St Jerome Elementary School http://www.cssd.ab.ca/schools/stjerome/index.htm

11616 Panorama Hills Boulevard N.W. Calgary, AB T3K 5S3 Phone: (403) 500-2115 Fax: (403) 500-2315

Principal: David Gustavson Vice Principal: Kim Praznik-Solomon Assistant Principal: Teresa Cusano

NEWSLETTER November 2018

November is here! It seems as though one minute we are enjoying warm fall weather, and the next minute we are feeling the cold winds of winter. On a recent announcement, I reminded students to be dressed appropriately for this time of year. It seems as though we can experience all four seasons in a day in a typical Calgary fall. The best advice is to dress in layers. Appropriate footwear is also a must, as the students will be going outside for recess playtime unless the temperature is colder than –20 degrees Celsius including wind chill. School Council is pleased to announce that we have raised over $12,000 from our Pray-a-thon! Funds raised will be used to subsidize our dance residency in the new year as well as assist in purchasing speakers and a large screen for the gymnasium. This will benefit all students! We would like to thank all who supported this very successful fund raising initiative – your generosity is overwhelming! In the month of November, we hope that everyone has the opportunity to reflect on our good fortune in living in a country that is free. We are eternally grateful to the few who sacrificed so much so that we might be free. David Gustavson, Principal Kim Praznik-Solomon, Vice-Principal Teresa Cusano, Assistant Principal

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

By John McCrae, May 1915

Catholic Education Sunday “Catholic Education Sunday” is Sunday, November 4th. This is a day where we can reflect on all of the benefits that we enjoy living in a province where we have the choice of educating our children in a public Catholic school system. This is an advantage that is certainly not available in other places around the world.

Emergency Procedures The school has developed an emergency procedure plan and has taken the steps to prepare for a total evacuation of the building. Students will be graciously housed in Panorama Hills Elementary School or at VIVO should the need arise. If such an evacuation is necessary, an emergency fan out message using the “SchoolConnects” automated phone system will be employed. Parents will be informed of the situation and any actions that need to be taken. Please ensure that your phone contact information is up to date at all times in order to enable communication from the school through this automated phone system. Safety Corner

A concern that has been identified is the excessive speed at which some vehicles travel through the school zone. Playground zone hours are in effect from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. The speed limit is reduced during these hours to 30km/hr. We are aware that the vast majority of speeding violations are caused by non-parents of St. Jerome and we have

contacted city police for assistance. I have also noticed a few parents “J-walking” with their children in order to cross the street in front and to the west of the school. Please use the designated cross-walks when crossing the street. This teaches children valuable skills around road safety. Once again, we would like to reassert our attitude of “safety over convenience”. Together we can assure the safety of everybody’s children. It is also a good time to review with your child some common sense safety rules when walking home. It is best to walk in pairs or small groups. Children should never go over to a vehicle without first recognizing the occupant and knowing that the ride has been prearranged. Student Absences

In order to ensure that all students are accounted for, attendance is taken in the classrooms first thing in the morning and again following the lunch break. Student absences are then sent down to the office and recorded. At that time, any student absences that have not been called in by their parents are checked with a phone call to their home. In order to speed up the

process, please ensure that you have called the school at 403-500-2115 if your child is to be absent. The School District has mandated that all schools use SchoolConnects to notify parents by phone whenever your child is absent from class. Beginning November 2015, these automated phone calls have been made to your home phone in the morning and afternoon. We will also be using SchoolConnects to send announcements and emergency messages as required. These messages may go out at any time. If you have a cell phone, you can have SchoolConnects call your cell to ensure that you personally get the messages. Please make sure your contact phone numbers and email addresses are up to date. After-School Arrangements Recently, we have experienced an unusual amount of phone calls requesting that we communicate to students after school arrangements. It is sometimes difficult to speak with all of these students before the end of the day bell rings. While emergencies and unexpected circumstances do occur, and we are absolutely willing to communicate changes with students, this should not be the norm. Whenever possible, please communicate after school arrangements with your child before school in the morning. Also, if you have different pick-up arrangements for your child, please put a note in your child’s agenda. Faith Day – November 1, 2018 The Calgary Catholic School District is again hosting a Faith Day for its more than 4,000 employees on Thursday, November 1, 2018. Trustees, Superintendents, administrators, teachers, support, exempt, and care taking staff will attend. “Faith Day” is a professional development activity, so schools will be closed for the day. This celebration is a chance for district employees to gather in one place as one united community, to celebrate and honor their legacy as a district and to continue their ongoing faith journey as individuals and a community. The day aims to energize and inspire us as we travel together throughout the coming year. Professional Development Day Friday, November 2nd will be a professional development day at St. Jerome School. Teachers will spend the day sharing best practice around Occupational Therapy “tips and tricks” as well as an exploration of our patron saint and some time for team planning. We are very excited about the learning opportunities available to us that day.

