Principal’s Message

The first month of school has just flown by and we have a busy month of October to look forward to. Goal-setting conferences, the Scholastic book fair, the Halloween Haunted House and the Halloween costume parade are just a few of the school wide events taking place at AHE.

Classes are in full swing learning, taking advantage of outdoor classroom spaces and great field trips that allow us to extend learning outside the formal class setting. We have much to be thankful for this month.

Following our latest Professional Development with Hannah Beach and Kendra Jacobs,  AHE staff has been spending a lot of time thinking about the direction of this upcoming school year. Our students have many strengths to build on as well as continued development in the areas of Literacy, Numeracy and Social Emotional Learning.

Guided by our Mission Statement, we have set goals for the school year to continue our academic growth and the nurturing of a safe and caring school environment where everyone feels included.

Read on for School Goals and more!

Mrs. Pam Mair

School Goals

Literacy

Our students continue to demonstrate successful literacy skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). For the 2024-25 school year, we will strive to maintain this success, while using a data informed approach to build and target the growth in literacy for all students. Our strong Library program and extra activities such as Battle of the Books, BOBfest, RMR Reading Challenge and Young Author’s club help to encourage a continued love for literacy.

Numeracy

For the 2024-25 school year, we plan to maintain the gains we have made in the development of a community of mathematicians. From ProD to Problem of the Week to sharing Instructional Routines in newsletters and assemblies, we plan to continue our practice to develop fluency and flexibility in our learners in order to solve real-world problems.

Social/Emotional Learning

A sense of belonging impacts mental wellness, affects academic performance and increases engagement. For the 2024-25 school year, it is our goal to continue to develop social awareness in our students. People who are socially aware support the development of welcoming and inclusive communities, where people feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging.

CARES

 

Our School Code of Conduct

Our code of conduct helps guide our school towards achieving the goals described in our mission statement. Students are encouraged to understand their responsibilities as learners and citizens of our school community by consistently practicing the elements of our code of conduct. Our code of conduct applies to all members of our school community in all environments associated with school functions (i.e. field trips). All participants are guided by our code of conduct while acting as ambassadors of our school.

Student Recognition

To support our work with students achieving our code of conduct and behaviour expectations, students are recognized for their positive efforts through regular in class celebrations, and through our C.A.R.E.S. Card individual recognition program. This school year, our students will be “Paying it Forward” to The Community Health Foundation and Trees for Tots.  

Terry Fox Run

On Friday, September 27th, students took part in the Terry Fox Run on the Green Belt. We could not have asked for a better day with stunning surroundings, enthusiastic runners and amazing volunteers.  Thank you AHE families for donating Toonies for Terry Fox. We raised $500 for the Terry Fox Foundation.

Goal Setting Conferences

October also is a time for students to set some learning intentions and goals with the teachers and parents who support them. Goal Setting conferences will be held on October 23 and 24. On these days, school will be dismissed at 12:30 pm to facilitate teachers meeting with students and their families those afternoons and evenings. These individual conferences offer a chance to reflect on your child’s learning strengths and needs, and to have a conversation with his or her teacher about learning in the year ahead.

The Scholastic BOOK FAIR is also on Wednesday & Thursday October 23 & 24th.

Numeracy News

Do you know the difference between Math and Numeracy? Math refers to knowledge of number and computational skills, while Numeracy refers to the ability to apply mathematical skills and thinking in a range of contexts in every day life. A mathematician is able to apply their knowledge of mathematics in their work and communicate their thinking with others. This year, we plan to add another layer to community outings and field trips by asking presenters to share with us how they use math in their day to day life.

Are you a mathematician?

During Careers Week (November 25-29) we would love to have parents come to share with classes how they think, communicate and problem solve using numbers in their workplace! Please reach out to pmair@sd19.bc.ca if you would like to visit classes and share your numeracy skills!

Loose Parts

“Loose Parts” play is based on the idea that when children are presented with a collection of small objects (i.e. loose parts) they have more opportunities for creativity and engagement as they rearrange, redesign and tinker with the objects, creating stories, patterns and new objects as they go.

Loose parts collections are valuable for our primary classes to incorporate play in  literacy and numeracy, and can take a lot of time and effort to collect. We are asking you to go through your junk drawers, craft boxes etc. and please help us build our collection of loose parts.

Some examples are: keys, tumbled rocks, gems, decorative glass, sea glass, wooden beads, glass beads, bottle caps, acorns, mosaic tiles, small feathers, wooden peg dolls, small animal figures, small seasonal shapes (pumpkins, snowflakes, hearts etc.),scrapbook decorative paper (card stock). 

Treasures can be dropped off at the front office. Thank you!

 

Fruit and Veggie Program

AHE is again offering the BC School Fruit and Vegetable program, supported by the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation. By participating in this free program, students have the opportunity to try and learn about a variety of fruits and vegetables grown in BC.

Indigenous Education

AHE students spent Orange Shirt Day along the banks of the Columbia reflecting on the impact of residential schools and engaging in traditional indigenous games.

