AHE January 2026 Newsletter
Principal’s Message
WELCOME BACK AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope you all had a restful and fun-filled time over the holidays. Christmas can be a very busy and hectic time and the staff at AHE appreciates families who took the extra time to wish us Happy Holidays as well as spoiled us with so many cards and gifts. It was so nice to see everyone at our 2025 Christmas Concert. Thank you for joining us and for your generous donations to the Revelstoke Food Bank.
January is a time for fresh beginnings. This month, our school is focusing on Critical and Creative Thinking as students take part in winter sports and learning challenges. Like the salmon, who must think, adapt, and persevere as they swim upstream, students are encouraged to problem-solve, try new strategies, and keep going when learning feels challenging. Through sports, classroom activities, and reflection, students will practise thinking creatively, making adjustments, and persevering as they grow as confident learners.
Mrs. Pam Mair, Principal, AHE
Winter Expectations
The SNOW is coming!! We have been reminding our students of the following playground expectations:
- Come prepared with appropriate winter/snow wear: mitts, hat, snow pants, jacket.
- Snow stays on the ground unless directed at our snowball targets.
- Ensure no one is behind the targets or between you and the targets whenthrowing.
- Only one person at a time when sliding.
- Slide feet first and on your bottom.
- Walk up hills in a safe spot beside any sliding areas.
- Invite others to play and take time to explain the game/activity.
- Respect others’ creations; break things only if you’ve made them.
- Report all dangerous and slippery areas.
District Sports Activities
January and February are busy months as our students get out and try out the winter sports offered in our community.
Grade 3 Alpine Ski/Board Program: Mondays, January 12th, 19th & 26th.
Skating for Grade 1 Students: Wednesdays, January 7th, 14th & 21st.
Nordic Skiing for Grade 4: Fridays, January 23rd, 30th, February 6th and 12th.
Grade 6 Alpine Ski/Board Program: Mondays, February 2nd, 9th, 23rd.
Grade 7 Curling: Mondays, February 2nd & 9th.
Please remember to send your child(ren) in the appropriate outerwear for the activity and the weather. We do have some items at school to lend. Please let us know if you are in need of anything!
Grade 6 and 7 Basketball
Get Ready for Basketball Season!
The basketball season is here! Practices will be held during lunch and after school for all teams. In addition, all players are invited to the gym at 8:00 a.m. each morning for shooting practice—a great way to sharpen skills and start the day energized. Whether you’re a returning player or trying basketball for the first time, everyone is welcome to join, improve, and have fun on the court this season! Team information and practice times will be communicated with students during the first week back to school. The game schedule is below. Students are asked to find their own rides to and from away games. Thank you to our volunteer coaches: Mr. Cadegan, Mrs. Gauer, Ms. Butler and Ms. Draboczi.
Kindergarten Registration
We are excited to welcome parents and guardians to register all children turning five years old in 2025 for Kindergarten starting this September! Revelstoke School District wants to ensure that staff and resources are in place at our neighbourhood schools to meet the needs of all Kindergarten students in our community so our registration is ongoing.
How to Register for Kindergarten:
Parents and guardians of new students must register at your neighbourhood school. If a placement to another school is desired, please still register at the neighbourhood school and request to apply for a cross-boundary placement. To register your child online, go to www.sd19.bc.ca and click “Register” along the top menu.
Pre-K Play
Students new to Kindergarten in September 2026, are invited to come to AHE, meet some of the staff (and our school guinea pig) and begin to familiarize themselves with the new surroundings. There will be 3 Pre-K Play sessions coming up. The first is planned for Thursday, Jan. 15th.
POPS and PALS
PALS (Parents as Literacy Supporters) and POPS (Parents of Primary Students)
This is an afternoon of fun and learning for you and your Kindergarten and Grade 1 child!
The program brings together parents, students, and their primary teacher(s) so that everyone can be actively involved in learning. You will go home with some tips and tricks on how to support your child’s learning at home.
POPS – Grade 1 (both classes) January 28th 12:50-2:30
PALS – Kindergarten (both classes) January 22nd from 12:50-2:30
Battle of the Books
Students in Grades 3 to 7 students have been eagerly taking up the challenge and have been reading up a storm. The books are available at our library and at the public library. Reading aloud by parents or teachers, reading e-books, and listening to audiobooks also counts! Teams for the District Battle of the Books will be selected in March based on knowledge and number of books read, so good luck to all of our readers. The District Battle takes place on March 5th at BVE.
The school competition (BOBFEST) is coming up at the end of February. Everyone who reads at least one book can be part of BOBFEST on Feb. 24 (Gr.4/5),and Feb. 25 (Gr. 6/7) and Feb. 26 (Gr. 3/4). It’s not too late to read a couple of books and join a team! Practice sessions are starting in the second week of January. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Draboczi at gdraboczi@sd19.bc.ca.
