AHE April 2025 Newsletter
Principal’s Message
Spring is here! I hope you all had a fantastic Spring Break. Thanks to all of you who came out to support our second “AHE’s Got Talent” show. It was an amazing night led by our senior students, with the goal of bringing joy to our school community.
We’re ready to get back to school for the final term of the 2024/25 school year! Upon our return, students will begin preparing for our student-led conferences that take place on April 16 and 17th. These conferences allow students to demonstrate ownership for their learning while highlighting their accomplishments and their continued learning goals.
For the month of April we are diving into the Communication Core Competency. Successful communication skills are crucial for the overall development of our students, enabling them to express themselves, build relationships, and navigate social situations effectively, ultimately leading to better academic and personal outcomes.
Read on to find out what we’re up to for the month of April!
Mrs. P. Mair
Earth Day
Global Earth Day 2025, which will be celebrated on Tuesday April 22, will be held for the 55th time with the theme ‘Our Power, Our Planet’. AHE will be collaborating with BC Hydro and Jade Berrill from Wild Schools to plan activities for students, followed by our neighbourhood clean-up. Just to top it off, Revelstoke Garden Center will be on site planting three new shade trees on our playground. More info and details to come!
Jump Rope For Heart
Our Jump Rope For Heart event is Thursday, May 1st. The date is fast approaching, and our students will be jumping and celebrating over 40 years of Jump Rope for Heart! Students will receive more information at our Kick Off Assembly on April 17. We encourage parents to come along on the afternoon of May 1st to support our students as they celebrate and jump to help support the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation appreciates our participation to continue the life-saving work that they are doing. Please consider making and collecting donations. This is all done online this year. Please see the link below for further information on how to join our school (Arrow Heights Elementary) to make or collect online donations and to receive a free gift card based on your donation amount. Fundraising will continue right up to our Jump Rope date. Let’s show the community what BIG hearts Arrow Heights Elementary school has!
Fundraising link:
https://jumpropeforheart.crowdchange.ca/88696
Student Led Conferences
Student-led conferences will be taking place on April 16th and 17th, with early dismissal at 12:30. These interviews are a great opportunity for you to gain insight into your child’s academic progress and to see examples of their work. Interviews are student-led, allowing students to take ownership and share pride in their accomplishments. Your student will share learning goals and highlight the curricular and core competencies that they are working on in class. Please keep your eyes open for booking links.
Book Swap
Due to newly implemented tariffs, Fable Book Parlour will not be able to hold a Book Fair during the April early dismissal days as originally planned. In its place, we would like to hold a book swap! If you have books at home that your child has outgrown or finished reading and they are still in good condition, please bring them to school starting April 7th and we will collect them in the AHE library. Books will be sorted by age and genre and will be put on display April 16th for students to browse and take home a “new to them” book!
Student Learning Survey
The Provincial Student Learning Survey is unique in its scope, size, and usefulness to schools. It gathers information from parents/guardians/caregivers, teachers, and students on topics related to school environment, safety, and achievement. The information is used for planning in individual schools and provides a district and provincial perspective.
In April 2025, the Student Learning Survey will be administered to students in grades 4 and 7, their parents/guardians/caregivers, and all school staff. We encourage parents/guardians/caregivers to participate in this survey, as the results are important in identifying and celebrating current strengths, as well as determining where the school needs to focus improvement. The surveys contain standard questions for the Province – in addition, questions from the school and/or district that focus on local conditions or issues may be included.
The survey can be completed electronically and can be accessed on the Internet at:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/student-learning-survey.
Any computer with an Internet connection can be used, and access to the e-survey is simple and secure. The survey can be accessed through the link with or without an anonymous logon code by selecting the school district and school name where your child attends school. Provincial, District, and School reports for previous years can be viewed at the same site under the Results section. Laptops will be available to complete the survey during our student led conferences on April 16 and 17.
The e-survey site will be open until May 2nd.
If you have any questions, please contact the school at 250-837-6360
Sports Sports Sports
Smash Ball
Our grade 6 and 7 students are participating in Smash Ball on Thursdays at RSS under the leadership of the RSS Volleyball course participants. Smash Ball uses fewer players on a smaller court, which allows for increased contact with the ball – making it an efficient and fun way to develop the skills and enjoyment for the sport. Students progress through a series of skill-building levels to eventually take part in a formal volleyball game. Our students love it!
District Grade Activities
As part of our District grade sports program, grade 2 and 5 students will be benefitting from 3 swim lessons in April/May. More information will be sent home to families later this week. The lessons are short, so please have your child wear their bathing suit under their clothes to speed up the entry into the water!
