Newsletter #7
February 5, 2024
Dear HPE families,
Welcome February! We have many events on the go at HPE. We hope this Newsletter #7 finds you well and warm. While it’s nice to have the snow to play in again, the colder temperatures are making it tricky to keep warm. I sure hope you can join us at the next PAC meeting on Wednesday, February 12 in the school library. A decision will be made at that meeting whether the Wednesday, March 12 meeting will proceed.
If you haven’t yet read the SD83 January HIGHLIGHT containing news of events throughout SD83, please CLICK HERE to access it. In other district news, CLICK HERE to read more about the approved reconfiguration plan for Salmon Arm schools.
On the morning of Wednesday, February 5, we had our school wide monthly assembly where we recognized students (one in each class) for demonstrating perseverance behaviours which was the focus of our January Assembly. Our February focus, in preparation for Anti-Bullying Awareness Day (on Wednesday, February 26th) was on safety. Safety is so much more than just keeping our hands and feet to self and our bodies in our own space, it includes standing up and speaking out in support of others who might be experiencing unwanted, unkind or bullying behaviours. We focused on ways to be an UPSTANDER when unwanted, unkind or bullying behaviours are noticed. To be an UPSTANDER means to stand up not stand by. Students learned they can show UPSTANDING behaviour by being a buddy, interrupting, speaking out, and reporting it to someone. CLICK HERE to watch the UPSTANDER video at home. If you would like to learn more about our student code of conduct, CLICK HERE. In our Code of Conduct, you can find a list of whole school assembly dates and topics as they relate to the Circle of Courage, which is a framework we have incorporated school wide to support student wellness and belonging at HPE.
I would like to welcome a new CEA to our school, Kiara Simard who will be at our school temporarily until Victoria Orr returns. Welcome Kiara.
If you have questions or inquires with regard to any and all aspects of Highland Park Elementary School, please contact me, Shelly Cull principal, by phone 250-546-8723 or email scull@sd83.bc.ca.
Warmest Regards,
Mrs. Cull 😊
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION: We currently have 41 kindergarten registrations for the 2025- 2026 school year. If you know of anyone with children wishing to register for kindergarten, please encourage them to contact our office. Thank you for your help with this. Our process for school organization for the 2025-2026 school will get underway very soon. Our kindergarten enrollment is important so that we can move forward with configuring the rest of the school with greater certainty. The more information we know about our families and their plans for the 2025 -2026 school year, the better position we will be to configure the school and place students in classes with greater certainty. At this preliminary stage, it’s all based on our enrollment numbers. The more certain we are in our numbers, the earlier we can get into assigned classes at the start of the school year without the possibility of disruption due to the elimination or addition of a class causing the need to reconfigure. Again, as the year progresses, if you plan on moving or know anyone moving to the area with school aged children, please contact our office. After Spring Break, Mrs. Cull will be reaching out to parents to request any input regarding class placement for the 2025-2026 school year. More information about this process will be provided in an upcoming newsletter. CLICK HERE to learn more about our Kindergarten Registration process.
ANTI-BULLYING AWARENESS DAY: All students and staff are encouraged to wear pink in support of the annual Anti-Bullying Awareness Day (Pink Shirt Day) on Wednesday, February 26.
KISS AND RIDE ZONE (PICK UP AND DROP OFF ZONE): Thank you ALL for your help keeping traffic in this area flowing smoothly. While it’s not perfect, we do see improvements and your efforts are appreciated. We have plans in the Spring for the painting of lanes, arrows and signage to help guide traffic better. Here are some suggestions to help keep the flow of traffic moving even more smoothly:
- The Kiss and Ride Zone is NOT for parking. Students who get picked up are asked to wait near this zone area and watch carefully for their pick up person as they circle around our traffic loop.
- Please continue to circle the loop until you see your child so as to avoid taking up limited space in the pick up and drop off zone.
- Please pull up as far as you can in the zone area (near the gate) at pick up and drop off times – this makes space for others.
- Do not get out of your vehicle at pick up and drop off times while in the zone, unless of course your little one needs help with their car seat fastener. We encourage you to consider having your child exit the vehicle from the passenger side of the vehicle.
- Parents are welcome to park in the IPE parking area to avoid this congestion. The cross walk and pathway make the walk to our building most accessible.
- While there is parking across from the daycare along the side of the school near the back, please do not drive big vehicles back there as it is tough to turn around if you are unsuccessful at finding a parking spot. Please do not park in in designated day care parking.
- Please encourage your child to use the cross walk in the loop area.
- Consider making a right hand turn onto Wood Avenue.
- If turning left out of our parking lot onto Wood Avenue, when possible, leave enough room for drivers turning right onto Wood Avenue.
- Always yield to school busses.
We appreciate you passing these suggestions on to others you designate to pick up and drop off your child at school. We hope that these suggestions help everyone navigate this busy time at our school a little bit better.
