Dear General Currie Families,

We look back on a week filled with a variety of learning opportunities for all of our students, both at school, and offsite!  Camp Elphinstone was a success for those of our students in Grades 6 and 7 who were able to attend.  They return with experiences in learning and stories that could not have happened in the same way within the four walls of a classroom.  We reflect filled with gratitude that we have been able to partake in this experience after so many years when it was not possible.  We are grateful to many of our staff members who took time away from their families and their busy lives and who made this special learning opportunity possible for our students!  Please see the attached WAAG for news for the coming week, as well as a few photos journaling our students' experiences!

We look ahead to the coming week and we already head to the Minoru Track for our Track and Field Day on Tuesday.  We are excited for the opportunity our students will have to stretch themselves and and share in sports activities with students from other schools across the District.  Our parents and family members are very welcome to join us at the track.  Please come and cheer for your child(ren) alongside us!  Please see the attached letter that was previously sent home as a reminder of what to expect and how students should be prepared for this special day.

The past week was Mental Health Awareness Week.  You may have attended a special virtual session for parents, guardians, and caregivers called 'Holding Onto Our Kids in a Digital World' last Tuesday with Deborah McNamara.  If you were unable to attend, the video link (click here) to this presentation is available until May 16, 2023. Please note: the presentation is tailored for an adult audience, not children.

Passcode: 0vd1y^B&

(copy and paste in link)

A summary of the presentation:

As if parenting wasn’t hard enough in having to deal with screens, peer pressure on kids - and then we had to add a pandemic on top of it! How can we hold on to our kids so we can influence and guide them? What do kids really need from us so as to grow into socially and emotionally responsible beings? This presentation will discuss issues from technology to peer problems and how parents are the ultimate answer for what kids need most of all. Practical suggestions for (re)building strong relationships with kids from preschoolers to teenagers will be discussed along with managing challenging behaviour - including screen time!

BIO
Dr. Deborah MacNamara is the author of Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (or anyone who acts like one), and her children’s picture book, The Sorry Plane. She is on Faculty at the Neufeld Institute and Director of the counselling practice, Kid’s Best Bet.

Please also see the attached SWIS Calendar for May opportunities for parents and families.

We look forward to continued Spring adventures at General Currie and beyond our classroom walls, with various field trips and learning opportunities ahead of us in the coming weeks!  

With our best regards to you and your family,

Mr. Sala     Ms. Pikkarainen     General Currie Staff