The Bastion Elementary PAC is sponsoring a Family Skate on Sunday, March 1st, between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm.  The event will take place in the Spectator Rink, at Shaw Centre.

This is a free event for all Bastion students and their families.  If students or family members do not have their own skates, skate rentals are available at the Maximum Edge Hockey Shop for $5 a pair.

Students are required to wear hockey helmets or bicycle helmets when on the ice, as well as gloves or mitts.

Hot chocolate and Tim Bits will be available.  To help reduce waste, please bring your own reusable mug.

We’re looking forward to seeing many of you join us for our Bastion Family Skate!!

Here is the Week Ahead for the final week of February…

Monday, February 24th
SPCA Presentations. Mme Genevieve, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Mitchell’s classes will be having a presentation by the SPCA. The presentation will focus on the affects of pollution on local wildlife and habitats.
PAC Meeting. The February PAC Meeting will take place at 6:30 pm, in the Music Room. As always, free child-minding will be provided.

Tuesday, February 25th
Skiing at Larch Hills. Mrs. Mitchell and Mme van Varseveld’s classes will going to Larch Hills, giving the students the opportunity to do some cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. We hope the students have a wonderful time!!

Wednesday, February 26th
Pink Shirt Day. The theme for this year’s Pink Shirt Day is “Lift Each Other Up”; a simple but powerful message encouraging us to look beyond our differences and celebrate the things that make us unique. When we lift each other up, we see past the things that separate us and see instead the things that unite us as people.
Skiing at Revelstoke Mountain. Mme Valerie and Mme Candy’s classes will be going to Revelstoke Mountain Resort. This is part of an Inquiry Project grant, where the two classes are experiencing different activities with French speaking instructors. We hope the students have a fun and safe experience!
Boys’ Basketball Game. As several players will be away at Revelstoke Mountain, we will be combining the remaining players to play a home game against Kings Christian School. The game against Highland Park will be cancelled.

Thursday, February 27th
Story Theater Performance. Vancouver’s Story Theater is touring our school district, and Bastion will have the opportunity to host the theater group at 8:30 am on Thursday. The production is called 1000 and Two Nights, and is a story of when East meets West. Iconic characters and creatures from Middle Eastern tales encounter their counterparts from Western European stories. At first, it seems as if they can never understand each other but as they get to know each other, they discover they have more in common than they first thought.
Girls’ Basketball Game. Mme Valerie’s team will be hosting MV Beattie, with an approximate start time of 2:50. Mrs. Smith’s team has a “bye week” and is not scheduled to play.

Friday, February 28th
Jersey Friday. Once again, students and staff are invited to wear a jersey to school. The jersey can be from any sport! Many businesses and schools in Salmon Arm are celebrating sport by wearing jerseys, as a lead-up to the Hometown Hockey events on March 7th and 8th.

Parking Lot Flow

Please keep in mind that the two “drop-off lanes” at the front of the school are for a quick 28 second pick-up and drop-off. We would like to keep the flow of traffic going as smooth as possible, and your help in maintaining that smooth flow would be greatly appreciated.

Families can help before school by:

• ensuring children are ready with their coats on, backpacks ready and giving a quick hug or kiss before leaving the vehicle;
• parents should stay at their vehicle when in the drop-off lane.

We are noticing that some families are arriving to school early in the morning and parking/waiting in the vehicle for 10-15 minutes until the bell rings. With our currently limited parking, this is posing a problem for staff members arriving at school and not being able to park.  Starting at 7:40, the children are supervised outside, so you can feel comfortable dropping them off and continuing on with your morning. Thank you very much, for your understanding!!

Families can help after school by:

• driving through the pick-up lane and doing another loop to reenter the pick-up lane, if your child is not at the crosswalk waiting for you;
• parking in a parking spot, when you need to load-up a bunch of children and buckle them in;
• parking in a parking spot, if your children tend to take a long time to come from the classroom to your vehicle;
• parents should stay at their vehicle when in the pick-up lanes.

Please do not drive by other vehicles in the pick-up/drop-off lane, unless you are directed to do so by the staff member doing traffic control.

Thank you very much for your patience and understanding!!

Monday, February 10th
Magnificent Monday. We hope everyone has a great start to the week!!

Tuesday, February 11th
Terrific Tuesday. We’ll follow-up a Magnificent Monday with a Terrific Tuesday!!
Girls’ Grade 5 Basketball Game. Mme Valerie’s team will have a make-up game against Hillcrest, at Bastion.

