Submitted by Emily Cameron
I recall many staff and students saying they wanted snow for the holiday season and that it “just didn’t feel the same without snow.” Well… they got their wish, albeit a bit late! The snow has brought with it opportunities for winter sports. Many of our elementary classes have been snowshoeing and enjoying the blustery weather in the BPDS way – OUTSIDE!
The secondary ski team was also grateful for the snow. Although the BAA match at Sawmill Ski Hill had to be postponed, our duo skier team, James Wheeler and Travis Vanderkooy, are practicing for the next race to take place on February 5. They also participated in a time-trial on January 22. These two time-trials will determine who in Bluewater gets to go to CWOSSA at the Mayfield course on February 13. Best of luck boys!
Elementary ski club is starting soon! Stay tuned for pictures and updates.
The snow days didn’t stop our indoor athletes from competing either. The boys and girls Elementary Volleyball teams travelled to Neyaashiingmiing on January 11 to play in exhibition games against the teams from Kikendaasogamig school. It was a fun-filled day with one of our neighbouring schools made possible by Bimose Maamawi – which translates to walking along together – and is a grant offered through Physical Education Canada.
Although the regional tournament had to be rescheduled by a day, both the girls’ and boys’ teams travelled to PSDS in Wiarton on January 19 to compete. Coaches said that both teams represented the school well, winning several sets. The girls’ team made it into the finals and came away just shy, bringing home silver. We are very proud of both teams.
The 7/8’s didn’t let the cold weather stop them from sorting bottles for the bottle drive. Several volunteers met at the Bottle Return in order to dig donations out of the snow. They counted almost $600 worth of bottles! The students would like to thank the community for their donations. They would also like to thank Tim Hayes for facilitating the drive. The money goes towards the grade 7/8 trip to Ottawa. The bottle drive will continue until March and anyone who would like to donate their bottles can drop them off with Tim at the Bottle Return and indicate to Tim they are for the school.
Stay tuned for more fundraising updates. Elmira Chicken orders will be available soon.
Even a politician was able to make their way up the Peninsula to talk to our Secondary Civics class about life in Federal Politics. Alex Ruff, MP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, visited BPDS on January 23 and talked to the class about that age old question: “What exactly do politicians do?” He spoke about his daily schedule, schooling at the Royal Military College, and life in the Military and back home on the farm. He encouraged kids to get involved with school politics by joining the student’s council, and to become engaged in municipal issues as a great way to practice one’s civic duty.
February brings with it a new semester for our Secondary staff and students. This time of year is exciting, as new classes will start on February 5. It also means there will be some small changes to our staffing.
We will be saying goodbye to Josh Urbshott who has filled in as our Co-op and Gym teacher this semester. We will miss his can-do attitude and wish him luck in his future endeavors. We will also be saying goodbye to Kristina Sweatman who has taken a position as the Dual Credit Teacher for semester two. She will be overseeing Georgian College’s Dual Credit Carpentry program and still working with many of our own BPDS students, so we will still see her around the building from time-to-time. Mrs. Teena Milette has taught the Environmental Resource Management Class since the fall. We thank her for her creative contributions to this class.
We welcome back Ashley Myles who has been on maternity leave. She will return to her role as the Outers, Co-op and Gym teacher. You can bet Badminton will soon follow! Also, Ms. Myles will be reaching out to guardians of the Outers students very shortly about the information session on February 7.
We also welcome Cameron Stryker to our staff who will be teaching our Technology (shop) courses this term. Mr. Stryker supplied for us earlier in the semester and we were all impressed by his positive attitude. We are looking forward to getting the shop up and running again this term.
In Elementary staffing news, we would like to congratulate Mrs. King on the birth of her third child. Ms. Kelly Burgess will be filling in for Mrs. King in the grade 4/5 class. Mrs. Larissa McLay will be returning from maternity leave and teaching the grade 5/6 class.
Report from the Principal’s Office
Submitted by Brenda Brewer, Principal, and Breanna Heels, Vice-Principal
Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful winter break, and whatever the holiday season means for you, it was fulfilling in all the ways you need. We certainly missed seeing the staff and students every day, and it was rejuvenating to see everyone back in the hallways and classrooms in January.
We are back in action and have started off the school year in 2024 ready to go! It is a time of new beginnings, but also a time of transition as Secondary finished their first semester, and Elementary completed their first term. We look forward to starting the second semester, which always feels like another fresh start in the year.
As we ease into 2024 and we pick up the busyness of our routines again, I hope we can all continue to find time to slow down as well. Winter is a natural time of hibernation, and it is this time of year that I like to ‘hygge’ – which is a Danish concept to embrace comfort, contentment and well-being through coziness, togetherness, and mindfulness. It is also about embracing the small joys, so whatever the small joys are in your life, I hope you can embrace them a little bit more this winter season. As the days are cold and sometimes gloomy, our hallways and classrooms are certainly not, and so a small joy in our days is coming to school every day!
If you don’t already follow our Facebook page, you can follow us at Bruce Peninsula DS or St. Edmunds Public School Community to see all of the amazing things happening at the school.
If you ever have questions or concerns, give us a call at (519) 793-3211 or by email: Brenda_Brewer@bwdsb.on.ca and Breanna_Heels@bwdsb.on.ca.
