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Good afternoon River Runner families, and welcome to another Friday here at our precious little school. I hope this message finds you safe and well. During these turbulent times it is vital that we remain positive and stay the proverbial course. Although our collective patience continues to be tested, we will indeed get through this!
We enjoyed quite a lovely past five days here at Saseenos. We were so happy to welcome the remainder of our little ones back into our building on Monday, thus adding that much appreciated energy to our environment. Our River Runners returned from the break ready to learn and enjoy our days to the fullest. Speaking on my own behalf, it was truly wonderful to reconnect with all of our little ones over the past 5 days.
As mentioned previously, we will be displaying our Lost & Found items in the very near future. At the moment we have quite a collection of items and I’m hoping that we can reconnect these articles with the rightful owners. Please stay tuned for more direction in this regard.
I thank you for continued flexibility and compliance with our school-related COVID protocols. I take seriously my responsibility in this regard, and do have a couple of pertinent reminders to pass your way:
* Adults and Masks–We understand and respect your decisions, as adults, regarding mask-wear. However, please do not enter the school if you are not wearing a mask. I realize that this may cause an inconvenience for some of our families, but it is our responsibility to remind you of this district-wide protocol. On that note, reach out to us should you need any assistance and we will always do our best to help! Please also use your best discretion when outside on the school grounds. If unmasked, please avoid high traffic areas, such as school doors at the beginning and/or end of the school day. I realize that this may be an inconvenience for some of our families, but it is my ultimate responsibility to make sure that we are all following appropriate expectations. I thank you profusely for your adherence to these expectations.
* Phoning Before Entering Building–Please remember to follow the directions as posted on our front doors. We ask that you phone the office before entering the building, as we are being directed to limit the number of visitors within our school. We sincerely hope that this expectation is loosened in the near future, as we would love nothing more than to welcome our families back within our building.
I realize that we, as a society, are growing weary of many of these COVID related protocols and mandates. However, this pandemic will be but a distant memory at some point, so let’s continue to work together to keep Saseenos as safe as possible. Ultimately it is our restrictions, such as the ones listed above, which allow us to remain open during these very strained times. Thank you so much for remaining positive and continuing to contribute to our positive culture here in the land of the River Runners.
As is standard to many of my weekly updates, I again polled a selection of our student population with the following query:
“What do you most value about Saseenos?”
Following are the honest responses from a few of our River Runners:
Kali — My friends
Brooklyn S. — All of the people
Eva — Math
Dawson — Playing hockey on the new court
Jordyn — Playing with my friends
Lucy — Having the best teacher ever!
Navaeh — The library
Coral — Getting to be here
Scarlett — The people
Rhys L. — Being in Nature K
Tenley — Being out in nature
Brooklyn H. — The kind people here
As you can deduce, from the above responses, our school continues to offer an environment full of love, laughter, connection and learning. What a lovely place to call our home away from home.
Please Be Sure to Add the Following Dates to Your Family Calendars:
Friday, Jan 21 Spirit Day–tba
Friday, Jan 28 Cozy Friday!
Friday, Feb 18 Non-Instructional Day–No School for Students
Monday, Feb 21 Family Day
As we head into another weekend, I hope that the next couple of days offer you the opportunity to connect with those closest to you in this world. Personally, I relish every chance to spend time with my wife and children, as I look forward to some old movies and time outside over the next two days. I do hope you are able to find a similar level of satisfaction.
Please take care, stay safe, and have a wonderful weekend.
Gord
Good afternoon River Runner families, I hope this message finds you safe, warm, and well. Thank you for your patience, understanding and general flexibility as we continue to navigate this ever-changing COVID landscape.
You will have received communication from SD62, earlier today, regarding the re-opening of our schools on January 10, and an additional email regarding the reality of potential school closures in our future.
As a staff, here at Saseenos, we have utilized this past week to review and enhance safety measures related to our school, and to additionally prepare in the event of potential school closures. Please read carefully the email correspondences sent your way via SD62, as the school closure protocols are outlined very clearly within. If you do have any questions and/or concerns in this regard, please do reach out to me directly and I will do my best to assist in any way I can.
This recent wave of the pandemic has again highlighted the importance of our safety measures currently in place here at Saseenos. As a school community you have been so accommodating in this regard, and we can’t thank you enough for your efforts to date. As part of our ongoing mission to keep Saseenos as safe as possible, I ask of you to kindly consider the bullet points below:
· ** Daily Health Checks—please continue to monitor your child(ren) before setting off for school each and every day. If experiencing any symptoms we ask that you keep your little one(s) home until these clear up. On the same notion, we will continue to call home should symptoms present whilst at school and we thank you for your ongoing cooperation with this one.
