To access our School Improvement Plan in full, click here.
School Improvement Planning 2019-2020
Parents, student representatives, trustee, Tennile Lachnuth, and of course our staff met after school on May 9th to review data collected from a variety of sources:

  • grade 4 and 7 FSA results (Ministry of Education)
  • grade 4 and 7 Student Learning Survey Results (Ministry of Education)
  • grade 4 and 7 Middle Years Development Instrument results - SD 83
  • grade k - 8 SNACC results (Numeracy Assessment - school based)
  • Grade k-8 School developed Survey results
  • School developed Parent Survey results
  • School developed Staff Survey results

Goal areas in Social Responsibility, Numeracy and Engagement will continue for the 2019-2020 school year. Staff will continue to meet and discuss strategies moving forward.

We thank all 37 parents who completed the survey. This represents over half of our families.

In the area of communication, it was reported that 77% of parents prefer communication on our School Facebook Page, 77% also prefer the reminder emails. While 68% find the monthly e newsletter extremely and very informative, only 44% of families indicated it as their preferred communication. I suspect people prefer shorter amounts of information on an ongoing basis. Overall, 91% of respondents indicated they always or usually feel well informed about school happenings.

Please continue to access our website, School Facebook Page, weekly emails and e-newsletters to stay informed. Our School District website www.sd83.bc.ca is another great place to access all kinds of district wide information.

Thanks again for your feedback and input moving into the 2019-2020 school year. I encourage you to continue to call and voice your thoughts. Your questions, ideas and concerns are important to me.
Athletics - Cross Country Running
What a season! Thanks to all our parent helpers: Katelyn Abel, Jodi Boland, Lisa Colebank, Megan Jaxon and Trisha McLean. Also, a big thanks to Dani, our school secretary for chipping in. Cross Country is a very popular event at our school and we have some very talented runners. It was very emotional as each of our runners crossed the finish line. A special congratulations to Reese Abel who came in 2nd out of all the kindergarten girls competing in the district race. Also congratulations to James Lipinski who came in 5th out of all the kindergarten boys competing in the district. What an accomplishment for all.

Thanks to our PAC for finding funds to bus our students to the race in Salmon Arm. It was a hot day and a rewarding one.

Click here to read more about our race in Salmon Arm.
Click here to read more about our race in Silver Creek.
‌
Track and Field will be getting started soon, as part of students physical education, for students in grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. The Annual District Track and Field Meet is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4th in Salmon Arm. If your child meets the eligibility criteria to take part in an event, you will be contacted and a permission form will be provided. Parent drivers are needed for this event.
Bike to School or Work Week - May 27th - June 2nd
Students are encouraged to participate in the annual Bike to School or Work Week. Please ensure that students have a lock to keep their bike and helmet safe. Students are reminded to dismount their bikes upon entering the school grounds and walk their bike along the pathway to where the bikes are locked.

Once supervision is over at 2:25 PM, all students are instructed to go home to check in with their parents about any after school plans. If students are given permission by their parents to play at the school after hours, we kindly ask that students remain out of the parking lot with their bikes IF there are cars parked there. This is for the safety of the children.
Pokemon Cards
Students have been asked to keep all Pokemon Cards out of the classroom. If they feel the need to bring them to school, they must remain in their backpacks during instructional time. Students have been told that trading is not allowed at school. It has been noticed by staff that recently students have been more preoccupied with Pokemon cards than usual, so much so that it is beginning to interfere with learning time.
Please encourage your child to keep their cards at home.
Grade 8 GRAD News
The Grade 8 Graduation Celebration will be on Wednesday, June 26th. Please save the date in your calendars. Traditionally, students in grade 7 and their parents have helped to serve the grade 8 students and their families.

An email was sent home to parents of students in Grade 7 and 8 with more information. Invitations were sent out earlier this week as well with an RSVP due date of June 3rd, 2019 with dinner
Information from PAC
Thanks to the following for taking on executive positions with PAC.

President: Yvonne Logan
Vice President: Adina Clements
Treasurer: Jill Pruner
Secretary: Rebecca Budac
Directors: Jodi Boland, Karoll Brosnan, Christine Leclerc
DPAC rep: Yvonne Logan and Jill Pruner
Hot Lunch Coordinator: Jodi Boland

Next PAC meeting is Wednesday, September 11th at 2:30 PM in the Staffroom. All parents welcome and babysitting will be provided.

