Can you believe it’s November already? The weather is certainly starting to let us know. Here’s an outline of our November happenings:

Fri Nov 11 – No School for Remembrance Day
Mon Nov 14 – Picture Retake Day – Our original day pictures should be here soon.
Wed/Thu Nov 16/17 – Early Dismissal (1:30 pm) and parent-teacher conferences. More info to come on this later this week.
Fri Nov 25 – No School for a Non-Instructional Day
Mon Nov 28 – Trades program presentation. Time yet to be determined.

Looking ahead to December, we will be having our Christmas program for students and families to attend the evening of Wed Dec 14 at 6:30 pm. Fri Dec 16 will have noon dismissal as it is the last day of school before Christmas break.

As always, you are welcome to check our calendar online for major events. Our ski days, non-instructional days and early dismissal dates for the next few months are scheduled there.

Other news to note is that we have two teachers joining us these next couple of weeks. Miss Villegas is starting next week teaching Math and PE. We are excited to have her moving to Chetwynd, though we will be sad to say goodbye to Mr. York. We are grateful for him spending the last two months with us away from his home, and appreciate his passion and dedication to helping our students learn.

Mrs. Balane will be starting the following week teaching primarily our Science classes. We are grateful for her and her husband choosing to move to Chetwynd and bring her expertise to our school. Thankfully Pastor Josh will still be spending some time with us at PCS as we appreciate the positive addition his good ideas and creativity add to our program. We hope to keep him around 😀

As we enter the season of darker and colder weather, may we remember that there is light and warmth in God’s love for us!

~Mrs. Atherton

Hello Families,

We have two resources to help you on your path to being healthy individuals and a healthy family. Please check out these resources.

1. Healthy families newsletter from Northern Health. Includes:
 great health topics
 up to date resources
 ways to connect for more information

2. Open Parachute
The Open Parachute Mental Health Program is being delivered to most of our students. This program addresses issues of stigma surrounding mental health in young people, encourages help-seeking, and creates a culture of mutual support and respect for any struggles that students may face.

This program was developed by Dr Hayley Watson, an adolescent clinical psychologist who has been developing programs globally for the past 15 years.

There are audio and video-based resources to provide you, as a parent, with practical tools for supporting the well-being of your child at all stages of their life. We will be sending you links to access these resources as your child progresses through the program.

Here is a message from the founder of Open Parachute, Dr Watson:
I am so pleased that your child is taking part in this program. I developed this resource because I want every child to learn practical mental health skills, so they can live life to their fullest potential.

This program aims to build a strong foundation of resilience so that your child can learn to trust in their own abilities, relate to their own feelings in a healthy way, and change any unhelpful patterns that may hold them back at any point in their lives.

It is normal for your children to have feelings stirred up throughout the course of this program, because we are intentionally providing a space where they can address challenging issues in a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment. These conversations can also continue at home if you and your child would like to explore these topics further – the video-based resources for parents can help guide these discussions.

We look forward to working with you to support the wellbeing of your child!

The subject says it all! Looking forward to seeing all the bright smiles tomorrow (Friday) 😊–

Hello Families,

A big thank you to the families who came out to help on day 1 of our playground installation. It was tiring but productive. Day 2 is tomorrow and we are still looking for at least one more person to help, particularly in the later morning/afternoon when the concrete will be put around the posts and a couple of volunteers will need to be going to work. Help on Tuesday for final touches and to assist equipment spreading gravel around the structures will also be appreciated 🙂

And it’s October! A few items to note are:
Wed Oct 5 – 1pm: Gr 11/12 Post-Secondary Institutions info field trip

Fri Oct 7 – Picture Day – If there is a parent who would like to volunteer to help with pictures, Lifetouch offers a coupon towards the purchase of your child’s portrait package.
Mon Oct 10 – No School – Thanksgiving
Thu Oct 13 – Sun Oct 16 – Gr 5-10 Flag Football Tournament
Mon Oct 24 – No School – Non-Instructional Day
Tue Oct 25 – No SD59 busses (we will have a shuttle bus). Gr 4-7 students will have a field trip to the Rec Centre to learn how to curl. Watch for a permission slip coming home this week.

We praise God for beautiful fall weather, particularly during the work on our playground. We hope you were able to enjoy the fall colours this weekend!

Blessings on your week,
Kristin Atherton

Hello Families,

We have been loving the beautiful fall weather and spending a little extra time outside learning. A few items for this week and next:

Wednesday (tomorrow) – We are acknowledging Orange Shirt Day. We request as many students as possible wear an orange shirt to recognize the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation and that every child matters.

