Happy weekend, families! Report cards went home today. Let us know if you didn’t receive your copy or if you have any questions. Enjoy the slightly longer days we are now experiencing 🙂

This Coming Week

• Surveys – Our goal is to be a growing and developing school that meets the needs of our school families to the best of our ability. The input of everyone is important! A reminder link was sent out today. Please let us know if you did not receive it. We encourage you to participate.
• Fri Feb 16 – Ski day at Bear Mountain
• Mon Feb 19 – No school due to Family Day

Looking Ahead

• Sun Feb 25 – Family ski day at Powder King
• Wed/Thu Feb 28/29 – Early dismissal at 1:30pm
• Mon Mar 4 – No school due to a non-instructional day

To Do

• Complete the parent survey 🙂
• Read your child’s report card

Good to Know

• Our week with Pastor David went well. He encouraged each student to have a relationship with Jesus as their friend by connecting through prayer and Bible reading.
• The Pathfinder youth group is having a fundraiser movie night at the Rex Theatre: The Secret of the Fossil, Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1:00 pm. Tickets are $10.00 kids & $12.00 adults

Shout Outs

• To Pastor David for spending the week with us
• To Mrs. Bunker for driving the bus for our Bear Mtn ski days
• To Mr. Bunker for finding repair parts for our gym door

Resources

• Calendar
• Academics

Verse of the Week – Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Hi Families,
Happy February! Our teachers worked hard on putting report cards together this week. I am appreciative of our teaching and administrative team who work together for us to have a great program. I am also appreciative of how supportive our school families are and the positive conversations I’ve had recently.
Wishing each of you a great weekend!
Kristin

This Coming Week

• Week of Prayer – We have a special guest speaker this week who will be presenting each day to our students
• Surveys – Our goal is to be a growing and developing school that meets the needs of our school families to the best of our ability. The input of everyone is important! Students and staff will be taking surveys at school and links will be going out to you this week. We encourage you to participate.

Looking Ahead

• Fri Feb 16 – Ski day at Bear Mountain
• Mon Feb 19 – No school for Family Day
• Sun Feb 25 – Family ski day at Powder King
• Wed/Thu Feb 28/29 – Early dismissal at 1:30pm

To Do

• Remember not to park in the Windrem school parking lot. Their space is needed for their families. It is best to park further up the street in the residential section on the same side as the bus parks.

Good to Know

• Report cards will be going home at the end of this week
• This past week was the end of first semester for our Gr 7-12 students so they have a change of schedule for the remainder of the year
• Registration for next school year will be taking place soon. If you know of a new family (or additional family member) who would like to attend PCS next year, please let us know so we include them in registration information.

Shout Outs

• To Mrs. Gordon for coming in to assist with student reading
• To all the families who supported the Bear Mountain Ski Day. We had lots of students participate and many parents supporting the learning of their children

Resources

• 7 school hairstyles for girls in under 5 minutes
• Calendar
• Academics

Verse of the Week – Psalm 18:31
"For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?"

Hi Families,

My apologies for the Friday Flashes not flashing recently…I hope to have them out regularly again soon.

Items to note for the remainder of this month:
– Thur Jan 25 – Literacy 10 & 12 Assessments are taking place
– Fri Jan 26 – Ski Day to Bear Mtn
– Thu Feb 1 – End of 1st semester (for some high school classes)
– Fri Feb 2 – No School for Non-Instructional Day

More Ski Days: There will be another Bear Mtn ski day on Feb 16. Also, we are planning a family ski day to Powder King on Feb 25. This allows for group rates to make it a bit more affordable for a family adventure. Watch for more details to come in a paper note home soon so we can confirm the date.

Shuttle Bus Service: We are grateful illness rates are down and we’ve added a few new students to our community, but there is increased pressure on our contracted bus service. Thank you to the staff who have pitched in transportation for students needing a ride. Starting next week, there will be two buses for most of the runs. In the morning, the first bus will leave when mostly full so any other students can get on the second bus. This service does cost a significant amount of money, so thank you to those who have donated toward it. If you have not yet done so, we encourage you to make it a financial priority to support this service.

As always, please reach out to a teacher or staff member if you have any questions!

Warmly,
Mrs. Atherton

Dear Parents/Guardians,

In the following weeks, your child will have the opportunity to participate in a 15-minute survey about the overall culture of the school. The surveys will be completed online and during school time, at no cost to you. The results will provide valuable information to school leaders and may help your school community improve in meaningful ways.

The areas the survey explores are: School Climate, Academic Climate, Civic Open Classroom Climate, School Mission & Vision, and Social-Emotional Competencies (optional).

The primary purpose of the survey is to help your school understand its culture better. The secondary purpose is to provide the field of education with new insights into how various stakeholders in schools perceive elements of their school culture, using anonymous data for secondary research.

The survey was designed by educational researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Education Policy.

All responses are anonymous and will be analyzed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. School personnel will not have access to individual responses. No names, birthdates, addresses, student IDs, or IP addresses will be attached to any responses.

Participation for your child is completely voluntary. If you DO want your child to participate, you do not need to do anything.

If you DO NOT want your child to participate, please advise your child to answer “NO” to the first question on the survey.

