Winlaw Newsletter, February 22, 2024
Dear Winlaw Families,
To celebrate and honour Black History month, each class has been reading and learning about anti-racism, diversity, and influential Black people. Our Gr. 5/6 class is participating in a 3-part online workshop series this month with Anti-Racism facilitators Anya Lambert and Olivier Adrien. Anaya and Olivier are guiding students in generative discussion and education around the use of discriminatory, racist and anti-Black language at school. This series is designed to foster a learning environment where critical thinking, relational intelligence and anti-racism skills and actions are developed in a way that is engaging and practical to students in Kootenay Lake (SD8) school district. We are so grateful to our Winlaw PAC for providing the funding for this workshop series.
Sports
The Gr. 5/6 Volleyball season went from the end of November to the end of January. Parent Coach Justin Frank worked with this dedicated group of students twice a week. They were very excited to participate in the Sd8 Volleyball Tournament hosted by Hume Elementary School on January 26th. We give a huge shout of thanks to Coach Justin for volunteering to coach this year!
Floor Hockey started up right after the Winter Holidays. Gr. 2/3/4’s play on Mondays coached by Gr. 6 volunteers. Gr. 5/6’s play on Fridays!
Our Whitewater Ski and Snowboard program has taken place weekly during the month of February. Winlaw Staff have reported how wonderful it is to see first time skiers, skiing independently by the end of the first lesson. We thank all the parent volunteers, the Winlaw Staff, and the Whitewater Staff for their support during this program each year!
Student Leadership Group
We thank our Student Leadership Group and Ms. Peel for organizing the Valentine’s Day Dance Parties in the gym. They ran three dances- one for the Primary classes, one for the K/1 class and their Gr. 5/6 buddies, and the Intermediate classes. Everyone enjoyed dancing to a great playlist! As well, each class enjoyed Valentine’s Day card exchanges and activities.
Pink Shirt Day- February 28th
Pink Shirt Day is next week on February 28th. We are holding our assembly at 11:00 and we encourage everyone to wear a pink shirt or shirt with pink in it. Classes will share presentations about Pink Shirt Day. You are welcome to join us!
Here is a video you can watch together with your children about the origins of Pink Shirt Day and the importance of learning about anti-bullying:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBrFXwZbEY8
You can visit the BC ERASE website for information about bullying. There is some really great information for parents that you can share with your child: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/erase/bullying
Columbia Basin Alliance Literacy (CBAL) Programs at Winlaw
ONE TO ONE is a CBAL program offered at Winlaw Elementary to support primary students who need a little nudge with their reading. At the heart of this literacy program is the unique relationship between students and their reading partners – trained literacy tutors from our community. Students meet with these dedicated tutors for 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. This year, thanks to the Fostering Literacy grant, CBAL is offering 3 x 10-week sessions of this program - that's over 250 one-on-one sessions! A huge thank you to Marya Folinsbee, Jeremy Sauer, and Jeff Johnson for their dedication to the ONE-TO-ONE reading program!
FAMILY GAME NIGHT
CBAL offers this free family program every Wednesday evening at Winlaw Elementary. Each week, children aged 6-13 and their caregivers gather to play board games, enjoy a free meal, and connect with other families in the community.
CBAL STORYWALKS
Throughout the school year, CBAL sets up different StoryWalks® to be enjoyed by Strong Start families and students from kindergarten to grade 3 at Winlaw Elementary. These interactive StoryWalks® are a great way to promote literacy, reading, health, exercise, and movement within the school!
Upcoming Events
February 28 - Pink Shirt Day Assembly 11:00
March 8 - Learning Update sent home
March 15 - Secwepemc Jingle and Fancy Dancer Janelle Alladina Performance 8:30
March 15 - Last day of school before Spring Break
April 2 - School resumes after Spring Break
April 2 - Indigenous Sports workshop for each class with Vanessa Lozecznik and Elder
April 22 - District Pro D Day (no school)
April 24 - Early Dismissal Day (1 hour earlier)
April 25 - Early Dismissal Day (1 hour earlier)
April 29 - Class and whole School Photo
May 16 - ArtStarts Ache Brasil Performance 9:00
May 20 - Victoria Day Holiday
May 27 - School-based Pro D Day (no school)
Best regards,
Monica Doyle
Principal, Winlaw Elementary School
