COLDBROOK & DISTRICT SCHOOL
2305 English Mtn. Road, Coldbrook, NS B4R 1B6
Phone: 902-690-3830 or 3828 Fax: 902-690-3833
November 2015
Office Hours: 8 am – 3:30 pm
Web page address http://coldbrook.ednet.ns.ca Principal: Jean Corporon
Email: Vice Principal: Cherrie Goss
Grading/Marking Day - No School – November 6th
Remembrance Day – November 11th
Early Dismissal – November 25th
In-Service No School – November 27th
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
As I drove to work on Thursday Oct. 22, I was amazed with the beauty of the scenery and the many colors to be seen both on land and in the sky. It was breathtaking. I thought “How lucky am I to live in this beautiful country and to be able to enjoy the peace and tranquility of this morning.” It was truly amazing! The rainbow I saw as I pulled into the school parking lot, was the perfect end to arriving at my destination. As in the past I ask that before you read this newsletter you take a moment to reflect and think about how fortunate we are to be living in a place that allows us the freedom of choice and strives for peace. November 11 is Remembrance Day, a day that has been set aside to recognize and acknowledge those who have dedicated their lives so that we may continue to live in freedom and peace in this place we call home, Canada. On Nov.10th at 1:30, Coldbrook and District School students will participate in a Remembrance Day Assembly. Family members are more than welcome to attend.
The first two months have been busy but productive ones. Students have settled in to their school work and contribute to the daily activities and events. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those students who volunteer their time to plan, organize and support the committees and events that take place. Without their energy and contribution many of these would not happen. A huge “Thank You” to staff for volunteering their time to support these students and assist with work that needs to be done over and above their classroom and student duties.
Students continue to earn Cougar Paws on a daily basis. Cougar Paws reflect and acknowledge the positive behaviours taking place within the school on a daily basis. The students are doing a wonderful job modelling respectful, responsible and safe behaviour. Every Friday we do draws for students at the P-5 level and Zougar’s Boutique has been officially opened for the Middle School students. They have an opportunity to earn cougar paws, collect them and trade them in at the boutique for rewards such as soccer balls, basketballs, bracelets, memory sticks, snack coupons, etc. It is exciting to see so many cougar paws being earned. Congratulations!
We are pleased to announce that Sarah Thomas has been hired as our new Cafeteria Manager and will begin on Nov. 5th. We welcome her to our staff. She is energetic, has a strong background in the area of food preparation and management skills. She has many ideas and is looking forward to meeting the students and parents of Coldbrook and District School.
We ask that you remind students to not share their food with others. This is a safety concern for those students that may or may not be identified with food allergies. It is nice that students want to share but this is not encouraged and should not happen for the reason noted. Thank you for supporting the safety of others.
Over the next couple months there will be many events and dates for you to be aware of. I ask that you read through this newsletter carefully and mark these dates on your calendar. If you would like to express your support or concerns please complete the form attached and/or please do not hesitate to call.
Please ensure and remind your children to dress appropriately for the cold weather. We do expect students to go outside and get fresh air. Thank you for your co-operation with this.
As a precaution and due to the fact we are heading into hat, scarf and mitten season we encourage you to do regular checks for head lice as this tends to be the time of year when cases may pop up throughout the school. If you are not sure what to look for please contact the school and we will provide information. As a school we do not make it a practice to screen the children for this. If it is noticed we will contact the family. If the lice have been found at home the school would appreciate a call as we do send notices home to the families of students in the class. No names are identified, this is only done as a precaution so other families can check their children if they feel they need to. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Jean Corporon
Principal
HOME AND SCHOOL
October has quickly flown by with November starting in an exciting and busy way!!! At the end of October, the annual Apple Valley Pie and Hutchinson Maple Products Fundraiser began and will continue into the first two weeks of November. This is a great fundraiser supporting not only local businesses, but a portion of every purchase that is made goes towards the Home & School fund, which in turn helps to make our school the very best experience for our children. And who doesn’t love a piece of pie or some real maple syrup on their pancakes! YUMMY! Please make sure to get your orders in by November 12th.
Also, please do not forget to start saving all those clean and gently used items that may be donated for the annual Christmas Shopping Spree Fundraiser! We will begin to accept donations in late November and the first week of December. This is a very popular fundraiser and the kids love it!! Volunteers are always welcome to help sort the generously donated items, set up the tables (December 10th), as well as be there for the actual Christmas Shopping Spree on December 11th. It is a wonderful experience to watch the children pick out those “special” gifts for their family.
At the next Home & School meeting there will be a guest speaker in attendance. Constable Smith, the Coldbrook & District School RCMP Liaison, will be speaking about Cyber Safety to the parent community here at Coldbrook & District School. All are welcome to attend!
Our November meeting will be held on November 16th at 6:30pm in the library, for which FREE CHILDCARE is provided!!! If you have any ideas, questions, or topics that you would like discussed at a Home and School meeting please contact us at: or through the Facebook page: Coldbrook and District Home and School Associationor via Vicki Hartenhof 678-9247 email: and Tanya Gencarelli 681-7312 email:
Thank you for your continued support!We hope to see all of you at our next meeting on Monday, November 16th at 6:30 in the library!
2015/2016 Home & School Committee
Coldbrook School Playground Committee Update:
For those of you that are new to the school we have been raising money to replace our main playground structure as well as add two accessibility pieces. Last year we had great success with our fundraisers and we are on track to have the playground replaced- in order to do that we still have some funds that need to be raised. We had a great turn out at our local Coldbrook Foodland BBQ (thanks Jerry!) and raised $228. - a huge thank you to Belinda Terris for heading it up and to all those who volunteered their time to help.
