DONKEY DERBY - FEBRUARY 10
Time: 6 – 8:30ish
Location: Keating Elementary School Gym
How this works:There is a grid on the ground (8x10) and we have 8 riders (donkeys) per race.
We have a partial deck of cards (1-8 twice) which get get shuffled and drawn. The corresponding
numbered donkeys move a spot; we continue to shuffle and draw. The first rider (donkey) to cross
the finish line wins the race and picks a prize. Second place gets to move on to the semi finals. We
have 11 races for the evening (8 races, two semis (first four to cross in each reach the final) and a
final). We have people purchase a ticket for the donkey of their choice and if their donkey wins
they get a prize. You can also buy a donkey for a particular race and name it. You would get a
prize if your donkey wins the race it is entered for. Every entry gets a small prize! This will be a
ton of fun!
How to buy a donkey: We only have 64 donkeys up for sale (we will only accept the first 64
entries). The cost per is $5. You name the donkey (be creative) and that would be your family’s
donkey for the evening. Your child can be the Jockey riding for you! The remaining jockeys
(donkey) will be determined by random draw on the evening if any remain.
Please return your entry form along with payment to the box located outside the school office.
Cheques payable to KHASA.
VANCOUVER ISLAND PARENT CONFERENCE - FEBRUARY 11
On Saturday, February 11, 2012, you are invited to be part of the conversation
about our children’s education with world-renowned speakers Dr. Martin Brokenleg
and Dr. Stuart Shanker. The event will be held 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Spectrum
Community School. COPACS is generously covering the conference fee for a limited
number of parents to attend; please contact copacssd63@gmail.com if you are
interested. For more information on the conference, visit www.vipc.ca.
SMILE CARDS
Want to earn money for Keating at the same time as earning your regular Thrifty’s points? Keating Elementary has qualified for the Smile Cards community
fundraiser – hooray! Pick up your card at the office today.
Bottle Drive - 1st Tuesday each month (a.m. only)
February 7, 8:15-9 am
March 6, 8:15-9 am
April 3, 8:15-9 am
May 1, 8:15-9 am
June 5, 8:15-9 am
KOSC Families who drop off earlier than 8:15 am are welcome to leave their
donations in the covered area on bottle drive mornings.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO RECESS
Please see the message below from COPACS - more information is available at www.copacs.sd63.bc.ca.
Hello SD63 Families,
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback regarding the proposed changes of moving recess to the end of day. Last night, on Monday Dec 5,2011 the newly elected board of education discussed this issue.
Dr. Keven Elder provided a confidential print out to the trustees only which included all of the feedback received by parents since Thursday Dec 1st to Monday Dec 3rd. In all, 104 responses were received from parents and 101 of them were opposed to moving recess to the end of the day.
In response to the feedback, Dr. Elder brought forth and recommended another proposal that included leaving recess time unchanged and instead proposing to add ALL excluded and management staff to supervision duties commencing Jan 3, 2012, rather than just district management staff.
The extra staff would include speech and language pathologists, district psychologists and First Nations assistants to recess and before and after school supervision. This would have the unfortunate effect of reducing services to children during class times, but it must be remembered that teachers are on strike and there is an effect. Avoiding all negative effects on children during this job action, while desirable, is not possible.
The Saanich Board of Education passed a motion:
-approving the deployment of all management and excluded staff to the supervision duties as of Jan 3rd 2012
-requesting a report to be submitted to the board in January 2012 detailing the impact of the supervision duties on the ability to accomplish work requirements by district management and staff
-adding this issue to the agenda for the January 18, 2012 meeting for further discussion.
Thank you again for taking the time to send in your responses and expressing your valid concerns as it definitely had an impact. We will provide updates on this matter as they arise.
-COPACS
PLAYGROUND COMMITTEE
PLAYGROUND COMMITTEE
At the KHASA General Meeting in October, parents in attendance voted that funds raised from the
Keating Spring Fair 2012 would be allocated for playground equipment and enhancement. Historically
in School District 63, playgrounds are the financial responsibility of Parent Advisory Councils (Keating
Home and School Association, here at Keating). The current playgrounds were installed over 15 years
ago, and are slowly disappearing as they age and become unsafe to play on. KHASA would like to
form a Playground Committee to discuss/plan long/short term financial strategies to make our
playground accessible for all children and then present options to the KHASA General Meeting. The
date of the first meeting will be announced soon, through the school. If you are interested on being a
part of the committee please contact Nicole Bains @ mnbains@shaw.ca or 250-652-3983, so we can
take your schedule in to consideration for the time and date. We will need parents of older and younger
children, to share the history and to look forward to the future. Playgrounds generally take a lot
of financial and logistical planning and could take 5-8 years to see all of the stages complete.
