It seems like a very long time ago when I got my first Facebook account. I was a young teacher and wanted to be hip and cool and occupy this new space that my students were flocking to. Very soon there were many discussions about this new "social media" and what it meant for teachers and students in the context of the unique nature of the student-teacher relationship. At the time, no one had good answers to tough questions, because no one really understood what it meant to live out real human relationships in a virtual world. What were the possible application of this new tool, could it be used for learning? To supplement learning? To set up teacher support networks?

Several years later there has been an explosion of possible social media tools and virtual worlds in which we can interact. Many Facebook questions have been answered or at least made moot by the mass exodus of youth from the platform. Us adults find ourselves alone on Facebook trying to sell things in marketplace, trying to figure out if we have been hacked, and trying to figure out why we are not seeing certain people on our feeds. But where are the kids? This is the problem; us adults, largely do not know where they are and for the most part, don't understand the virtual world that they are inhabiting.

I once heard a speaker do a talk about being a digital native vs. being a digital tourist. He spoke about our kids being digital natives having been born into living their entire lives fully connected to, and immersed in the digital world. He contrasted that with adults as digital tourists. We were born into a world that was largely unconnected, the concept of social media platforms being completely unfathomable. We are visitors (tourists) as such we may experience much of what the digital world has to offer, but we lack a good understanding of the nuances. Unfortunately for us, and more so for our kids, it is the nuances of this that can lead to increased stressors for our kids.

Social media is a real catch-22 in that it can be the greatest contributor to and potentially the greatest relief from daily stressors faced by our kids. I could spend a year's worth of Bear Blasts discussing social media and the impact that it can have on our kids. To say that it social media is pervasive in our world is a gargantuan understatement. In fact, for many youths today, it is more accurate to say that the real world pervades the digital world. That is to say, we have some (perhaps many) youths who spend more time in and interacting in a virtual world than they do in the real world. Social media does not augment their reality, it is their reality.

It is the perpetually connected nature of the digital world that creates some of the greatest stressors for youth today. It is in fact a truly double-edged sword. Being constantly connected makes it almost impossible to escape the social pressures of being a kid today. There is constant scrutiny of photos and almost unlimited access to each other. When conflicts arise, which they invariably do, there is no space in which youth can wrangle with their own emotions, instead that space is filled with constant input from peers and perhaps even others involved in the conflict.

The answer to this would seem obvious, disconnect. However, we must remember that as digital tourists that are nuances that we are not aware of. You and I both lived in a world where you could hang up the phone and it would be over with. This is not the case in the new world of social media and perpetual connection. The hard truth is that youth can disengage from social media, but they remain connected and once they reengage, their device will become a chorus of previously missed notifications, enlightening them on everything that they missed while they (and you) mistakenly felt they were disconnected. This is coupled with the fact that the entire time of pseudo disconnect, there is anxiety over what they are missing. Are my friends talking about me? Are my friends talking without me? Are things happening that I wish I could be part of? A general feeling of being left out.

So, does that mean that I am going to leave you without a solution? No, but I don't have a great answer (being a tourist and all). The best I can offer is my own personal pipe dream. My dream is that we could somehow leverage our knowledge of the real world and impart that knowledge to our kids. We would have to show them that there are some human interactions that do not translate well into the digital world. Show them that, in fact, many human interactions do not translate well into the digital world. My pipe dream is that they could live within their digital worlds, but step out when there are truly human things that need to be dealt with (such as conflict). It is then that we can be there to support, guide, and instruct. After all we are the real world natives, with a growing trend of our youth becoming real-world tourists.

PPCS is lucky enough to have 2 teacher candidates from the University of Saskatchewan working with our students. Mrs. Irving is working with Mr. Harbor and Miss Kirby is working with Mr. Riley.

The Bear Bites recently decided that they would like some feedback regarding what meals we should be offering. Please scan the QR below and give us your thoughts. Press and hold the QR code and then select QR code to be taken to the survey.

May 31

Monday, May 8, 2023

- Cumberland College will be at the school to chat with grade 10s and 11s.

Monday, May 15, 2023

- NO SCHOOL (School Improvement Day)

Thursday, May 25, 2023

- Bike Rodeo (K-6)

May 26-29

- PE 20/30 Camping Trip to Clearwater Lake, MB

Monday, May 22, 2023

- NO SCHOOL (Victoria Day)

Thursday, June 22, 2023

-Awards Night

Monday, June 26, 2023

- Grade 4-6 Track Day

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Grad 2023

The volunteer for this month is Ely Campos. Ely is in her final year with us and has worked the score table at more basketball games than most people have played. She brings a ton of support to our teams and can be found hitting the road following our away games to cheer us on. Sometimes she even lets Miel come with her. Thank you for your help and support for Bears Athletics. Good luck in your future Ely.

Ava Tiedjens is this month's pick. She is a well-rounded multisport athlete who had a great showing in her badminton season. She is a smart aggressive player who is an asset to any team she is on. She is ready to put down the racquet and pick up the bat for her next sport season. Good job Ava.

Hana Teale is another multisport athlete who seems to excel at each sport she tries. She showed great improvement in basketball with a money baseline jump shot and some lockdown D. She carried her work ethic into badminton season and did a great job in girls' doubles. Keep it up, Hana.

** Games may start earlier if teams arrive, our goal is to get them home as early as possible.

Once again, Jigs and Carolines will be offering hot lunches on Wednesday and Friday. Please order directly from them. Please note:

ALL JIGS ORDERS MUST BE PLACED THROUGH THE GOOGLE FORM BELOW.

CAROLINES ORDERS MUST NOW BE PLACED ONLINE AS WELL.