Early Warning Telephone Number: 604-668-7890

4440 Blundell Road Richmond B.C. V7C 1G9 Phone: 604-668-6547

Dear  Grauer  Families,    H a p p y 2 0 1 6 t o e v e r y o n e !  Hope  you  had  a  wonderful  festive  season  full  of  laughter  and  joy  with  families  and  friends!    With  the  start  of  the  New  Year,  many  exciting  athletic  opportunities  are  happening  at  Grauer.  The  school-­‐wide  gymnastics  program  has  started.  The  swimming  program  for  Grade  3-­‐5  students  will  start  in  a  couple  of  weeks,  and  Basketball  season  will  soon  begin!  The  boys’  and  girls’  basketball  teams  have  already  been  busy  with  practices!    The  district  has  timelines  to  accommodate  new  student  registration,  enrollment  and  placement  of  students  in  district  schools  for  the  2016-­‐2017  school  year,  and  information  is  available  at  the  district  website.  Please  note  that  new  registrations  have  already  begun,  and  at  this  time,  all  new  students  will  need  to  visit  the  Central  Registration  Office  at  the  School  Board  Office  to  register.    Our  next  PAC  meeting  will  be  held  on  Monday,  January  18  at  6:30  pm.  Please  make  time  to  join  your  fellow  Grauer  parents  as  your  input  is  important.    For  January  school  activities,  please  refer  to  the  January  event  calendar  that  was  sent  out  before  the  holidays,  as  well  as  on  our  website.    Sincerely,      Anna  Ho,  Principal      

R.M. Grauer Elementary Pa

ge 1

of 3

Jan 6, 2016

Newsletter No. 05

Important

reminders

The school doors are opened at 8:30 am on a regular school day. There is a preparation bell at 8:40 am when students are expected to be in the classroom getting ready for instruction at promptly 8:42 am. Dress for the

Weather Please help/remind your child(ren) to get dressed for the weather. Students will be going outside for recess and lunch breaks

as much as weather permits.

MS. A. Ho, Principal Ms. S. NIXON, Trustee Liaison

http://grauer.sd38.bc.ca

If your child will be late or away,

please don’t forget to call the

Safe Arrival

Line

before 9:00 am

604-668-7890

The festive Winter Celebration banners that were hung in our

gym.

Early Warning Telephone Number: 604-668-7890

R.M. Grauer Elementary

PAST EVENTS Fun  at  school  before  the  winter  holidays  All  had  enjoyed  thoroughly  the  Hip  Hop  Program  and  performances.  The  Sing-­‐A-­‐Long  and  Band  Concert  were  simply  a  delight.  Thanks  so  much  to  all  the  families  who  joined  us  in  the  audience.  Thank  you  to  all  who  donated  socks  to  our  Sock  Drive.  Many  people  were  so  appreciative  of  this  simple  but  warm  gift.  It  was  a  true  celebration  of  the  Grauer  community  spirit!      Family  Skate  Night  The  Family  Night  was  enjoyed  by  all!  Thanks  again  to  PAC  for  subsidizing  ad  supporting  this  festive  event.  Thanks  so  much  to  the  parent  volunteers  for  serving  the  hot  chocolate  and  cookies,  and  to  all  who  came!  

UPCOMING EVENTS FSA  –  during  the  period  of  January  11  –  February  19  The  Foundation  Skills  Assessment  (FSA)  in  Reading  Comprehension,  Writing  and  Numeracy  will  be  conducted  in  elementary  schools  throughout  British  Columbia  during  the  period  mentioned  above  for  students  registered  in  grades  4  and  7.  A  letter  explaining  the  assessment  will  be  sent  home  soon.  It  is  expected  that  all  students  participate  in  the  FSA  testing  unless  there  is  a  significant  reason  for  being  excused,  e.g.  English  language  proficiency  or  individual  learning  profile.  Parents  of  exempted  children  will  be  notified.      PAC  Hot  Food  Days  –  January  15  &  28  Please  look  out  for  the  notices  for  all  the  details.      Swimming  Program  for  Grades  3-­‐5  @  Minoru  Pool  –  January  18-­‐28  This  is  a  wonderful  opportunity  for  our  students  to  learn  about  a  life  skill  and  develop  an  athletic  hobby.    Family  Movie  Night  –  January  21  @  6:00  pm  This  is  an  opportunity  to  enjoy  a  movie  evening  with  other  Grauer  families.  Admission  is  free.  Stay  tuned  for  more  information  from  the  PAC!      Non-­‐Instruction  Day  **NEW  DATE**–  January  29  -­‐  school  is  not  in  session    The  Ministry  of  Education  has  given  two  additional  non-­‐instruction  days  to  schools  during  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year  as  curriculum  support  days.  Richmond  School  District  has  January  29  as  the  first  date  for  that  purpose.  Staff  will  be  learning  and  collaborating  regarding  the  re-­‐designed  curriculum  on  that  day.      Secondary  School  Parent  Information/  Sessions  for  Grade  7  families  Boyd  Secondary:  Showcase  Night/Program  Planning  ~  February  3  @  6:00pm  Burnett  Secondary:  School  Tour/Information  Session  ~  February  4  @  6:00pm    