Please contact Yvonne Logan (778-930-0224) Adina Clements (250-463-5750) or Shelly Cull (250-833-2806 or 250-379-2320) to discuss ways you can get involved and contribute to your child's school experience.

You can keep updated on PAC initiatives and events by liking or visiting their Facebook page here.



RODEO BREAKFAST:
PAC BOTTLE DRIVE:

Volunteers are needed at the school parking lot from 9 - 2PM on Sunday, May 26th. Click here to access information pertaining to our Bottle Drive. The PAC has agreed to share 10% of the proceeds to Division 1's celebration account if at least 6 representatives from Division 1 come to help out. Pizza will be provided for volunteer helpers. Thanks so much PAC for all you do for our school. A special thanks to Jill Pruner for taking the lead on coordinating this fundraiser.

PAC MEETING DATES:
Wednesday, June 5 - cancelled
Wednesday, September 11th

HOT LUNCH DATES:
Wednesday, May 29th
Wednesday, June 12th
Thank you very much to all our parent helpers whose contributions (donations, time, effort and energy) made it possible to host our annual community breakfast to kick off the 101st Falkland Rodeo. Click here and here and here to access photos of our cowboys and cowgirls partaking in the rodeo festivities while at school. Thanks Jill Pruner, for supervising and coordinating our students' involvement in this year's parade.
Thinking Ahead:
Some news for the 2019 - 2020 school year
Click here to access School District 83's calendar for the 2019 - 2020 school year. Thanks for the feedback you provided to the district.

So far we have 15 students in kindergarten registered and 103 students total for next school year. If you have plans to move away over the summer, please contact me. If you know of anyone new moving to the area with school aged children, please contact me. The more accurate our numbers are, the more secure we can be with staffing, classroom configurations and student placements.
So far, our class configuration looks like the following: k/1, 1/2, 3/4, 4/5/6, 6/7/8. If you have a child in grade 1, 4, or 6 and have input regarding placement, please contact me by email by June 14th. These class configurations can change with student movement in or out of the school.

When a grade is split into two different classrooms, the placement of students is a complex one and takes a lot of thought and careful consideration by staff. In our small school, we get to know our students well in a classroom setting. We consider academics as well as social emotional development. We consider placement of siblings and the number of years already with a teacher. Having said that, we are required to balance the student needs in each class and also work within the limits of the Collective Agreement concerning class size and composition.
2019 - 2020 School Fee Notice
School District No. 83 schools are currently developing fee structures that reflect a common framework and better align with district policy. Our fee letter for the 2019 - 2020 school year will be sent home soon by email. You will notice some increases in areas such as Cultural Performance, but decreases in amounts for school supplies, especially for students in grades 5, 6, 7, 8. We will no longer be charging for art and exploration fees. Additional funds are being released to schools from the district to help offset supply costs. Our school does not charge for an Activity Fee upfront like other schools as payment requests are made throughout the year for optional programs like Winter Rec, swimming k-5, and other field trips outside of the curriculum, if students choose to participate in them.
School Supplies
In consultation with PAC and staff, our school will again be purchasing supplies for student use in the classroom and recouping a fee of $35.00 from parents. We kindly ask that you do not buy school supplies for your child. (The only exception is students in Division One are requested to purchase a zippered binder). This option has many benefits. In addition to the individual student supplies purchased as part of the $35.00 fee, the school purchases classroom supplies for communal use (eg. scissors, rulers, calculators, etc.). These items belong to the school and get reused from year to year, which means less items are purchased by parents unnecessarily year to year. These communal items, kept in the teacher's care, are also less likely to go missing. Students seem to have what they need when they need it. All items are purchased with a clear purpose by the teacher in mind. We can ensure quality, uniformity and consistency in product. This helps both the teacher and student with organization to maximize instructional time in class. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with this. If you require further explanation, please contact me. More information will be included in our 2019-2020 fee letter.
Minutes of Instruction
We are required to provide a minimum amount of instructional hours in the school year. In kindergarten, the minimum hours are 859 in the year. This is less than other grades in order to accommodate a gradual kindergarten entry. The grades 1 - 7, the minimum hours are 878. In grade 8, the minimum hours are 952. The number of minutes per day is dependent on the number of calendar days there are in the school year. In order to meet the minimum requirements, next school year we will need to add 2 minutes to each school day. Also, in order to provide blocks of time to fit district wide agreed upon music time, our break times have been adjusted. Please see the following bell schedule proposed for 2019-2020 school year. In order to promote a classroom community in Division 1, home of grade 8s, all students in the class follow the schedule set out for the grade 8 students. This helps to build a more cohesive classroom culture.
Parent Appreciation Spring Tea - Wed. June 12th
Talent Show Information - Fri. June 7th
If your child is interested in performing at the Talent Show on Friday, June 7th, ensure they sign up for one of the audition times at lunch on Tuesday, May 28, Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30th with Ms Barker and Mrs. Cull.
Kindergarten Orientation - Wed., June 5th, 12:45 - 1:45
If you have a child enrolled in kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year, you are invited to attend a Kindergarten Orientation with your child on Wednesday, June 5th from 12:45 - 1:45 PM.
The swim at school program continues to be important to our school community. The following dates have been booked at the Vernon Recreation Center for our annual swim at school program. Students attend 8 times. PAC approved to fully fund transportation for students again this school year. This is equivalent to approximately a $45 savings per child for parents.
Swimming - Grades k-5
Lessons are on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are scheduled from 9:30 - 10:30 AM.

