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Good News

The Peace Wapiti Public School Division (PWPSD)'s Good News is a collection of stories from schools throughout the division. Stories are published monthly, before the upcoming Board meeting. Please check back regularly for updates.

PWPSD News

SEPTEMBER
 
Welcome back
We hope you've all had a great start to the new school year! We're looking forward to another busy year, and invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay up-to-date with division news!
PAVE excited for a new year
PAVE
PAVE teacher Kristina Temple
 
Staff at Peace Academy for Virtual Education (PAVE) has welcomed back students and is looking forward to another fantastic year of online learning! The school year kicked off with a highly successful online orientation for both students and parents to meeting the teachers, and now everyone is hard at work attending daily meets and completing coursework.
 
PWEC staff award Craig Lindsey Award
Coleman
Assistant Principal Rob Robinson with Coleman Gitzel
 
Coleman Gitzel has been named the Craig Lindsey Award recipient! PWEC staff honoured Coleman with the award, which recognizes outstanding community spirit. Assistant Principal Rob Robinson says Coleman is always a willing participant in school and community activities. "He brightens up any event with humour, kindness, and joviality." Congratulations Coleman, from all of the PWEC staff!

SEPTEMBER

BES participates in annual Terry Fox Run
TFR
TFR
TFR
TFR
Kindergarten
Mrs. Low's Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten class.
 
On September 21, students and staff laced up for the annual Terry Fox Run. Together, students raised over $1200 for the Terry Fox Foundation.
 
Students head to the pool
Swimming Swimming
Skills students start the year off with some fun in the water!

SEPTEMBER

CALM classes participate in career fair
On September 19, three BRHS CALM classes were invited to the first Kelly Lake career fair. Students heard about the Northern Lights Trades program, and met many local employers. They also enjoyed a free lunch and goodies that many of the employers were kind enough to hand out. Thank you Kelly Lake for inviting our students!
Check back for future good news!

SEPTEMBER

A trip to the pumpkin patch
Pumpkins
Pumpkins
Pumpkins
Pumpkins Pumpkins
The Grade 1-4 students enjoyed a fun field trip where they learned all about pumpkins! During their trip to the pumpkin patch they learned how pumpkins grow and what they are used for. Each student even had the opportunity to bring one home!

SEPTEMBER

Students visit the Clairmont Community Garden
Garden
Garden Garden
The Grade 2 students started the year off with a fabulous afternoon at the Clairmont Community Garden. Every student walked home with a bag filled with fresh vegetables that they harvested themselves! A big thank you to the Clairmont Community Garden for making this happen every year!
Check back for future good news!
Check back for future good news!

SEPTEMBER

Bringing Indigenous education into the classroom
Sharing Circle
Mrs. Hutchinson's Grade 2 class participated in an Indigenous Sharing Circle with Mrs. Badger. The Sharing Circle focused on active listening, taking turns, and showing respect to each other. The students will continue to practice what they learned throughout the school year.
 
Reading Buddies
Reading buddies Reading buddies
Students in 4P have made connections with their reading buddies from 2H, and have been practicing being role models to the younger students. Everyone enjoyed the time they spent reading together!
 
Robotics
Robotics Robotics
As the chosen option for this term, the junior high students have been participating in Robotics! Robotics offers hands-on experience with robotic kits while allowing students to explore engineering and mathematics through an artistic lens.
 
HBS Run Club
Run Club
This year, 50 students signed up to be part of the Grade 3-6 Run Club! Ms. Pascut, Ms. Carroll, and Ms. Gibson run the club and help train participants for events like the Terry Fox Run, Roots and Rut Trail Race, and Bezanson Bog. Congratulations to Joey and Ben Ferguson, Addy and Penny Gander, and Ms. Pascut for completing the Roots and Rut Trail Race!
Check back for future good news!

SEPTEMBER

HRS places first in Beaverlodge Heritage Festival Parade
Panthers
Panthers
Panthers
Panthers Panthers
On September 8, students and staff participated in the Beaverlodge Heritage Festival Parade where they won first place in the Spirit category! Students sang, danced, and ran the streets to promote HRS and share their school spirit. Go Panthers!
 
Grade 4s learn about waste
Field trip
Field Trip
Students show off their souvenirs.
 