· ** Masks—it is an expectation that all humans within our building mask-up whilst at school. Existing exemptions will of course continue to be honoured, but please do consider this notion for your little one. We do understand that masks are not a reality for all of the adults in our world, but it is a requirement when entering our buildings throughout the district.
· ** The Building—we are being asked to continue to limit the amount of visitors within our school. Thus, we will ask you to continue to phone the school before entering the building. We have a sign posted on the front door, listing the phone number, and thank you for your patience with this one. If you are dropping by during the lunch hour (12-1) your phone call may not be answered. I am always outside during the lunch hour, so if your call is unanswered please just look for me outside and I will help you in any way needed.
· ** Before/After School—Please continue to be cognizant of large gatherings on the school ground as you drop off your little one or await our daily dismissal. Social distance is a proven method of preventing virus transmission, and seems significantly enhanced when coupled with proper mask-usage—please utilize these precautions if at all possible.
As we move forward with potential school closures on the horizon, communication will remain a vital key to our success. If your child is going to be away, whether sick or not, please let us know as soon as possible. We also understand that some families may choose to keep your little ones over the next little while, and we will support you in any way we can.
In the case of absences, please follow this protocol:
· ** Email Sandy (and cc Gord) as soon as you know that your child is going to be absent:
In determining potential school closures, Island Health and our District management will be utilizing our absence data in the ultimate decision-making process. Thank you for your attention to this one!
Although much of the information coming your way today has likely provided a stark taste of reality, we will be moving forward with a ‘business as usual’ approach, so-to-speak. I know that we will continue to provide the loving and learning-rich environment which has become synonymous with Saseenos, and we look forward to reconnecting with our families on Monday morning and throughout next week. Whilst we are currently faced with many challenges, we will get through this! Let’s continue to work together, draw from our inner-fountains of grit, and enjoy each and every day for the gift that it provides.
Thank you for continuing to contribute to our amazing culture here at Saseenos. I feel very privileged to be a member of this caring community and look forward to working with our families as we move forward in 2022.
Please stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.
Gord
Good afternoon River Runner families, and a ‘Happy New Year’ to you and your loved ones. I sincerely hope that you were able to enjoy this past holiday season, and spend some quality time with those closest to you in this wild world.
In addition to passing on a warm River Runner welcome to 2022, I thought it best to touch base regarding the upcoming school week. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate school life in an ever-changing pandemic. Throughout this tumultuous period in our lives I have been reminded of the importance of living each day to the absolute fullest. However, I have also become very accustomed to dealing with, and thus adapting to, sudden changes in our daily lives. The recently announced delay in the restart of our school year is just but one example of the fluid nature of our lives at the moment.
As you are now undoubtedly aware, the restart for school has been delayed to January 10. The purpose for this delay is to allow schools to plan and prepare for the sustained safety of our staff, students and families as we deal with the recent spike in COVID cases throughout our province and across the globe. Our schools will essentially be closed to most of our students, aside from the children of health care workers and others classified under the ‘essential service’ category. Please pay close attention to the recent SD62 emails, as both the reasoning and logistics related to these decisions are outlined in detail. Essentially the PHO is asking for students to remain home, if at all possible, whilst educators utilize the time between January 4-7 to plan and prepare for continued safety and a potentially tenuous near future.
As always we will get through this current challenge if we continue to work together. Although the current landscape remains stressful and often frustrating, I thank you for your ongoing flexibility, patience and cooperation as we move forward in the 21/22 school year.
If you do require your child to attend school for the upcoming 4 days, or if you have any questions whatsoever, please reach out to me directly.
Please enjoy the remainder of your Sunday.
Gord
Due to significant snow accumulation, SD62 schools are closed to all staff and students today.
NOTE: Parents/Guardians MUST attend a MANDATORY information session in order to register their child(ren) for the Nature Kindergarten lottery.
CLICK HERE for SD62 Nature K Information
Nature K Information Sessions: January 6th & 8th, 2022
Nature K registration: January 10-14, 2022
Nature Kindergarten is available at the following schools:
To register, children must turn five years of age by December 31 in the same calendar year that they begin school.
Lottery system for kindergarten registration
Due to high demand for Nature Kindergarten, if a school receives more registrations than the number of available seats, a lottery will take place. The lottery will follow the unique enrolment priorities for Nature Kindergarten and students will be placed in the order in which they are drawn.
Out-of-district requests will be considered only after in-district requests.
How to register:
1. Attend a mandatory Nature K online parent information session prior to registration. Parents/Guardians must attend the entire presentation. Click a date below to attend one of the online meetings held at either Sangster Elementary or Saseenos Elementary.