We are still collecting Perks for our “Perks for Play” fundraiser- if you have any Perks that you would like to donate they can be sent into the office or dropped off at Maders Pharmacy in Coldbrook.
Our next fundraiser will be a 2016 Coldbrook and School Art Calendar!! Stay tuned- the order form will be coming home soon- cost will be $15.- what a great gift- who doesn’t need a calendar? This would make a great Christmas gift
Thanks so much for your continued support
Playground Committee
Reminder…
To parents/guardians, if you are unsure if you paid your child(ren)’s school fees , please contact Mrs. Dyke at the school office – (902)690-3830. We presently have 99 students that have not paid their fees which equals $990. still owing our school.
BAND & CHOIR
Please note upcoming Dec. concert dates: Band & Choir Concert on Dec. 9th at 6:30 pm and P-3 Christmas Concert on Dec. 16th at 6:30 pm.
Also:
A REMINDER: All band students are reminded to get a pair of solid black dress pants as part of the band uniform for concerts. For tops, Gr 7&8 band students wear their red shirts and Gr 6 band students wear plain white dress shirts/blouses. Choir students wear plain white dress shirts/blouses and solid black bottoms - red scarves and ties will be provided. You may wish to donate black pants (and white blouses/shirts) that no longer fit to the school (Please and Thanks)
PHYSICAL EDUCATION NEWS
Thanks to our soccer coaches for their work over the soccer season:
Grade 6 boys team - Vanessa Robertson
Grade 7 boys team - Ms. Elliott and Mr. Fancy
Grade 8 boys team - Mr. Schurman
Grade 6, 7 and 8 girls team - Mr. Flecknell
Thanks to our cross country coaches for their work over the cross country season:
Grade 3, 4 and 5 cross country coaches: Mr. and Mrs. McKeen
Girls basketball coach needed! Basketball runs from November to February. Please email if you can coach our girls’ grade 6, 7 and 8 Coldbrook and District School basketball team.
LIBRARY
The library is collecting Campbell Soup labels as well as empty tissue (Kleenex) boxes.
If you have these items, please forward to the school office.
COLDBROOK SCHOOL BREAKFAST CLUB
We serve approximately 100 students a day, 5 days a week. If you would like to make a donation to help support this program, we can use the following: Milk (1 or 2%), whole wheat bread, regular Cheerios, Rice Krispies, vanilla yogurt, Wow butter, butter, cheddar cheese, instant oatmeal, apple juice and cucumbers. Any type of fruit is welcome as well. Peanut-free Please!
For information contact: Luanne Isnor (902)680-5554 or Thanks for your support!!
Thank you to Atlantic Poultry for donating a case of eggs every week and to Scotian Gold for donating slices of apples to our "Grab and Go" breakfast program. We truly appreciate your generosity and the support from our local businesses.
SKI CLUB
It's that time of year again!! We are beginning to organize ski club information, dates, and a meeting time. I am in need of a parent volunteer to help with the organizational piece of this (registration forms, arranging forski passes, and lift tickets for students in Ski Club).If interested, please call the school and speak to Mrs. Goss.
Community Bulletin Board
Join us for the first workshop in our Fall/Winter Education Series!
VISUAL SCHEDULES
Saturday, November 14th
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Autism Centre, 565 Main St., Kingston
Joanne Porter, former Annapolis Vally Regional School Board Autism Consultant, will lead attendees through the fundamentals of Visual Schedules, Activity Schedules and Task Strips.
The workshop is open to parents/caregivers and professionals. Admission is FREE but pre-registration is required. Please contact Sandy at 902-242-2019 or no later than November 6th to register.
Acadia Minor Hockey Novice Intermediate Team Forse
Pancake Breakfast, Silent Auction & Bake Sale
Sunday, November 15, 2015 from 9:00 am-12:00 pm at Louis Millet Community Complex, New Minas
Cost: $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children
The Acadia Novice Intermediate Hockey Team would like to invite you to join them for a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausages, coffee/tea and juice on Sunday, November 15, 2015, from 9-noon. There will be a bake table as well as opportunities to bid on some great items at our silent auction. Please come out & support a great group of young hockey players.
With your support, we can ensure that we maximize the opportunities for our team to participate in upcoming hockey tournaments as well as have the ice time and equipment the children require. Thank you.
Questions may be directed to Julie via email:
Valley Child Development Association (VCDA) will be hosting our Fall Fun-Raiser on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 6 – 11 pm at the Louis Millet Community Complex in New Minas. The event includes Dinner, Music and Dancing with the Mark Riley Project, and a Live/Silent Auction hosted by K-Rock’s Darrin Harvey. We would love
for you to join us!
Individual tickets for Valley Child Development Association’s Fall Fun-Raiser are $35 each and are available at participating Pharmasave stores from Windsor to Kingston. A limited number of Reserved Tables are available at a cost of $300. Each round table provides seating for 8 and can be reserved for your school or group. Please contact the VCDA office for more information.
Valley Speed Skating
The Annapolis Valley Speed Skating Club is offering a FREE after school program for eight weeks starting on Oct 30th. Sessions will be held every Friday from 5-6pm at the Credit Union Centre - Kingston Arena. Open to anyone in grades 6-12! All abilities welcome! Great exercise and great FUN! Have the need for speed? - we can help with that! There is safety gear required: helmet, thick gloves, and long sleeves. We do have some helmets we can lend. Space is limited so sign up a.s.a.p.
Contact info: or find us on Facebook - Annapolis Valley Speed Skating Club.