Nokomis School, Nokomis, Saskatchewan

Home of the Nokomis Knights March 2010

Principal's Message

March is upon us and it looks like it is coming in like a lamb. After a stretch where it seemed like there was one interruption after another, we now have a long stretch of time with little or no interruptions. Hopefully we can get a lot accomplished in this time as the year certainly is flying by. March does lend itself to a very busy time at school. Between classwork, SRC activities, and extracurricular activities there is no shortage of things to do. In addition, the weather will start to get nice which can make it difficult to focus. All in all, March can be an interesting month. Remember, though, with a bit of perseverance, a bit of humor, and a whole lot of dedication, anything can get done. Have a great end to winter.

- Mr. Koenig

Kindergarten, Grade 1 & 2 News

Gosh, it feels like I just wrote a note for the newsletter! I guess that just shows how fast time is flying by. With the beginning of March comes report cards and I can’t be happier with the way things are going!

The Kindergartens have started a new unit on dinosaurs and are really enjoying it. They continue to forge ahead on their sounds and are starting to learn some pretty tricky ones. Math is going great and they are moving onto yet another unit, this one on exploring geometry and measurement. All said, things are going great in that room, and the kids seem to be having a blast.

The One’s and Two’s are also starting on some new stuff, as well as finishing up some old stuff. Both grades will be starting new units in Math and a unit on the Earth in Science. We continue to look at reading strategies in both grades and are continuing to work on sentence writing, both of which are coming along! I have decided to have another set of interviews, by parent request, for the Kindergartens, Grade One’s and Two’s. These are not mandatory, I just thought because of the teacher change that I would give the parents opportunity to meet with me. I will be scheduling these interviews for the evenings of March 17th and 18th. If you would like to set an appointment up, feel free to call Rhonda at the school. Again, these are not mandatory.

I hope March flies by with great weather and that spring is right around the corner!

- Mrs. Hendry

Grade 3, 4 & 5 News

February ended with an Olympic week of activities ranging from tracking a selected country’s medal standings to designing an Olympic heroes trading card to creating bar graphs to writing acrostic poems to completing Venn diagrams. Hopefully we created more of an awareness to what the Olympic Games are all about.

We look forward to our ski trip on Thursday, March 11th. Hopefully the weather cooperates and we have a great day of skiing.

We are coming to the end of certain subject areas:
Writing – Dictionary Skills
ELA (Gr.3) – Super Senses
ELA (Gr.4/5) – Why Are You Laughing?
Math (Gr.3) – Number Strand: Addition & Subtraction
Math (Gr.4) – Number Strand – Multiplication & Division
Arts Education – Dance Unit
We continue with:
Science – Predicting Weather
Health – Digestive System
Writing – Six Traits – Organization
Social Studies – Saskatchewan Cities

- Mrs. Koenig

Grade 6, 7 & 8 News

I think I missed February; I blinked and it’s March! It was a lovely day Monday, so let’s hope that since March came in like a lamb it will go out like a lamb too. The students are progressing well, especially in math. Ty and Savanna will be writing a math exam Friday, and then will be starting the unit on Fractions, Ratios and Percents. Sydney will soon be starting the unit on Circles. Cara, Daniel, Cylus and Adam will be writing an exam early next week and then start the unit on Volume. There will be a Science exam in the near future and then we will move on to the unit on Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Systems. Treaties is going to be the focus in Social Studies for the month of March, and in PAA the student are working on computer generated floor plans. We are focussing on reading and writing strategies in ELA, and will also be improving our vocabulary by playing the great comparison game Apples to Apples. A potluck lunch is planned for Wednesday, March 10.

- Mrs. Tait

Greetings from Mrs. Stratton

A lot has happened in the short month of February. The grade 9-12 students attended the play "The Wiz" at the Conexus Arts Centre on February 24th which was put on by the Regina group Do It With Class. "The Wiz" is a dramatic re-make of the classic Wizard of Oz, and was portrayed by middle years and high school students from the Regina area.

The February break flew by as usual, and I hope you were able to partake in some Family Day activities and had an enjoyable and relaxing time off.

As we are back in the swing of things after the break, the Media Studies 20 students are currently working on portrayals of education in TV and film, and advertisements. ELA B10 are beginning the classic novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, while the ELA 9 students are working on poetry in their Love, Loyalty and Relationships unit, which will be bringing us into Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. History 30 students have just finished Unit 2 and are working on Unit 3: Canada and the Wars; Social Studies 9 students are debating paradigms and looking at worldviews in the 16th,17th and 18th centuries, and CPT is on the final filming and touches of their Sweded movies.

I am looking forward to a magnificent March!

- Mrs. Stratton

Telemiracle

The SRC would like to thank everyone who came out to the pancake breakfast last week. Between the breakfast and the other Telemiracle activities of the week, we will be sending a cheque in the amount of $800.00 to Telemiracle. Way to go.

SCC Annual Meeting

The Nokomis School Community Council held its annual meeting last Monday. No election was needed. We welcome Hazel Eddy to the council and thank Sandy Braun and Janelle Edwards for their service over the past few years. Sandy and Janelle have stepped down from their positions on the council. The other members of the council include Dale Knouse, Tim Hendry, David Mark, Betty Styles, Nina Moskal-Braun, Michele Cruise-Pratchler, Maureen Tait, and Ken Koenig. There are positions available so if you are interested please contact Dale.

Telemiracle Pancake Breakfast

The SRC is holding a Pancake Breakfast on Friday, February 26th from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in the School Gym. Cost is: Adults - $6.00; Grades 7-12 Students - $6.00; Kindergarten to Grade 6 Students - $3.00; Preschool – Free. All proceeds will be donated to Kinsmen Telemiracle. Hope to see you there.

Sr. & Jr. Badminton

Badminton season has begun. Both teams will be practicing together on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Their league play will begin within the next few weeks. Playoffs are slated for the end of April. More information will come as it is available.

School PD Day

There will be a PD Day for staff on Wednesday, March 24. This whole day is the result of combining the February and March early dismissal days into one. There will be no school for students on that day.

Term 3 Report Cards

Report cards for Grades 6-12 will go out on Wednesday, March 31. Report cards for Grades K-5 will be going out this Friday, March 5.

Thank You

A big thank you goes to Carolyn Knouse for making time in her day to help out with school curling. All Phys.Ed. classes in the school had the opportunity to receive some instruction and get some playing time. Hopefully this sparks some interest in the sport.

A second thank you goes to the students for their card and goodie tray that was presented to the staff during Staff Appreciation Week. The staff appreciated the gesture very much.