May 24, 2024
Dear Wix-Brown families,
The end of May is an interesting time at school. We are starting to have discussions about next year, but also planning all of the exciting events and activities that take up the month of June, while at the same time making plans to finish the school year with our academic and social-emotional goals in mind. Phewf! It’s a lot of work for staff and students, but all our bears reap the rewards of the effort and dedication that goes into the last month of a school year. We are looking forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks, and celebrating our successes throughout the year together as we wrap up in June. Take a look at what we’ve been up to!
Around the School…
Science in Division 6
Ms. Wedgewood’s class has been learning about the scientific process and experimenting in a variety of ways. Last week, the students created paper flowers and were tasked with making predictions about what might happen to the flowers when they were folded and placed in water. The results were interesting and engaging – the flowers appeared to magically open on their own! As the water moved into the spaces in the paper, the paper fibres absorb the water and start to swell. This is a process known as capillary action. Thank you, division 6, for teaching me something new and for sharing your enthusiasm for learning!
Digital Learning
Over the past several months, we have had the privilege of having Mr. Raphael, a teacher from our district’s Instructional Services department, work with our staff on incorporating additional digital literacy opportunities into our classrooms. One of the tools he has shared with us is called Book Creator. It allows students to engage in a variety of learning activities that help them to demonstrate their understanding and show what they know. They can also use it to express themselves creatively through story. Using iPads, students can create their own books, pamphlets, and other artifacts of learning. They can choose to take pictures, type, and/or record their voices to enhance their work. Wow! We appreciate Mr. Raphael’s support in introducing us to this useful tool (and many others!) at our school.
Professional Development
Last Friday, our staff engaged in a professional development day that was truly holistic in nature. We were able to do some powerful learning as a staff, while at the same time creating connection and belonging within our school. Our day began with a presentation by Len Pierre on indigenous perspectives of health and wellness. We learned how wellness is connected to The Seven Sacred Teachings and the seven internal sacred medicines. A takeaway for me was the importance of reminding ourselves of our resiliency, to check in with others, and the power of connection and belonging for our wellness. After the presentation, we had a chance to learn about how we can incorporate some innovative technology (including AI) into our classrooms, thanks to Mr. Raphael. Staff had an opportunity to play around with some new websites and technology in order to improve our practice. At the end of the day, we had a “Wix-Lympics” event where we shared some laughs and engaged in some team-building activities. As always, a little friendly competition can bring some light-hearted joy and a sense of belonging, which connected us back to the work we engaged in with Len Pierre in the morning. It was a busy day but a great opportunity to continue our work towards inspiring all learners to achieve their very best at Wix-Brown.
We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!
Today we had our first Wix-Brown Spirt Day! Students and staff were tasked to show their school pride by wearing spirit wear or our school colours (blue and green). It was great to see so many people showing off their school spirit! Our school is a special place, and we are so fortunate to learn, work, and play together here at Wix. We decided to celebrate our community together with a dance party at lunch, which was a lot of fun for all.
If you are interested in purchasing any spirit wear, you can visit our school store on Yaphee here.
Parking Lot Reminders
As we get close to the end of the year, I want to remind everyone of our parking lot expectations. It can be a very busy place in the morning, and student safety is extremely important.
- The parking lot gets especially busy between 8:15 and 8:20. Supervision outside begins at 8:05; please consider dropping your children off a few minutes early to avoid the rush.
- The bus lane is off limits to all cars.
- The pick-up/drop-off lane is only to be used to drop off. Please pull ahead as far as you can in order to drop off your child(ren). Cars cannot park in this lane for any period of time as it backs up all other vehicles and creates an unsafe situation for students who are walking.
- Please drive SLOWLY and CAREFULLY in our parking lot, as students are being dropped off and walking onto the school grounds.
- There is a clear ENTRANCE and EXIT to the parking lot; do not drive into the school through the exit lane.
- If your child needs assistance getting to their classroom, please park along the road or in a parking spot.
We appreciate everyone’s support in adhering to these expectations, as it is necessary in order for our students to stay safe while arriving at school. Thank you!
From the District…
No items this week.
Upcoming Dates…
May 29 – Month-End Awards Assembly at 1 PM
May 30 – Welcome to Kindergarten, 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM (this year’s kindergarten students dismissed at 11:40 AM)
May 30 – Wix Wind-Up Celebration/BBQ 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM
May 31 – Poppy Region Intermediate Track Meet at McLeod Athletic Park
June 3 – PAC Annual General Meeting (Elections) at 6:30 PM in library
June 5 – Spring Concert/Family Appreciation Tea at 12:45 PM – all families welcome!
June 13 – Jersey Day
June 14 – Sports Day
June 21 – National Indigenous Peoples’ Day
June 24 – School-wide field trip to Otter Co-Op Waterpark
June 26 – Summer Wear/Tacky Tourist Day
June 26 – Grade 7 Banquet at 5:30 PM
June 27 – Last Day of School: Year-End Assembly at 9:30 AM; dismissal at 11:15 AM