Principal’s Message

Spring has sprung and we are enjoying the nice weather and spending extra time outdoors.

There is so much great learning at this time of year, with many field trips, events and outdoor opportunities.

In May, we will loop back to our focus on Belonging: ‘Fostering a Sense of Self Awareness and Belonging in Our School Community”.   As I look around the playground, I find many examples of kids sharing interests, making connections and having fun! Coming up this month, we will be collecting some “street data” from our students to see the gains we have made in the achievement of our goal.

Please continue to read on for more information about upcoming activities.

Pam Mair, Principal

 

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Sports News

ShredHERS and ShredCOED

The Stoke Youth Network, the Revelstoke Cycling Association, and Wandering Wheels are once again running the ShredHERS and ShredCOED Mountain Bike Programs this spring.

ShredHERS is for self-identifying girls in grades 6 & 7. This is coached by female instructors and no experience is necessary. This is a fun way to ride with a supportive group of girls in an easy going environment. Levels of bikers are split up when necessary to ensure everyone is getting the appropriate level of challenge.

ShredCOED is for all genders in grade 6 & 7. Again, no experience is necessary and levels will be split up so everyone is getting the appropriate level of challenge.

For more information, please contact Ainslee Arthurs, Revelstoke’s Youth Liaison for Stoke Youth at (250) 837-7878.

Smashball

Thank you to the RSS Volleyball course and coach, Mrs. Hoshizaki for providing the opportunity for our grade 6 and 7 students to learn and develop their volleyball skills. Students travelled to RSS for Smashball weekly throughout March and April and participated in a final tournament on April 25th. Thanks to AHE teacher sponsors, Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Cadegan. A great time was had by all.

Golf

Our grade 7 students are taking part in two golf lessons with the professionals at the Revelstoke Golf Club. Hopefully, they will enjoy this lifelong sport! Our golf club has an excellent juniors program and green fees are free for students under the age of 18 when accompanied by an adult!

Swimming

Students in grades 2 and 5 will be heading to the Revelstoke Aquatic Center for lessons on May 14, 21 and 28th. Lessons will be 30 minutes and all swimmers will enjoy an additional 30 minutes of free time. Please send your child with a swim bag that has a swimsuit, towel and goggles (if needed).

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Explorations

Explorations looks a little different at AHE this year. Rather than choosing one session spread out over a number of weeks, students are able to explore a few topics of interest in a full day of Exploration. Primary students took place in Exploration May 2, when they were divided into small, multi-age groups and rotated through 4 stations run by our Primary Team. Stations included Art, STEM, Drama, Inuit Games, Music, Technology, and Outdoor Education.

Students in grades 4-7 will take part in Explorations on Friday May 9. They will be able to choose three activities including Scratch Game Coding, Card Games, Art, Drama, Baking, Beading, Rock Painting or Slack Lining or a full day of hiking and Orienteering.

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Jump Rope For Heart

Our JUMP ROPE FOR HEART event was a huge success. The weather held for our student body to engage in fun stations outside led by our grade 7 students. New this year, we added Hoops for Heart for our basketball enthusiasts! Thank you to students for JUMPING into the fun. The enthusiasm and the fundraising is much appreciated.  We met our fundraising goal, raising $2043 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation!

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Sports Day

AHE’s Sports Day is planned for Friday, May 23rd, weather permitting.  Intermediate field events and Primary fun events will be on Friday, May 23rd, and our Intermediate track events are scheduled to take place on the morning of Monday, May 26th. Volunteers will be needed in order to successfully run these events, and following AHE tradition, we are asking families to send one sharing plate of fruit for our athletes to snack on through the day.  Please watch for volunteer notices coming home.

PAC group will be offering a Subway lunch on this day.

The District Field Meet will take place at CPE on the morning of June 3rd, and the District Track events will be on June 5th.

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Parent/Caregiver Series

Parent & Caregiver Series – Having Courageous Conversations with Your Child – with Hilla Shlomi CYMH
May 13 – 6:30-8:00 in the RSS Library or Click here for the virtual link

Talking with your child about their mental health struggles and risky behaviours is hard and scary. Many parents avoid it because they don’t know where to start… some worry they will say the wrong thing and make the situation worse… In this workshop, parents will learn about youth’s risky behaviours (e.g., substance use, self harm, suicidal behaviours) and explore ways to have courageous conversations about these behaviours with their children.

Follow the link to check out the May Mental Health Newsletter:

https://www.sd19.bc.ca/newsletters/may-mental-health-wellness-newsletter/

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Kindergarten Orientation

How time flies!  We are preparing to welcome our next year’s Kindergarten students!  Families are preparing to attend the Kindergarten orientation session in June.  Current Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:30 on June 12th  to allow teachers to orient new students and their caregivers to the classroom.  On June 12th, current Kindergarten students will be in class from 8:30 to 11:30, and home for the rest of the day.  Please make arrangements for your child.

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Grade 7 News

Grad Portraits

Melissa Sessa will be taking Grade 7 graduation photos on May 15th. Copies of photos will be sent to families in an online gallery. Thanks Mrs. Sessa!