Wednesday, February 12th
Grade 1-3 Skating. Mme Reid and Mme Bartsch’s classes will skate from 9:00 – 9:45. Mrs. Williams and Mme Dollack’s classes will skate from 9:45 – 10:30. Monsieur Cote and Mme van Varseveld’s classes will skate from 10:30 – 11:15. Parents are welcome to join the classes to help tie skates and watch the children skate.
Grade 4/5 Bake Sale Fundraiser. Over the next two days, the Grade 4/5 classes will be hosting a Bake Sale as a fundraiser for their year-end activities. At Lunch, students in K-5 will be able to purchase nut-free treats (cupcakes, cookies, etc). Items will cost $0.50 – $1.00.
Grade 5 Boys’ Basketball Games. Monsieur Mueller’s team will be traveling to King’s Christian School, and Mr. Menzies’ team will have a home game against Hillcrest.
Silverbacks Hockey Game. All K-8 students get into the game for free.  Free tickets can be obtained at the Shaw Center box office or Maximum Edge Hockey Shop.  The winning school for the intermediate Math competition will be announced at the game. The game will start at 7:00 pm.

Thursday, February 13th
Fun Food Day. Those students who ordered Fun Food will get to enjoy their pizza or chicken nuggets, along with veggies, a piece of fruit and a cookie. Parents who are available to assist with sorting and distributing the lunches are invited to come to the school at 10:45. We need 4-5 parents who can help ensure the sorting and distributing goes smoothly. Thank you!
Grade 4/5 Bake Sale Fundraiser. Day 2 will take place today. Treats can be purchased for $0.50 – $1.00. Thank you for your support!!
Girls’ Grade 5 Basketball Games. Mrs. Smith’s team will be traveling to Highland Park Elementary in Armstrong. Mme Valerie’s team will host South Broadview.
Long Range Facilities Plan Public Consultation. Parents/guardians who are curious about the school district’s Long Range Facilities Plan, are invited to come to the Public Consultation at 6:00 pm, at the District Education Support Center (DESC). For additional information, please click on the link below:

Consultation begins in Salmon Arm area

Friday, February 14th
Valentine’s Day! Classes will be celebrating this special day in a variety of ways. If children are bringing Valentine’s to school, we would like to encourage the children to bring a Valentine for each student in the class. If you have any questions about how your child’s class will acknowledge the day, please be sure to contact your child’s teacher.

Monday, February 17th
BC Family Day. School will not be in session, as families will hopefully have the opportunity to spend some additional quality time together. Enjoy!

School District No. 83 is conducting various public consultations to receive input on the school district’s Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP).

On Thursday, February 13th, at 6:00 pm, a public consultation session will be held at the District Education Support Centre (DESC). An overview of the entire district will be presented, with discussion focusing on urban schools in the Salmon Arm area (Salmon Arm West, Hillcrest, South Broadview, Bastion, Shuswap, SAS Jackson, and SAS Sullivan).

If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to provide other options or input, please send an email to vdeacon@sd83.bc.ca. There will also be a survey going out to parents in the last week in February, which will stay open until March 13.

The following options are being considered for the Salmon Arm area:

 

Monday, February 3rd
Non-Instructional Day. Classes will not be in session, as teachers will be participating in various professional development workshops.

Tuesday, February 4th
Gr. 1-3 Skating Program. The following classes will be walking to Shaw Center and participating in skating lessons: Mrs. Williams, Mme van Varseveld, Mrs. Ollinger (Mrs. Isaac’s Gr. 1s), Mme Nadine, Mrs. MacDermott and Monsieur Cote. The students will need to remember their skates, a helmet and gloves/mitts. Snow pants are recommended for beginning skaters.

Wednesday, February 5th
Gr. 5 Boys’ Basketball. Mr. Menzies’ team will be travelling to Armstrong to play Armstrong Elementary School, and Monsieur Mueller’s team will have a home game against Ranchero Elementary. Play hard and have fun, boys!

Thursday, February 6th
Gr. 5 Girls’ Basketball. Mrs. Smith’s team will be hosting Hillcrest Elementary and Mme Valerie’s team will be going to King’s Christian School. Good luck girls!!
Fun Food Orders Due. This month’s Fun Food Day will be on February 13th. If families have not ordered, please click on the link below to order online or to print off a paper copy of the order form. Extra forms are available in the office. Orders are due Thursday, February 6th.

https://bas.sd83.bc.ca/fun-food-days/

Friday, February 7th
Fabulous Friday! We hope everyone has a fun and fabulous Friday!!