DECISIONS REGARDING OUTSIDE TIME DURING COLD WEATHER: With the colder temperatures coming our way, please ensure that your child has what they need to stay warm while outside before school, recess, at lunch time and after school for their journey home. When the “feels like” temperature reaches below -14, careful consideration of what’s happening with the elements at the time, and the duration of upcoming outside time, occurs to make an informed decision for morning supervision time, recess time and lunch time. Outside time is beneficial for students as it allows students time and space to be active and get some fresh air. We know outside activity and fresh air has a positive impact on student learning time. Making the decision to have an inside morning, inside recess, inside lunch or even an abbreviated recess or lunch is left to the principal. Mrs. Cull will do her best to make a decision she feels is in the best interest of all students at HPE. Regardless, it is important that children have the necessary outdoor gear to keep warm while outside, including water resistant gloves, winter jackets, snow pants, and warm winter boots. Thank you for helping keep our learning time a priority.
HPE CAREER FAIR: Our very first HPE Career fair is planned for this coming Friday, February 7 in the morning. Please CLICK HERE to read more about this upcoming event. We have 17 presenters who are volunteering to talk briefly about their career in our classrooms. Career options students will learn about will include some of the following: Mechanical Engineer, Civil Engineer, Veterinary Technician, Medical Radiation Technician, Nurse, Red Seal Carpenter, Red Seal Iron Worker, Electrician, Powerline Technician, Esthetician, Long Term Facility Manager, IPE Manager, Human Resources Officer, Fire Fighter and a Zamboni Driver, to name a few. I know our students will be excited to see a Fire Truck and a Zamboni at our school for the event as well. We thank all our presenters very much for taking this time to educate our students about career options.
VALENTINE’S DAY: Please keep a look out for information from your child’s classroom teacher on the classroom happenings for Valentine’s day. Please ensure you have checked with the classroom teacher before bringing treats of any kind to be sure this is part of the teacher’s plan for the day.
Connected to Valentine’s Day and the Circle of Courage quadrant of GENEROSITY our HPE PAC is organizing a Canuck Place Children’s Hospice Fundraiser. Please consider baking a nut free school friendly donation to support the cause. Please ensure your donation is brought to the school no later than 9 am Thursday, February 13th and is individually portioned/packaged. The bake sale will take place at recess and lunch time on Thursday, February 13th. If you’d like your child to participate, please ensure they bring some money to purchase a treat. Please CLICK HERE to read more about the Canuck Place Bake Sale.
UNPLUG AND PLAY: CLICK HERE to access the information shared previously on our website about Unplug and Play that occurred from January 25 to February 1. This is just a reminder that if your child chose to complete the Unplug and Play Passport, that they are due to the office by Friday, February 7. Completed passports turned in to the office get sent to the district office where they get put into a draw for a chance to win a prize.
DISTRICT CALENDAR: CLICK HERE to provide input into the upcoming 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school calendars. The survey to collect feedback will be open until March 4.
ART FAIR: If you happen to be visiting Salmon Arm this weekend or over the week ahead (Friday, February 7 evening to Friday, February 14), consider visiting the annual District Art Fair at the Piccadilly Mall to see displays of artwork from students across every elementary school in SD83, K̓wsaltktnéws ne Secwepemcúl’ecw. CLICK HERE to read more information that was posted on our school website.
HPE 2025 TALENT SHOW: If you have a child at HPE in grade 3 – 5 interested in showcasing a talent at our upcoming Talent Show (Tuesday, March 11), please CLICK HERE for more information. Parents, please sign and return the permission form below so we know there will be practice at home so students are prepared and confident for their audition. For those acts that get chosen, students will be bring home a golden ticket that will confirm their participation in the Talent Show. A hard copy of this notice will be going home with those who came to an information meeting earlier this week. Please check your child’s back pack. Extra notices are at the office.
BASKETBALL: A big thank you to our guest coaches, Jacqui and Krystal who have been volunteering their lunch times with our interested grade 4 and 5 students to help develop their basketball skills. February 12 will be the last day for our guest coaches. The notice sent home originally mentioned February 26 as the last day. Mrs. Cull or Mr. von Niessen will continue to provide these sessions for our students. If there are parents interested in keeping this opportunity going for our interested grade 5s and some 4s that have opted in, that would be a great help as our attention is also needed outside Please email Mrs. Cull at scull@sd83.bc.ca if this is something you can help with as an approved volunteer.
SKATING: Here are the upcoming skating days for the rest of the season. Please keep an eye out for classroom communication regarding specific times and if approved supervisors are needed. On skating days, please ensure you send your child with all the necessary outside gear to stay warm on their journey to and from the rink.
Monday, February 10 – Fassbender and Kalf’s classes
Tuesday, February 11 – Coombs and Daughtry’s classes
Wednesday, February 12 – Benge and Brandoli’s classes
Thursday, February 13 – Dolinar and Terrell’s classes
Monday, March 3 – Johnson and Benge’s classes am Dolinar and Terrell’s classes pm
Tuesday, March 4 – Coombs and Daughtry’s classes
Wednesday, March 5 – Brandoli and Kalf’s classes
Thursday, March 6 – Dolinar and Terrell’s classes
GLOW GALLERY: Thank you to Ms. Daughtry for coordinating our very first ever Glow Gallery. Classes are working on creating artwork that will glow in the dark, the theme is underwater. We are excited to see what’s in store. All students will have the opportunity to experience the Glow Gallery during March 10 – 14. We will be keeping this display up until the second informal learning update on Wednesday, April 30, as most classroom teachers are opting to host Student Led Conferences after school. This will provide an opportunity for our families to view it too.
