Caroline Cougar Talk: Merry Christmas!

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Wi ld Ro s e P u b li c S c h o o ls

CAROLINE COUGAR TALK


December 2012

DATES TO REMEMBER:
December 4 - Grade 6 Greek Agora in the concourse @12:30 pm December 13 Jr/Sr High Ski Trip Lake Louise Leave at 4:00 am December 18Elementary Story Time & Hot Chocolate 1:00 pm December 20 Christmas Concert 7:00 pm December 21 Christmas Concert 10:00 am Christmas Break begins December 22 and School resumes January 7, 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Administrators Message
It only seems like a week ago we were welcoming the students back from summer holidays and here we are three months later and counting down the days until Christmas! There is an old saying that states time flies when you are busy and having fun and this year at Caroline School certainly fits the criteria. I began listing all of the events that have occurred since September; however, I soon realized that the list would be way too long to include in this message. From kindergarten through to grade twelve, our staff and students have been buzzing with field trips, fundraisers, pep rallies, ceremonies, volunteer programs and sports teams and as far as I can see, the rest of this year appears to be just as engaging. At this time, we would like to thank everyone in our school community for such a terrific start to the school year. Without the patience and effort of everyone involved with our school, our successes could not be accomplished. We wish everyone a joyous, relaxing, and safe holiday season, for it is very welldeserved, and we look forward to seeing all of you back after the New Year.

Sincerely, Dean Pilipchuk Vice Principal

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Healthy Lifestyle
Get a good night sleep: When you give your body enough time to recharge its batteries, the mind and body both benefit. You'll feel more mentally and physically prepared to take on whatever life throws at you. This time of year it is very important to try and get your sleep! Merry Christmas Everyone! There is a price change on two of our items from the concession, Sparkling Ice $2.00 and Nuts $2.00. Our cost went up as it costs us more in the store to purchase them.

Leadership News
The Elementary Leadership Team will be selling Christmas Grams December 10 -14th for $0.25 each. Spread some Christmas spirit and help support the Caroline food bank through this annual tradition. Grade 5-8 Technology Club begins Wednesday, January 10. Students interested in website design, video production and other technology-based projects are welcome. Club meets from 3:30-4:30 in the Elementary Computer lab.

Cougars Basketball Home Games


Come out and show support for our Cougars home Basketball Games. Wednesday December 5th Wednesday December 12th Wednesday January 16th Wednesday January 30th Wednesday February 13th Sr Boys/Sr Girls @ Home VS Koinonia Sr Boys/Sr Girls @ Home VS Bowden Sr Boys/Sr Girls @ Home VS Bentley Sr Boys/Sr Girls @ Home VS PAA (girls) / Buck Lake (boys) Sr Boys @ Home VS Alix

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Caroline School Welcomes Meagan Clarke


Meagan Clarke is a student teacher from the University of Alberta She is in Caroline for a five week practicum with Mr Le; as a physical education teacher. She is currently in her third week . Welcome Meagan!

Caroline Students Travel to WE Day


In October, nine students from Caroline school attended WE Day in Calgary Alberta. This was their third trip to WE day though it was the first in Alberta (the other two WE days students attended were in Vancouver). There were over 15,000 students in attendance at the Calgary Saddledome and the event was televised on Much Music. Students began planning this trip by generating a list of things they wanted to do while in Calgary. These ideas we placed into three categories: Cultural experiences not available to us in Caroline, volunteer experiences where we could give something back to the community and team building experiences where we could bond as a group. Then students set out to contact several agencies in the city to plan our trip. We would begin with the inspiration of WE day and then spend the next three days planning our year and experiencing what we could in Calgary. On a cold and blustery 6:00 am morning in October, we boarded the bus in Caroline with the hope that the roads wouldnt be as bad as reported. Sleepy students lugged their cargo onto the bus, cozied up with their blankets and pillows and went to sleep. The bus then pulled away from our familiar little school and began the journey to a foreign city. The roads were better than expected and the trip went fast. Once we hit the city limits, faces started to appear and excitement began to overtake the bus.

