Mustang Memo - September 23, 2022

Congratulations, Mustangs! 

We had an incredible first assembly of the year to kick off our Terry Fox Run/Walk. Thank you to Mrs. Crockett and Mrs. Rice for their leadership in organizing this event for the school! 

We were so proud to see our students carry on Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope as they ran or walked through the neighbourhood. It was great to see parents and guardians outside running with us and cheering us on!

As we begin the last week of September, we are filled with gratitude that we are a part of this incredible community. We have felt welcomed and cared for by the students, staff and families all month! Just like our students took the Terry Fox run seriously, we can see that this community is built on kindness and positivity. This is truly an amazing school! Thanks for making us feel like we belong!

Enjoy the weekend!

Helene Hewitt & Kyla Harding

Principal & Assistant Principal

A place where you belong!

Table of Contents

Week At a Glance

Action

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit Sharing - Orange Shirt Day

Opportunity 

• Counsellor's Corner
• Not Too Late to Donate to the Terry Fox Foundation!
• Strathcona County National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Event

Information

• Hello from the Davidson Creek Fundraising Society
• Message From School Council Chair
• Parents Make the Difference

WEEK AT A GLANCE

ACTION

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Sharing - Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day is a day of remembrance and and act of reconciliation that takes place annually across Canada. This is an opportunity to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools. It grew out of a gathering of survivors held in Williams Lake, British Columbia in 2013, where Phyllis Webstad, who attended St. Joseph Mission residential school, shared her experience of having her new orange shirt taken on her first day. You can learn more about it with this video:

Orange Shirt Day at Davidson Creek

At our school, our students are invited to wear an orange shirt on September 29. Throughout the week, students will learn about Orange Shirt Day as well as participate in a rock painting activity where they will write Every Child Matters messages that we will display in our rock gardens.

We will also share a video of Elder Wilson in our morning announcements which will provide students a chance to learn the Orange Shirt Day dance. Teachers will also engage in a variety of educational activities that were shared by our school division to help teach children about acts of reconciliation to help heal the hurts caused by residential schools. 

OPPORTUNITY

Counsellor's Corner

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! I’d like to challenge you all to a few “Give Thanks” activities in the next few weeks. Here is this week’s:

It’s a Good Morning!

When you wake up, think about how amazing it is to start a new day. Anything can happen! What are you looking forward to in the next hour? What are you excited about today?

Let me know how your activity this week goes when you see me in the hall or outside!

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Dina

~ School Counsellor

It's Not Too Late to Donate to the Terry Fox Foundation

While we have completed our school run/walk, you can still donate money to the ongoing Marathon of Hope! Click here to donate through the school online donation page! Thank you to all of our mustang families for contributing to cancer research!

Strathcona County National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Event

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2022 will be hosted at Broadmoor Lake.

On the mainstage (Broadmoor Lake Plaza) from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., join guest speakers, an Indigenous elder and Indigenous performers and knowledge keepers to celebrate and learn about the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of Indigenous Peoples. Traditional food will be available for sale, and family-friendly activities including a scavenger hunt and canoe rides will be offered. 

At 2:30 p.m. in County Hall, see the unveiling of the new Heather Shillinglaw art installation “ᒥᔪᑕᒧᐣ  ᓇᓇᓂᐢ miyotamon nananis – it is a good road in all directions”. Visitors are invited to meet Heather Shillinglaw, engage in the blessing and smudge and enjoy refreshments. 

At Gallery@501, "The Healing Language of Alex Janvier" will be open 1-4 p.m. Visitors will discover paintings, sketchbook drawings, video and audio works that reflect Janvier's experiences within Canada's residential school system. Mini tours to see Janvier's permanent artworks commissioned in 1976 and 2001 will be available on the half hour. 

Festival Place will be lit in orange to commemorate the day.

INFORMATION

Hello from the Davidson Creek Fundraising Society

We are the group that asks you for money in very creative ways. Our society consists of 4 executive members and 7 members at large. We are all volunteers and parents of DCE students. Together, with your help, we raise money for your school council.

Throughout the year we will be running different fundraisers, starting with our well loved 100% Fundraiser that came home this week. We will be looking for your input as to what fundraisers you would like to see, so keep your eye out for posts on our Facebook site. If you are not a member yet, please join our " Davidson Creek Elementary School Council and Fundraising Society" group.

We will need volunteers this year! There will be many opportunities, such as with the hot lunch program we are in the process of setting up! If you are wanting to volunteer this year, please fill out the bottom part of the 100% Fundraiser form. Also, look out for the Mustang Memo and Facebook, as that is where we will reach out when we need your help.

Thank you for all your support!

Message From School Council Chair

The mission of School Council is to “undertake discussions and activities that will enhance student learning and overall well-being of the school community including staff, parents, guardians, students, the school board and the community at large”.

Stay Connected

Your engagement is important to us, please reach out to us with any ideas you have on how we can improve the activities at our school, whether it be a fundraising idea, maybe a new club, or an activity you think your child would be interested in. If we all work together anything can be achieved.

• Be a part of the DCE Facebook page, join now! https://www.facebook.com/groups/468611710313977/
• Friday’s, on School Messenger App - Mustang Memo
• School Council Meeting
  • Tuesday October 18, 2022
  • 6:30 PM
  • School Library
• Volunteer Opportunities communicationsDCE@gmail.com
  • Reading with students
  • Assist in the Library
  • Preparation work (Preparing materials, photocopying, crafts, etc.)
  • Wellness Committee

The Wellness Committee mission is to “promote a safe, caring, and inclusive learning environment that supports healthy lifestyle choices, nurtures positive mental well-being, and fosters community connectedness”. New members are always welcome! Contact DCEwellness@gmail.com for more information.

Thank you for the opportunity to be this year’s Chair. I look forward to working with all of you.

Lynn W.chairDCE@gmail.com

Parents Make the Difference

Here is this week's article with helpful tips for families:

High expectations can motivate your child to succeed in school

Don’t just hope for your child’s success—expect it! When parents express high, yet realistic, expectations, their children are likely to meet them.           

To help your elementary schooler succeed in the classroom and beyond:

• Don’t act surprised by success. Did your child just bring home a B+ on a super-hard science test? Instead of acting shocked, act like you never had any doubt. “That’s awesome! I knew all of your extra studying this week would pay off!”
• Be supportive. Never belittle your child for mistakes. Failure happens to everyone sometimes. Besides, plenty of other people in the world will be there to criticize your child. That’s why your constant love and acceptance are so vital. Always be your child’s “safe place.”
• Discourage “victim mode.” When unfortunate things happen, don’t chalk them up to bad luck or a mean teacher. That will make your child feel like a victim who has no control over situations. Instead, empower your child to take action. When something goes wrong, talk about the lessons learned. Help your child think about how to handle similar situations in the future.

Reprinted with permission from the September 2022 issue of Parents make the difference! (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2022 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc. Source: Y. and S.D. Holloway, “Parental Expectations and Children’s Academic Performance in Sociocultural Context,” Educational Psychology Review, (Springer).