The Grade 4 class spent some time out and about when they visited the bottle depot and then the Clairmont landfill the following day as part of their Waste Unit. The students loved their field trips, and they even got to take home some 'souvenirs' from the Sharing Shack!
 
HRS hosts annual Terry Fox Run
Terry Fox Run
HRS held its annual Terry Fox Run where students in Grades 1-9 and staff all enjoyed beautiful weather as they ran for an excellent cause.
 
Senior A Girls volleyball brings home silver
Volleyball
Congratulations to the Senior A Girls volleyball team for bringing home silver! The team participated in their first tournament of the year in Sexsmith, and represented the school at a high standard, while getting some valuable skill development.

SEPTEMBER

Students give back
Gazebo
Something new has arrived at La Glace School! Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the school community, students, staff, and families can now enjoy a beautiful new gazebo from Heritage Barns!
 
Sports Academy
Biking
Biking
Gator Academy is offering plenty of new opportunities for students in Grades 5-9 this year! The Sports Academy headed out to the South Bear Creek trails on its first outdoor trip of the year. It was an amazing opportunity for students to experience mountain biking with Nitehawk!
 
Swimming lessons at Beaverlodge pool
Pool Swimming
Students in Grades 1-4 have been hopping on the bus and heading to Beaverlodge for swimming lessons! Thanks to a grant from the County of Grande Prairie, students are able to participate in lessons and learn this very important skill.
 
Nutrition Program gets boost from TAQA North
Nutrition
Thanks to the generous $4000 donation from TAQA North, the school is able to offer snacks and subsidized meals to students! Thank you TAQA North, your donation has made a huge impact at La Glace School!
 
Talking sticks with Indigenous Education Services
Talking sticks Talking sticks
Talking sticks Talking sticks
Students in Grades 1 and 2 created their own talking sticks with the guidance of PWPSD's Indigenous Service Provider Alisha Lambert. The unique talking sticks will be used for restorative practices and sharing circles.
 
Coding Ozobots
Coding Coding
The Grade 3/4 students learned how to code Ozobots using different colour combinations. Next, they will be using online coding to make their Ozobots move in different ways and change colours!
 

September

PWA Showcase
Games
Games
Games
On September 8, students and staff took an hour off of school work for some fun!
 
Students help improve PWA cafeteria 
Cafeteria before
Before
Cafeteria after
After
 
Thank you to the student focus group for their input on how to improve the cafeteria area; the results are fantastic!
 
Outdoor Ed. students hit the water
Canoeing
The Outdoor Ed. students enjoyed paddling around the Muskoseepi Park reservoir.
 
Junior girls volleyball wins bronze
Volleyball
Congratulations to the Junior Girls volleyball team for bringing home bronze from the Sexsmith Secondary School tournament!
 
PWA golf team earns second place
Golf team
Congratulations to the PWA golf team! After 18 holes they had a combined score of 240, just slightly behind the first place score of 237. 
 
Chase Zavacky - 79
Grady Clarkson - 81
Lucas Doerksen - 92
Broden Lebrun - 97
 
Chase and Grady both scored their personal best in a tournament setting, and among all the others individually placed second (Chase) and fourth (Grady)!
Check back for future good news!
Check back for future good news!

SEPTEMBER

Back to School BBQ
BBQ
Thanks to the generosity of Amy and Jesse Morgan from Dynamic Energy, on September 11, RWZ held its Back to School BBQ for students, staff, and families. The event gives families a chance to meet the staff, tour the school, and make connections with other families. It is a wonderful event that made possible by the kindness of one of the RWZ families.
 
The power of one person
Evan
Students and staff participated in the annual Terry Fox Run and worked together to collect donations for the Terry Fox Foundation. Classes discussed the importance of goal setting, perseverance and resilience, and how one person can make a big difference, just like Grade 6 student Evan Sellwood.
 
Evan has been instrumental in the school's fundraising success. He lost his grandfather to cancer and has spent years raising money for cancer research. This year, his personal goal was $2000, and he ment it with the support of his friends and family.
 
Congratulations to Evan and the rest of the RWZ students for their fundraising efforts. The school's 2023 goal is set at $5000, and thanks to everyone's support and hard work that goal has already been surpassed!
 
Class Buddies
The RWZ Class Buddy program sees older and younger classes buddied up to read, work on math, or play games. The students also help each other when there are school-wide events and walks. The older students enjoy being mentors and the younger ones enjoy having an older friend at school. 
 
