Hello Jennie Elliott Families,
Welcome to March! Hard to believe with all this snow falling outside that we are in the month that will welcome the Spring Equinox. This week our students have been enjoying the new recess equipment, including shovels and snow molds that arrived just in time for the students to have some fun with all the white powder that fell this week.
Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe at JES
We also honoured Pink Shirt Day this week with a number of conversations and lessons about the common message of kindness towards each other. The national theme for Pink Shirt Day was “We Lift Each other Up”, which fits beautifully with our goal at Jennie Elliott – if we are supported, included, respected and accepted, we will feel a stronger sense of belonging at school that will lead to better student success. Each day, at the end of morning announcements our announcers share the well-known message, “If you’re going to be anything in the world, be kind.” To provide more meaning to that message, our students share an example on morning announcements about how they experience kindness at school when someone makes them feel supported, included, respected or accepted. If you hear examples of the same at home when you are having conversations with your children, please consider sharing those stories with us for our announcements. We can never have too many examples of kindness to help build our culture of care at Jennie Elliott!
Jump Rope for Heart
We were very excited to kick off our 2024 Jump Rope for Heart skipping unit this past week! During our skipping unit, students are discovering fun ways to get active, practice healthy habits and experience the positive impact on their health and wellbeing. Students are setting individual skipping goals for themselves and trying to beat their own personal record. As well, they are engaging in group skipping activities and learning a variety of skills and techniques using a skipping rope. On March 5 and 6 our students will participate in our annual Jump Rope for Heart day. Students will count the number of times they jump during their Physical Education and Wellness class. Everyone’s total will be tallied for a whole school count! Stay tuned to hear our grand total. Go Jaguars!
Student-Led Conferences
On March 11 at 8:00am, the online School Conference booking system will open for families to book Student-led Conferences that will take place the week of March 18. All conferences will be in person, and you can access the School Conference booking system through your MyCBE portal. More details will be sent by your child’s teacher in their Weekly Message or reach out to your child’s teacher if you have further questions.
Child and Youth Well-Being for Families and Caregivers Series
March 14, 2024
6:30 to 8:00 PM
This session for families is an opportunity to learn evidence-based strategies to support youth in Grades 7 to 12 in managing stress and anxiety. Join our AHS partners from the mental health literacy team and clarify terms and present evidence-based strategies to support youth in managing stress and anxious feelings. Learn when clinical assessment is needed and what treatment may involve. Gain information and strategies to boost your own mental health and support the young people in your life.
ACTION | School Planning Survey
A reminder that the School Planning Survey will close on March 17th. This is an opportunity to share with us your wonders and feedback to help inform our school planning for the 2024-25 school year. The more survey responses we receive, the more we can better understand the variety of perspectives our families bring to our school community, so please consider taking a few moments to complete the survey if you have not already. The Jennie Elliott 2024 School Planning Presentation shared at the last School Council meeting will provide more information. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Upcoming Dates
March 7 – Grade 2 Celebration of Learning Assembly
March 18-22 – Student Learning Conferences K-6
March 18 – Fun Lunch
March 19 – School Council Meeting
March 22 – Non-instructional Day (no school)
March 25- Apr 1 – Spring Break
Enjoy the weekend everyone!
With much gratitude,
Lucene Tahmazian
Principal (Acting) | Jennie Elliott School