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Last spring, parents present at the KHASA General Meeting voted to spend $14,994.13 from funds
raised at Keating's 2010 Spring Fair on the installation and purchase of 19 media projectors in
classrooms and the purchase of 3 document cameras. Such technological improvements are in use at
other schools like Bayside and Kelset. KHASA would like to thank our Spring Fair 2010 volunteers
for making this possible.
ROAD SAFETY
device) even when stopped at a traffic light. Let’s keep the safety of our Keating kids the number one
priority on the roads --- whether you are driving to and from the school or have volunteered to drive on
a field trip! For more details visit http://www.icbc.com/faqs/road_safetyfaqs and click on “Cellphones
and driver distractions”.
SCHOOL DISTRICT INPUT INTO MUNICIPAL PROPOSALS
The school district will be providing input to the municipality of Central Saanich before Oct 31, 2011 regarding draft amending bylaws with
respect to Large Retail Uses in the Keating Cross Road arterial commercial area. Anyone interested in commenting can visit the
school district site at www.sd63.bc.ca and send an email using the 'Contacts' page.
EMERGENCY CORNER
Welcome back to Keating Elementary. Some of us started the new school year
with a bit of a jolt, I'm talking about the earthquake that occurred in the mid island region on Friday at 12:41 pm. It was felt as far south as Seattle and as far west as the Okanagan. People in high rise office towers in Vancouver said their window blinds swayed for a few minutes and I would imagine their knees for a few minutes longer. You just never know where and when an event like this will happen.
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Andrew and I am the Emergency Coordinator for KHASA. Every now and then I will submit something for the Wednesday Communication Newsletter with the goal to bring about awareness of what Keating parents, staff and administration via KHASA are doing to prepare
for a possible emergency, whether it be natural or man made.
As a parent of two boys at Keating, I feel more secure knowing that the district has put a lot of work and money in earthquake upgrades to our school over the summer months. As a safety professional for the last dozen or so years, I hope it is a waste of time and money, as a realist, I know it isn't.
May all the earthquakes we feel, just rattle the blinds and remind us of the price we pay to live in paradise.
Andrew Bowler; Emergency Coordinator; KHASA
P.S; KHASA is always looking for parent volunteers and input, it's your school.
2010/11 School Bus Registration and Payment Information
Early registration will assist the District to plan the most effective bus routes and help to ensure that bus routes to your area are available. Please see the Keating School website for more information and forms.
2011/2012 Budget
Over the past six weeks, the school district has completed an extensive and detailed review of all budget
programs and services through working groups whose membership numbered 61 people and included
teachers, support workers, school administrators, managers and parents. The findings of these groups
will be posted on the district website www.sd63.bc.ca on March 17, 2011.
The Saanich School District continues to face a funding allocation system that removes funding for
enrolment decline without our having the ability to reduce costs by the same amount. Our enrolment in
Saanich is expected to decline 694 FTE students between 2011 and 2015 when enrolment in the district
will level off at about 6,100 FTE students.
Over the next six weeks, the Board of Education will be consulting to determine its 2011/12 operating
budget plan. While students in our schools will continue to achieve success, the Board will have to
reduce the budget in order to manage an enrolment decline of 243 FTE students in grades one to twelve.
In 2011/12 this reduction will be offset by the addition of 75 full day kindergarten students. We are
hopeful that the Province will continue to provide special grants for districts in significant enrolment
decline to minimize these adjustments. Those funding announcements are expected on March 15, 2011.
Opportunities for Input Directly to the Board of Education:
April 12, 2011 School Communities Meeting at Bayside Middle School from 3:00 -5:00 p.m.
April 19, 2011 Public Budget Meeting at Bayside Middle School at 7:00 p.m.
