AHE Newsletter December 2024
Principal’s Message
December is here! It seems like it was such a short time ago that I was writing the September newsletter and welcoming everyone back to school. The past few months we have had a focus on noticing and naming emotions; how they affect our daily learning and our sense of belonging to school and each other. As we did last year, this December our school wide focus will be Joy!
We have a lot to be joyous about this month! Our new school pet, Spice, the return of our Elf on the Shelf, Elfis, and the installation of our new mud kitchen outside! Thanks so much to Mr. Evans and his wood working class at RSS for building this for us! Please read on for more to be joyous about!
Mrs. Mair
Communicating Student Learning
Our first written learning updates will be sent home on December 13th. As the curriculum has changed, so too must the assessment and reporting of student progress. The purpose of reporting and communicating student learning is for students to be more involved with their learning, take ownership and to ensure that parents are well informed about their children’s progress. In these written learning updates, you will find information about student goals, strengths, stretches and areas requiring continued support. Please take some time to read the CSL and Reporting Guide for Parents sent out on December 2nd.
Core Competencies
Student goals and overall comments are based on their progress towards the Core Competencies outlined in the BC curriculum. The Core Competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need in order to engage in deep, lifelong learning. Along with literacy and numeracy foundations, they are central to British Columbia’s K-12 curriculum and assessment system and directly support students in their growth as educated citizens. At AHE, each competency is attached t
o one of four animals: Coyote, Swan, Bear and Salmon. The characteristics of each animal are used to support student understanding and development in each core area.
Numeracy
Rich numeracy tasks/inquiry engage young children in authentic exploration, reasoning, and problem solving. Inquiry-based approaches, open-ended learning activities, and real-world challenges with mathematical tools deepens conceptual understanding and strategic thinking.
The past few weeks, our problem of the week has been a real-world challenge. Students are encouraged to engage on their own time, trying different strategies to solve the problem and communicate how they came to the answer!
Careers Week
Careers Week in BC schools was November 25-29. At AHE, students dressed as their future careers and took part in a treasure hunt to explore career options. Thank you to those parents who submitted a video describing how you use math daily in your career. It was so great for students to see numeracy in action in real life! We were lucky enough to have some parents come and share their careers in person! Thank you all for spending time with our students!
Social Emotional Learning
AHE Teachers are now using Open Parachute Wellbeing Resources. This program aims to build a strong foundation for resilience so that children can learn to trust in their own abilities and relate to their own feelings in a healthy way. The program is based on documentary videos at grade level showing real life scenarios of youth overcoming struggles. Classroom teachers are able to choose a topic relevant to their class and deliver lessons that are age appropriate. Open Parachute also offers online resources for parents and caregivers.
Indigenous Education
In the month of November, our students were grateful for Arts Revelstoke and the Art Alleries installations that provide our community with so many opportunities to interact with progressive, socially-conscious art. Art Alleries tours featured stops to highlight the works of Ric Gendron, Delrée Dumont, and Zuzana Riha. Each of these works explores a facet of Indigenous histories, cultures, and stories.
Parent/Caregiver Series
This year we are offering a parent series on the second Tuesday of each month on topics that parents have shared with us. Sessions will be held in the RSS library from 6:30-8:00pm with a streaming option available for parents who would prefer to join from home. More information and bios for the presenters can be found on the School District Website and links will be sent out before each presentation.
Battle of the Books
One of our school goals is to nurture a love for literacy, and Battle of the Books does just that! Battle books are available to be signed out at the AHE library. The School District Battle Of the Books will take place on Wednesday March 5th. As always, Ms. Draboczi will be organizing our school based BOB fest in February. Parents are encouraged to come watch!
February 25 – Grade 4/5
February 26 – Grade 6/7
February 27 – Grade 3/4
Rhythm By Nature
Students in grades 3-7 have really enjoyed the drumming workshops offered by Rhythm by Nature. Tuesday December 3rd, is the final workshop and practice that will culminate in a performance at 1:45. Parents are welcome to attend!