Students at WE Day 2012

When we arrived at the arena, the students fell in love with the positive Students energy and the enthusiasm. WE Day was both inspiring and thought provoking and the students left feeling empowered and ready for action. We picked up our groceries and headed to Camp Gardiner (a scouts camp just outside of Calgary). We decided on the camp because it gave us a common area to plan and it was relatively inexpensive. We spent the evening reviewing what excited us about WE day, brainstorming ideas and playing leadership games.
Planning our year of events

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The next day we drove back into the city, got on the LRT and headed to China Town. There we met with a representative from the Chinese Cultural Center who toured us through the museum and then through China Town in Calgary. Students learned about various cultural symbols, the discrimination Chinese immigrants faced in Canada and how China town came to exist. Afterwards they learned about traditional Chinese games and even tried their hand at them. To finish the morning, students went downstairs and had dim sum. Many of the students had never seen nor heard of the menu items but had an opportunity to try several authentic Chinese entrees.

In the afternoon, we jumped onto the LRT and headed to the University of Calgary where we met with the director of
sustainable development. She took us on a tour of the campus and introduced us to their programs which encourage campus to become more environmentally sustainable. Students saw campaigns that encouraged energy conservation and recycling and a new waste management system. We headed back to camp in the evening to finish our planning session and have supper. The next day, we again awoke early and left to meet with the board at the Calgary Immigrant Womens Association. Students were able to see some of the challenges people face when immigrating to our country. They were also introduced to ways that they could volunteer in urban communities and were toured through the various agencies. We were all shocked to learn that CIWA has 144 full time staff and 8 floors of offices! It is an amazing organization doing work with people from when they first arrive in our country until they are comfortable in Canadian Society. The high light for students was probably the Nursery. Babies are super cute in every language!
Students at the University of Calgary learning about sustainable development

In the afternoon, we visited the Calgary Climbing Center. This was originally planned as a trip to COP to try our hand at Zip lining but the poor weather forced them to shut the zip line down early. Climbing was a fantastic way to stretch our boundaries, have some fun and build some team work. Afterwards we went for supper at an Italian restaurant and then off to see some theater improv at Loose Moose Theater

Stretching our boundariesan afternoon climbing

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On the final day of our trip, we made arrangements with the Salvation army to help with their annual Coat campaign and to work in the kitchen at their down town shelter. Our students sorted through over 600 coats and helped serve lunch to the people who use the shelter. This was a great way to finish our trip. Students felt a sense of joy at giving back and it reaffirmed for them the reason they want to help others When we boarded the bus at the end of our trip, students were changed. They still looked the same but they felt connected to each other and to the greater world. Through knowledge and experience, they had gained perspective and through inspiration and action, they had gained energy. What an exciting way to start our yearwith perspective and energy.

What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar Video Contest


The Junior High Leadership team is hosting a video contest for the junior and senior high students. This contest asks individuals to create humorous videos with the theme from the popular commercials What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar? Students could eat a disgusting concoction of edible foods, sing to complete strangers, have a flash mob dance or any number of fun and crazy ideas. The rules for the contest include: no inappropriate language, no inappropriate dress, no activities that may cause the person or others physical harm and no gore (blood/ violence). The prizes for the contest include an E reader for first place, a digital camera for second place and an iTunes card for third place. Videos can be submitted to the office or to Kirsten Collison at kirsten.collison@wrsd.ca and must be in by Dec. 17th. Good luck to all and have some fun!! Videos will be shown at lunch after Christmas Break and the top three videos will be shown at the second semester pep rally. For further information contact Ms. Collison or any of the junior high organizers Keagan Peppard, Samantha Nickerson, Ethan Bystrom or Brylee Peacock. A big thank you to the Peacock family for donating the prizes for the contest.

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CAROLINE SCHOOL
Every Empty Counts School Program

The Caroline School is excited to announce our participation in the Every Empty Counts School Program, which is offered at no charge by the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation. This innovative stewardship and education program has collected and diverted more than 4 million beverage containers from Alberta landfills. As a participant in the Every Empty Counts program, we receive free beverage container recycling bins, bags for the bins and teaching resources. Our students will also earn fun prizes and learn about the environmental benefits of their efforts to encourage them to continue recycling. Diverting beverage containers from landfills and doing your part for our planet is its own reward. But a little extra incentive sure doesn't hurt, especially when it comes to motivating kids. For every beverage container your school reports to ABCRC, you earn one Every Empty Counts Prize Point. Many students bring beverage containers to school on a daily basis, including milk cartons, juice boxes and drink pouches. These and many other containers are recyclable and refundable. By collecting containers and refunding them through a Depot, dollars raised can be used to support important fundraising initiatives. The Caroline School has 2 ways for you to help:

Turn your bottles in to the bottle depot and donate the refund to the school to assist with school programming such as the playground project, accelerated reading program, etc. Turn your bottles in to the bottle depot and bring your receipt to the school (can be from any bottle depot in Alberta) the school can then enter in the total amount of bottles recycled and receive points to redeem for prizes (as shown below).
Our goal is to be one of the first schools to get to 50,000 points and receive an Outdoor Donation Bin.