The Board looks forward to seeing you at one of these meetings. Once the draft budget plan is finalized,
the district will conduct a survey on our web site www.sd63.bc.ca. You can also provide e-mail input at
budget@sd63.bc.ca.
Wi-Fi in Schools
Some Keating parents are getting involved in the debate over the use of Wi-Fi in schools, or are interested in this hot topic. For more information, check out Citizens for Safe Technology.
RECYCLE OLD PHONE BOOKSBring your old telephone books into the school (to be put on the stage). All donated phone books will go to the Riding for the Disabled. THANK YOU!
Notice to Parents and Staff Influenza Update October 20, 2009
This notice is provided to remind you of the expectations and understandings that we have in regard to pandemic planning, particularly in relation to H1N1 influenza, and to let you know of how we are doing in our schools as of this week.
Field trips 2009-2010 A message for parents
Many parents have inquired about the district field trip policy and this message is provided for clarification.
The School District 63 Saanich Board of Education places a high value on learning opportunities that can be provided to students outside of the classroom environment. Field trips allow the opportunity for enrichment and curriculum enhancement. District Policy 3040 clearly outlines that all field trips should be related to provincial curriculum and that teachers must communicate to administrators and parents (permission slips, course outlines, newsletters) about the educational value and relevance of trips being undertaken.
It may not be entirely clear to parents however, that there are essentially two kinds of field trips: required and optional. Any trip that is a required activity of a class/course and is assessed (graded) should be of no cost to parents. The Board has provided funds to cover the costs of these field trips.
However, if a field trip is an optional activity for the student, then the school may charge for that opportunity. Under these circumstances this fee is waived if a student does not, or is unable to pay. As well, if a student does not participate in the optional field trip, an alternative activity in the school must be provided.
Some schools and parent groups choose to fundraise for optional field trips, therefore reducing costs to parents. In some schools parents prefer to contribute directly for these trips, and not to fundraise. Fundraising capacity and interest varies from school to school.
Recent legislation provides for the ability of schools to charge for optional field trips. It is our goal to reduce these costs as much as possible, while maintaining an understanding that after 13 years of schooling in Saanich, each student will have had some exciting opportunities in our local region and beyond. Our Board of Education is committed to equality of opportunity and will monitor the field trip situation closely.
If you have any further questions, please contact your school Principal.
NO CHILD WITHOUT FREE MEDICALERT MEMBERSHIP FOR STUDENTS AT OUR SCHOOL
The No Child Without program was developed to ensure children across Canada from Kindergarten up to their 14th birthday receive MedicAlert protection at no cost to the parent, school or Board of Education. The program follows the child should they move to another school in Canada. There is a significant benefit to the school because No Child Without blends in with the school’s safety plan and illustrates the importance of children’s health and safety.
Students receive a choice of a bracelet or necklet listing their medical conditions, allergies and or medications with their identification number, a wallet card, access to the 24 Hour Emergency Hotline, notification of personal emergency contacts at the time of emergency and a follow-up with parents after the emergency call is made to the Hotline.
No Child Without brochures can be obtained from the school office.
H1N1 INFORMATION
Information links for parents and students on the school district’s main web page www.sd63.bc.ca
Links include:
- H1N1 Q&A Parents
- H1N1 Q&A Students
- Helping Adults Regarding H1N1 Stress
- Helping Children Regarding H1N1 Stress
- If you think your Kid has H1N1
- Protecting Kids from H1N1
- Talk to Kids about H1N1
- BC Government H1N1 Page
- SD 63 Health & safety H1N1 Page
- Public Healthy Agency of Canada –Flu Watch
- DoBugsNeedDrugs.org
CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECKS REQUIRED FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS IN THE SAANICH SCHOOL DISTRICT
- Criminal Record Checks are now required for all volunteers in the Saanich School District.