Chris Bray Presentation On Wednesday, November 7th at 1:00 p.m., we are happy to present Chris Bray. Chris plays the guitar and sings in his fast-paced faith-based performance that is sure to inspire students – come and join us!

Remembrance Day Liturgy Our Remembrance Day liturgy will be held in the gymnasium on Friday, November 9th, at 10:00 a.m. Morning Kindergarten (Mrs. Kiedyk), Grades 2C, 5Mc, and 6Sh students are preparing for the celebration. As usual, all parents and grandparents are welcome to attend!

School Fees We still have a number of School Fees outstanding. If you have not already submitted your fees, please do so as soon as possible so that we might maintain school programs. If you are experiencing difficulty paying the fees, please contact Mr. Gustavson 403-500-2115. Thank you! Progress Reports and Parent/Teacher Interviews Student Progress Reports will be distributed Friday, November 23rd. Parent/Teacher Interviews are scheduled for Thursday, November 29th, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. and Friday, November 30th, from 9-11:30 a.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m. The sessions will be 10 minutes long. In order to accommodate interviews, there will be no classes Friday, November 30th. To book an appointment, we will again be using the SchoolSoft Conference Manager, which is a web-based system. This program allows parents to schedule, view and coordinate their conferences anytime they have access to the internet. More information on booking procedures will be included in Progress Report envelopes. Fine Arts Wow! We have had a great start to our rehearsal schedule! Our school was asked to join with Notre Dame high School’s Musical Theatre Class for a musical revue of Les Miserables and Whistle Down the Wind. These performances are at Notre Dame Theatre on December 5-7, in the evenings, and a morning matinee on December 7. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for 12 and under – limited seating. The grade 5 and 6 bell ringers have several concerts lined up. All bell players will be wearing an all-black “concert dress” this year for their concerts. On Wednesday, December 19th, at 6:30 p.m., our bells, Division 1 choir and Division 2 choir will perform at our Family Advent Evening in the gym. All are invited! A Handbell letter will soon go home, with an attached permission form and request for parent drivers for our upcoming performance trip on Tuesday, December 18th to Bethany Care Centre (Harvest Hills) and Peter Lougheed Centre Cafeteria and on Monday, December 10th to Alberta Children’s Hospital Cafeteria over lunch hour. We will need at least 6 parent drivers for each trip. The Division 2 choir will be performing at the Peter Lougheed Centre on Wednesday December 12th at 12:00 p.m. A letter will soon go home about this field trip. We will need 9 parent volunteers to travel on the bus; please write a note to Mrs. Kazakoff if you are interested. The choir will be in a white top and black

bottom concert dress this year. Our Family Advent Evening is on December 19th, as well, where the Division 2 choir will perform in the school gym. The Division 1 choir is a “training” choir, therefore they will not be going out of the school to perform, but will sing at the Family Advent evening, with the other groups, on December 19th at 6:30 p.m. White top and black bottoms will be their concert dress. More information will follow. The choir members are listed – please let Mrs. Kazakoff know if your child’s name has been accidentally omitted. Division 1 Choir: Gr. 2: Jessica A, Serenity B, Jakayla C, Brianna C, Olivia E, Neso E, Zachary K, Tyla L, Abigail L, Samuel L, Katelynn N, Albert O, Nadal O, Timi O, Frances A, Caleb B, Asher C, Dera C, Tonya D, Jude G, Isabelle L, Stephanie N, Zoe O, Eloghosa O, Jesse U, Jessica U, Nahom W, Chanze B, Selin E, William G, Ody I, Ann Mary J, Mila K, Joseph M, Cecilia S, Elliana T, Zoey A, Deng A, Elizabeth B, Valeria G, Andrew H, Norah H, David I, Sydney L, Amy M, Jordan M, Kaima O, Naomi O, Antheia P, Eden P, Audriel R, Chloe S, and Isabel V. Gr. 3: Micah C, Amaka E, Ella E, Stefania F, Sanaa H, Declan H, Easton H, Alina J, Grayson M, Jonathan N, Liam R, Delina W, Tise A, Anne B, Olivia B, Ava C, Isaiah D, Kyros E, Penny G, Izzy H, Jon H, Liam L, Genevieve M, Theresa M, Faith M, Kyus N, Charlotte S, Keyra S, Macsen S, Caithun T, Tomife A, Bronwyn C, Jorchelle D, Sophie I, Philip J, Alyssa L, Cristina M, Jeri O, Chloe P, Weston P, Hailey S, Tobi T, Antonio V, Lilijana A, Motolani A, Lilah A, Kora B, Nathan B, Vanessa B, Dastan C, Sonia D, Mandy D, Churchill E, Daniel G, Iana I, Phoenix N, Enzo P, and Serena W. Assessment What does your child learn at school and how are they assessed? Understanding the Assessment of your child can help your child's learning and success. Please follow this link to a parent resource from Alberta Education if you would like to find out more about what your child learns and how they are assessed at school: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/ Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test During the months of October or November, students in Grade 5 normally write the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT). As stated in the title, the test is an assessment of the student’s cognitive ability, and has been administered to Grade 5 students across the school district. Once tests are scored, parents have access to the achievement of their child through the homeroom teacher. Provincial Achievement Exams Achievement Exams results are in from last year’s writing in Grade 6. Once again we have overall achievement above provincial average and sit very comfortably at the top of the district average. Results will be reviewed in detail at the November School Council meeting. Congratulations students!