ONGOING EVENTS School-­‐wide  Gymnastic  Program  For  the  first  two  weeks  of  January,  under  the  guidance  of  certified  instructors  and  class  teachers,  students  will  further  develop  movement  and  fitness  qualities  such  as:  Balance,  Flow  of  Body  Movement,  Rhythm,  Co-­‐ordination,  Flexibility,  Agility,  Strength  and  Endurance.  Thanks  to  the  PAC  for  the  fundraising  effort  to  support  this  wonderful  learning  opportunity  for  the  students!    Breakfast  Club  Our  popular  Breakfast  Club  will  be  running  every  Wednesday  starting  on  January  20  for  the  rest  of  the  year,  unless  notified.  All  students  are  invited  to  come,  have  breakfast  and  have  some  social  time  to  connect  with  their  schoolmates.  Our  very  sincere  thanks  goes  to  the  “Feed-­‐U-­‐Cate  38”  program  for  their  generous  donations  and,  of  course,  to  our  supportive  parent  volunteers  for  working  so  tirelessly  making  this  program  possible.    Multicultural  Friendship  Club  The  popular  Multicultural  Friendship  Club  is  back  at  Grauer!  Students  have  enjoyed  sessions  of  multicultural  arts  and  crafts.  The  last  one  before  the  break  was  making  a  beautiful  Hanukah  Menorah,  and  the  children  have  so  much  fun!      

The Richmond School District and the Richmond District Parents Association, in collaboration with the City of Richmond and S.U.C.C.E.S.S. present:

The 17th Annual Satur day Jan uar y 23 , 2016 – M acNei l l Se con dar y Sch oo l 8 :15a m – 1 :15p m

Keyno te Spe aker : Dr. Deborah MacNamara is a dynamic teacher and experienced counsellor with over 20 years experience working in educational and community mental health settings.

The Roots of Resilience workshop will discuss the importance of raising resourceful and resilient children and how adults play a key role in cultivating their child’s capacity to endure adversity. There are many workshops that you can participate in, such as: The Communication Competency: Making Thinking Visible in the New Curriculum, Supporting your English Language Learners Child, Digital Resources, Mindfulness, etc.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION, 1) School District Website http://learningandthebrain.sd38.bc.ca 2) Drop off at Richmond School Board 7811 Granville Avenue, 3rd floor 3) Drop off at Catchment Elementary School - Office REGISTRATION DATE: December 7, 2015 - January 18, 2016

Early Warning Telephone Number: 604-668-7890

R.M. Grauer Elementary

JANUARY READING TIP

Surround Your Child and Home with Reading Materials (Books should be as readily available as the remote control!)

Reading is not only a bedtime activity. Children will read and want to read if there is a large variety of reading materials in their home. Children can't practice reading if there is nothing to read, so tempt your kids to read by having a large supply of appealing books and magazines at their  reading level. Put the reading materials in cars, bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, and even by the TV! By keeping books where your child can easily reach them, your child will be able to browse them anytime. Try planting a book basket in your kitchen so that your child can grab a book or magazine to thumb through over breakfast or in the evening while you are making dinner. Don't forget to take books for long trips and places where you have to wait like the doctor's office. All kinds of books are easy to have on hand and can be picked up when your child has a free moment. To help encourage your child's reading along and to spend some quality time with your child, pick up a book together and keep reading aloud to your child no matter the age.

Re-­‐Designed  Curriculum  Information  ~  each  month  we  will  highlight  an  aspect  of  the  new  curriculum  in  order  to  keep  you  informed.    Communication is one of the core competencies at the centre of the re-designed curriculum and assessment. The communication competency encompasses the set of abilities that students use to impart and

exchange information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media.

Math Tip Ta ke a dva n ta ge o f m a th in th e w orld  

Math is everywhere! Take advantage of the many great opportunities to practice math naturally. Below are a few ideas to get you started:

• Cooking can involve weighing, measuring, adding, multiplying and estimating

• Restaurants and shopping can involve money, number identification, estimating, adding, subtracting, division …

• Trips can involve time, distance, budgeting, speed, evaluating various routes, license plate games (e.g. adding or multiplying the numbers on the plate) …

• Gardening can involve measuring, counting, area, division … These ideas all demonstrate how much math is involved in our daily lives and will support your child in his or her basic computation and problem-solving skills in natural, fun and real ways.

Source: BC Ministry of Education