Bruce Peninsula District School and St Edmunds Public School News
Submitted by Emily Cameron
It is hard to believe June is upon us and the end of the year has arrived! We have accomplished a lot this year and are overwhelmed by the generosity we received and community spirit we experienced each day of the past school year. We have a few more events to reflect upon from May and June before we say goodbye for the 2023/24 school year.
On May 4, The Local Legion Branch 202 held a spaghetti dinner and silent auction in support of the Europe Trip. The Legion raised $3,000 from the event, combined with donations from members, and presented the funds to students on June 11. Staff and students going on the trip want to say a huge THANK YOU to all members of the Legion for their continued support.
We also want to acknowledge Tom and Stephanie from Wiarton Foodland. When Hellyer’s Foodland had to close for repairs, Stephanie and Tom fulfilled our breakfast club food orders. This has been a lot of work. They have also donated to our Footprints Conference and helped with orders for the Europe trip Fundraisers. Thank you! We really appreciate you guys filling in the gaps and are grateful for your generosity!
Many students have participated in year-end trips during June. Our grade 7 and 8s went to Ottawa and had a fabulous time. Many elementary classes have been travelling to Tobermory or going on hikes and exploring our own backyard. Secondary students went to the National Park from June 4-6 to participate in the Footprints conference – a trip which is made free for students by donations from a variety of community members and businesses. Our Outers class travelled to Algonquin at the end of May and had the time of their lives. Stay tuned for an Outers article in an upcoming edition of the Bruce Peninsula Press.
In Arts news, our BPDS Junior Choir was selected by their adjudicator to receive an OMFA Virtual Provincial Finals Scholarship! We received a $350 Award that will go towards our elementary music program – thank you! What an amazing way to support our young singers and celebrate their success as a choir this school year. Mrs. Collins is already planning ahead for the fall and can’t wait to build our music program at BPDS!
In athletics news, BPDS held their annual Track and Field Meet for students in Grades 3 to 8 on May 21. The day got off to a very rainy start, but once the rain stopped and things dried up (a little) it was the perfect day for track and field. Students competed in 3-5 events in their age and gender groupings. Lots of colourful ribbons and happy faces were seen as students ran, jumped and threw new personal bests. Athletes finishing in the top 2 or 3 of each event qualified to represent BPDS at the West Regional Meet in Kincardine in June.
Congratulations to the following athletes who qualified:
Tyke Girls: Paisley C, Jordyn L, Carmyn L, Jovi-Jean W, Cora S, Ariel B, Sophia S and Emmy C.
Tyke Boys: Liam C, Holdyn WM, Sawyer W, Carson S, Lincoln M, River P and Ahilleas C.
Junior Girls: Shea M, Autumn L, Avery S, Mabel C, Tamara T, Marin H, Georgia M, Maddison T and Ruthie M.
Junior Boys: Crue C, Cody L, Trent L, Owen C, Ashten S, Izak L, Emmett S, TA H, Pierce L, Reid W and Bradley C.
Senior Girls: Caysie S, Kenzie S, Jaycee C, Ryder AB, Lyla M, Jerzey Q, Brooklyn M and Lily S.
Senior Boys: Hayden H, Ben M, JT B, Cougen C, Deven C, Nash L, Dexter G, Lukasz M and Lane C.
On June 11th, the BESC West Regional Track and Field meet took place in Kincardine and our Panthers came ready to compete! We brought one of the largest teams to the meet, with many athletes competing in 3 events.
Our top finishers were:
Tyke Girls: Emmy – 5th 1500 m.
Junior Girls: Avery S – 2nd triple jump, Tamara T – 3rd long jump, 4th 800 m, 3rd 1500 m and Mabel C – 5th triple jump.
Junior Boys: Bradley C – 6th 1500 m and Izak L – 6th long jump.
Senior Boys: Cougen C – 3rd long jump and Deven C – 6th long jump, 4th 100 m, 4th 200 m.
Congratulations to all our athletes on a successful track and field season!
The Secondary Student Council rounded out a fun year by hosting the BPDS Prom at the Rotary Hall on June 14. The theme was ‘The Eclipse’ and the event was attended by 60 students all wearing fantastic attire. We would like to thank the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula for letting us host our event at the Hall.
The past year has been full of many exciting events including our Eco School’s projects – we were given Platinum Eco Schools Status again!
We are sad to say goodbye to some of our friends until September, but excited to welcome summer and some time with family. We are also sad to say goodbye to the grade 12 graduates who are starting the next stage of their lives. There will be one final article about the graduates in an upcoming issue, but for now, this is the last school update for the 2023-24 school year. We wish all our friends at Bruce Peninsula District School (BPDS) and St Edmunds Public School (St Eds) a safe and happy summer. See you in September!
Report from the Principal’s Office
Submitted by Brenda Brewer, Principal, and Breanna Heels, Vice-Principal
And just like that, another school year comes to a close! But like the best things, we like to go out with a bang, and it has been busy around here!
Outers went to Algonquin, Secondary students spent 3 days at the Bruce Peninsula National Park for Footprints, Grade 7-8s went to Ottawa, Grade 3, 6 and 9 students completed EQAO, Elementary students completed Track and Field, Grade 4/5, 5/6 and 7-8s went to Tobermory on class trips, Grade 3/4 and 4/5 classes have been hiking the local Bruce Trail, Secondary students had Prom, Elementary students at BPDS and St. Eds did Jump Rope for Heart, JK-Grade 3 students at BPDS and St. Ed’s went to Storybook Park, we recognized National Indigenous Peoples Month, St. Eds hosted a Family Picnic and as you read this, we will be in the midst of Grade 8 and Grade 12 Graduation.
To our Grade 12 graduating students – I am going to quote Taylor Swift from a commencement speech she gave at NYU in 2022: “I know it can be really overwhelming figuring out who to be, and when. Who you are now, and how to act in order to get where you want to go. I have some good news: It’s totally up to you. I also have some terrifying news: It’s totally up to you!” Once a BPDS graduate, you are always a BPDS graduate – wear that proudly and use it like a force as you go into the world.
To our Grade 8 graduating students – we look forward to welcoming you on the other side of the school in September, and for those that are venturing a little further, we wish you nothing but the best!
To our new JKs who we will welcome in September – we can’t wait for you to become BPDS and St. Eds students. You are going to love it, I promise.
We also have a ‘graduating’ staff member that we would also like to acknowledge – Connie Clark, lovingly known by her students as Mrs. Clark, will be hanging up her ECE hat at the end of this school year. If your child has had the privilege of being in JK/SK with Mrs. Clark, then you know the magic that she has with students. Connie started her career as a supply EA at Eastnor Public School around 1990-91 and did supply in the Wiarton Public School until she was hired full-time in October 1998 at Eastnor Public School and Wiarton Public School. She was a full-time EA at BPDS until 2012, returned to school to get her ECE qualifications and then began working as an ECE when full-day Kindergarten started in 2014. Since then, she has partnered with 9 different teachers in the past 10 years! Connie has been both an anchor and beacon of joy in the JK/SK classroom, and we will miss her here at BPDS! Connie says: “I love, love, love the children. They have taught me more than I have taught them.” I think we can all agree that the children also love, love, love Mrs. Clark!
To all of our students, families and school community – we hope you have a wonderful summer! I hope you all can find time to relax and take a break from routines and schedules, laptops and cellphones and give yourself a well-deserved break – summer only comes once a year!
From Ms. Brewer and myself – we look forward to seeing you all in September and welcoming you back for the 2024-25 school year!
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.