There are no penalties for not participating or withdrawing from the survey at any time. If you want to see the questions beforehand, please ask your principal/head of school or any member of the Johns Hopkins team. Their contact information is below.

Thank you for participating in our survey. Please know that we are listening to your input.

Respectfully,

The team at Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy

For questions about research, contact:

Dr. David Steiner, d.steiner@jhu.edu or 410-516-7896

Johns Hopkins IRB office, hirb@jhu.edu or 410- 516-4820

For general questions about the survey, contact:

Dr. Kecia McCoy, Kmccoy18@jhu.edu

Dr. Carol Macedonia, cmacedo3@jhu.edu

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Best regards,

Dr. Kecia L. McCoy, Ph.D.

Program Administrator, School Culture 360™

Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy

Johns Hopkins University, School of Education

2800 North Charles Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21218

Phone: (667) 231-8442

Email: Kmccoy18@jhu.edu

education.jhu.edu | Facebook |LinkedIn |Twitter

Dear Parents, Teachers, Staff, and Administrators,

Your school values and needs input from the community!

In the coming weeks, you will be emailed directly a link to the School Culture 360™ Survey that has been developed by researchers at the Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins University.

Each year, it is critical for school leaders to have reliable data to assess their school environments. This survey can identify areas for celebration, areas for growth, and disconnects between different groups of participants.

The aspects of school culture this survey measures are:

· School Climate – Characteristics of the school environment that foster academic achievement and positive interpersonal relationships

· Academic Climate – Characteristics of the learning environment that promote high expectations, teacher support of student learning, and peer support of student learning

· Civic Open Classroom Climate – The routine experience of deliberation and viewpoint diversity

· School Mission and Vision – The stakeholders’ beliefs about the school’s commitments and values

These areas have been linked to various student outcomes, including academic achievement and civic preparation. A summary of research about these domains is available upon request. While parents, teachers, staff, administrators, and students in Grades 4 to 12 take the survey, not all these groups will answer all components.

This survey is completely anonymous and will be used for secondary research. Participation in the survey is completely voluntary; there are no penalties for not participating.

Please keep an eye out for the survey link that will be sent by an administrator at your school. By sharing your thoughts about your school’s environment, you will provide useful insights that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Thank you so much for your help.

If you have general questions about the survey, contact:
Dr. Kecia McCoy, Kmccoy18

Dr. Carol Macedonia, cmacedo3

If you have questions about research, contact:
Dr. David Steiner, d.steiner or 410-516-7896
Johns Hopkins Homewood IRB office, hirb or 410-516-4820

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Best regards,

Dr. Kecia L. McCoy, Ph.D.

Program Administrator, School Culture 360™

Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy

Johns Hopkins University, School of Education

2800 North Charles Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21218

Phone: (667) 231-8442

Email: Kmccoy18@jhu.edu

education.jhu.edu | Facebook |LinkedIn |Twitter

Hello Families,

Hope you’re enjoying the fresh layer of white! We missed sending out a Friday Flash, but want to ensure you have a few dates in your calendars:

Jan 24-25 – Grad Assessments (Gr 10-12)
Jan 26 – Ski Day to Bear Mountain
Feb 2 – Non-Instructional Day
Feb 5-16 – School Surveys

You will be receiving two emails shortly regarding the school surveys. They are informational and no action is required on these. Please let us know if you have any questions!

Stay safe out there!
Mrs. Atherton

There will not be busses so no school for another day. Stay safe out there and see you next week!

Hi Families,
The busses are cancelled for safety reasons because of the weather so school is closed today. Students are encouraged to take some time to read books, practice math facts, work on Duolingo, RAZ Kids, Mathletics and homework as appropriate.

Hoping everyone is able to stay warm over this cold spell.

Mrs. Atherton

Hi Families,

As a reminder to everyone and knowledge for newer families, if Standard Bus is not running due to bad weather (too cold, bad roads or too much snow), PCS doesn’t have school. Enough students rely on bussing to attend that few students come and it is difficult to accomplish much learning with those at school.

Busses are often cancelled if the temperature or wind chill temperature is -35C or colder. As the forecasts are cold for the next few days, please make note if there is school or not. A notice is typically posted by 6:30 am. We will communicate it via email and social media (which also shows on our website). You can also find bus info on the top right of SD59 webpage or call the bus info line at 250-782-1061.

If you have a younger elementary student and you need to work and do not have child care for the day, please let your classroom teacher know and we will do our best to work with you on a plan.

This is also a good time to note that winter gear is always needed when riding a bus. This includes coats, toques, mitts/gloves. Please prepare your child for the unexpected during winter driving conditions.

Happy cold bug killing weather 🙂
Mrs. Atherton

Hello Families,
A quick Friday Flash to start our Christmas break. It was great to see many of you at school this week. Wishing you a fabulous Christmas season and a Happy New Year!
Mrs. Atherton

Looking Ahead

• Jan 8 – First day back after break
• Jan 26 – Ski day at Bear Mountain

Good to Know

• Our early learning program for 3 & 4 year olds has open spots for January on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Support for children not yet potty trained may be available, so ask!

Shout Outs

• To the K & K Henry family for the treats they provided for our staff this week
• To our students and staff for a great Christmas presentation
• To our families for the support of the Christmas program and bake sale and many treats given to teachers and staff

Verse of the Week – 2 Cor 9:15

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"