteers to help supervise! If you are available to help us on this day, please email Mrs. Giacobbo @ lgiacobbo@gsacrd.ab.ca
SCHOOL PICTURE DAY
School Picture Day is THURSDAY, September 28.
After Picture Day, we will receive proofs and you will be able to order pictures on mylifetouch.ca using your Portrait ID and Access Code.
School Picture Retake Day is THURSDAY, October 26.
SCHOOL HOURS/REPORTING an ABSENCE
Administration will be outside to greet students at the buses and in the parking lot as they arrive. Please note, our school bell rings to start the day at 8:55 and school is dismissed at 3:30. We ask that parents support their children in arriving at school on time and ensure they are picked up/bussed home at the end of the school day.
Parents are asked to notify the school using your Parent Portal on Powerschool linked here when a child will be absent.
Keeping In Touch
We value the importance of communication. You can expect to receive weekly “Week at a Glance” emails from the administration on Friday afternoons. As well, your child’s classroom teacher will provide you with regular updates and communication.
As a school we are committed to the health and wellbeing of our students, staff and families. Please know that your questions and feedback are always important to us and our staff are committed to responding to your emails during the work week (Monday-Friday) within a 24 hour period. We do want to ensure that your communication is not missed during the school day while our teachers are engaged with your children. We invite you to call the office if your child has an appointment, change in pick up, or any immediate concerns that may require assistance before the end of the school day. We will ensure that your child’s teacher receives the necessary information.
Keeping our Students Safe During Drop Off and Pick Up
For safety reasons, we ask that all parents and guardians do not park in our staff parking lot. Our parking lot is reserved for busses and staff only. The streets around our school offer several spaces for parking. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter and for keeping our little BK Bobcats safe.
School Fees
Our school fees are now available to be paid. You can find this information in your parent portal on Powerschool.
Positive Behaviour Supports At BK!
Have you heard about after-school restraint collapse?
Young elementary school kids are losing it all over the world.
It’s fatiguing to their allostatic load to keep it together all day in the face of:
- strange customs
- unwanted smells
- irritating sensations
- novel instructions
- social fears
limited free mobility
lack of quiet or personal space.
By the time it’s evening, their system can not take anymore, and they crumble. What can you do?
WHEN SCHOOL STARTS:
Plan to play with your child for 10 minutes after school on the playground to ease the transition home.
Bring ice water and a snack to pick up so that at least the Hangry element is covered.
Don’t ask “how was your day?” Tell them, “it’s good to see you. I missed you” and then be quiet. Wait for them to be ready to talk rather than asking a bunch of questions. Try playing classical music on radio.
Don’t take big emotions personally. These little people are going to be exhausted and likely melting down. Expect dysregulation and tantrums as a normal reaction to keeping up with behavioral expectations all day long.
Make NO after-school plans for the first few weeks. They need to be home experiencing free, unstructured time with you close by.
What other ideas do you have? You are both gonna do great!
Reference: Mary Van Geffen
Parent Coach
Bertha Kennedy Catholic Community School
Website: https://www.berthakennedy.com/
Location: 175 Larose Drive, St. Albert, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-458-6101
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BKBOBKATS1/