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PWPSD Good News Report – October 2020

The following Good News Report from Peace Wapiti Public School Division (PWPSD) and its schools will be shared at the upcoming Board meeting on Thursday, October 22, 2020.







PWPSD News

Complete the ASCA Parent/Guardian Survey on School Re-entry and COVID-19


The Alberta School Councils' Association (ASCA) invites parents/guardians with children in K-12 to participate in a survey to help them measure the "pandemic pulse" in the return to schooling with COVID-19 implications. Survey closes at midnight on Friday, November 6. Access the survey here.

School News

Beaverlodge Elementary School

Fire Prevention Week at BES



BES students are fortunate to have two volunteer firefighters on staff to conduct safety presentations during Fire Prevention Week, October 4-10, 2020. Thanks to Carolyn Bartsch and Krista Lucas for educating students about the importance of fire safety.

 

Name that Mascot



The winner is…Trapper Wilde! Congratulations to Grade 6 student Kyler Korzenowski who wins a hooded BES Trapper sweatshirt for his winning submission to the mascot naming contest. Pictured top left: Winner Kyler Korzenowski, with honourable mention to Austin Green-Hicks, Grade 5 and Paisley Johnson, Grade 2 – both students received Trapper T-shirts for their strong naming suggestions.  

Bezanson School

Students' Union elected via virtual platform



Front to back: President Taryn C., Vice-President Grace R., Treasurer Hunter P., Secretary Hannah W., Grade 8 Rep George S., Grade 7 Rep Ava F., Grade 6 Rep Max W., Grade 5 Rep Sloan M., and Students' Union Facilitator Ms. Galbraith.

The following report was provided by the Grade 9 Leadership Team:

The Student's Union vote happened on October 7. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, we held a virtual assembly through Google Meet. The candidates read their speeches over the class Smart Boards, and students voted through Google Forms. Congratulations to our newly-elected Students' Union: President, Taryn C.; Vice-President, Grace R; Secretary, Hannah W.; and Treasurer, Hunter P. Grades 5-9 classes held separate elections for Class Reps.

Upcoming events:

  • Halloween parties will be held on October 29, featuring a pumpkin carving competition in the morning, and classroom celebrations during the afternoon.

  • The Bezanson School Remembrance Day Ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10 as a school-wide Google Meet run by the Grade 9 Leadership class.

Clairmont Community School 

CCS Junior high students, Indigenous Liaison, teachers commemorate 2,800 children who died in residential schools



Left-right: Clairmont Community School Grade 8 students Korbin Brown, Wyllo Lindberg and Breanna Peters sit with CCS Indigenous Liaison and Junior High Art Teacher Sheila Payeur in front of the Cree word "Kiskisowin" which translates as "He/She Remembers", made up of some of the names of the 2,800 children who lost their lives in residential schools.

An Orange Shirt Day installation at Clairmont Community School (CCS) offers a sobering display of the tragic history of residential schools.

CCS Indigenous Liaison and Junior High Art Teacher Sheila Payeur says she shared the National Student Memorial Register with her junior high students, an online list of names of students who never returned from Canadian residential schools. The list, part of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Commission website, divulges the names of 2,800 children who are accounted for as having died in the residential school system.

According to the Memorial Register website, extensive work remains to find all the children who never returned home, and their burial sites.

"Our Junior Highs wrote each of the 2,800 names on a single strip of orange construction paper, and posted them throughout our entire school," says Ms. Payeur. "Once we completed the continuous line of names, we found we still had a large number left over, so we were able to construct a bear mural. I then looked to Barb Belcourt, Indigenous Liaison and Cree Instructor at Hythe Regional School, for a word or phrase around "remembering" to create a second mural. She responded with "Kiskisowin", which means "He/She Remembers" in Cree."

 

Ms. Payeur says writing and pasting the 2,800 names was a joint effort of junior high students, herself and other CCS teachers. She noted that three students returned often during their recess and lunch breaks to work on the project.

Grade 8 student Wyllo Lindberg say, "Seeing all the names together helps me realize how many children died in residential schools." 

Classmate Brenna Peters adds, "When you look at all the orange slips, they take up the whole school, and then there's this huge bear as well. There's just a lot who died. When you write them all out and see that it covers your whole school, it really puts it into perspective." 

Elmworth School

Students reflect on 'Every Child Matters' message



To prepare for Orange Shirt Day, students created a bulletin board filled with orange shirts, featuring the following two sentence starters:

I matter because:
I am smart, funny, kind, special, strong, determined, important, unique, a human being, respectful, confident, an individual, helpful, I am a person like everyone else, all lives matter and I am amazing, I have an opinion and a voice, I am a living thing and all living things should get a chance to live, and we are all different.

I show others that they matter by:
Helping, inviting them to a meal, asking them to play, sharing, being kind and staying by their side, smiling, being sympathetic, caring for others, complimenting them, telling others that they matter, saying "hi", believing in them and trusting them, showing respect, including them, encouraging them, and being positive. 

 

Fire Prevention Week contest winners


Left: Winners Keltie Hawryluk and Maddy Jean receive their prizes from Fire Marshall Ken Atamanchuk.

