Bear Blast
For the Week of Sept 11, 2023
Working together; succeeding together.
As we are all Treaty people, we take time to honor the land of Treaty 6 and all that it offers for us and our families through many generations. This land has served as a traditional meeting ground, gathering place, and traveling route for the Cree, Dene, Nakota, Saulteaux, and Ojibway People since time immemorial. We recognize this land as the homeland of Metis Nation Eastern Region II. We honor the ancestors and footsteps that have fallen in these lands. We also acknowledge that our use of this land has come at a cost, the cost of colonialism and the residential school system. We commit to working together toward reconciliation and forging a better path forward.
Thank You
Although it is sad to see summer end, it is great to be back into routine and to be back around the wonderful young people that you share with us every day. I wanted to take time in this Bear Blast to express the gratitude that is felt by the staff of PPCS that you are willing to share your young people with us.
We are very humbled by the trust that you place in us and do not take the responsibility lightly. At PPCS we have always and will continue to strive to reflect and uphold our community values. It is our hope that in some ways, in many ways, the learning environment at PPCS is reflective of the environment found in each and every one of the homes in our school community.
We see our role as a partner in the education of the children of our community, working alongside parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and community members to help each and every one of our students reach their fullest potential.
We welcome all families to come and see what we are doing at PPCS to help foster the ideals of lifelong learning and community support and involvement. We would especially welcome and invite you to come and see us on Sept 14 at our open house from 7-8 pm. Meet the staff and check out the amazing learning environment that we have developed to help support the growth of our community through our youth.
Grade 8 Immunization Forms
Immunization forms were sent home with all of our grade 8s last week. These need to be returned to the school by Thursday, Sept 14 as the Health Nurse will be picking them up that day. Thanks.
Family Emergency Response Letter
Below is a letter that outlines our emergency response procedures. Pease take a moment to review these procedures. As always, contact the school if you have any questions or concerns.
Edsby
Edsby is an online tool and our primary mode of communication with our families. All new families should receive an email with an invitation to join. You will receive a separate invitation for each child, please allow about 15 minutes between invitations to ensure that the system does not get overwhelmed.
Edsby allows you to check on your child's current progress in their classes. Check our family handbook (link below) for a key to the completion codes that you will see in Edsby.
If you are having trouble accessing Edsby for any reason, contact the school and we will do our best to problem-solve with you.
Family Handbook
The staff have worked over the summer and into the fall to update our family handbook (see link below). Some changes of note can be found in...
2.4 GO Time - Students who have not completed their work, will be placed on the GO Time list. They must remain in their period 5 class to complete the missing work. Students on the GO Time list will not be eligible for any non-curricular (including extracurricular) activities.
5.1 Entering the School - As per NESD AP-412 Schools equipped with video/intercom entrance systems are expected to have all exterior doors locked during instructional hours and systems activated. This means parents will have to ring a buzzer and be admitted to the school during instructional hours. PPCS remains open to our families to visit at any time, we ask for your patience and understanding as we transition the new system into operation.
9.1 Bears Matrix - In response to student feedback from some focus groups we arranged in the spring, our matrix has been updated to reflect both student and staff expectations, as they align with our beliefs.
9.2.2 Student Work During a Planned Absence - Historically, we seldom see work that is sent with a student prior to or on a planned trip get done. For this reason, we will not (except in exceptional circumstances) provide work prior to prolonged planned absences. We will, instead, work with the student upon their return (in GO Time for gr. 7-12) to get caught up.
12.5.3 Personal Devices - Student devices must either be in their locker or in a secure central location in the classroom.
Our complete, updated PPCS Family Handbook can be accessed by clicking the link below. A copy will be sent home for each family on the first day.
APPLE ORDERS DUE FRIDAY SEPT 15!!!
Ferster's Apple Sale
Once again we will partner with Ferster's Trucking to bring you the finest apples BC has to offer. Our sale will run from Sept 5-15, with
all orders due on September 15th. The funds from this help to offset the cost of extracurricular travel as well as provide funding to purchase toys and equipment for our playground. For this reason, we as that every student try and sell at least 2 cases of fruit, which would put our total sales at 400+, giving us a $6000 profit!!!!! Our profit is $15 per case. Your child will be bringing home an order form on the first day.
We are selling...
Macintosh $45 for a 20lb box
Gala $45 for a 20lb box
Ambrosia $50 for a 20b box
Apples will be here for pick up in October.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Pop Tabs
On behalf of the Kirkland family, thank you for your support of the pop tab campaign.
Kindergarten to Grade 2 School Fee
In order to help our families and to ensure consistency within the classroom, PPCS purchases the school supplies for our K, 1, and 2 students. We charge a $25 cost recovery fee for these supplies and students bring home leftovers at the end of the year.
Families can pay by cash or cheque at the school, cheques payable to NESD, or online through our website ppcs.nesd.ca.
Fees are due by Sept 15 please.
Thank You
Once again this year, we would like to send a huge thanks to the anonymous donor who has generously helped support our extracurricular programming at PPCS. This donation allows us to offer extra-curricular activities without charging our families additional fees.
Open House - Sept 14, 2023
Bear Bites is Back!
We will once again be running Bear Bites hot lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and hopefully Mondays in the near future). We will start up hot lunches in late September so stay tuned.
Due to increases in grocery prices, we will have to increase the cost of our meals to $5.00 from $4.00, we thank you in advance for your understanding.
We will once again be running the punch card program but will be setting up a dollar-for-dollar card. You can load any amount (up to $100) that you want on a punch card. Anyone who has leftover punch cards will be notified and the value will be transferred to a new punch card. We also hope to have a digital portal set up where parents can check on how much money they have left on their child's card. Thank you for your patience as we work through this process.
Family Verification Email
By now you should have received a family information verification email. This is a chance for you to check the information we have on file for your family. Please make any changes that are needed. This will help us to ensure that our information is the most up-to-date it can be. Thank you. Contact the school if you have any questions or if you have not received your email.
Visitors in the Library
If you come to our library, you will notice some unexpected visitors. We have borrowed a set of taxidermied birds from the museum to have on display for the enjoyment and education of our students. Thanks to Kim Chimko and the Porcupine Plain museum board for partnering with us on this. Shout out to Mrs. Chirstianson for spearheading the partnership.
Welcome Week - Minute to Win It Opening Assembly
Welcome Week - Games Day Buddy Activity
Next Staff vs. Student is
Family Calendar
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.
Check out the family calendar for home game dates.
Cross Country Running
Students (grades 4-12) interested in cross-country running can sign up at the office. Talk to Mrs. Mielke if you have any questions.
Fall Golf
Students interested in participating in fall golf can sign up at the office.
NESSAC Golf - NESSAC Golf is Tuesday, September 12 in Nipawin at the Evergreen Golf Course. Students who wish to participate need to talk to Mr. Mielke before September 8. You must have an 18-hole golf score. NESSAC golf is open to students in grades 9-12.
SRC
Students interested in helping out with SRC, please sign up at the office. Talk to Mrs. Mielke if you have any questions.
Volleyball
Any students (grades 7-12) interested in playing volleyball, talk to Miss Wallen or Mrs. Irving for more details.
Volunteers and Athletes of the Month
Check Your Punch Card Balance
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.
Scan me to check your punch card balance.
Jigs and Carolines are Back
Once again, Jigs and Carolines will be offering hot lunches on Wednesday and Friday. Please order directly from them. Stay tuned.
It's going to be a #wonderFULLyear
