DATES TO REMEMBER!

May 5 (5:00—7:00) - Class of 2015 Bottle Drive

May 15 (2:00) - Elementary Assembly

May 20 - District Track & Field @ Griffiths Stadium (grade 7-12)

May 26 - Local Track Meet (grades 1-6)

May 28 - Alternate track day

May 29 - Conference Track meet @ Griffiths Stadium (grades 7-12 qualifi-ers)

June 11 - WHHRLS track @ Laird School

June 15 - Alternate date for WHHRLS @ Laird School

June 19 - Year-end celebration @ 2:00 grades K—6

June 23 - Final day of Kindergarten!

June 25 - Kindergarten Orientation! Two Sessions, a package will arrive in the mail letting you know which ses-sion you and your child will be attend-ing!

June 26 - Grade 12 Graduation

June 26 - Last day of classes for stu-dents

June 30 - Grade 9-12 progress reports

June 30 - School closes!

May, 2015

WALDHEIM SCHOOL Box 367

Waldheim, SK

S0K 4R0

Principal: Chris Mason

Vice-Principal: Reg Pauls

Website: www.blogs.spiritsd.ca/waldheimschool

Phone: 306-945-2211 Fax: 306-945-5445 E-mail: corinne.neufeldt@spiritsd.ca

This is my favorite time of the year. Everyone is excited for

many reasons. There are many things happening at the

school and it feels like time is flying by. The weather is

warming up and the students love to be outside. Many

new sport seasons are starting up. Field trips also happen

more frequently. The grass turns green and the patio or

deck is the place of choice for a visit. Ah, yes, spring is

here.

Many of our staff had a wonderful evening at the Prairie

Spirit School Division Board of Education Annual General

Meeting. During the meeting several members of our staff

presented our Learning for Life story for the 2014-2015

school year. Our Learning for Life story is an opportunity

for our staff to make a presentation about the learning

that has occurred at our school. It is a way that we can

celebrate the success that our school has experienced

this year and a way for us to look ahead and make a plan

for next year. I would like to thank Mrs. Zimmer, Mrs. Gau-

det, Mrs. Kerr, and Mr. Pauls for their part in this presen-

tation.

Please be on the lookout for details about the Waldheim

School Summer Reading Program. Mrs. Kerr has been

working hard on coming up with a plan to keep students

reading during the summer. Summer is a wonderful time

to kick back with a book. But studies have shown that

school-age children lose many of their reading skills over

the summer months if they do not continue to read while

they are out of school. We are going to need some support

from home to make this program a success.

Our School Community Council Annual General Meeting

will be held on May 12 (5:00 pm) at the school. Please

feel free to come on out to the meeting. There is still room

for a few new members. Our SCC is very important to our

school and we really value their hard work, thoughts, and

opinions. Feel free to call the school.

We’re having a lot of fun in Kindergarten

as usual! We’ve been celebrating spring

with some exciting outdoor activities. We

decorated

popsicle

stick

“boats”

and floated

them down

the “river”,

made wind catcher kites and flew them on Windy

Wednesday, and we took a hike around town to

find signs of spring. We also led the K-6 assem-

bly this month and do-si-doed with our partners to

our favorite “Good Morning” song.

In the classroom we are excited about books! The

students had the opportunity to read their favor-

ite easy reading book to the class during our

sharing times. They were so proud and so was I!

Now we’ve discovered the joy of “writing” our own books. Who knows? This

class may have the next Dr. Suess!

Mrs. Kitchen

Do you have a child

who will be celebrating their 5th

birthday

on or before December

31, 2015?

If so, please pick up a kindergar-

ten

registration form either from the

school

or from the pre-school.

Please fill one out and bring it to

the school or mail to the school

at:

Box 367 Waldheim, SK S0K 4R0

Kindergarten orientation for

the 2015/16 class is June 25.

You will receive a package

in the mail that will le

t you

know which session you

should attend. Please regis-

ter so we have the correct

address to send the

Information!

Grade 9 in Waldheim School is always a year of

change. In September, our friends from Laird started attend-

ing full time, rather than just attending I.A. and Home Ec., as

they do in grade 7 and 8. Grade 9 also represents a transi-

tion between middle years and high school. Rather than be-

ing in a single classroom with one teacher each day, the

Grade 9’s experience eight different teachers who specialize

in their subject areas. Their teachers this semester include, Mrs. Pomarenski, Math; Mr. Kitchen, ELA; Mr. Hinz,

Science; Mrs. Schmidt, Phys Ed; Mrs. Zimmer, Health; Mr. Friesen, Industrial Arts and Mrs. Sawatzky and Mrs.