May 28th and 30th
June 4th, 6th, 11th, 13th, 18th, and 20th

Please ensure your child comes to school with their swim suit and towel each session. Parent volunteers, especially dads, are needed. Parent volunteers must have their police information check completed and on file at the school.
Winners of the Shuswap Young Writers Contest
Again this year, our school had a tremendous amount of entries for the annual Shuswap Young Writers Contest. All students who entered should be proud of this accomplishment. Congratulations to the following students who placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

In Poetry (Age 5 -8):

1st - Jemma Poirier, I love the Moon
2nd - Claire Russett, Lake
3rd - Kaden Rennie, Snowdrop

In Poetry (Age 9-11):

3rd - Samantha Tyler, You know it's Spring
In Haiku (Age 6-10):

1st - Luke Abel, At the Riverbank
2nd - Anna Steeves, The Moon
3rd - Lucy Sanchez, Snow Beach

In Haiku (Age 11 - 14):

2nd - Jaelynn Gillman, Bumblebees
3rd - Jasmin Richoux, Spring Haiku

Click here to learn more about this contest opportunity, the categories and criteria.
School District No. 83 Dress Code
With the warmer weather approaching, please find information regarding our dress code. This same information was in our initial September Newsletter which outlines a variety of important information.

The North Okanagan-Shuswap School District expects all students to dress in a respectful manner which is appropriate and conducive to a positive as well as safe learning environment.
Appropriate dress is considered to be that which:
Is safe and respectful of self and others;
Is free of any reference which promotes alcohol, drugs, gangs, hate, obscenity, profanity, racism/discrimination, sex and/or violence;
Is not disturbing or distracting to others within the school setting;
Is similar to office or retail workplace attire.

At Falkland School appropriate coverage is expected in all learning environments (playground, classroom and gymnasium). Students wearing clothing which is too revealing, including bare backs, bare midriffs, spaghetti straps, plunging necklines, muscle shirts, or clothing not suitable for the task at hand, will be asked to wear something more appropriate, or be given something to wear. Underwear needs to be under your outerwear, and therefore, should not be visible. Footwear must be worn at all times.

Inside shoes are mandatory for all students to be sure our school stays clean.
We ask that hats and hoods must be removed once students enter the building. Hats and hoods may be worn during breaks and lunches while outside. Students who violate the hat policy may have the hat confiscated and held in the office until the end of the day. In conclusion…please, Dress For Success.
Upcoming Events at Falkland School
Please click here to access a pdf (printable) copy of our most recent upcoming events. Please take note of the upcoming events pertinent to your family and record them in your calendars. While an email is sent home weekly as a reminder of upcoming events, this list will always be much more comprehensive.  
FALKLAND SCHOOL  | 5732 TUKTAKAMIN ROAD, FALKLAND BC

250 - 379 - 2320| fal.sd83.bc.ca | fal@sd83.bc.ca