In October, The Indigenous Education Programming is focussed on wetland habitats and exploring how their inner workings are a strong example of the benefits of reciprocity.The activity for October will include a nature walk and scavenger hunt through the trails at 6 Mile. Students will be introduced to the works of Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer and will learn about the principles of the Honourable Harvest and Reciprocity at a grade appropriate level. In pairs, students will harvest long grass and learn braiding techniques to support their understanding of Sweetgrass, why it is a sacred medicine, and why it is commonly braided.

School Sports

Cross Country Running

 

The Cross-Country Running Team is having a great season. Many students in the Grade 4-7 classes are participating and are having a great time running outdoors. Our next race will be held this Thursday October 3rd at BVE, and the season ends on Oct. 10 with the Turkey Trot at CPE. A big thank you to Mrs. Macleod, Ms. Johnson and our parent helpers for your support.

Badminton

Badminton Season will be starting in October for any Grade 6 and 7 students interested in playing. Practices will begin during PE classes and will continue on Tuesday and Thursdays at lunch.  If you enjoy playing badminton or know of someone who does, please stay tuned for the student information meetings coming up. Go AHE Go!

Badminton Tournament Dates:

Tuesday, November 5th – Singles Tournament (Grade 6 @AHE, Grade 7@BVE)

Thursday, November 7th – Doubles Tournament (Grade 6 @AHE, Grade 7@BVE)

Tuesday, November 12th – Mixed Doubles Tournament (Grade 6 @ CPE)

Thursday November 14th – Mixed Doubles Tournament (Grade 7 @ CPE)

Community Kitchen Hot Lunch

Austin from the Community Kitchen will be at AHE twice a month (3 times in October) offering hot lunches! Austin has asked our grade 7 class to partner with him ion serving the lunches, and will be offering a donation to the grade 7 year end trip to Sunny Brae. Please remember to send a container for leftovers and cutlery with your child on these days. This month’s hot lunches are as follows:

October 3 – Veggie Chilli and Cornbread

October 17 – Spaghetti and Meatballs

October 31 – Chicken Teriyaki Stir-fry

Backpack program

We know the rising costs of groceries and we have a program to help families who may be in need of a helping hand. Our backpack program sends groceries home for the weekend along with some healthy recipes and other little surprises! We can also offer help with lunches. Besides making delicious breakfast snacks, our breakfast coordinator pre-makes extra lunches to make sure everyone has a healthy meal mid-day.

If you think you’d like to take advantage of this program, or would like some more information, please reach out to pmair@sd19.bc.ca or Celes Lucius at clucius@sd19.bc.ca

PAC Report

Hello October!
Wow, September really flew by! October is shaping up to be a busy month for PAC. We’re excited to host our annual Scholastic Book Fair during the teacher conferences on October 23rd and 24th. This fundraiser relies on parent volunteers, so please keep an eye on the student planners for our sign-up sheet.

Additionally, we’re looking forward to the Thanksgiving Picnic, which Arrow Heights organizes on the Friday before the Thanksgiving weekend. It’s one of PAC’s favorite events! The entire school gathers in the gym to share what they’re thankful for, and PAC will be handing out delicious pies donated by Save on Foods for students and staff to enjoy. If you’d like to volunteer for this event, please send a quick email to pacarrowheights@gmail.com.

Don’t forget, our October meeting is also our AGM, happening on Monday, October 7th, at 6:30 PM in the AHE library. Childcare will be provided in the gym. Attending the meetings is a fantastic way to stay informed about what’s happening at the school. We warmly welcome all parents, caregivers, and grandparents to join us!

Thanksgiving Pie Picnic

On Friday October 11th, the entire Arrow Heights Elementary community will be meeting in the gym at lunch to give thanks for our many blessings as a school. Our PAC has graciously offered to provide our dessert (pumpkin or apple pie). Please remember to send a fork with your child’s lunch on this day. We are very grateful for what we have here at AHE. THANK YOU TO ALL!

Costume Parade

Students are welcome to dress up for Halloween at school on October 31st. We ask that full masks and props that accompany costumes be worn for the parade only, as they tend to cause a distraction if worn for the full day. Our annual costume parade will be held in the gym at 11:15 am on October 31. All parents are welcome to attend and check out the costumes.

Haunted House

There will be some spookiness happening on October 29th, as our Gr. 7 classes turn our gym into a Haunted House for the community. This is a fun fundraiser for our Gr. 7 trip to Sunnybrae. The Haunted House will run from 6:00-8:00pm. Be there to be scared!  As always, scariness can be toned down on request. New this year is a “less scary” haunted house experience for younger kids in the Resource Room.

October Upcoming Dates

October 3 – BVE Cross Country Run

October 7 – Whole School Assembly 11:15-11:50

October 7 – PAC Meeting 6:30

October 10 – CPE Cross Country Run

October 14 – Thanksgiving Day – No school

October 22 – Photo Retakes

October 23, 24 – Early Dismissal for Goal Setting Conferences

October 23, 24 – Scholastic Book Fair

October 25 – Professional Development Day

October 29 – Haunted House 6:00-8:00

October 31 – Halloween Parade 11:15