Sangster Elementary School
Saseenos Elementary School
2. Read the Registration Guide to make sure you have the required documents ready to upload during registration. Please upload ALL required documents. Registration will be incomplete until all documents are uploaded. Due to the pandemic, we will not be accepting documents brought in-person.
Uploading Documents: Don’t have a scanner? Please provide CLEAR photos of the documents. If the document cannot be read clearly, it will not be accepted.
Students will not be officially registered until all documentation has been uploaded.
Registration Checklist – click and print!
3. Online at registration.sd62.bc.ca
Attention River Runner families,
Our school has a NEW LOGO, designed by a local T’Sou-ke Nation Artist, the amazingly talented Jordanna George! This logo was specifically made for our wonderful little school. Our student population helped decide on our new population name, and have chosen “Saseenos River Runners” to represent our pride and achievement!
Below is Jordanna’s inspiration and purpose behind the new logo!
I chose to depict salmon using formline shapes because of how important salmon are to traditional T’Sou-ke life, and because I remember learning about salmon life cycles as a student at Saseenos. I wanted to include one large salmon and two small ones not just for composition, but also to show how important a sense of community and mentorship is in any learning environment. I also found a bit of humour in it, with a group of fish being called a “school”.
Good afternoon everyone, I hope this correspondence finds you well. Here we are at the last Friday in November, as our school year continues to pass us by. We have enjoyed another fulfilling week here in the land of all that is Saseenos. This place remains so full of love, kindness and general compassion—it is a true pleasure to be a member of a caring community.
As I alluded to in last week’s version of my Weekly, we have now unveiled a new logo and nickname for Saseenos. I’ve attached a copy of this beautiful logo below, and we are honoured to be a part of such a rich learning experience. I shall elaborate on the reasons behind this alteration. In terms of the logo, which has been a piece of our school for an extended period of time, some of the specific shapes within were not representative of our indigenous roots. We ignited the ‘no time like the present’ philosophy in this regard, and began our search for a new logo. After launching an ‘announcement of submissions’ to the local T’Souke Nation we were graced with three uniquely beautiful submissions. After much deliberation, we chose the design you will find below. This particular composition was created by Jordanna George, a former student here at Saseenos. The beauty and theme choice are a perfect match for our precious little school.
As for our nickname, this was a very rich process. The adults in our building narrowed the options to two fabulous choices and then we placed the final decision in the hands of our students. After counting the ballots, we will now be known as the Saseenos River Runners. We are excited at this rebranding for our school and look forward to creating some spirit wear in the New Year!
As I have mentioned throughout many previous editions of the Weekly, kindness is a much promoted value within our school. To honour the many acts of kindness witnessed throughout our days and weeks, I would like to present an addition to this weekly correspondence. The ‘Caught Being Kind Catalogue’ will provide an opportunity to share but some of the kind acts here in the land of the River Runners.
Here are the recognitions for this week:
Jonas H-B, Sophia H-B, Reid and Addison K—cleaning garbage on the playground
Jamie—Always being so kind to and helpful with our Kindies
Emily L—always greeting people with a very engaging smile
Airlie & Coral–taking time out of their afternoon to collect recycling for the entire school
Please keep your keen eyes peeled for more acknowledgements as we wind our way through the school year!
Please remember that the Purdy’s orders are due on November 27 and the last day for Stick in the Mud orders is November 30. Thank you for your support with these!
In lieu of an article, I decided to pose a question to some of our River Runners. My question was, “What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?” Following are their genuine responses:
Aubrey White-Davis Play a board game
Reid Have an inside recess
Gracie M. Play inside
Parker M. Jump in puddles
Samantha Jump in puddles with my muddy buddies
Hazel Jump in big puddles
Finley A. Jump on my trampoline
Taylor Playing board games
Nixon Play out in the rain
Evan Play in the puddles
Sophia S. Play outside with my brother
Anna-Nora Go outside
Will Play soccer
Isla Play soccer
Dania Play inside
Cecily Go outside
Evie Walk the dog
Sorelle Jump in puddles
Kip Stay out of the rain
Baxter Jump in puddles
Almost needless to say, but they are very well practiced with these activities as of late!
Please Be Sure to Highlight the Following Dates on your Family Calendar:
Sat, Nov 27 Last Day for Purdy’s Orders
Tue, Nov 30 Last Day for Stick in the Mud Orders
Fri, Dec. 3 Report Cards Go Home
Fri, Dec. 17 Last Day Before Winter Break & Cozy Friday
Tue, Jan 4 Schools Re-open
Thank you for your continued support for all that is Saseenos. With only but three weeks to go until Winter Break please remember to count your good fortunes and prioritize time for those that matter most to you in this world. Regardless of the challenges currently present in our world, we truly do have much to celebrate.