We will also be taking a field trip in the afternoon with our elementary students (and a few others). Please return the permission form so your child can participate.

Friday, Sep 30 – No School

Sunday, Oct 2 – Tuesday, Oct 4 – Our new playground equipment is being installed by you! We are actively looking for more people to join in helping so please let us know if you’re able to spend even a few hours assisting.

Friday, Oct 7 – Picture Day

Enjoy the colours while they’re here 🙂

On Monday, September 19, there will not be school as we will be observing the national day of mourning to commemorate the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. This follows the federal and provincial holidays on this day.

Hello Families,

It’s the second week of school and we are settling in well. Last week, house teams were chosen and each student is on the black, green, white or grey house team. We will be having one Friday a month to wear team colours so we hope to see as many students as possible wear their team colour. And if students have their team colour in PCS attire, an extra bonus! We hope to have a PCS t-shirt/hoodie order happen in the early part of the year.

This Friday afternoon, our students will be participating in a Terry Fox Run in the Dokkie Subdivision (assuming improved air quality). A poster advertising the event is attached. If you are able, we would love to have your family join in.

The air is extra smoky today. Our hearts go out to all who are evacuated and fighting the fires in our area and across BC. We kept all our students inside today and will continue to do so until the air quality improves. If your child has a specific health concern, please ensure we are aware so we can do our best to keep them safe at school.

Our new playground structures are arriving soon! We are looking for three volunteers for Oct 2 – 4 (or a part of that time) to help with the installation (alongside a licensed supervisor). We also likely need some help with the removal of the old structures the week prior. Please let us know if you are able to lend a hand during this time. We are looking forward to our playground being renewed for the years to come.

Our students are digging into their learning and stretching their capabilities. We are already seeing some growth which is fun. We appreciate family feedback so let us know what’s working (or not) for you.

Kind regards,
Mrs. Atherton

Terry Fox Run 2022 PCS.pdf

Welcome!
A big welcome to all of our families, both new and returning. Along with a few new faces, most of our students from last year have returned and we are grateful for each one! With the first two days complete, our fabulous team is working well to provide quality classes for our students. We are appreciative of our returning staff members as well as the new ideas and support that Pastor Neil, Miss Jones, and Mr. York have brought and the additional time Pastor Josh is spending with us. It’s fun to see each person’s expertise show in their classrooms.

Bus Change
Starting tomorrow (Sep 8), Standard Bus will be providing our shuttle bus service. Please note that the morning drop-off time is moving slightly earlier to 8:15 am. The afternoon pick-up time will be 2:45 pm. The bus will be parked at the front of the Standard Bus line in front of Windrem Elementary. At both locations, the bus is not able to wait for late students. Please ensure you arrive on time in the mornings and we will ensure to release our classes on time to ride in the afternoon 🙂 Seating is more limited now so if this service is not a necessity for your family, please let us know as the cost savings could be significant.

Events
We are putting plans together for a few events in September and October, one being our flag football trip to Kelowna in October. Please watch for more information to come on these. Our website calendar has key dates to know throughout the school year.

As we move forward in this school year, our prayer is that we continue to fulfill our mission of Preparing Caring Students who Love, Lead & Serve. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Mrs. Atherton

Hello Everyone!

Tomorrow is the day! Schedules are made, classrooms are refreshed and we are ready to start the learning process 🙂

We ask that parents and students come out tomorrow (Sep 1) sometime between 10 am and 4 pm. We will have several stations for you to visit and you can meet our new teachers.

We hope you have had a great summer vacation and look forward to seeing everyone again!

Mrs. Atherton

Hello Families!

Welcome to the 2022/23 school year. Our teachers are busy putting their classrooms together and preparing their plans for the year. We look forward to having everyone back soon.

Our orientation is next Thursday, September 1 from 10 am to 4 pm*. We ask for all families (parents and students) to come for about an hour during this time to meet our teachers, ensure we have all the information we need, pick lockers, receive schedules, learn about extra curricular options, sign up for fundraisers and more.

Our first regular day of classes will be Tuesday, September 6. All students need a personal water bottle and non-marking indoor shoes. Additional supplies required for Gr 7-12 are attached.

Enjoy the beautiful weather out there and we’ll see you soon!

Kristin Atherton
Principal

*If it is not possible to attend due to work schedules, we appreciate students coming with another adult. And if that is not possible, please let us know and we will arrange to get you everything needed at a different time.

School-supplies 22-23.pdf