Family Movie Night Our first “Family Movie Night” will be Friday, November 16th @ 6:00-8:00 p.m. Bring a comfortable seat and join us in the gym while we enjoy a kid’s movie on the big screen! More information from School Council will be out shortly – please consider signing up and joining us!

School Council Meetings are typically held on the first Thursday of the month, with the exception of December, March and June. Meeting times are at 7p.m. Parents are invited to attend all council meetings. Meetings are kept to 1 1/2 hours, and our focus is the education of your children in a safe and supportive environment. Our next meeting will be Thursday, November 8th @ 7p.m. in the school library (because of the Faith Day break). We look forward to seeing you!

Special Lunch A special thanks goes to our special lunch coordinators for all of their work. We would also like to thank all of the parent volunteers who came in to distribute the lunch. The kids certainly benefit from your kindness. Our next Fun Lunch will be on Tuesday, November 6th, and will be

“Wok Box”; followed by another opportunity on Tuesday, November 27th, where Menchie’s treats will be available.

Playground Appropriate playground behavior is encouraged in many ways at St. Jerome. Through our RRSP code of conduct (school expectations and consequences) students understand what is expected of them. These behavioral expectations are reinforced regularly through announcements and assemblies and the desired behaviors are celebrated.

Snow Days We are fortunate in that we have experienced limited loss of instructional time due to severe weather over the last several years. Should extreme winter weather occur, our best advice is to listen to the media for any school closures.

Catholic Community of Caring Our Community of Caring committee has created CFG (Champion Family Groups) activities this year are based on the theme of “Seek and You Will Find”, (Matthew 7:7). Students will work together in multi-aged buddy groups to encourage kind behavior that follows the district “Champions of Students” culture.

Farewell to Mrs. Leong Congratulations to our Learning Commons Librarian, Carly Leong, who has recently accepted a district position as Library Tech at the Instructional Materials Center. This means full-time hours for Carly as well as summer hours. Mrs. Leong has been instrumental in establishing a Learning Commons style library at St. Jerome as well as assembling a Maker Space for students to explore and create. Carly is loved by students and staff alike as she is kind, knowledgeable and resourceful. They are lucky to have you Mrs. Leong!

Library News Grade Five & Six students interested in joining our lunch time Rocky Mountain Book Awards club will be receiving permission slips and our first meeting will be on November 12th, Day 4 in the library at lunch. Please note due to the large interest we have in this group, names may be chosen at random.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be happening during parent teacher interviews November 29th & 30th and we will be needing volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering please contact the library for more information. Class book fair previews will take place the week of the week of November 26th. Please keep your eye on the library twitter account for more information. Twitter @StJerome_CCSDLC Parish News Online registration for Sacrament of Confirmation (Grade 6 and up) is now open. For more information, please visit the Sacrament/Confirmation page on our Parish website (https://www.ascensionparish.ca/confirmation.html) Back-to-School Shouldn’t be a Pain!

Look at that list of school supplies: books, binders, notebooks, markers, shoes and a backpack to carry it all. It’s a heavy load and if not carried correctly, it can cause headaches, back, neck, and arm pain – even nerve damage. These simple tips can help prevent this: - Keep the weight in your backpack below 10% of your body weight. - Pick a backpack that has padded straps and back and waist belt; the pack shouldn’t extend above your shoulders or below your waist.

- Don’t sling the bag on one shoulder; use both straps and the belt. - Pack heavy objects closer to your back.

Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors For more tips and information, visit www.albertachiro.com Mr. Gustavson’s “Site-ings” http://www.education.alberta.ca/parents/resources/express.aspx

Alberta Education has completed revisions to the 2018/19 Curriculum Handbooks for Parents and Curriculum Summaries for Kindergarten to Grade 9 and for Senior High School. These guides offer in-depth information about what students will learn in the classroom, as well as the educational goals set for the school year. Take a look!

Report with Class Grade 5 – Mrs. Coakley, Ms. Cusano, Ms. Mount, Mr. McLaughlin, and Mr. Mills Our grade 5 students have had a successful start to the year! We have made new friends and are exploring our new learning environments with enthusiasm. The grade 5’s will be going to Vivo from Nov. 13th- Nov. 16th to learn to skate. This is an amazing opportunity for the students to use the facilities in our community, enrich our Phys Ed program, and create a lifelong love for winter sports. Within our classrooms we are working hard on developing our narrative writing skills as we learn how to use the writing diamond created by Barbara Mariconda. By using the writing diamond we are inviting readers into our world of story and creating imagery. The students are really demonstrating their creative minds and use of language and imagery to write amazing stories. We are excited about the year ahead of us as we continue in our journey together.

Pray-a-thon St. Jerome would like to send out a big thank you for all the support we received in this year’s fundraiser. Our first Pray-a-thon turned out to be a huge success. We are so grateful and very fortunate for the generous financial support we received from our school parents, friends and families. A special thanks to Holly Zulyniak and Tony and Liz Poblete for providing Tim Horton donuts for all four Kindergarten classes. We would also like to thank the following local businesses for their contributions in providing prizes for our students who prayed and worked hard to raise money for our school:

• Calgary Inferno Hockey • Calgary Hitmen • Cobs Bread • Edible Arrangements • Indigo Chapters • Landmark Cinemas • Little Caesars Pizza • Mastermind Toys • Soul Connexion • The Flying Squirrel • Vivo for Healthier Generations

Your generosity does not go unappreciated!

Please complete and return the form below if you have any changes to your contact information. We hope that you will also take time to share any feedback, concerns and ideas with the school.

Thank you!

CHANGE OF INFORMATION Student Name: ___________________________________________ Grade: _________ Address: ________________________________________________________________________ Home Phone Number: ____________________ Cell Phone (Dad): ________________________ Cell Phone (Mom):______________________ Work Phone (Dad) : _______________________ Work Phone (Mom):_____________________ E-Mail Address: __________________________________________________________________ Emergency Contact: ____________________________ ______________________________

(Relationship to Student)

BEEFS AND BOUQUETS

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Please supply your phone number if you would like us to contact you about your comments)

___________________________________ ______________________

Parent Name Phone Number

___________________________________ ______________________

Child’s Name Grade

November 2018

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1

Faith Day No Classes

2

Professional Development Day

No Classes

5 Day 4

6 Day 5

Fun Lunch Wok Box

7 Day 6

8 Day 1

School Council Meeting 7:00pm

9 Day 2

Remembrance Day

Celebration 10:00am

Pizza Friday

12 Day 3

13 Day 4

14 Day 5

15 Day 6

16 Day 1

Jersey Day

Family Move Night 6:30-8:30pm

Pizza Friday

19 Day 2

Pizza Orders Go

Home

20 Day 3

21 Day 4

22 Day 5

23 Day 6

Progress Reports

go home

Pizza Friday

26 Day 1

27 Day 2

Fun Lunch Menchies

28 Day 3

29 Day 4

Parent Teacher

Conferences 4-7pm

Pizza Orders Due

Parent Teacher Conferences No Classes

1000 Fifth Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 4T9 403-500-2000 www.cssd.ab.ca

CALGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT MONTHLY NEWS

ConnectionsNOVEMBER 2018

Catholic Education SundayOn this day, we recognize and celebrate the wonderful work that is taking place at Catholic schools across the province. Catholic Education Sunday is also an opportunity for us to share our generosity. The Calgary Catholic Education Foundation (CCEF) is a charitable organization dedicated to enhancing educational experiences for CCSD students. The foundation provides grants that support innovative programs and projects, such as Open Minds, that touch the lives of many students. On Nov. 3 and 4, there will be a special collection at each mass, with the majority of funds going to the CCEF. Help support quality Catholic education in our community and ensure that the present and future needs of Catholic education are met. If you prefer, you can also visit theccef.ca to donate online.