Thank you for your support in helping us to raise valuable funds for our school, and in assisting our students in the diversion of beverage containers from Albertas landfills. Please call the school if you would like more information (403) 722-3833.

Pencil made from Recycled Material


One Pencil = 200 points

Secure Outdoor Donation Bin = 50,000 EEC Prize Points each


Bins are awarded to schools on a first-come first-served basis. Be the first to reach 50,000 available points in your size-category, and win a secure outdoor donation bin. A total of six bins are awarded during each school year.

T-Shirt Made from Plastic Bottles


One shirt = 5,000 points

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The Cougar cup goes to the Grade Six class

Congratulations to the grade 6 class who won the Cougar Cup at the Pep Rally that was held on November 15th! Way to go!

Peer Tutoring
Caroline Peer Tutoring program will be up and running in January.

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Elementary News
With Christmas break right around the corner, there is a lot going on at Caroline School. Elementary students and some of our grade 8 students are working hard on our Christmas Concert, and it sounds like a beautiful event! Please join us on the night of December 20th, at 7:00 for our production. Christmas Showcase. We will be offering a second presentation on the morning of December 21st, at 10:00. Were told that Santa Claus will be making an appearance at the evening performance. In the past, Santa has brought treat bags for our youngest members of our audience at this performance! Come and enjoy the fun.

Upcoming Assessments and Progress


Students look forward to a nice winter break this year. School is out on December 21 st, and students are back on January 7th. This break will provide a time of fun, rest and relaxation for students, and it is hoped that we are all back and ready to push forward with full-steam-ahead in January. We are pleased to say that our students and teachers are enthusiastic participators in the teaching/learning connection. During this second reporting period, which includes the time from the November report card through to the report card in March, students will be challenged to learn the greatest amount of new information for the entire school year! Parents play a very significant role in supporting the success of our students by taking care of a couple of things. Ensure that your child has an adequate place to complete homework or study assignments. Ensuring that children are in bed at a reasonable time helps children focus on learning outcomes for the next day. Research shows that students who engage in physical activity often throughout the day are more successful than students who arent active. Being outside during these crisp days is a cinch, isnt it! And speaking of crisp days outside, if the temperatures drop to -20 (with/without wind chill) students stay indoors. Please be sure to provide appropriate outdoor clothing for when students are outside- it is very difficult for children to have fun outside if they have to focus on staying warm. If your child is missing some outdoor clothing, check out our Lost and Found boxes located in the elementary wing of the school. During the first week of February, students from ECS to grade 6 will be writing the Gates-MacGinitie standardized tests for Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary. When we combine the results on these tests with results from other comprehension tools, teachers are able to report a fairly accurate account of your childs reading and comprehension progress. Teachers continually audit the learning that is taking place in their classrooms, and this information is used to determine and direct daily lessons. So, assisting your child by supporting this learning goes a long way in assuring academic success.

Skating Program
Elementary students will be enjoying skating lessons at the arena in January. Please make sure that your child has an appropriate helmet, skates and good clothing that is light yet warm. We so appreciate volunteers who can assist us at the arena to help tie skates, or be on the ice with the students (helmets are mandatory). We love our parent volunteers! If your child doesnt have a pair of skates that fit, we can try to find a size from our supply at school. All skates need to be sharpened and then carried safely to school. A new pair of skates would be a great item on Santas wish list for your child this year. Lessons occur throughout the days from Monday, January 21Thursday, Jan. 24/13. The following Monday and Tuesday (January 28, 29) will also be skating days for some classes, as follows: Grade 1 (both classes) Grade 2 and Kindergarten Grade 3 and grade 4 Grade 5 and grade 6 1:30 2:30 11:00 12:00 10:00 11:00 12:30 1:30

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Please remind your child to bring their sharpened skates to school for their skating lessons. PARENTS AND TEACHERS must wear helmets while on the ice. We would like to thank Mrs. Tarnasky for her dedication in organizing our elementary skating schedules. Mrs. Godwin, Mrs. Reum and Mrs. Tarnasky are skilled trainers, and many of our students will be skilled skaters because of the lessons they receive.