AHE Food Drive
The annual AHE food drive starts now! Teachers will be accepting non-perishable items for the food bank in classrooms and transferring them to our “Food Express” in the hallway. Food collection will continue until December 20, when it is picked up by Community Connections.
New this year we will be decorating our Christmas tree in the front entry with socks and mittens. If you would like to donate a new pair of socks or mittens, they will be hung on our tree and donated along with food items on December 20th
Christmas Concert
Practice for this year’s Christmas production “An Inside-Out Christmas” has begun! Practices are held at recess and lunch for the month of December and our performance is scheduled for December 19th; Dress Rehearsal at 1:00 and Evening Performance at 6:30. As you know, space is limited, so if you can make it to the afternoon performance, please do! This year, there will be a bake sale organized by our grade 7 students and parents to assist with fund raising for their year-end trip.
Classroom teachers will be communicating specific costume and prop needs for their classes.
Christmas Craft Fair
This year’s Christmas Craft Fair is scheduled for December 13th. Each family is asked to prepare crafts and the kids get to have fun shopping in secret for their family! Families can bring in their contributions to the front office between Monday, December 9 and Thursday, December 12th. Our youngest students benefit from having a list of who they are shopping for, so the big buddies can provide some guidance. Please send students with a shopping bag and a small wallet or ziplock bag for money.
Grade 7 students will be offering gift wrapping for a small donation. Donation includes a ticket to the gift basket raffle! If you have any used wrapping paper or gift bags to donate, please drop off at the front office! THANKS!
Grade Level Sports
Alpine Skiing/Snowboarding
Staring in January, our grade 3 and 6 students will be taking part in lessons at RMR. All sessions will take place on Mondays with Grade 3 students attending on Jan. 6, 13 and 20, while the grade 6 students will participate on January 27, February 3 and 10. More information will be coming to families this month. Please be sure to send your child to the hill with appropriate socks, ski pants, jackets, gloves, etc. The school does have some gear to lend! Reach out if your child will need support with the proper outerwear to ski or snowboard.
Skating
Our grade 1 students in both classes will be going skating on Wednesday January 8, 15 and 22. Lessons are provided by skating instructor Marisa Salon and take place during public skate times in the mornings. More information will be coming from classroom teachers.
Grade 6 and 7 Basketball
Our grade 6 and 7 students will soon be forming teams to compete against BVE and CPE in the district basketball tournament. league play is on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school and there is a final tournament at the end of February at RSS. Volunteer coaches this year are Mr. Cadegan, Ms. Butler and Mrs. Draboczi and practices will be held at lunch and after school. This year we are offering an open gym at 8am Monday-Friday (starting December 3) for grade 6 and 7 students interested in working on dribbling and shooting.
Community Kitchen
Twice monthly, our students enjoy a free of charge hot lunch provided by Austin at the Community Kitchen. New this year, our grade 7 students are given the added responsibility of serving the lunch to the student body in exchange for a donation to their grade 7 field trip fund. Our last hot lunch was delicious perogies and sausage and coming up next week we will be enjoying hot chicken noodle soup. Austin always offers gluten and dairy free options so everyone can be included!
The community kitchen will be selling cases of perogies (approximately 180). Pre-orders are due by December 13th and pick up will be at the Community Kitchen on the 17th or 18th. Anyone interested can contact Austin at kitchen@community-connections.ca for more info!
Upcoming Dates
December 3 – Rhythm By Nature Performance 1:45
December 11 – Indigenous Family Luncheon 11:00-1:00
December 12 – Hot Lunch (Community Kitchen)
December 13 – PAC Christmas Craft Fair
December 13 – Written Learning Updates sent home to families
December 19 – Christmas Concert 1:00 and 6:30
December 20 – PAC hot lunch
December 20 – Christmas Sweater/ Red & Green Day
December 23-Jan. 3 – Christmas Break
January 6 – School resumes
January 6, 13, 20 – Grade 3 Ski and Snowboard Program
January 8, 15, 22 – Grade 1 Skating
January 27, Feb. 3, 10 – Grade 6 Ski and Snowboard Program
Stay connected!
Please visit our website arrowheights.sd19.bc.ca