Grade 2 student Keltie Hawryluk won the Fire Prevention Week colouring contest in the K-2 category, while Grade 6 student Maddy Jean won the Fire Prevention Week "Serve up Fire Safety in the Kitchen" drawing contest in the Grades 4-6 category. Each student will receive a pizza party for her class and a gift basket filled with a smoke detector, a carbon dioxide detector, a fire extinguisher and a $25.00 gift card to Sticky's candy store. Ken Atamanchuk, Fire Marshall for the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service, presented the pizza and gift baskets at the school on Thursday, October 15.



Harry Balfour School

Fire Prevention Week contest winners

Two students at Harry Balfour School were named winners in the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service colouring contest: Weston Forster, Grade 1 (left) and Talia Bergma, Grade 6 (right). Ken Atamanchuk, Fire Marshall for the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service, presented each student with a pizza party for their class, along with individual prize packages.

 

Exciting new Grades 5-8 Options courses

Welcome to Ms. Pierog (pictured left with the Grade 1 class) who teaches Grades 5-8 Options. Students are exploring exciting new option courses this month (pictured middle and right), including Survival, Games Strategies, Drivers' Education, Disc Golf, Art, Breakout, Babysitting, Volleyball, and Computers. Ms. Pierog says her students are learning practical life skills and enjoying the courses. An Orienteering instructor recently taught students how to use maps and compasses.


Helen E. Taylor School

School year off to a busy start

Thanks to some very creative planning by HET staff, all students were able to participate in Welcome Week fun activities that were spread out over four afternoons (top right): Find the Beads in the Playground, Carry as Much Water as you Can by the Tablespoon, and Scattergories.

On Orange Shirt Day, staff and students wore orange shirts and participated in a variety of discussion and reflection activities organized by Mrs. Bowman and Mrs. Underwood (top left).

Individual Phys. Ed. Classes ran the Turkey Trot throughout Thursday, October 8. Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Robinson (middle, bottom left) really got into the spirit by dressing up for the event. Thanks to Mrs. Collins for organizing the student timers and managing all details of the event. Congratulations to Skyler Wilson and Preston Kane, winners of the turkey draws.

Junior High students have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather, enjoying outdoor Phys. Ed. and Comp classes (bottom, second from left). Ms. Westad says, "With school playgrounds and the hill beside the football fields and Sunset Park, we are certainly lucky to be part of such a lovely community. Our first assembly of the year was held virtually (bottom, second from right). Our school expresses thanks to Pipestone Energy Corporation for donating a handwashing station (bottom, right) and to Mrs. Underwood for her efforts to bring a variety of healthy breakfast options to our students."

Junior High cohorts are practicing Volleyball on separate scheduled days to promote appropriate distancing from other groups.


LaGlace School

Fire Prevention Week contest winner



Pictured: Grade 2 student Kalia won the Fire Prevention Week coloring contest issued by the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service. She received an individual prize basket and enjoyed a pizza party with her classmates.

LaGlace students are enjoying a bit of friendly competition in collecting winter clothing items for the Merv Crouse Coats for Kids campaign. The winning class will receive a movie in the gym.


Ridgevalley School

Congratulations to the Class of 2020



Ridgevalley School hosted an outdoor graduation ceremony on Saturday, September 26, recognizing 14 members of the Class of 2020. The event had been postponed in the spring, following the closure of in-school classes and public health guidance at that time. Congratulations to Cassey Adolf, Sarah Anderson, Ryder Badgerow, Wade Chapman, Julia Desnoyers, Sam Groves, Celina Friesen, Ty Kern, Kobe Kroeker, Brooke MacDonald, Alina Rose, Cam Turner, Layne Warkentin and Presley Wells. Photo courtesy of C'Zen Photography.

 

Robert W. Zahara Public School

RWZ: Where everyone has a place



While keeping the students in their classroom cohorts can be hard, teachers are reporting that the students are making new friends and are being very inclusive with their classmates (left). Everyone has a place at RWZ.

RWZ students celebrated Walk and Bike to School Day on October 7. Pictured right are Grade 5 students Abigail and Abby.


Sexsmith Secondary School

From Now On

The SSS Drama Class of 2020 created a five-minute movement piece, entitled "From Now On".

 



Whispering Ridge Community School

WRCS students dream big on Orange Shirt Day



WRCS Indigenous Liaison Maryanne Buck, was busy leading up to Orange Shirt Day, consolidating resources for teachers to access, and making beautiful dream catchers with students. 


Woking School

Celebrating fall



Top: On September 25, Grades 5-8 students enjoyed Nitehawk mountain biking, a great afternoon exploring the hills by the Burnt River.

Bottom left: The Woking School Grateful Tree is one of a number of fall displays – a reminder that there is much to be grateful for, even in times of COVID-19.

Bottom right: Grades 3 and 4 students harvested potatoes from the school's outdoor gardens. The potatoes are used for the school's hot lunches.


Upcoming events



Recent Media Coverage

  • Oct. 08, 2020  Every child matters: Clairmont school honours the 2,800 children who never came home, Town & Country News
  • Oct. 01, 2020  Beaverlodge Elementary Grade 3 students, teacher participate in Terry Fox Run, Town & Country News
    Sept. 29, 2020  Sexsmith teacher wins Edwin Parr award, Daily Herald Tribune
    Sept. 25, 2020  Sexsmith teacher awarded Edwin Parr Teacher Award, 2day FM
  • Sept. 24, 2020  Locals schools stick to the screening checklist, Town & Country News


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