Submitted by Brenda Brewer, Principal, and Breanna Heels, Vice-Principal
And just like that, it’s May! This is why we call it Apr-Ma-June! The next few months at Bruce Peninsula District School (BPDS) and St Edmunds Public School (St. Edmunds) are also some of the most exciting as more sports are occurring, the weather is nicer, and of course, there are class trips, Prom, Grad and more!
Secondary badminton has just wrapped up, and now soccer is currently underway, and BPDS hosted a game last week, which was exciting since we hadn’t had a game here in so long! Envirothon and Track and Field is next up! The school play – A Lighter Shade of Noir – is also coming up and will be performed May 12-14.
Learning for a Sustainable Future Pilot Project – and Earth Week!
We have partnered with Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) to become a Sustainable Future School this year as part of a pilot program. LSF is a Canadian charity that has been working for over 30 years to integrate sustainability education into Canada’s school system. LSF has lots of teaching resources and ideas to give teachers practical ideas to bring sustainable education into their classrooms, particularly around the UN Global Goals. This couples really well with our EcoSchool certification as well!
For the past few weeks, we have had Adriana, a student teacher and LSF volunteer, and Judy, who works with LSF, at BPDS to help support programming and professional development around integrating the UN Global Goals into our classrooms. It was also recently Earth Week, so in the past few weeks, we have had school-wide community clean-ups, a beach clean-up, a litter audit and lots of walks on the Bruce Trail!
In Ms. Rimay’s SK/1 class, Adriana and Judy did a lesson where Thomas and Friends introduced the Global Goals to the class as they began their work on goal #15 Life on Land. The SK/1 class received a “Special Delivery” note from M.N.! After reading the mysterious note, signed only by initials M.N., students in the SK/1 class realized that M.N. must be Mother Nature and that she had so much work to do to get the Earth ready for spring. Without hesitation, these troopers marched off into the natural areas of the school yard to search for clues and find ways to help! Over the course of 3 days, these young Earth keepers gathered spruce cones for the squirrels, made nests and fed the birds. Mother Nature was sure to thank them for their willingness to help with a story, some beautiful rocks and a sunny afternoon!
In Mrs. Peacock’s Grade 3/4 class, Judy and Adriana did a lesson about the interconnectedness of the Goals and how we are already doing things in our daily lives to work towards the Goals!
Featured Staff – Elementary Itinerant
We would like to take an opportunity in each issue to highlight the amazing staff at BPDS and St. Edmunds. In this issue, we would like to introduce you to the amazing itinerant elementary teachers, who work in lots of the classrooms and teach a variety of subjects! If you have been following along our featured staff articles, you will notice many of our staff are former BPDS students, and in this issue alone, 3 of our featured staff are BPDS grads!
Rachel McLay is in her first year teaching, and teaches Core French and Music at BPDS! She says: “This is my first year of teaching and I still can’t believe I’m working my dream job at BPDS! French and Music have always had a special place in my heart since I was a BPDS student and now I have the pleasure of sharing these passions and inspiring my own students. Being a prep teacher, I truly feel like I get the best of both worlds – teaching my favourite subjects and spending time with different classes, each unique in their own way! Every day I walk into BPDS, I feel at home and grateful to work alongside such amazing staff and students who never fail to put a smile on my face.”
Last year, BPDS had to say goodbye to Martha as she retired from teaching, but it makes it a little less bitter because we have welcomed Rachel, who is Martha’s daughter!
Ali Mielhausen teaches a variety of subjects, to a variety of grades! She is in her third year of teaching, and second year at BPDS! She says: “I was a student at BPDS, did all of my student teaching at BPDS, and I loved it so much I came back to teach. I love teaching at BPDS, because as a prep coverage teacher I have the opportunity to be in several of our classrooms teaching various subjects to extraordinary kids. I also have the pleasure of calling several of the amazing educators that inspired me to become a teacher my colleagues. BPDS and the surrounding community are truly a family and I am so grateful that I get to continue being a part of it!”
Ashley Earle is the Learning Resource Teacher at BPDS, and has been at BPDS for 6 years. Ashley works with lots of students, across all of the grades, as well, and gets to work with lots of students in small groups or 1:1. This year, she has especially enjoyed gardening and cooking with her students!
Chantelle King also teaches a variety of subjects, to a variety of grades! She is at BPDS for 0.5 and then also at St. Edmunds for 0.5 as well. Chantelle says: “Having grown-up in the halls, gym and classrooms of BPDS, the school has always been like a second home to me. I spent many mornings and time after school pretending to be a teacher in the classrooms. I have always wanted to teach, and knew that being a teacher in the school I grew up in, would be the best career I could have. I am so fortunate that my lifelong dream of being a teacher at BPDS is my real life. The staff and students at the school are so special, and make teaching here so much fun. As a prep teacher, I get to interact with a variety of different classes and enjoy learning with so many students from all grades. As I am in the early stages of my career of teaching at BPDS – it makes me so happy and excited to know that this is my home and where I will have many more years of learning, having fun, and meeting amazing students. I hope that I can continue on the many traditions I was able to be a part of as a student at BPDS – and leave the same impact in my students as my BPDS teachers and community had on me.”
If you don’t already follow our Facebook page, you can follow us at Bruce Peninsula DS 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.