Laskowski in Home Ec.

While each subject has its own unique characteristics and examples of student success, a highlight for some In-

dustrial Arts students has been the reintroduction of the small engines curriculum in grade 9. Due to renovations

occurring in the shop over the last three years, we were unable to teach this unit. The five students that chose

this avenue of study in the second semester have done exceptionally well. After they had disassembled and reas-

sembled their engines, each student achieved the ultimate success by starting and running their engines. Even

the engines that had not run prior to the students working on them started. Well done, guys.

As the last day of classes approaches, the grade 9’s have had a good year and are looking forward to an eventful

summer and the Alpine Trip as they enter Grade 10 in fall.

Glen Friesen, Arla Schmidt

Let’s Move!

It used to be, in olden days, that people needed to be pretty active in order to survive. Ploughing fields be-

hind horses, washing clothes on a washboard, planting and maintaining huge gardens to have enough to eat

through the winter, among other activities, kept people up and moving. How we live our lives has changed so

much but how our brains work and organize themselves is still the same. We spend far more time “relaxing” now

than they had time for in bygone days but we have higher levels of mental health issues than ever before. Every-

one knows that physical exercise is a great and wonderful thing for our bodies but science is demonstrating that

exercise is also fantastic for our brains. People who exercise struggle less with depression, find stress easier to

manage, are more productive, and just generally feel better about life.

The video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj_5SGdx7Xk explains why people who exercise

tend to have better mental health than those who don’t. And remember that what’s true for your brain is also true

for the brains of your children. Running around outside, climbing trees, and riding bikes all help your children feel

better about themselves and about life in general far more than finishing the next level of a video game.

It can be hard to find the time and energy to make exercise part of our daily lives but the benefits of doing

so are monumental. If you already make exercise part of your day--good for you! If you struggle to find ways to in-

corporate physical activity into your life I’ve included a few ways to work some exercise into your day. For those of

you who aren’t already active on a regular basis I encourage you to make exercise part of your life for two weeks

and pay attention to how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally--you may like what you notice!

Some ways to get active:

Go for a bike ride

Play tag

Take a walk instead of a drive

Have a water fight

Dance in your living room (or anywhere else)

Wash/wax your car with enthusiasm

Scrub harder when you’re cleaning the house

Start small--a 5-10 minute walk is better than a no minute walk

Do sit ups, push ups, or jumping jacks during commercials

Tanya Kennedy

Jen Zimmer…

My name is Jen Zimmer, and I am currently

teaching grade 7 ELA and Science, Creative Writ-

ing 20, and Phys Ed 9. I am also the Special Ed-

ucation Resource Teacher (SERT) for grades 7-12. I have been a teacher at Waldheim School for 11 years, which

is quite hard to believe! Time has flown by! During the school year I like to help out with extra-curricular activities

like the grade 10 alpine trip, basketball, SRC, and track and field. In my own free time I love to read, hike, and

stay active with a workout or a dog walk each day. I also do a little fitness instructing and hope to be teaching an

outdoor bootcamp in Warman this spring. I recently got married, which is definitely the highlight of the year for

me, and we are currently trying to develop our basement, so that will be keeping me busy as well. I am so thank-

ful that I teach in this amazing community and have had the chance to work with, teach, and meet so many great

people here.

Krisinda Waugh….

I consider it a privilege to have worked at Waldheim School since 2001. Over that time I have taught

nearly every grade. This year has been a completely new experience for me, as I have been teaching grade 7 and

8 Health, K-6 and 9 Music. I have thoroughly enjoyed my year, learning the Ukulele with many students, and see-

ing so many students enjoying, creating and experiencing music!

Since having my first son, I moved to a half time position in order to have the best of both worlds. I have

three children. Rhett is 8, Davis is 6 and Elayna is 3 years old. We enjoy summers at the lake, winters in the

hockey rink, as well as being involved with our church in Saskatoon. I also love going to movies with my husband

Tim, reading and singing.

Arla Schmidt….

My name is Arla Schmidt and I am currently teaching a wide array of subjects in middle years including

Phys. Ed, Health, and Social Studies. I graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2010 with a combined

Kinesiology and Education degree. Shortly after graduation, my husband Peter and I headed to South Korea

where I taught Physical Education in a K-12 International School. Since our return, I have taught mostly Phys. Ed

and Health at Waldheim and had two children, Ethan (age 3) and Ella (age 1.5). I enjoy the life and energy that

the students bring to the school and I enjoy seeing students try new things, be challenged, and find success. I

am currently coaching the jumpers in track and field, and in my spare time my energetic kids run laps around

me.