Reading Matches Running
We are starting our new spring challenge for body and mind! This round, students can team up with a buddy to run relays around the school and add up the pages they have read for a month. All reading in school and at home will count, as do books that students read with parents or are read to them. Reading Matches Running starts next week (April 7). Reading tally sheets will be available starting Monday, April 7 from Ms. Draboczi. Runs will take place twice a week. Thank you Ms. Draboczi and Mr. Cadegan for putting their passions together to offer this fun activity!
Explorations
Explorations will look a little different at AHE this year! Primary students will enjoy a full day of Exploration on May 2, while Intermediate students will participate on June 9th. Students will choose from topics of interest including, art, drama, baking, technology, and outdoor education. They will rotate between stations for a full day. This is a chance to spend time with friends from other classrooms and explore an area of interest. Be sure to check in with your child to find out which activities they are taking part in. Volunteers are always needed! Please reach out if you have a specialization in any of these areas.
Parent/Caregiver Series
Please join us for our third and final session with Hannah Beach.
Reclaiming Play: Revitalizing Childhood to Combat Anxiety and Aggression with Hannah Beach
Geared to: Parents/caregivers of children pre-K to age 12
Children are becoming more anxious and aggressive. The common thread? A stark decline in free play.
After this session, you may never see play the same way again. Our current culture has replaced play with entertainment and structured activities. We are now seeing the emotional side effects of the loss of play in the lives of children as aggression and anxiety in young people is at an all-time high.
The research is clear: children learn and develop best through play. And yet, children are playing less than ever. In fact, this is the first generation of children that does not have a play-based childhood. The side effects? Children and youth are struggling. It has become harder than ever to lead and care for kids. This conversation has never been more important as we look at how we can support children’s emotional health and learning. We’ll unpack the science behind play and how it lowers anxiety and aggression, builds resilience, and fosters social and emotional health.
Little changes can have big effects. Join Hannah for a powerful workshop that will help you discover practical ways to transform your family culture and support your children in becoming their best selves.
Join us in the RSS library at 6:30 or virtually on zoom using the link below:
PAC News
We hope everyone had a fantastic spring break! We’re excited to host a Kawakubo Sushi Hot Lunch on Wednesday, April 23rd. Order forms will be coming home in backpacks soon, so be sure to keep an eye out. If you’d like to help with the sushi hot lunch, please send a quick email to pacarrowheights@gmail.com.
Our Easter Purdy’s Campaign is wrapping up! All orders are due by April 2nd, and pickup will be on April 16th. You can place an order before the deadline by using this link: Purdy’s Easter Campaign.
Lastly, our April PAC Meeting will take place on Monday, April 7th at 6:30 pm in the AHE Library. We encourage all parents, grandparents, and caregivers to attend. Childcare is provided in the gym.
Library News
Battle of the Books
This year we had 53 students participating in Battle of the Books between grade 2 and 7. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm and the camaraderie in our teams! We are proud to send six students to Vernon to the Zone Competition. They will join forces with students from BVE and CPE to represent SD19. Each of them chose a friend to accompany the team and cheer for Revelstoke. Good luck to our readers on Thursday, April 3rd!
Class Photos
Mountain West Studios will be at AHE on the afternoon of Thursday, April 10th to take class photos. Weather permitting, photos will take place outside.
Indigenous Education
A land acknowledgement is a statement that acknowledges the Indigenous communities who originally inhabited the land where an event, gathering, or organization is taking place. Acknowledgements honour the history and ongoing presence of Indigenous peoples on the land, recognizing their enduring connection to the territory and represent a small but important step towards reconciliation and building respectful relationships with Indigenous nations and communities in our area.
While a gesture of respect usually used at the beginnings of gatherings such as concerts and assemblies, land acknowledgements should be more than just words; they should be followed by meaningful actions and a commitment to reconciliation. A personalized land acknowledgement reflects your gratitude as a visitor and highlights your respect for Indigenous culture.
AHE students are learning about meaningful acknowledgements and each class is collaborating to make a class acknowledgement unique to the age and experience of the students. These acknowledgements will be posted outside of classroom doors, and shared at assemblies or on announcements.
Upcoming Events
April 3 – Battle of the Books in Vernon
April 3 – Hot Lunch (Community Kitchen) Mac & Cheese
April 7-11 – Book Collection for Book Swap
April 7 – POPS 12:50-1:00
April 7 – PAC Meeting 6:30
April 10 – Class photos in the p.m.
April 14 – Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off
April 16, 17 – Early Dismissal for Student-led Conferences
April 16, 17 – Book Swap
April 18 – Good Friday (No school)
April 21 – Easter Monday (No school)
April 22 – Earth Day
April 23 – PAC sushi lunch
April 24 – PALS (Kindergarten) 12:50-2:30
April 24 – Pre-K Play 4:00-5:00
April 25 – Beach Day
April 25 – Band Performance 11:00 – Stelly’s Secondary School
May 1 – Hot Lunch (Community Kitchen)
May 1 – Jump Rope For Heart
