1. education
2. school

May 20, 2015
3836 Old Clayburn Road, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2Z5 604.850.7131 sandyhill.sd34.bc.ca
Principal : Dr. Marie VanDalfsen
Acting Vice Principal : David Rossi
Principals Message
The end of Term 3 has arrived! We are counting down the days we have to complete various learning objectives while also
taking time to plan the community building and celebratory events that remain in our memories for decades. Competing
demands make for a very busy time, which for some, can also be a little stressful. To help, teachers are taking steps to keep
their focus on familiar routines, on learning, and on teaching children to manage their own self-regulation.
As the year end draws closer, we also turn our minds to taking time to celebrate a successful year of learning and community
building. Celebrating our successes takes many forms including classroom celebrations of learning as well as grade wide
celebration of learning that occurs at the grade 5 level. These are times when the children and their teachers celebrate how far
they have come since their arrival in September. The report cards that will be coming home at the end of June will reflect this
growth and will provide opportunities for parents to celebrate a year of growth and discoveries with their children. These
successes are a result of parent and family support that occurs beyond the classroom and we thank you for that support. For
those of you who have volunteered to help enrich and extend the educational experiences of our students, we hope that you
will be able to attend our Volunteer Appreciation Tea scheduled for 1:30-2:30 pm in the afternoon of June 3rd.
School Improvement Plan 2015-16
We have been working together as a staff and greater community to refine our school's goal, a continuing focus on improving
students' writing processes, for the upcoming year. The draft school improvement plan was presented and discussed at the PAC
meeting on May 12th and will be posted on the Sandy Hill website. We ask that you review our draft plan and share any ideas
on how we can extend parental involvement in this goal with your child's teacher or with myself.
School Supplies
This year Staples is offering a cost effective and quick way to purchase your childs school supplies next year. This is an optional
service where all supplies can be ordered online or in store. Once ordered, they will be delivered to the school with your childs
name and grade at the end of summer. The last day to place your order is June 19, 2015. For ordering information and supply
lists please click here to be brought to our webpage
Moving?
If you know that you are moving and will not be attending Sandy Hill Elementary for
the 2015 – 2016 school year please advise the office as soon as possible. Thank you.
Calendar
May
26
27
28
29
Scabies
We have had a confirmed case of scabies in our school This case had been
misdiagnosed prior to it being correctly identified and treated. Scabies is a
contagious infestation of the skin with a human mite. Scabies can occur across all
social-economic levels and are transmitted by close personal contact. The female
mites tunnels into the skin and lays eggs for 4 – 6 weeks, hatching every few days.
The hatched larvae mature in 14 – 17 days and the cycle continues. The
infestation can appear as a rash that worsens at night. Scabies can be treated, but
should be diagnosed by a doctor. If you have a suspect rash in your home please
check with your doctor and let them know scabies was present in our school.
Please also advise us at the school should scabies be diagnosed. (We keep the
information confidential.)
Babysitter Class #4 3:00pm-5:00pm
Grade 2 & 3 Musical
1:15pm and 7:00pm
Nandos Hot Lunch
Menchies
Team Shirt Day
June
01
02
Non Instructional Day – No School
District Track Meet for Grade 4’s and
5’s at Rotary Stadium
05 School Track Meet
Grade 4’s and 5’s at Bateman
Secondary
09 PAC Meeting @ 7:00pm
16 Student Led Activity Day
18 Grade 5 Year End Certificate
Presentation
22 Canadian Parents for French
11:45am
23 – 24 Talent Show
25 Last Day For Students
May 20, 2015 | Page 2 of 9
Valuables to be Enjoyed at Home
PLEASE do not allow your child to bring valuable items (whether monetary or sentimental) to school in case they are lost or
part of an inequitable trade.
2015 – 2016 Calendar
School Opening (1/2 day dismissal)
Non-Instructional Day #1
Thanksgiving Day
2-hour Early Dismissal @ 12:33pm
Non-Instructional Day #2
Remembrance Day
Parent-Teacher Conference Day (no classes for students)
Non-Instructional Day #3
Last day before Christmas Vacation
Christmas Vacation
Schools reopen after Christmas Vacation
Family Day
Non-Instructional Day #4
Last day before Spring Vacation
Spring Vacation
Good Friday
Easter Monday
2-hour Early Dismissal @ 12:33pm
Non-Instructional Day #5
Non-Instructional Day #6
Victoria Day
Last day for students
Year-end Closing (Administrative Day)
September 8, 2015
September 25, 2015
October 12, 2015
October 22, 2015
October 23, 2015
November 11, 2015
November 26, 2015
November 27, 2015
December 18, 2015
December 21 to January 1, 2016
January 4, 2016
February 8, 2016
February 19, 2016
March 11, 2016
March 14-24, 2016
March 25, 2016
March 28, 2016
April 28, 2016
April 29, 2016
May 20, 2016
May 23, 2016
June 29, 2016
June 30, 2016
Staff Development
Inquiring minds at work as staff teach and learn about inquiry based learning from each other in preparation for the new
curriculum focus next year.
Mme Wellinger, Mme Reddekopp, and
Mme Dove attended a French language
and education conference in Victoria and
shared their learning with collegues.
