As a new year begins, it is a great time to better ourselves. Not to say that the current iteration of us is not sufficient, but like anything, there is always room for improvement. Over the next few Bear Blasts, I would like to suggest some general areas of our lives, where perhaps we could do some tweaking, some minor adjustments, and some fine tuning.

Be More Courageous

Very wise advice is to live your life in such a way that you look back with no regrets. Leave nothing left undone. This seems like great advice but is also very scary. In order to meet the things that scare us head-on, we need courage.

What is courage? To explain it, we must look at the root of the word which is cour, Latin for heart. Poets have referred to brave people as stout-hearted, but what do they mean? To be courageous is to love the good more than we fear the evil or the suffering. We are willing to endure in order to achieve.

Think about the things that you have always wanted to do, but have not. Things that you have put off. Most likely, you, like me, focus on the what if? or the potential pitfalls of doing the thing. For example, I have always wanted to get a tattoo. To date, I have not. Despite having a very talented artist in our community, I have and continue to put off getting a tattoo. I know I want something to represent, my faith and my family. So, why am I yet uninked? I get hung up on the what-ifs...what if it hurts too much? (half tattoos are embarrassing)... what if I regret it (harder to wash off) ... what if my wife doesn't like it?...what if, what if, what if. This focus on the evil and suffering prevents me from looking at the good that could, and most likely will, come from taking the plunge.

In 2023, I challenge you to be more courageous, and to focus on the good rather than dwell in the evil or suffering. Take the plunge and stop putting off for tomorrow what you can do today. Stay tuned for the tattoo ;)

Huge thank you to the Delmer Thorpe Memorial Draft for their generous donation of $3500 to go towards funding our van for extracurricular travel.

8:50 - warning bell rings - students line up and come inside.

8:55 - class bell rings.

9:00 - Oh Canada and morning announcements.

12:10 - lunch bell rings - grades K-3 eat and go outside at 12:30, grades 4-6 go outside and eat at 12:30

12:50 - lunch warning bell rings - students come inside

12:55 - class bell rings

3:05 - high school dismissal bell rings

3:25 - elementary dismissal bell rings

For our high school students they may be released at 3:05 provided they are done all of their work. From 3:05-3:25 is called GO Time (Gift Of Time), which is time when students can work one on one with a teacher to get work done. It is our expectation that students are not planning anything (ie. work shifts) for the 3:05-3:25 time as teachers may request them to stay and complete unfinished work.

Jan 31 - No School (SIP Day)

February 1 - Semester 2 begins.

Sr. Boys kicked off 2023 dropping Langham, Humboldt and finally home town Lake Lenore to come away with the Tourny Gold. The boys are in action Monday at Tisdale and the weekend at Melfort Tournament. The boys have St. Brieux @ 3 on Friday which may be a preview of a Hoopla match up, get your popcorn.

Sr Girls 3 on 3 saw first action of the season in Choiceland. The girls dropped their first match with the Choiceland boys then rallied the troops and went undefeated the remainder of the night. The girls are off to Carrot on Tuesday.

Jr. Girls continued rolling knocking off Hudson Bay this week and saw some of the younger players beginning to settle in and help with the cause. Girls are slated to also tangle with Tisdale on Wed.

Mr. Riley

A big group bear hug to Mr. Riley for his volunteerism and leadership in our community and school. He was the troop leader behind the outdoor rink board project that will see many of our students get out in the fresh air. He is also willing to chip in by taking teams to basketball games when needed. He has helped out with conference volleyball, supervised practices and always asks if he can help during any major sport event. Thanks for all that you do for Athletics.

Athletes of the Month

Trayce Mathieu

Trayce earns the nod for this month for his great performance and teamwork through December. The fruits of his labor, coachability and hard work shows Trayces skill level continually improving to the point where he can dump 30 pts if teams don’t respect his craft. Trayce is a huge role player for the Sr. Boys as he sometimes waits to come in during tight games and contribute where he can. When not on the court Trayce leads team support by encouraging others and watching the scoreboard accuracy like a hawk. Keep doing the good things that make you an asset to our team.

Amitiel Samalla

Amitiel is becoming a dominant force on the court on both sides of the ball. She is quick to transition and push the ball down the floor as well as leads the Jr. Girls with blocks and possibly smiles. She is a tenacious smothering defender and is part of the Man D crew who held Melfort A scoreless in the first quarter. Keep on keepin’ on Amitiel.

We still have very limited quantities of shirts available. Click the button below to order. We will take orders on a first come first serve basis. Note, they fit about 1 size bigger (i.e. if you would normally wear XL, you could order L).

Senior Boys Bball

Jan 23 vs. Nipawin

** 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.