Class buddies Class buddies
(Left to right) Kinley and Mya last year                   Mya and Kinley this year
 
Mya and Kinley, who are now in Grades 2 and 6, got to know each other when their classes were buddied up last year. Mya recently celebrated her birthday and was excited to announce that her friend's birthday was the day before hers. No one expected her friend to be in Grade 6! The two students even met up during recess and posed for an updated photo.
 
To the Post Office
Map
Post office
The three Grade 2 classes enjoyed the story, To the Post Office with Mama, written by local author Sue Farrell. The story was written when the author lived in Sexsmith, and inside the cover is a map of Sexsmith in the mid-90s. The students followed the map and took pictures at the different locations featured in the book. They are now working to recreate the map and share them with their classmates.
 
Cross-Country Running
Running
On September 21, 60 cross-country runners participated in the Dreamer's Lake Race. The students showed great determination and perseverance. Thank you Mr. Warr for working with this great group of students this year!
Check back for future good news!

SEPTEMBER

Rock climbing wall now open!
Wall
The Savanna School rock climbing wall is now open! Thanks to a very generous donation from Saddle Hills County, and a construction-filled summer, students now have something extra special to enjoy. 
Wall
Left to right: Deputy Superintendent Darren Young and Ward 2 Trustee Blaine Riding test the rock climbing wall.

SEPTEMBER

Senior girls win gold
Gold
Congratulations to the Senior Girls volleyball team for bringing home the gold! They played hard and enjoyed the competition at the Spirit River Regional Academy Early Bird Tournament.
 
Interact Club
The SSS Interact Club, a branch of the Rotary Club, is up and running for another year. Interact brings young people together to develop leadership skills, while discovering the power of Service Above Self. Students in Grades 7-12 learn how serious leadership can be seriously fun!
 
SMART Program comes to SSS
The Student Medical Assistance Response Team, formerly known as the High School First Responders, offers participants top class medical training before even finishing high school! Open to students in Grades 10-12, those who participate will serve the school and community with their skills, while having a chance to earn credits.
 
Check back for future good news!

SEPTEMBER

Students recognize Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day
Leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, students and staff took some time to reflect on the importance of the day. In honouring the history and path forward, they tied orange ribbons outside the school in three knots, each representing the past, present, and future.

SEPTEMBER

Welcome back!
Open house
On August 31, staff hosted an open house and Back to School BBQ for all WES families. It was a huge success, and the students were eager to see their classrooms and meet their teachers!
 
Slumberkins comes to WES
WES is very excited to have Danielle Vavrek, a member of the Mental Health Capacity Building team, visit the school once a week throughout this school year. She will teach the Slumberkins program, which is a story-based social-emotional learning program. It employs a 'Connect-to-Grow' approach that allows students to connect to the basic concepts of emotions, reflect on how they are feeling, practice skills and tools, and finally grow in their emotional competency by feeling empowered, confident, and resilient.
Yoga
Danielle will also be meeting with small groups to work with students on topics such as healthy friendships, showing respect, improving their interpersonal skills, and empathy building. Grade 2 and 3 students are invited to join Danielle in the gym during recess to do yoga!
 
Cross-Country Running Club
Running
This year, students in Grades 1-3 had the opportunity to join the Cross-Country Running Club! On September 21, 16 students attended the Dreamer's Lake Slog, where the Grade 1 and 2 students ran 500m, and the Grade 3 students ran 1km. Congratulations to everyone!

SEPTEMBER

On the house
Browns
A big thank you to Browns Socialhouse for graciously providing food services for the annual WRCS meet the teacher and open house night!
 
Welcome back!
Grade 1
The Grade 1 teacher team excitedly waited for their students on the first day of school.
 
Students visit VO2 Max
Gym
The junior high athletic enrichment option class took a trip to VO2 Max Health and Performance to test their skills.
 
In the name of science
Science
Mrs. McDonald's Grade 5 students spent some time learning about the states of matter through the infamous Oobleck experiment.
  • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Saturday, September 30

  • Thanksgiving Day - no school: Monday, October 9

  • PWPSD Board Meeting: Thursay, October 26 at 10:30 a.m.

  • PD Day - no school: Friday, October 27

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