Numeracy News
Mental Math and Our School Goal
As part of our school goal, we are focusing on building strong thinkers who approach challenges with confidence and perseverance. Mental math plays an important role in this work and is a key part of BC’s Mathematics curriculum.
Mental math encourages students to think flexibly about numbers, try different strategies, and explain their reasoning. Instead of memorizing one method, students learn that there are many ways to solve a problem and that making mistakes is part of learning. This supports our school goal by helping students develop critical and creative thinking, resilience, and a positive attitude toward learning.
When students use mental math, they are practicing skills such as problem-solving, reasoning, and adapting strategies when something doesn’t work the first time—skills that apply well beyond math class.
Families can support this goal at home by talking about numbers in everyday situations and encouraging children to explain how they figured something out, even if their strategy is different from what you might expect.
Mental Math Example
A student is asked to solve 48 + 27.
Instead of writing it down, the student thinks:
“48 is close to 50, so I’ll take 2 from 27 and add it to 48.”
“50 + 25 = 75.”
Another student might think:
“40 + 20 is 60, and 8 + 7 is 15.”
“60 + 15 = 75.”
Both students arrive at the same answer using different strategies. By explaining their thinking, students practice perseverance, flexibility, and critical thinking—key parts of our school goal. They learn that there is more than one way to solve a problem and that trying, adjusting, and explaining their thinking is just as important as getting the correct answer.
Road Safety
As we embark on a new school term, it is important to remember the importance of some basic road safety rules around school. Schools can be very busy places at drop off and pick up time, and your courtesy and patience are appreciated.
Please drive carefully remembering the 30km/h speed zones and refrain from doing U-turns in front of the school. Be mindful of children and their parents walking and cycling to school, as well as those students catching buses or waiting to be picked up by parents in vehicles. Our bus drop off area is a busy spot in the morning and after school. Please refrain from parking in the bus lane, and watch for the flashing lights on the bus!
Thanks for helping to keep our students safe!
Book Character and PJ Day
BOOK CHARACTER DAY & PJ DAY- January 26
To celebrate Family Literacy Day, students may dress as one of their favourite book characters or in Pajamas on January 26th. We ask that students try to bring a book featuring their character, to school that day. In the morning, students will have the opportunity to share with their school reading buddies.
Family Literacy Day (January 27th) is a national awareness initiative held annually in January to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. More information can be found at http://abclifeliteracy.ca/
Ski After School
Our Grade 4-7 students will once again have the opportunity to participate in Nordic skiing at the Mt. MacPherson Cross Country Ski Trails after school one day per week. This program is provided in partnership with the Revelstoke Nordic Club and Stoke Youth Network with AHE teachers also volunteering their time. AHE and EDG will be skiing after school on Wednesdays Jan. 14, 22, 28 February 4, 11. The bus leaves AHE at 2:30 and arrives back at school at approximately 4:30. Snacks and rentals are provided!
Parent/Caregiver Series
The SD 19 Parent/Caregiver series is back by popular demand,with the first session happening on January 28th with Hilla Shlomi. Please stay tuned for further details about time, place and live stream info.
PAC News
Happy New Year, Arrow Heights families! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.
December was a busy month for PAC fundraisers. PAC would like to thank all the families who purchased Purdy’s chocolates, and to those who created beautiful crafts for the AHE Holiday Craft Fair. Your contributions helped make these events a great success! A big thank you goes out to Save on Foods for the donation of cookies and oranges that the kids could enjoy while shopping.
Looking ahead, PAC will be hosting a Pizza hot lunch. Order forms will be sent home in student planners. Please keep an eye out for them! We ask that all orders are returned by the specified date, as we are unable to accept late forms.
Our next PAC meeting will be Monday, January 5th at 6:30 PM in the AHE Library. Childcare will be provided. PAC is always looking for volunteers to help with events, so please don’t hesitate to reach out at pacarrowheights@gmail.com or come to the meeting on the 5th if you’re interested in getting involved.
Upcoming Dates
January 5 – PAC Meeting 6:30
January 7, 14, 21 – Grade 1 Skating
January 12, 19, 26 – Grade 3 at RMR
January 14, 21, 28 – Ski After School
January 8 – Hot Lunch – Community Kitchen
January 12 – Buddy Activity – Primary Collab.
January 15 – Pre-K Play
January 15 – Basketball game
January 16 – PAC Hot Lunch
January 22 – Hot lunch – Community Kitchen
January 22 – PALS (p.m.)
January 22 – Basketball game
January 23, 30, Feb. 6, 12– Grade 4 Nordic
January 26 – Family Literacy and PJ Day
January 28 – Parent/Caregiver Series #1
January 28 – POPS p.m.
January. 29 – Basketball game
January 30 – Primary Explorations (p.m.)
Stay connected!
Please visit our website arrowheights.sd19.bc.ca