Please stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.
Gord
Good afternoon Sea Wolf families and welcome to another Friday on our school calendar. What a week that has just come to a conclusion–from the wild weather to the apparent gasoline availability, we have seen it all! Throughout all of the challenges in our world we continue to strive and locate success here in the land of the Sea Wolves. We have many exciting initiatives in the works here as we continue to reach for those so-called stars…
Thank you for your involvement in our recent Parent-Teacher Conferences. This virtual/phone format is not our preferred option, but I thank you and our staff for their accommodating nature in this regard. Traditionally we would approach this informal reporting procedure with an Open-house format. I particular look forward to this type of event, as it promotes a sense of unity within the school and allows parents a real sense of daily life as a Sea Wolf. I definitely look forward to reinstating this much-appreciated event!
Thank you for your attention to our recent alteration in the drop-off/pick-up procedures here at Saseenos. My intention is to make this ‘user-friendly’ for our parents and as distraction-free as possible for Sandy, our staff and students. I’ve attached a copy of my correspondence to this email. As always, please reach out to me should you have any questions and/or concerns. Thank you for your assistance with this one!
I am sure many of you have noticed the addition of some caution tape to our previously named ‘Water Works’ area near the main playground. Unfortunately we are going to need to find a new locale for our future engineers and city planners, but I am actively searching for a solution. With the recent downpour we quickly realized that our water workers have created a natural path for collected water to divert directly towards our school! The end result was a rather large gathering of water near the west side of the building, with some water finding it’s way into our crawl space below the school–the power of nature was on full display on Monday! Regardless of the outcome, the ingenuity, teamwork and general work ethic on display in that area of the playground has been nothing short of impressive! Now to find an alternate solution, which is a welcome challenge for us!
We have some exciting news here at Saseenos, as we will be shortly unveiling a new logo and nickname–and yes, it will take me some time to not think of us as Sea Wolves! The transition to a new nickname and logo has been a rewarding process, as our aim is to honour our local indigenous culture and this beautiful land that has been gifted to us courtesy of the T’Souke Nation. We have a virtual assembly planned for Monday morning at which time I will be unveiling the new logo to the students. As part of the process our little ones will be voting on the new nickname, which will be an exciting process around these parts. I will save the family unveiling for next week, so please stay tuned for this one.
You will notice on the updated calendar below that our Picture Re-take day has now been officially confirmed! I apologize for the unconfirmed nature for these re-takes, but this one was out of our control. Lifetouch will be here next Friday, November 26. As you will see below, this is also Cozy Friday. Please feel free to send your little one in their cozy clothes for the photograph, or just have them in the back-pack for a quick change once their photograph is complete. The photographer will be here bright and early and we should be able to accommodate all photos before our first recess break. I will check in with each of our classes on Friday morning and we will coordinate from there. Thank you for your patience and understanding with this one!
A reminder that our Purdy’s drive is running until November 27. To order at https://fundraising.purdys.com/ you’ll need to enter the customer number 41053 to join our campaign. The last day to order is Nov 27th. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Liv at livsalo@yahoo.ca My thanks to Liv and our amazing PAC for continuing their fundraising efforts throughout the unique landscape resulting from our ongoing pandemic.
I’ve again attached a brief and interesting article to this version of the Weekly. As always, any shared article has piqued my attention and is being shared as a point of interest. This particular publication is a short read and brings up some interesting points. If you have an extra moment, please take a read in the next few days.
Please Be Sure to Highlight the Following Dates on your Family Calendar:
Fri, Nov. 26 Picture Re-takes and Cozy Friday!
Sat, Nov 27 Last Day for Purdy’s Orders
Fri, Dec. 3 Report Cards Go Home
Fri, Dec. 17 Last Day Before Winter Break
Tue, Jan 4 Schools Re-open
The sun is shining through my office window as my fingers transfer my thoughts in this correspondence. Let’s hope for this weather trend to continue for the weekend, thus allowing us to explore our beautiful outdoor environment without those umbrellas and rain gear..
Please take a moment to consider our good fortunes in this crazy world, and have a wonderful weekend.
Gord
Regular instruction starts today, September 8 for students in Grades 1-5 at Saseenos. Our bell schedule is 8:45 am – 2:53 pm.
Updates will be forthcoming ASAP as our office staff are able to update our website. Thank you for your patience!
Kindergarten families: Please keep an eye on email inboxes for information regarding Kindie interviews and gradual entry next week.