As a family we love to be active outside. This year we have done some cross country skiing at Elkridge, and hiking

in Scotland. We love to travel, canoe and bike and I am truly amazed by the human body and all it can do and

accomplish.

A huge thanks to our WRCI (Rec Centre) Board and Lorne Schmidt for your support and time spent in providing ice

time for our annual high school rec hockey tournament. As well we recognize your contribution of providing food

at cost for our fund raising lunch for Nolan Enns and his family. We were able to donate $975 to help them in

Nolan's battle with leukemia. Thank you to all who came out to support this event.

As far as the hockey tournament went, it was a lot of fun as our team captains (Tysen Smith, Cody Field, Joel

Schultz and Austin Wieler) provided a very supportive atmosphere for all to participate. Joel's Green Machine

came out on top at the end of round robin play but could not defeat the Staff Superstars in the final. Thanks to

the pastors and youth workers in our community who played along with the staff team.

Trace Block

When: Saturday, May 30th

Where: Waldheim School

What: Test drive a brand new vehicle from Valley Ford for FREE and they will donate $20/drive to our

Brick By Brick campaign

ALSO: Buy a BBQ burger, chips, and pop to support the cause (by donation, suggested donation of $5)

Why: Last year, our SRC committed to raising $10 000 to build a school in Kenya! We are almost half way

there and need your support!

Thank you

for your support!

Drive 4Ur Community

BBQ

Bring a valid

driver’s license!

Join the Waldheim School SRC (partnered with Valley Ford Sales in Hague) as they work to earn the

remaining $5500 needed to build a school in Kenya with Free the Children’s Brick by Brick campaign!

Drive Event Runs from

8:00am – 4:00pm

BBQ is from

11:00am – 1:00pm

Our responsible students will

supervise your children on the

playground or in the gym while

you test drive the vehicles!

May 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 5 Class of 2015

Bottle Drive

6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 Elementary

Assembly, 2:00

16

17 18 19 20 District Track

Meet (7-12)

21 22 23

24 25 26 Elementary Track

Meet

27 28 Alternate Day for

Elementary Track

meet

29 30

31

Day E Day D (K)

Day D (K)

Day C

Day C

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 WHHRLS

track meet at Laird!

12 13

14 15 Alternate

WHHRLS track

date

16 17 18 19 Year-end

celebration

(K-6) @ 2:00

20

21 22 23 Final

Kindergarten Day! 24 25 26 Last day of

classes for students!

27

28 29 30

June 2015

Day A

Day D (K)

Day A Day B (K)

Day B (K)

Day E

Day B (K)

Day F (K)

Day C

Day C

Day D (K)

Day D

Day E

Day B (K)

Day C

Day D (K)

Day B (K)

Day C

Day A

Day A

Day F (K)

Day B (K) Day F (K)

Day A

Day E

Day F (K)

Day E Day F (K) Day A

Day F (K) Day D (K) Day B (K)

Day E

Day C

FINAL EXAMS

Kindergarten

Orientation

May 2015

®

Home&SchoolWorking Together for School Success CONNECTION

© 2015 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Learning is more fun when you turn it into a game! Try these family games that let your child play with words, numbers, and science.

Spelling cupsBe the first to unscramble

the letters and guess the word. You’ll need cups and magnetic letters or Scrabble tiles. One player secretly thinks of a word and places each letter under a sep-arate upside-down cup. The other play-ers take turns flipping over one cup. Let everyone see the letter, cover it back up, and slide the cups around to mix them up. At any point, a player can call out the word being spelled—but if he’s wrong, he’s out. Guess the word cor-rectly, and you make the next word.

Bull’s-eye mathHave your youngster use sidewalk

chalk to draw a target with four rings. He should write 10 in the outer ring, 25 in the next, 50 in the third, and 100 in the center circle. (Use 1, 2, 5, and 10 for a younger child.) To play, stand a few feet away from the target, and take turns

Keep friendships strong

Encourage your youngster to stay in touch with classmates over the summer. Let her invite friends over or arrange to meet at a park or a mini-golf course. She’ll enjoy the get-togethers, and staying close will help her be ready to work and play with peers when school starts again.

Saying thank youAs the school year comes to a close, teachers are sure to appreciate the best gift of all: a simple thank you. You and your child can write notes thanking his teacher for helping him learn to read or teaching fun science experiments, for example.

Plan ahead for snack timeKids are more likely to eat foods they help pick out. Take your youngster shopping for healthy snacks, such as watermelon, plain popcorn, and hum-mus with whole-wheat pita bread. Stock them front and center in the refrigerator and pantry so your child can grab a nutritious treat when she takes a break from playing.

