From the Counselling Corner
This will be the last piece from counselling this year. As you prepare for your summer time, you may wish to consider enrolling your children into a program and or a camp. Strathcona County offers many programs throughout the area. For children who prefer the Arts, there are a variety of sessions offered at the Smeltzer House. For children who are more into the outdoors, the Strathcona Wilderness Centre has various programs to motivate youth. Strathcona County also has a variety of programs in skill development for various sports.
The summer program will be coming out soon. It is recommended that you enroll early as space is limited in most of these programs. It is a great way to continue the learning in a fun way. It can also provide an opportunity for children to meet new peers.
Junior High
It is important that your grade six child going into grade seven is registered in his/her designated school for junior high. If your child is not registered, it is in his/her best interest to complete this immediately. Registration forms should go directly to the designated school.
Transitions
Students coming into kindergarten, kindergarten to grade one, and grade six to grade seven will be going through a transitional period. It is important that as much as possible, the family routine is kept in place during these times to present a sense of normalcy. It may also be an idea, depending upon your child, to talk about some of the things that may be different (1/2 day of school, ½ day to a full day of school, one class to several classes). Talking about these things sometimes opens up the opportunity for children to explore their thoughts in a safe and caring way. If you have a child that is quite concerned about the transitional process, do not hesitate to talk to his or her teacher and or to contact me at the school at 780-467-2246.
May all Pine Street families have a safe and restful summer time and I look forward to seeing you in the fall.
last updated; April 27th, 2013
From the Counselling Corner
Summertime
It may seem odd that in the month of March we are reflecting upon summertime. It could be that it motivates me to think of warmer weather and the activities that go with it. The main reason, however, I bring up summertime now is that there are a variety of healthy programs offered within Strathcona County for youth. The Strathcona County booklet usually arrives in our mailboxes in April. These wonderful programs are usually filled up rather quickly and so someone thinking about programs in June will likely be out of luck.
Why summer programs? Summer programs provide children an opportunity to continue to interact with their peers in a safe setting. These programs also provide new opportunities to children. For example, the Smeltzer House offers cartooning to youth. These youth are given skills to create characters and often these skills are then incorporated into other art projects. The programs also allow for children to grow independently---they need to use the skills they are learning in a new environment. For example, if a child forgets his/her lunch while on a camp, what does he/she do? Finally, children may become more motivated in something if provided an opportunity to try something that they have indicated is of interest to them. It is amazing to see a child find a love of something such as a sport and continue this interest throughout junior high and senior high.
I encourage you to look at the various programs being offered with your children as soon as the pamphlet comes out in order that you may take advantage of the great opportunities available in our county.
Parents of Grade Six Students
Junior High Informational Evenings will be highlighted in the local newspaper and our own Elk Island Public School website. Please pay attention to the date that fits your child’s designated school. I encourage you to visit during the assigned evening in order that you may appreciate your child’s new school environment and to pose questions that you may have.
It is also important to make sure that you are meeting the deadline for registration. Usually the registration forms arrive at Pine Street and they are given to the students to fill out and return to our school within a certain time limit. Letters from the designated school will go home providing you with this information. Failure to get the registration in on time may result in limited option choice.
Website Resources
www.edmonton.ca www.strathcona.ab.ca/smeltzer-house
last updated; March 1, 2013
From the Counselling Corner
Within Elk Island Public Schools, all junior highs will be hosting an informational evening for students designated to their school. This is a highly informative evening and it provides grade six students the opportunity to see their new school and begin to understand its layout and how junior high functions.
We highly encourage you to attend the informational evening for your child moving on to junior high. We know that the shift from grade six to grade seven may cause some anxiety in children and in families. By going ahead of time, you may see for yourself how the school functions and have your questions answered by the dedicated staff that work in the building.
As the date has not been determined, please watch for updated information on the designated school’s website. In the past, informational sessions have been held in April.
I will be meeting with all grade six students in the month of February to address any questions they may have about the process of registering for junior high. Typically, I receive a package from the junior high schools and I hand out the registration forms to the appropriate students. I then provide a deadline for them to have them returned to us. After the deadline date, the students will need to get the registration to the junior high school directly.
If you have any questions about the junior high process, please do not hesitate to contact me here at school.
last updated; February 1, 2013
