Southwest Campus 898 Sylvester Crescent SW Calgary, AB T2W 0R7 P: 403.259.3527 F: 403.258.1109 Matter of Principal March Learning at its best is exciting, engaging, and often messy. The early years of school set the stage for life-long learning. Ideally, we would like to spark a passion for, or interest in, learning and at the same time intentionally develop learning skills so that students continue to seek out learning opportunities, put the required effort into learning, and continually grow throughout their schooling and beyond. What do we know can have a positive impact on setting this important foundation? We know that fostering a “growth mindset” is very important. This is the belief that learning is not limited but continues throughout life and is supported with effort. This mindset is fostered by a focus on effort rather than “smarts or intelligence”. It is also fostered by the way that we talk to students about learning and how we encourage them to talk about learning—“this might take some time and effort” rather than “I give up”. We have a bulletin board by the office with several examples of language that fosters a “growth mindset”. Helping students understand their progress by helping them to see their strengths and pay attention to growth and improvement contributes to building confidence in their potential to learn. It helps them to notice the learning taking place. We don’t want to ignore areas needing attention. Proficient learners can identify these areas and know what to do to improve. Helping students see these areas as opportunities for growth and supporting them in setting goals (and tracking growth) will significantly contribute to a “growth mindset”. It is important to note that when intelligence is emphasized, marks are the focus. Areas needing attention are viewed as failures and students come to develop a “fixed mindset”. They believe that learning is limited by intelligence and they have very little control over learning. They are less likely to take the risks necessary for learning to take place, and are much more likely to avoid things or give up easily. Report cards have just been sent home. This is a great time to contribute to your child’s “growth mindset”. What learning can you celebrate? Lorie Scaper-Burtch Joan Burke Principal Educator Associate Principal 2015 What’s Inside From the Office ……………. ..….....…..2 Moving …………………………………..2 Healthy Children (Parent Roles) …......3 Dates to Remember Mar. 20 - Hot Lunch Day - Casual Day (Your Choice) - Last Day Classes Mar. 23 - April 6 SPRING BREAK April 7 - First Day of Classes April 10 - Early Dismissal (11:58) - Field Trip—Kpm&K-M/W/F April 13 - Bonus Hot Lunch - School Council Mtg 6:30pm April 22 - FFCA Board Mtg. 6:00 pm - Digital Citizenship - SWE Parent Night 7:00 pm April 23 - No Kindergarten Classes April 24 - No Classes - Learning Conferences - request only April 28 - Family Inline Skate 5-8pm April 30 - Telus Spark Field Trip K—T/Th/Fpm, REACH FOR THE STARS SOUTHWOOD PHOENIX MESSENGER March 2015 From the Office Hopefully the warmer weather is here to stay so here are some student reminders about entrance to the school:      Doors do not open until 8:00 am Supervision begins at 8:10 am (parents should remain with students until supervision starts) Students are expected to enter and leave through their grade level doors. Children should be dressed for the weather (snow gear or wet weather gear) All students will go outdoors for recess if the temperature is above -20C. Attendance/Late It is very important that you advise the office of absences due to illness/vacation or if your child will be late to school. We need to know the nature of an illness as we do track information for the Health Region. Sign Out: If your child arrives after O’Canada has played, leaves school early before 3:00 pm or is not travelling home by bus, not going to daycare or someone else will be taking your child home from school PLEASE INFORM THE OFFICE as this can become a safety issue. Vacations: Student absences due to vacation days need to be submitted in writing to the child’s classroom teacher with a copy to the office. Please include your child’s first & last name, classroom teacher, first day absent and day they will return in the email. SPRING BREAK Last day of Classes is Friday, March 20, 2015 Break - March 23 – April 6 Classes resume – Tuesday, April 7, 2015 Moving? If you are planning to move and your new home places you within the boundaries of a different campus, please send a “Request for Internal Transfer” form to Central Office. This form can be found by selecting Internal Transfers under the Parent tab on the FFCA website www.ffca-calgary.com . Internal transfers will only be approved if seats become available at the requested campus. Transfers occur at the beginning of each school year and not mid-year. Please email or fax your request to Central Office by April 1st. Requests received after this deadline may not be accommodated. If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact Phoebe Greentree at phoebe.greentree@ffca-calgary.com . REACH FOR THE STARS 2 SOUTHWOOD PHOENIX MESSENGER REACH FOR THE STARS March 2015 3