Week of December 15

Good Evening,

Finally....I am able to get to my blog. It still seems a bit wonky so this is just a brief message to wish you all a Happy Holiday and Safe Travels.

A lot of work is going on at school to remove snow and rebuild damaged structures. This has proven to be no small task!

Many teachers have also been without internet the past few days so they will post activities/assignments for students so they do not fall out of practice or too far behind. The intention, however, is not to overload students with lots of work during the holidays either.

We will regroup during the holiday with rescheduling events, etc. and will let you know as soon as we have dates reorganized.

In the meantime, enjoy your holidays, stay warm, and enjoy your family time.

Week of 8 December

Good Evening,

I hope everyone is staying healthy at this time of year...there is quite a cold type "thing" going around so I wish you all good health.

Thanks for your support of the Holiday Bazaar. Fun was had by all and we greatly appreciate the PTG for working so hard to sponsor such an event.

This week the StuCo will sponsor their first dance of the year. This is a student organized event from 6:00-9:00. We request consideration for a prompt pick up of students as this is time volunteered by teacher chaperons. With a prompt pick up of students then everyone is able to enjoy the evening.

Please make note of the school holiday dates. We publish the dates early so families are able to plan and make their travel arrangements. An early departure or late return makes it difficult for students to stay caught up with their peers and with the instruction that takes place within the classroom.

Mark your calendar for next week....Dec 17 for our next Family Connection Chat. Topic this month is Social Media...what are the kids using and the impact (good and bad) social media can have.

We would like for you to mark your calendar now for WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29. We will sponsor a tech "expo" to give students an opportunity to shine and give parents an opportunity to see, and understand, exactly what happens in a 1:1 learning classroom. More details about the time will be forthcoming.

I am amazed how quickly this school year is going by. With that idea in mind, below is a link to a video clip I saw over the weekend. For me, at my age, it made me panic a bit....fearful I have not made good use of my time in life. The "jelly bean" video is a gentle reminder about motivation and how we use our time......enjoy........

Jelly Bean Motivation

Have a good evening.

Week of 1 December

Good Evening,

We hope everyone had a nice long weekend. As an intro to the weekend, see the picture below illustrating time MS students took to send notes of thanks to peers and teachers. It was nice to take a moment an recognize kindness in each other.

Upcoming Events to Highlight:

• Band/Choir Concert will be at 6:00 on Tuesday
• Holiday Bazaar will be on Thursday...students will have time during the day to visit the Bazaar and the Bazaar will remain open until 7:00 pm
• Next Family Connection Chat will be Dec 17 @ 8:15. Topic: Social Media...what is it, how is it done and what impact does it have (positives and negatives)

Introducing:
 Please join us in welcoming Mais Samara to our MS teaching staff. Ms. Samara will be teaching MS Arabic AFL beginning today. Ms. Samara is familiar with ACS as she has worked with us before and is looking forward to working with the MS students. Moodle and Power School accounts will be activated for her this week in order to facilitate communication.