CARMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Prairie Rose School
Division
Carman, MB., ROGOJO
Ph:
745-2623 Fax: 745-3295
E-mail:
carmanelm@cici.mb.ca
Principal: Dan Saunders
January/05 Newsletter
Much too Cold
It’s been a bruiser of a month, so far. The days are
getting slightly longer, but certainly no warmer. On this topic, we
encourage parents to make sure that their children leave home in the
morning dressed for the weather. This should include a warm coat
(layers of tops if possible), mitts, ski/snow pants or long undies,
toque or ear band and boots. A neck warmer or face mask is also
recommended. We don’t like to see bare necks. Even on very cold days,
we like to send the children out for a brief recess. This might only
last for 10 minutes or less, but makes the rest of the day so much more
settled and productive. We certainly endeavour to get them in before
frost bite sets in, but they are most welcome to pop inside for a
minute or two if they are too cold. We will be most vigilant in this
matter and will err on the side of safety, but do require your help.
School Closures and School Bus
Mechanical Breakdowns
In the event that buses will not run due to very
cold weather or stormy conditions, and school is closed for the day for
students, this message will be broadcast on the following radio
stations prior starting at around 7:00 a.m.
Winnipeg Stations:
CBC…990
BOB…99.9 F.M.
CJOB…680
CKSB (CBC French)
CKY…102 F.M.
Portage la Prairie…CFRY…920
Winkler…CKMW…1570
Morden…Can Am…105 F.M.
Altona…CFAM…950
As well, the closure will be entered on our school
division’s web page at www.prsdmb.ca. The weather network (cable) also
displays our closure every 10 minutes on the 12’s from 7:00-9:00 a.m.
Note to Parents: In the event individual buses do not run in the
morning due to mechanical failure, attempts will be made to have a
spare bus available for the driver to do the run, or for the driver to
obtain another bus that has completed its route. Drivers will notify
parents if there will be a delay in pick-up. Students will also be
transported home at the end of the day.
Coins for Kids, tsunami relief
Carman Elementary School students raised nearly
$2000 over a three day period in support of the tsunami relief efforts
in southern Asia. This short, but very effective campaign, speaks
volumes about the people who live in our community, their caring and
giving nature. We do reach out, and we do believe that giving is more
fun than receiving. I am very proud to live in Carman and to have
raised my family here. It is truly a great place to live, even when it
is
–45 C. with the wind chill. Such generosity and world vision are a
tribute to our community. Way to go Carman and community.
I would also like to send out a special thanks to
Simone Major and Karen McGill for all their hard work and support which
helped make this initiative such a success.
New Computer Lab
We have recently been fortunate to install in our
school a network of 25 new computers and monitors. These take the place
of the old machines in one of our labs. The best of these older ones
are being redistributed throughout the school in classrooms and in our
other lab. The new machines are all basically the same (IBM’s) which
should make them far easier to service and maintain. The larger (17”)
and clearer monitors are much easier on the eyes, and the CPU’s are
faster and more capable. There have been start-up problems, of course,
but our school and divisional technology personnel (Brenda & Zoran)
have been working hard to get our system operating efficiently and
consistently.
Displaying Student Work
One of the most rewarding and eye catching ways to
motivate students is to have their work displayed in the classrooms and
hallways of our school. It is heart-warming to see parents and other
students and staff members pause to view the wonderful works that are
on display. Everyone takes great pride in these exhibits. However, fire
safety regulations require that classroom and hallway walls are to have
only a limited amount of combustible materials on them. As a result, we
have had to monitor the amount of student work we are able to display
at one time. So, if you notice that the walls, particularly in the
hallways, are not quite as interesting or colourful as they have
sometimes been in the past, this is the reason. Staff will continue to
make every effort to display student work samples within the guidelines
provided by the Manitoba Fire Code Regulations.
Family Literacy Day Fiesta
On Friday, January 28 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in
the Carman Elementary School gym, our Family Resource Centre will
sponsor a family fun evening. There will be numerous fun-filled
activities for the whole family. The admission is just a gently used
children’s book, which can be exchanged for another one in the book
centre. With Family Literacy Day scheduled across Canada on this date,
we hope that we can make both learning and fun part of this special
event. Refreshments will be served. Everyone welcome! See you on the
28th.
Playground Report
Through the continued hard work and perseverance of
our playground committee, we have some good news to share. Our Parent
Council has recently purchased a new structure for our playground. This
system will include a spiral slide, wave slide, swinging pods, fire
pole, tree climber, glide ride, stepping stones, caterpillar climber
and a dune buggy. This playground system is intended primarily for
nursery school to grade 3 children. The proposed date for construction
of our new play structure will be announced in an upcoming newsletter,
but we’re very excited about our school’s latest purchase. A HUGE
thanks to the committee for its continued hard work.
Special School Assembly
On Friday, January 28th, our school will host the
Yachminka Ukrainian Dancers at our school assembly. This group will
also perform at the Alzheimer Awareness Dinner that evening at United
Place Hall. Our school assembly will take place at 2:45 p.m.
Creating Classrooms Where All
Students Belong – Towards Inclusion
There has been a movement in the educational
community over the past 20 years toward full inclusion – the practice
of educating students with special needs in the regular classroom as
much as possible. We have, for the most part, witnessed the demise of
special classes, the trepidation felt by teachers as their classes
changed and the renewed vigor that grows from collaboration with
parents, teachers and support staff working together to better meet the
needs of all students. It is in this setting that we strive for
practices that create a safe and productive learning environment for
all. We have moved from “allowing” students with special needs “in” to
welcoming all students and working to build classroom and school
communities where everyone feels a sense of belonging and makes
progress. This benefits all! (Faye Brownlie)
The importance of inclusion is summed up by this
grade 5 teacher;
“I think of inclusion as being on a team. For some parents, all they
want is for their child to learn more skills. I want the children in my
class to benefit from being members of a team. This helps to develop
their personal skills as well as their academic skills. The
connectedness of the group is so important in creating safe, rich
learning environments for everyone.”
We must take pride in caring for and including
others in our classrooms and schools, and providing the most
appropriate and effective educational programming for all students. As
educational team members, this is what we must always work toward – a
welcoming community which works and learns and feels together. dks