Principal’s Message

Another busy month with a great group of kids, and this year seems to be flying by. We are at
the halfway point and we have seen some amazing things from our students and school com-
munity. I am always grateful that I am a part of the Forest Green family. What a great school!

We are glad to say “hello” and “welcome back” in the past couple of months to staff members.
Shehnaz Wierenga has come back to Forest Green School and the staff and students could not
be happier. Shehnaz‟s dedication to students is evident the minute you meet her and we
missed her dearly. Welcome back Shehnaz!

Linda Trippel has recently joined our staff and is teaching with our EYALT program. She
does a fantastic job with the students and is a welcome addition to our staff. Great to have you
with us Linda :)

There are some fantastic opportunities that are coming up in the next few months that I wanted
to notify our school community about. We are SO EXCITED to have the Family Dance re-
turning this year and are even happier that the School Council will be sponsoring it this year so
January 2011 Newsletter

Forest Green School

it will be free for all of our families! Thanks to all of the volunteers who put in a ton of time to
make this a great event for our school. The kids are very excited about the opportunity to
dance all night long! The Family Dance will be held on March 18th! Make sure you plan to
be there.

We are also excited to welcome back 3rd Street Beat in May to work with our students on their
“Hip-Hop” moves. The group will be working with the students the first week of May with a
performance being held on Friday, May 6 at 1pm. We are looking forward to this day but we
REALLY need parents to ensure that they park in appropriate spots as we have busses coming
in during this time. Believe me, it is worth the walk to see this show! Thanks so much for the
School Council sponsoring this event. The students have also earned this opportunity through
funding from the Recycling Club.

Thanks for a great first half of the year. Let‟s make the second half even better!

Sincerely,
George Couros
Principal, Forest Green School/Connections for Learning
http://forestgreenschool.ca
Email: gcouros@psd70.ab.ca

http://forestgreenschool.ca
 Page 2

KEY DATES FOR February

February 1—School Council Meeting at Forest Green (3:30).

February 10-11—Teachers will be attending their annual teacher convention

(no school for students).

February 14—Valentine‟s Day

February 15, 16 & 17—Scholastic Book Fair—9:00 to 3:30pm

February 21—Family Day Holiday (No School)

St. Patrick's (Day) Family Dance

YEAH! The family dance is just around the corner! Mark your calendar for
Friday March 18th from 6:30-9:30.
To make this dance a success I need some great volunteers and that is YOU!
Give me a call or email me if you would like to be involved at 780-963-7017
or jeff020@telus.net

Let's come together for some community spirit, fun and dancing and make
this years family dance a huge success. It's time to dance!!

Forest Green School

5210 - 45 Street
What HAPPENED at Forest Green! Stony Plain, AB
T7Z 1R5
December—Congratulations to the students
School Fees and staff that put on a WONDERFUL Christ- Phone: 780-963-7366
mas concert. Awesome work everyone! Fax: 780-963-0341
School fees were due
January—Basketball season begins!
September 30, 2010. If
you have not yet paid
If you have questions about
your school fees, January—Ski club!!
weather cancellations or route
please see Mrs. Bu- delays, schedules or any other
chaski to make ar- January 21—First broadcast of the ―Forest bussing concern, check out
the Parkland Transportation
rangements as soon Green News‖ by the grade 6 students.
web site @
as possible. www.parklandtransport.ca/

http://forestgreenschool.ca
Page 3 Forest Green School

Rainbows
We are bringing the RAINBOWS™ program to Forest Green
through Alberta Parenting for the Future. The program was
created to provide children with an opportunity for healing af-
ter a painful loss (of divorce, death and other family
changes...). The children are taught skills that will enable
them to cope with painful life changes and everyday issues in
a positive manner. If you think your child would bene-
fit from such a program please contact Mrs. Kari at
780-963-7366.
Grade 6 News
 Grade six student will be heading to
Camp YoWoChAs, February 7th– 9th.
We will take part in a variety of outdoor
skills and team building activities.
 D.A.R.E graduation will take place on
Feb.22nd for our grade six students
who successfully complete the pro-
gram.

Book Fair!
The Scholastic Book Fair is scheduled for February 15th, 16th and 17th.
The fair will be open from 9 to 3:30 on these days.
Scholastic credits our library with a large percentage from the cost of the
books at the sale. This is an excellent opportunity to add new titles to our
collection.
To help support the classroom libraries, a portion of the profit from the
book fair will be available for each classroom teacher to select some books
for their room.
The busiest times are first recess and lunch recess.
If anyone would be available to help during the fair, please call Mrs.
Shmyr @780-963-7366.

COSC Workshop: Blogging and Learning Using Web 2.0

Technology and social media are everywhere. Children are connecting around the world at a young age,
but are they doing this in an appropriate way? Educators around the world as well as here in Parkland
are using social media as a way of connecting, collaborating, and creating projects that are relevant to
students, while preparing them to be responsible and ethical digital citizens.

In this presentation, George Couros, Principal of Forest Green School/CFL, with Lesley Cameron and
Corre Mahan, will show how technology is evolving in schools to create enhanced learning environ-
ments. Through the use of social media, George will show how technology creates learning opportuni-
ties at both home and abroad and demonstrate how parents can take part in their child's education.

