UPCOMING DATES...
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February 6th |
Parent Involvement Meeting: Indigenous Education in Saanich – Everyone’s Journey Towards Reconciliation, 7:00-8:30 pm at Bayside Middle School, Multi-Purpose Rm. |
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February 10th-18th |
School Food Drive, See below for more information. |
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February 11th |
PAC General Meeting, Learning Commons, 7:00 pm |
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February 13th |
School Wide Family Read-In and Food Drive, 8:40-9:10 am, see below for more information. |
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February 14th |
Non-Instructional Day – Students do not attend school. |
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February 17th |
Family Day – Statutory Holiday - Students do not attend school. Enjoy your long weekend! |
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February 19th |
EARLY Dismissal at 1:48 pm to facilitate parent/teacher conferences. |
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February 20th |
Vaping Awareness – A Parent Education Night, 7:00-8:30 pm at Bayside Middle School |
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February 23rd |
Ordering for Hot Lunch closes today. |
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February 26th |
EARLY Dismissal at 1:48 pm to facilitate parent/teacher conferences. |
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February 26th |
Pink Shirt Day |
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February 28th |
PAC Hot Lunch – Subway for those that ordered. Don’t forget a snack! |
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February 29th |
PAC Silent Auction, 6 pm to Midnight, see below for more details. |
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March 6th |
ADHD Workshop for Parents, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, see below for more details. |
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March 16th-27th |
Spring Break – Students do not attend school. |
SCHOOL NEWS...
Parent Involvement Meeting: Indigenous Education in Saanich - Everyone’s Journey Towards Reconciliation Thurs Feb 6th (7:00 – 8:30 pm) - Bayside Middle School, Multi-Purpose Room, Please RSVP to Mary Lynn Heron at mheron@saanichschools.ca
French Carnival: On Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 10 and 11, students will participate in class activities with our French Teacher Mme. Lisik to celebrate the French Carnival! A reminder to families to please send $0.50 with your child(ren) to their classroom teacher for the Beaver Tails.
School Wide Family Read-In and Food Drive: You are cordially invited to join us from 8:40 am to 9:10 am on Thursday, February 13th to celebrate our first annual: School Wide Family Read-In and Food Drive. This event is a celebration of:
- Family Literacy Week from January 26 - February 2nd
- Family Day on Monday, February 17th (Cordova Bay is an inclusive environment and recognizes that there are many different family types. Come celebrate our diversity!)
- School Food Drive from Monday February 10th - Tuesday February 18th to support local families in need. (Our local food banks become very low after the holidays, so Cordova Bay School has committed to holding a February Food Drive to support.)
Please consider bringing a non-perishable food item (drop off bin in foyer between 55+ and front entry of school), perhaps one of your favourite books to read with your child(ren) and a smile. Hoping to see you on Thursday, February 13th!
Vaping Awareness – A Parent Education Night: February 20, 7:00-8:30 pm at Bayside Middle School. See below poster for more information.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Workshop for Parents: March 6, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm. See attached PDF for more information and how to RSVP.
The Power of Why: The Struggle is Real, a blog by the Superintendent of Schools, Dave Eberwein
I Don’t Know What to Do Without Technology: Information provided by Shannon Husk who is a Clinical Counsellor and Prevention and Community Engagement Service Provider for BC Gaming who specializes in is-sues regarding technology (social media and gaming).
In my outreach role I meet with families who are finding that they are constantly struggling and arguing with their kids about getting off their devices. During a recent conversation a grade nine girl started to cry and said, “I don’t know what to do without technology.” She said she had forgotten what else interested her and found herself easily bored when doing other activities. I am hearing this a lot from not only children and youth but adults as well. The young girl also said that she noticed how much her parents were on technology and that if they were going to set limits perhaps they should look at their own use too. This family agreed to also look at their own de-vice use so that they could be better role models for their daughter.
Why do so many of us struggle with putting away our devices? Psychiatrist and creativity expert Gene Cohen de-scribes the stimulation, hyper-connectivity and interactivity that we get from technology, “like chocolate to the brain. We crave it.” Psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair says that it is the parental paradox of our time: never before has there been so much opportunity for families to plug in and at the same time disconnect. Steiner-Adair reminds us that “we have never lived with this level of on demand presence, and it is wearing us out. Children and parents are showing signs of relational fatigue.
Tips I have for families to address these concerns is to try to choose a time where everyone unplugs together. It could be the same time every day, one full day a week. It is a good idea to talk as a family and come up with a plan that works for you. There is a book, that also has a website with a challenge that I used myself to reduce my cell phone use called “How to break up with your phone” by Catherine Price. Check out the challenge at: https://phonebreakup.com. Another simple way to set some limits is to use a parental control. Shaw has some-thing called Blue Curve, Telus has an option, some families use Bark or the Circle and another popular one is Net Nanny.
PAC NEWS...
PAC General Meeting: Tuesday, February 11 (7 - 8 pm) Learning Commons. Join us for discussions around a Maker Space Project for our school. Jolene Bales will present her work on maker spaces and Mary Lynn will discuss what shape this could take in our school. If you require childminding, please email cordovabaypac@gmail.com to reserve a spot by Friday Feb. 7 **
PAC Chocolate Bar/Chocolate Lollipop Sale: Thursday, Feb 13 After School - All Items $2. An early Valentine Treat.
Silent Auction: February 29 (6pm-Midnight), Tickets ($25/person) On sale: healthyhunger.ca and Office.