Swimming Program...
The swimming schedule for students is included in this hand-out. We are pleased to be able to have our ECS to grade

5 students join us this year. You will notice that our younger students are swimming in April, which is a bit later than usual. We are pleased that our swimming program for all elementary students is being run in April and May this year. For the swimming program, students need to bring a bathing suit and towel, and any other personal items they may need. Its a good idea to pack along a plastic bag so that at the end of the day, the damp suit and towel dont interfere with books and other school supplies that are in your childs back-pack. On swim days, buses will pick students up at the school, deliver them to the pool, and pick them up after the lesson and bring them back safely. Parents are most welcome to watch children during lesson time in the gallery, which is up the stairs at the Rocky Mountain House pool Schedule for Elementary Students (ECS-Grade 5) ECS (Tue. Thur.) & 4TW ECS (Mon. Wed.) & 2G/S 1D/L & 3S 1K & 5V 10:30-11:15 1:00-1:45 1:00-1:45 1:15-2:00 April 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2 April 3, 10, 17, 24 & May 1 April 15, 22, 29, May 6 and 13 May 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30th

Drug Abuse Resistance Education


Our grade 6 students are interested in the up-coming D.A.R.E classes in January. Constable Siewert will be organizing and delivering the D.A.R.E program.

Winter Walk Day


Join thousands of Albertans for Winter Walk Day on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. It's easy to participate, simply walk outside for at least 15 minutes. Walking is great for our health, the environment and building community all year round. Visit the website at www.shapeab.com. Step up Alberta, get outside and enjoy the fresh, crisp Alberta air!

Caroline students will be involved

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Family Literacy Day


Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a childs development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a childs literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well. Children raised in literacy rich homes are likely to enter grade one with several thousand hours of one to one prereading experiences behind them. Literacy changes lives.

Elementary Assemblies
Elementary assemblies are held on the last Thursday of each month, and begin in the gym at 10:45. Parents are always welcome to attend these gatherings, and students receiving awards are always proud to have their parents, friends and relatives in the audience. Come join us!

Healthy Lifestyles
At Caroline school, we strive to encourage healthy eating habits among our students. Good nutrition feeds a learning brain and body, and is an integral part of your childs daily activities. We discuss the importance of including food items from the four food groups for lunch and snack ideas. This could mean at least one fresh fruit, one fresh vegetable, a dairy product such as milk or cheese, a main meal such as soup, salad, sandwich or leftovers that consists of healthy proteins to keep your child full; and multi-grain bread or crackers that supply carbohydrates. We encourage students to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to flush out the toxins in their body- water bottles are a good idea! A little treat once in a while to please that 'sweet tooth' is a nice way to complete a healthy lunch or snack. Below are some easy lunch and snack ideas that you might want to try: Berries and yogurt Apple and peanut butter Whole grain crackers and cheese Red and green peppers with hummus Sandwich and milk Fruit salad and almonds

Remembrance Day Ceremony


Caroline students were very well behaved at our Remembrance Day ceremony in November. We were very pleased to have our Legion Branch at Caroline attend this important event, and thank all who were able to attend. Students in our school have proudly entered their Posters and Essays in the annual Remembrance Day contests.

Magic Circle: Elementary students enjoyed the Magic Circle plays on December 4th. The drama class from West
Central High School entertained all of us with delightful portrayals of stories. We thank them for including us in their tour!

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Christmas Story Time


Elementary students are looking forward to a fun and cozy Christmas activity on the afternoon of December 18 th. This event invites students to wear their pjs to school that day, and to bring their favorite stuffy to join us. In the afternoon, students will rotate from classroom to classroom listening to beautiful Christmas stories read aloud by teachers from other grades. After recess, all students will move to the foyer for a cup of hot chocolate and cookies. We have asked each parent from grade 1, grade 4, and grade 5 to supply us with a dozen cookies for this occasion. We will donate the hot chocolate, but preparation for this event requires some help! If you are able to mix batches and help serve cups of hot chocolate, or set out cookie trays for this event, we would greatly appreciate it! Preparations should begin at 1:00 in the Foods Lab kitchen. If you can help us, please let your childs teacher know.

The Grinch Comes to Caroline


On December 19th, Mrs. Collisons class is putting on this harrowing and fun play for our elementary students. Two performances will run that day, and students are really looking forward to this! Thanks Mrs. Collison!

So as you can see, we have some busy days coming up in December. We look forward to seeing you at our Christmas Concert. Have a safe and happy holiday! Our winter break is from December 21 to January 7th, 2013

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