Worth quoting“The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing.” Isaac Asimov

Kyle: What is the difference between lightning and electricity?

Jenna: We have to pay for electricity.

Summer learning gamesSHORT NOTES

JUST FOR FUN

Outdoor volunteers Build a family helping habit this summer. These ideas

will encourage your youngster to do community ser-vice while she enjoys the sunshine:

● Sign up to volunteer during a fund-raising walk. Your child could work with you at a pit stop, hand-ing water cups to participants.

● Lend a hand at a charity yard sale at a school, community center, or place of worship. Together, you might sort and tag donations. Or your youngster could bag purchases for customers as you ring them up.

● Work in the garden at a school or an assisted-living facility. Your child can help weed, plant, water, and harvest. If you garden at home, consider giving some vege-tables to a food pantry or soup kitchen that accepts homegrown produce.♥

tossing a pebble onto it. Each time, add the number from the ring your pebble lands on to your score. Write the equation you made in chalk (50 + 25 = 75; 75 + 50 = 125). Reach 500 points to win.

Science scavenger huntTogether, think of 12 small natural

objects found on the ground. Examples: twig, dandelion, berry, buckeye. Then, each person labels sections of an empty egg carton for the items. Go to the park, search for the objects, and put them in the matching spots. The first person to fill his egg carton wins.♥

Sponsored by your School Community Council

© 2015 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

To provide busy parents with practical ideas that promote school success, parent involvement,

and more effective parenting.

Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630540-636-4280 • rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com

www.rfeonline.com

ISSN 1540-5621

O U R P U R P O S E

Home & School CONNECTION® May 2015 • Page 2

Last year, I made the mistake of wait-

ing until the last minute to prepare my kids for back-to-school. This year, with my younger daughter starting first grade and my older one going to middle school, we’re going to try a few changes.

First, I will schedule their physicals right away, since their doctors’ calendars filled up fast last year. Also, we’ll shop early for school sup-plies to take advantage of

sales and make sure the kids get the col-ors they want.

Finally, we let the girls stay up later during summer, and last year they had

a hard time adjusting to their school-year bedtime. So in

August, we’ll gradually move bedtime a little earlier each week.

We’ll see if my plan works. I’m sure every year I’ll learn something

new about helping two kids get ready for school!♥

Back-to-school prep

Safe and occupiedWhat will your youngster do this summer? Whether you work outside the home or not, you’ll want to keep her busy, happy, and safe. Here are tips.

Look for activities. Public libraries and parks and recreation departments have programs to match any child’s interests. Look for free or low-cost activities like music workshops, board game clubs, and tumbling classes.

Take turns. Neighbors can set up a schedule for watching each other’s children play in a back-yard or at a playground. Or consider swap-ping child care with a parent who works differ-

ent days or oppo-site shifts. Also, you

could arrange carpools for driving to camps or day care.

Find low-cost camps. Check into city or county camps, where prices are typically lower than at private camps. You might qualify for help with fees or be able to use flexible spending account funds or earn dependent-care tax credits.♥

Avoid summer slide Q: I’ve been hearing about how children often lose skills while

school is out. How can I keep my son

from experiencing this “summer slide”?

A: It’s true that students tend to forget

some of what they learned during the

school year. Talk to your son’s teacher to

see if there are specific subjects he should work on, such as writing or math.

Then, use summer activities or time in the car to practice. You could give him

a journal, and after a trip to the zoo or a museum, he can write about what he

saw. Or as you drive, he might count red and green lights and say what fraction

each color represents of the total.

Also, sign your child up for your library’s summer reading program. Have him

check out books and read at least 20–30 minutes a day. Ask him to tell you about

the books, and talk to him about your own reading, too.♥

Stuck on craftsDuct tape is all the rage these days.

Look for it in fun patterns and colors, or let your child add stickers to plain duct tape. Then, encourage him to be creative with projects like these.

BookmarksWrap duct tape around and around a

craft stick to make a bookmark. Or cut two strips the same size, stick them together, and punch a hole in the top to tie a ribbon through.

Party decorationsForm miniature flags on toothpicks,

and put each one in a cupcake. For place-mats, cut the front and back panels from cereal boxes. Add strips of tape arranged in different patterns and designs.

ContainersCover baby food or canning jars with

colorful duct tape to create pencil hold-ers or vases. Make fun storage contain-ers for small toys by decorating shoe boxes with duct tape. ♥

Q&

A

PARENTTO

PARENT

ACTIVITYCORNER