This presentation will be held at Forest Green School on Tuesday, March 1, at 7pm. Come check it out!

http://forestgreenschool.ca
 Page 4

Student Learning and Assessment at Forest Green

Report Cards: You noticed some changes with our November report cards, and the March report
card will be similar:
1) the terms “Strengths” (not to be confused with excellence, but is an area where your child is pro-
gressing well), and “Goals” (an area in which your child needs more time, practice, and progress)
2) shorter paragraph comments for more clarity
3) no “grades” for Art, Music, French and Health
4) we hope to improve the “readability” with font, spacing, and more everyday vocabulary

Blogs: You have probably seen our classroom blogs, where our teachers and students post many
exciting projects and information about everyday class events and learning. If you haven‟t had a
chance yet, check out www.forestgreenschool.ca and scroll down to find your child‟s class-
room. These blogs are gradually replacing classroom newsletters, so let your child‟s teacher know if
you still need a paper copy.

E-portfolios: Our students are just getting going on their very own “blogfolios” (Grades 3-6) and
digital collection, not web-based (Grades K-2). Staff are busy having students store some of their
learning on their portfolios. This work can have two purposes: to showcase learning (a finished
product), or to show growth over time (first draft products). We are excited about sharing this pro-
ject with you in the coming months, and this is meant to be an on-going portfolio that will carry your
child into their future grades.

Student-Led Conferences in March: Our hope with all these changes is to have students take
more ownership of their own learning, especially as they mature. By looking at their own strengths
and by setting goals, research shows that children become even more engaged in their school
lives. A student-led conference is exactly as it states: the child leads the conversation with parents
and teachers at the table. Our staff will work diligently to help your child prepare for the interview,
and the teacher will also have information to share. You will still book a 15 minute interview slot
and will still meet in your child‟s classroom. Watch for more information in February.

Student learning and assessment should go hand in hand. One rarely exists without the
other. Learners are assessing their own skills every step of the way. Teachers can provide the in-
struction, guidance, and standards needed, but it is often the self-reflection that pushes a learner to
move forward. Assessment should not be something “done” to a child, but be something done
“with” a child. At Forest Green/CFL, it is around this concept that we are planning our learning and
assessment.

http://forestgreenschool.ca
Page 5

What our staff is learning

 Mrs. Cameron continued on with her Balanced Literacy training led by

our own Mrs. Wandio.
 Ms. Hobbins attended a grade 2 cohort meeting that focuses on sharing
our independent literacy centers in Language Arts.
 Mrs. Wandio, Mrs. Shmyr and Mrs. McEwan attended a session on
learning to use a Children's Literature resource kit that has been designed
to support FNMI student success by using literature to help promote cul-
tural awareness, develop respect for diversity and build pride in the First
Nations student. It has been designed with both Aboriginal and non-
aboriginal students in mind.
 Mr. Usiskin attended a ―Critical Thinking in Math‖ session offered by
Parkland School Division.
 Ms. Mahan, Mrs. Cameron, and Mr. Couros presented to Stony Creek
parents on the power of learning through social media.
 Mrs. Johnson continues to lead sessions in assessment and student led
conferences with all Forest Green staff participating.

If My Dog Could Talk

Forest Green is proud to support the new release of the children's
book „If My Dog Could Talk‟ and is looking for your support!
The 24 page personally photographed book features the real life
story of a Forest Green student and life with her Autism Service
Dog, with important resource information in „About Service
Dogs‟ and „Our Life with Autism‟. With your support, we can
make a difference to educate and empower students, their fami-
lies and communities both locally and abroad.
$3.00 per book sold at the school will be donated back to Forest
Green towards the enhancement and development of library ini-
tiatives. Stop by the library to pick up you copy today!
($12.99 / book - cheques payable to A. Ainsworth)

http://forestgreenschool.ca
 Page 6

Forest Green School Blogs

Forest Green Main Blog —http://forestgreenschool.ca

Connections for Learning—http://cfl.forestgreenschool.ca

Forest Green Kindergarten News—http://

kindergarten.forestgreenschool.ca/

French—http://french.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 1 News—http://grade1.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 2 Miss Heward—http://grade2a.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 2 Ms. Hobbins - http://grade2b.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 3 News! - http://grade3.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 3/4 News—http://grade34.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 4 News—http://grade4.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 5 News—http://grade5.forestgreenschool.ca

Grade 6 News—http://grade6.forestgreenschool.ca

Music—http://music.forestgreenschool.ca

SNAP Program—http://snap.forestgreenschool.ca

The EYALT Programhttp://eyalt.forestgreenschool.ca

Buzz About Books—http://bwandio.forestgreenschool.ca

What’s Happening @ Stony Plain Library This Month

What’s a Pirate’s favourite subject in school? ARRRRRRRRR-T!!!
Join us at Stony Plain Library for an afternoon full of Pirate Mayhem on Friday Feb 11 th
from 1:00pm-3:00pm during Teacher’s Convention. Check out our webpage at
www.stonyplainlibrary.org for more information.

http://forestgreenschool.ca