Sunnybrae

Well done to our Grade 7’s and their parents who have been working hard this year to fundraise for their year-end trip. The group is looking forward to this time together to bond, extend their leadership and team work skills and have fun prior to their final weeks of their elementary education. This year’s Sunnybrae trip is planned for May 29 and 30th. Grade 7 students, accompanied by Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Cadegan and a parent volunteer,  Ms. Tennant,  will be departing Arrow Heights on Thursday, May 29th to head to Sunnybrae Camp on the Shuswap Lake. The group will be participating in activities led by camp leaders including: climbing, crafts, wilderness skills, low ropes course, horsemanship, canoeing, archery, plus group activities with the grade 7 students from CPE and BVE. They will spend the night at Sunnybrae and return on May 30th. More information and permission slips will becoming home soon!

Grade 7 Grad

The leaving ceremony for our grade 7 graduates is planned for June 17th at 6:00 p.m. Please save the date to join us as we bid farewell to our most senior students. It’s always fun to hear them share their fond memories of their time at A.H.E. The theme for this year is Spring Flowers. Anyone keen on helping to decorate the gym should reach out to:  igardiner@sd19.bc.ca.

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Outdoor Learning

Connection to the land is very important to us, and as we work towards Truth and Reconciliation, classes have been working towards creating their own Land Acknowledgement to share. We know that good acknowledgments honour the traditional territories on which we learn, our connection to the land, and how we plan to take care of the land. Please ask your child about the process of creating their own land acknowledgement.

Classes are learning in the outdoor classrooms, enjoying nature and focusing on place-based learning. Learning in contact with nature is known to reduce anxiety and increase people’s overall sense of well-being. Immersion in nature can even increase feelings of self-efficacy and self-esteem. In terms of social outcomes, outdoor education develops social relationships between students and provides additional opportunities for collaboration among them.

During the month of May, our outdoor classrooms are put to good use! Classes are also taking part in field trips to spend the days investigating the wetlands. We are so fortunate to live within walking or biking distance of such an amazing outdoor learning space!

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Class Configurations

It’s already nearing the time of year when schools begin creating classes for the upcoming school year.  Although student placements cannot be finalized until the first week of the new school year, this process allows us to plan for the best possible placements for all of our students.

The following is a list of criteria we consider when making student placements:
·   the child’s physical and social maturity
·   the child’s intellectual development level and age
·   gender balance in each class
·   the child’s relationships with other students
·   parent information
·   student support services and the composition of each class

Although we do not consider requests for a specific teacher, parents are welcome to provide us with information relating to the above factors.  Parents/guardians requesting special consideration are to discuss their child’s educational circumstances with the Principal. Special requests should be sent via email to Mrs. Mair prior to June. 1st.

As always, we may need to adjust classes through the first week of September when we determine how many students have arrived in Revelstoke or moved away during the summer break.  For this reason, we do not publish class lists prior to the first day of school. We will not accept special requests in August or September.  If you have further questions regarding this topic, please contact Mrs. Mair at the school.

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PAC News

Wow, can you believe it’s already May? It’s hard to believe there are only two months left in the school year! As PAC starts to wind down for the summer, we are also beginning to look ahead to next year.

At our AGM in October, we’ll be looking to fill a few key executive positions: Chair, Co-Chair, and Social Media Coordinator. These roles are essential to the success of our school community and offer a great opportunity to get involved. If you’re interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at pacarrowheights@gmail.com.

We are also looking for two volunteers to help with Sports Day on May 23rd — volunteers will help run the parachute game and the fruit table. If you’re available and willing to lend a hand, please send us a quick email and we’ll provide you with more details.

Also on Sports Day, we’ll be hosting a Subway hot lunch! Keep an eye out for order forms coming home soon, and please make sure to return them by the due date so we can make sure we don’t need to say no to late orders.

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Spring Fling!

Our AHE PAC will be hosting a Spring Fling on June 6th for grades 5-7, complete with a DJ and concession! Students in grades 5-7 across the district will be welcome to attend from 7:00-9:00. Entry will be $5.

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Upcoming Dates

May 5th: PAC Meeting 6:30 pm

May 6th,15th: Golf grade 7

May 7th UBC Gearing UP Workshops – grade 2/3 and K

May 8th: Hot Lunch – Austin

May 9th – Intermediate Explorations

May 14th, 21st, 28th – grade 2 and 5 swimming

May 15th: EnviroSongsters at RPAC (K-6)

May 16th – ProD – no school

May 19th – Victoria Day – no school

May 22nd – Grade 7 photos

May 23rd – AHE Sports Day/Jersey Day

May 26th: Intermediate Track events at Centennial Field (a.m.)

May 27th: Gr. 6/7 Final Band Concert (p.m)

May 29/30th: Grade 7 Sunnybrae trip

June 3rd: District Field events at CPE (a.m.)

June 5th: District Track events at Centennial Field (a.m.)