Submitted by Emily Cameron, Bruce Peninsula District School
We are so happy to be back at BPDS (Bruce Peninsula District School) and St. Ed’s (St. Edmund’s Public School) this September! Staff and students have been very busy and already participated in many academic, athletic, and community events.
We are happy to welcome several new staff to the building. Oliver Clark is a new Secondary teacher who is teaching Math and Physics. Nora Scott is the new grade 3/4 teacher, Julia McCaulley the new 4/5 teacher, and Eric Barton the new Kindergarten teacher. Jodi Naves has also taken on the role as Vice Principal while Mrs. Heels is on maternity leave. Emily Cameron is now working full time at BPDS and has taken over as the secondary Guidance Teacher. Jessica Rice is also back full time teaching a variety of secondary subjects.
On September 22, 2022, the secondary Civics class hosted an all candidates meeting in the library. Students prepared several questions for the candidates and then listened intently as each prospective member of council talked about their ideas and solutions.
Teacher, Emily Cameron, stated, “I would like to thank all the candidates for their time. It was great to hear all of the various perspectives.”
On the same day, Elementary Student’s Council hosted a meet the teacher BBQ, Secondary Student’s Council held an Autumn Harvest Dance, and there was both an Outers meeting and a Parent Council meeting. What a busy day at BPDS!
On September 15, secondary students participated in a house-colour kick off event. The enthusiasm was infectious.
Grade 12 student, Mackenzie Zevenbergen wrote, “Student council hosted the first 2022-2023 Spirit Day where grades 9-12 were invited to participate in a number of events. Everyone was put into a colour-crew where they worked as a team to create a chant, decorate members in toilet paper for a fashion show, compete against other teams in a scavenger hunt, as well as an Oreo eating contest.”
She continued, “The event had music, prizes and was a great way to start the school year. It was a fun-filled, exciting and inclusive afternoon as new and old students were shown what being a panther is all about: community and spirit.”
As mentioned above, the first secondary dance of the year was held on Thursday, September 22nd and was an Autumn semi-formal theme.
Zevenbergen stated, “We had a DJ come from Joseph J Entertainment in Port Elgin and the turnout was amazing, with over 60 students coming to dance, plus 10 student council members who helped volunteer and set everything up.”
Zevenbergen reflected, “There was a tasty bake sale that included homemade treats and pop, and free punch was provided for every attendee. Several local businesses donated balloon bouquets for décor, and others donated things such as hay bales, corn stalks, and pumpkins.” Special thanks to Foodland and the Dandy Lion.
Elementary students started Soccer practice and Running-Club. Cross-Country took place on September 29. In secondary sports, Junior and Senior Volleyball are up and running, as well as Junior Girls Basketball, Tennis, and Golf.
There are also several secondary clubs in the works. Students are reminded to look around the school for the QR codes in order to give their input about clubs they would like to see in the future.
On September 15, Melissa Rosenburg’s grade 7/8 class went to the Outdoor Education Centre for an overnight camping trip. The students had a blast making cedar tea and playing the survival game. Sarah Peacock’s grade 7/8 class visited Neyashiinigmiing Park at the end of September to participate in Orange Shirt Day activities. They have been reviewing UNESCO and Learning for Sustainable Future Goals all month. The secondary Biology trip left for Killarney on September 26. There are just so many experiential opportunities for our kids at BPDS!
The teaching staff would like to give a big shout out to our custodial and office staff who have worked tirelessly to get the school up and running. It is a big job organizing all the busses, schedules, recycling, renovations etc, and we are so lucky to have such a great team. We have three amazing full time Educational Assistants who also work diligently to support our students. Finally, we want to send a special thank you to Nicole Hess for volunteering her time to prepare the breakfast-club bins each day. It is a big job, and we are very appreciative of her time.
St. Ed’s has also been doing some neat projects. Teacher Melissa Stewart said, “Staff and students are excited to be back at school. September has been busy (and tiring) getting back into the daily routines. So far, this year, we have enjoyed an apple cider tour from the Provincial Park, the Big Crunch, reading buddy time, Fall Fair results, and lots of time getting to know all of the new students in our classrooms.”
She went on to say, “Mrs. King, Mrs. Quist, and I have been excited to get to know all of the students over the past few weeks. We held our first field trip to the local library on September 30, and are looking forward to our Meet the Teacher night October 6 where parents have a chance to purchase Spirit wear.”
She ended by stating, “We also look forward to participating in an Engineering STEM session on October 11, the Thanksgiving holiday, and Picture Day on October 21. We’ll continue to look forward to watching the students grow and learn.”
Finally, Secondary Student council is beginning to prepare BPDS wear for purchase, so make sure to keep an eye out for updates regarding this. Parents and Guardians are reminded to check out the schools’ Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as school messenger alerts, for information, updates, and pictures about ongoings at the school. We love to share our good news, celebrations, and up-and-coming projects and events with our wonderful community.
