Over the next few weeks, we will be showcasing different parts of Edsby for our families. Edsby is about as complex as Facebook to operate and navigate within, so if you can do Facebook or Instagram, you can do Edsby. We will journey together to ensure that you are as up-to-date as possible on the progress of your child and the goings on at PPCS.

Episode 5: Learning Story

In order to make student assessment and feedback more meaningful, , authentic, and collaborative the NESD has introduced digital documentation as part of the Edsby program. Digital documentation, as it sounds, is the documentation of student learning using a digital platform. Edsby has 3 ways in which students' learning can be documented and showcased. The greatest benefit of digital documentation is the opportunities for students, staff, and parents to collaborate and reflect on student work together in real-time. In fact the NESD and its school have dug so deep into the world of digital documentation, that Edsby has had to create an update to allow it to do what we want.

The 3 methods of digital documentation within Edsby are:

• Learning Story
• Portfolio
• Grader

Learning story allows students or teachers to upload student work into Edsby or create invitations to upload student work into Edsby. Once in the learning story, students staff, and parents can view and comment on student work. These comments can become a 2 or 3-way conversation, which allows for rich and in-depth collaboration amongst all stakeholders in a student's education.

Portfolio is a showcase of work. Items can be selected from the learning story by the student or directly uploaded. In either case, it is the student selecting pieces of evidence that highlight their learning and achievements. Once again, parents and teachers can view and comment on these items.

Grade is a part of Edsby that allows students to upload work directly for assessment and/or evaluation. The teacher can provide feedback and annotate directly on the piece of work. The students can respond to feedback, creating a back-and-forth dialogue that is both reflective and instructive in terms of student achievement.

Throughout this year, teachers have been tasked with using some form of digital documentation with all of their students in one of their classes. Stay tuned as digital documentation will also be a topic that is discussed at 3-way conferences this week.

All families should have received an Edsby message regarding choosing a 3-way conference time. If you have not or are not sure how to book a time, contact the school and we can help you out.

Thank you to Parkland Coop and Affinity Credit Union for inviting us to the pancake breakfast on Tuesday. We took approximately half of the students down during period 1. It was delicious and the students were amazing ambassadors for our school.

As a bridge between our Ecosystems unit and our Mixtures and Solutions unit, the grade 7 science students were presented with a simulated oil spill and a variety of tools to try and clean it up. We discussed the horrific impact of an oil spill on the surrounding ecosystems and then explored the nature of oil as it interacts with water as we discussed the challenges of cleaning it up. The students did a great job and most were able to remove a high percentage of the oil (and for some, most of the water).

Last year's Bear Bites crew did an amazing job at building and refining our business along with their financial and cooking skills. They quickly learned that cooking for 50-60 looks much different than cooking for 1-2. They left very big shoes for this year's grade 10s to fill. However, the grade 10s have stepped up to the challenge. They have very quickly learned that teamwork is key and some have grown very tired of Mr. Mielke saying, "if I have to tell you to do it, I might as well do it myself." Most students have found their rhythm and only a basic overview of tasks needs to be given. Some students are already emerging as natural kitchen managers, accountants, and organizers. On Thursday, they successfully prepared and served over 130 pancakes and 90+ breakfast sausages, all in 1 hour (including clean up).

Each month, we will be putting out a family calendar which will include major events for the month. We will do our best to be as comprehensive as possible, but please continue to check the Bear Blast for updates. This will include our home games and our practice times, as well as special events. We encourage families to print a copy (click the pdf file to download) of the calendar and keep it handy.

The grade 9s were in Foam Lake for volleyball. The girls played very well, going to 3 games in both the semi-final and finals. In the end, they came out successfully winning gold. Way to go Bears!

The senior girls traveled to Naicam on Friday for some tournament play. The girls played hard and had a tough game leading to an injury. They ended up in a 3-way tie for 3rd in their pool,. but lost the tie ratio by 0.1, and didn't make the playoffs. Not the ending we wanted, but a great weekend of volleyball.

Volunteer of the month.

Mrs Patchin gets the nod this month for holding down the fort in the canteen on Friday night. She often helps out by picking up supplies and serving food throughout our athletic events and her help is surely appreciated. Thank you for all you do for Bears Athletics.

Athlete of the month

Harley Holinaty has made a smooth transition to the high school sporting end. She has demonstrated a solid base of volleyball skills and an effort level that shows she is a gamer. She will be one to keep an eye on as she gains experience.

Athlete of the month

Marty Salmond has been ripping serves and making some good decisions while setting for her team. Marty appears very positive on the court and seems like she is having a lot of fun while playing which is the goal we have for all of our athletes. Great job in September Marty.

Please note, as we get used to this new system, please be aware that punch card balances may be up to 1 week behind.

You can click the button below to check on how much your child has left on his/her punch card. To help support privacy, we have developed account numbers for each student. The account number is their grade followed by the last 4 digits of the phone number we have on file. For example, my son Noah is in grade 5. His account number would be 059017.

Once you click the link below and find your child's account number, you will see a number to the left of their account number (i.e. 17). That number will not change, so you only have to remember that number going forward.

We hope that this will help our families.

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