COMMUNICATING STUDENT LEARNING UPDATES: As communicated in our Newsletter #2 (September), our second formal learning update will be available online for families on Tuesday, March 11. A hard copy will be provided to students to take home on either Tuesday, March 11 or Wednesday, March 12. Our second informal learning update will take place on Wednesday, April 30. Most classroom teachers have opted to host Student Led Conferences after school. This provides an opportunity for parents to visit the classroom and see firsthand the learning of their child. Other options for informal reporting that a teacher may choose include in-person or virtual discussions, telephone calls, emails, portfolios, written summaries. If your child’s classroom teacher is not participating in Student Led Conferences, you should have already been notified of what option has been chosen to communicate student learning. If you have questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher or Mrs. Cull.
SOCIAL MEDIA AWARENESS FAMILY SESSIONS: CLICK HERE to access information about training sessions for families on how to navigate challenging topics such as cyberbullying, sexting, digital addiction, and more! The virtual Social Media Awareness Family Session is being held by Safer Schools Together and the Ministry of Education and Child Care
STUDENT LEARNING SURVEY INFOMRATION: The Student Learning Survey is developed by the Ministry of Education and Child Care for students in grade 4, 7, 10, 11, and 12, their parents, staff and principals/vice principals. Students in Grades 4, 7, 10, 11 and 12, their parents and all staff in B.C. public schools are invited to participate in an annual online satisfaction survey about their school experience. The SLS provides feedback on the implementation of curriculum changes, learning environment, student wellness and satisfaction, student belonging and engagement, and career preparation. If you have a child in grade 4 at Highland Park School, stay tuned for an email coming your way very soon. Parents are invited to complete one survey for each child in the grade levels mentioned above. Students in grade 4 will be completing their survey at school soon. If you would like to check out the standard questions for Grade 4 students, CLICK HERE. This information is also important for our School Learning Plan. The responses are important part of the data we collect here at HPE to help guide our efforts.
Here is a list of important dates and upcoming events for your personal calendars:
January 25 – February 1
Unplug and Play Week
Wednesday, January 29
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Opa
Wednesday, February 5
Whole School Assembly
– wear your HPE Spirit Gear
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Soup Day
Friday, February 7
HPE Career Fair
Last day to hand in completed Unplug and Play Passports to office
February 7 – 14
30th Annual SD83 Art Fair at Piccadilly Mall in Salmon Arm
Monday, February 10
Skating – Fassbender and Kalf’s classes
Tuesday, February 11
Skating – Coombs and Daughtry’s classes
Wednesday, February 12
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Pizza
Skating – Benge and Brandoli’s classes
PAC Meeting – 2:30 pm
Art Workshops for selected students at Piccadilly Mall in Salmon Arm
Thursday, February 13
HPE School Spirit Day – Formal Day
Skating – Dolinar and Terrell’s classes
Canucks Place Children’s Hospice Fundraiser (PAC)
Friday, February 14
PRO D Day – No School for Students
Monday, February 17
Family Day – No School
Wednesday, February 19
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Soup Day
Friday, February 21
Ready, Set, Learn 12:30 – 1:30 HPE Library
Wednesday, February 26
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Askews
Pink Shirt day – Anti-Bullying Awareness Day
Monday, March 3
Evacuation Drill – Time TBA
Skating – Johnson and Benge’s classes am, Dolinar and Terrell’s classes pm
Tuesday, March 4
Skating – Coombs and Daughtry’s classes
Last Day to provide feedback regarding SD83 School Calendars. CLICK HERE for survey.
Wednesday, March 5
Whole School Assembly
– wear your HPE Spirit gear
Skating – Brandoli and Kalf’s classes
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Soup
Thursday, March 6
Skating – Dolinar and Terrell’s classes
Monday, March 10 – Friday, March 14
Glow Gallery tour for students
Tuesday, March 11
Written Student Learning Update #2 available online
HPE 2025 Talent Show (Grade 3 -5)
Wednesday, March 12
Students Grade 3 -5 Symphony visit in Vernon Performing Arts Center
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Subway
PAC Meeting – 2:30 pm
Written Student Learning Update #2 hard copies sent home
Thursday, March 13
Mr. Benge’s class sleepover
Friday, March 14
Last Day of School before Spring Break
HPE School Spirit Day – Pajama Day or Green and Gold Day
Monday, March 31
School Reopens after Spring Break
Wednesday, April 2
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Soup Day
Monday, April 7
PRO D Day – No School for Students
Wednesday, April 9
Hot Lunch (PAC) – Opa
Friday, May 2
Student Learning Survey – last day to complete survey (students in grades 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, THEIR parents and ALL staff)