- Our hope at Keating is to have criminal record checks in place by September for all Keating parents who are interested in volunteering (i.e. fieldtrip driver, classroom helper, library helper, hot lunch, sports teams, etc.);
- The school provides a letter from the principal for the volunteer to take to the police station, requesting that the police waive the fee;
- Criminal Record Checks are valid for up to one year after the date the Criminal Record check was completed. Having this completed in July or August will ensure that it is valid until the end of the school year in June;
- The volunteer attends the police station in the municipality in which they reside to complete the Criminal Record Check application and present their identification. An exception to this is if the volunteer resides on one of the four tribal reserves in the area in which case the Criminal Record Check must be conducted through the Sidney RCMP detachment;
- The police department conducts the Criminal Record Check and the volunteer goes back to pick up the form. In some cases, the school police liaison officer will pick up completed Criminal Records Checks on behalf of the volunteer or school;
- The completed Criminal Record Check is submitted without delay to the Office of the Secretary-Treasurer at the School Board Office (2125 Keating Cross Rd., Victoria / across from the Co-Op grocery store). School District will accept original documents only. For protection of privacy reasons, copies are not kept at the school. The original form is to be sent to the School Board Office as soon as possible and no later than three days prior to the field trip occurring or the volunteer starting at the school, coaching a team, etc. in order to provide enough time for the Secretary-Treasurer’s Office to follow up any Criminal Record Check that may come back with a tick indicating a record has been found;
- If the Criminal Record Check is clear, the volunteer’s name is added by the Secretary-Treasurer’s Office to the Volunteer Bulletin Board on Zimbra, the district’s internal mail system. School secretaries and/or school administration have access to view this listing and should be checking on behalf of teachers or other staff organizing volunteers, to make sure the names are listed;
- If the Criminal Record Check is not clear, the Secretary-Treasurer’s Office will follow up with the school principal and volunteer, and the Secretary-Treasurer will make the determination as to whether or not the person can volunteer in the district;
- When the volunteer’s name is added to the Volunteer List, they can volunteer anywhere in the school district for up to one year after the date the Criminal Record Check was completed.
TRAFFIC/SAFETY, DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP REMINDERS
- Please be reminded that children should not be dropped off any earlier than 8:10 a.m. and need to be picked up in the afternoon preferably by 3:00 p.m. and no later than 3:10 p.m. There is no supervision before or after these times. If for some unforeseen reason you cannot pick your child up by 3:10 p.m. please call the office and let Mrs. Matthews know.
- Please be extra cautious when driving to and from school and when driving in our school driveway.
- Enter our driveway slowly and do not enter the parking lot through the exit driveway.
- Please do not park in the drop-off area as this causes congestion and traffic backs up onto Central Saanich Road.
- For long term parking, please use the visitor spots or the parking lot off East Saanich Road.
- Please, help us to keep the good relationships we share with our neighbors by not parking in/or blocking their driveways.
- If it is possible to car pool, or to walk with your children to school please consider this as it will reduce the volume of traffic around the school.
Parent and Guardian Volunteer Opportunity Details
All volunteers are greatly appreciated. An hour, here or there, will help to spread the work. Whether it’s phoning, driving for field trips, or helping to photocopy, your participation is a huge asset to our school. Please remember that all parents/guardians are welcome and encouraged to attend all KHASA General Meetings. Your involvement will benefit your child, keep you informed, give you a voice, and build a strong school community.
For more information on the volunteer opportunities, click here or please contact the Committee/Program Coordinator, your KHASA Presidents (e-mail khasa63@gmail.com), or any of the Executive members.
NEW BOOSTER SEAT LEGISLATION
Starting July 1, 2008, new regulations will take effect. All drivers will be responsible for transporting all children in an age and weight appropriate child seat until their 9th birthday unless they have reached the height of 145cm (4'9") tall.
More Info: www.tsfbcaa.com/child_safety_seats
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| Cops for Cancer 2007 |
Keating is looking ahead to the New Year and has thought of one more way our students can help reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill. We are starting a composting program here at Keating and are really excited about it. Children are invited to put their compostable leftovers (fruits and veggies only) in their classroom compost bucket which will be emptied into the large outside compost unit three times a week. We are looking for volunteer parents who can be at the school twenty minutes before class is dismissed for the day to help children empty and rinse their classroom composters. If you can help, please e-mail Alison Cairns at jatro@telus.net or Nicole Rogers at nmrogers@telus.net.
We would like to extend a very big thank you to the Golon Family for the very generous donation of a large black compost unit.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION WEBSITE
http://www.achievebc.ca/education.asp
The Ministry of Education has a website that you may want to check out. It's a site where parents can go to get information on education including what students are learning, tips for helping them with reading, writing, math, learning standards, how to help with studying, getting involved with your school. Have a look.
No
Waste WednesdayREMINDER!