May 20, 2015 | Page 3 of 9
Thank you
Letters from Mrs. Forward’s grade 2 class to Mme Robinson’s grade 2 class thanking them for helping them learn how to use
breathing and posture to help regulate themselves.
Urban Safari (continued from last newsletter…)
After experiencing this in class field trip the students practiced their French vocabulary as they shared their experiences.
Webpage Reminders
Click here to view the Abbotsford School District Community Listings page for events and activities happening around
Abbotsford.
Don’t miss out! Bookmark and visit our school website frequently.
Our PAC also has a facebook page. Click here or search for Sandy Hill PAC and like it to stay connected.
May 20, 2015 | Page 4 of 9
Kindergarten Registration for 2015
Our registration process is currently underway. If you have not already registered your kindergarten child please do so. If you
know of any neighborhood kindergarten students please remind them to register as well. Thank you!
Dufflebag Theatre
Sandy Hill students experienced a re-telling of a familiar fairy tale in both English and French. Several students and
Mme Tetrault performed in this engaging and entertaining dual language performance.
Sandy Hill’s Got Talent!
Soon it will be that time of year again when Sandy Hill students (grades 1 through 5) can “shine” in front of their peers. Our
rd
th
th
th
annual talent show will take place on June 23 and 24 . Auditions will be held the week of June 8 – 11 during lunch hour.
th
rd
Sign up sheets will be posted in the school front foyer starting May 25 – June 3 . It is very difficult to accommodate late
entries so please sign up during this time.
Criteria
We recognize that all Sandy Hill students have talent. Here are some guidelines to follow :
One act per performer
Performance time will need to be limited (due to time constraints most acts will be shorter than 90 seconds)
Lyrics must be appropriate
Tap shoes are not permitted on our gym floor
Music must be on a cd, we cannot accommodate ipods
Singing is great, but no lip syncs will be possible
There will not be any time for skits
Stay tuned for more information and the permission form posted to our website as we get closer to the date.
May 20, 2015 | Page 5 of 9
Recycling – by Kyra and Nick from Mrs. Jones’ Class
Dear parents and legal guardians,
This short message is on recycling. An average Canadian throws out about $7 monthly,
not including their children which throw out $10 - $14 weekly in the trash! To prevent this
money waste you should recycle. Things to recycle are plastics that have numbers 1, 2, 4
or 5 on the bottom. Old discarded books and magazines are another thing to recycle. In
North America, we produce enough garbage each day to fill 70,000 garbage trucks. That’s
a lot of trash! Try to remember to “Think before you toss!”
Grade 3 Writing from Mrs. Falcioni’s Class
Exploring the Universe
Students in Mrs. Hendrickson’s class have learned about their world and the
universe. They celebrated the end of the unit with solar sundaes!
Safe Footwear Please
Please send your child to school with footwear that will allow him/her to run and climb and kick balls safely. Flip flop sandals
are not safe footwear for the active child. Already we have had numerous stubbed toes and cut feet due to injuries while in flip
flops.
May 20, 2015 | Page 6 of 9
Catapult
Grade 5 students learning the science of potential energy and engineering properties
of building and firing a catapult. Students reflected on design strengths and flows and
made adjustments as they progressed through the task.
Reminder
Many children do not know their parents telephone information. Please remember to complete the front page of your childs
agenda if you haven’t already done so.
Math Art
Mme Robinsons students are learning about art techniques and measurement.
Digital Learners
Buddies hard at work, learning and sharing together.
May 20, 2015 | Page 7 of 9
Artist in Residence
Mrs. Sylvia Scott, our library technician, is also our Artist in Residence. Mrs. Scott has designed
the whimsical literary tree and its occupants that grace the reading corner in our library.
Writing Samples
Kindergarten students learned
about the importance of taking
care of our world and wrote
about strategies they could take
to protect our environment.
Writing take many forms. Here students wrote poetry celebrating spring and our cherry blossoms and created artwork as well.
May 20, 2015 | Page 8 of 9
Student Artwork
Science
Grade 4 students have been learning and demonstrating their learning about the Salmon Life Cycle. Mrs. Jones and
Ms. Maxwell’s classes will release their salmon fry into a local stream soon.
Winner of a Ride in a Fire Truck
May 20, 2015 | Page 9 of 9
Earth Rangers Presentation
The Earth Rangers presenters introduced the students to interesting facts about endangered animals in Canada and throughout
the world. They also let students know how they could positively impact their world through action. Should you like to learn
more about Earth Rangers and protecting the worlds wildlife please check out their website : www.earthrangers.com
Canadian Parents for French Information Meeting
Do you want to support your child’s growth in French? Are you keen to connect with other parents to support each other and
promote French learning? Here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor! Abbotsford is starting up a chapter of the highly
successful national organisation, Canadian Parents for French! If you want to find out more, come to a meeting in the library at
nd
lunch time (11:45am), on June 22 . We will have a representative from CPF here to explain how it all works and to get you
pumped about supporting our local young people in developing the highly valuable skill of bilingualism in our globally-conscious
world. And of course, we’ll have some goodies! For further info contact duncan_hazlewood@sd34.bc.ca .
Lost and Found
There is a 4 foot pile of abandoned clothing in our lost and found. Please come and check it out before it is bundled up for
charity.