CCSD Calgary Flames FundraiserCalgary Catholic is happy to partner with the Calgary Flames again this season to offer students, staff, and families a discounted ticket to a Flames game, while also fundraising for their school. Last year we raised over $10,000 for district schools and the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation. For every ticket sold the Calgary Flames will donate $10 back to your school. Tickets can be purchased at calgaryflames.com/CCSD.

Calgary Catholic School District Releases Provincial Test ResultsThe Calgary Catholic School District proudly celebrates its students’ academic accomplishments. The release of the 2017–2018 Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma Examination results show CCSD students continue to perform well in relation to the province. To view the full results, please visit the CCSD website at cssd.ab.ca/Parents/ProvincialTesting.

Faith Day All schools and administrative offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 1 as staff come together as a community to celebrate our annual Faith Day—an inspirational, faith-based professional develop-ment day. We look forward to having the Most Reverend Bishop McGrattan to preside over Morning Prayer and Father Rob Galea—a Maltese-Australian priest—to give our keynote speech.

Remembrance DayRecent changes to the Employment Standards Code have affected the way the district handles general holidays and holiday pay. As a result of these changes, all teachers, support staff and exempt staff will receive a day in lieu for this general holiday on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. This day was selected as it is identified as a district-wide K–12 PD day and will cause the least disruption to our students, families and school communities. We ask that our students and families take a moment to observe Remem-brance Day on Sunday, Nov. 11 and commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in world conflicts.

Parent & Trustee ForumAll parents are invited to attend the November Parent & Trustee Forums to explore educational issues impacting your child. The forum will take place on Nov. 27 at 7–9 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Centre (2120 - 16 Ave NE, Calgary). Visit cssd.ab.ca/Parents/SchoolCouncil for more information.

Did you know?

The Catholic values that built the foundation of our district back in 1885 still guide us today as students live and learn in our Catholic faith.

Healthy Children November 2018 Parent Newsletter

To find an electronic copy of this newsletter visit www.ahs.ca/csh

For more information about family resiliency, visit

$10,000

1000

30%

Reminder

The Resilient Family

November 2018 Parent Newsletter

Healthy Children

To find an electronic copy of this newsletter, visit www.ahs.ca/csh

Loose Parts Play

RAISE DOUGH FOR YOUR SCHOOL

SOM

E

COBS BreadCOUNTRY HILLS521 - 500 Country Hills Blvd NE

Mention St. Jerome School andCOBS Bread Country Hills will donate5% of your purchase to the school.

Calgary, AB403 226 5555COUNTRY HILLS SHOPPING CENTRE

SCOTIABANK TIM HORTON’S

SHOPPERS DRUG MART

School Speech Language Services

September 2018

Welcome to the Speech Language

Services Newsletter.

Our newsletter is created at the end of

every month Sept– Nov, and Jan-May.

Each month, a topic related to speech

language pathology will be discussed,

with tips for the classroom and a page

with ideas for families. You are invited

to add the parent page to your school

newsletter as you deem appropriate.

If there is a specific topic that you

would like to see in a newsletter, please

contact Heather Brown:

heather.m.brown@ahs.ca

Here’s to a year of great reading!

Referrals

There are many things SLPs can do at your school to support classrooms, teachers and students without a referral: Discuss strategies from past reports in the school file Problem-solve classroom accommodations &

adaptations for students with developmental language disorders or language delays

Help teachers develop their language based IPP goals Work with teachers to identify students who may be

appropriate for a referral

Referrals are required when we are:

Assessing speech and language abilities

Providing individualized support

Working with a child on specific goals

A good referral :

Is a student who shows potential to make gains

towards a goal

Has a goal that the family and school are interested in

pursuing

Has a practice partner who can offer ongoing support.

A practice partner may be a family member or school

personnel.

Takes into account a full learning picture. Speech and

language may not be the priority at this time.

Is a student who regularly attends school

Has a family accessible to speak to us—time we spend

chasing families is valuable time we are not in your

school

2

AHS SLPs in Your School…

Your AHS School SLP will work with a key contact at your school (often the resource/DLT

teacher) to identify the needs of your students and school. Working collaboratively with your

school team, we will create a plan outlining how services will be provided for the 2018-19 school

year. This may include a combination of individual, group, classroom, and school level services.

These services may vary from year to year based on what needs exist at any given time.

SLPs support students in a number of areas including but not limited to:

Articulation

Motor Speech

Fluency

Developmental Language Disorder

Social Language

Phonological Awareness

Complex communication including supporting augmentative communication systems

Feeding and swallowing (if there is a safety concern)

AHS Speech Language Services is guided by the provincial Community Rehabilitation Model of

Care. Rehabilitation services involve the application of goal oriented, time limited approaches

designed to optimize functional abilities and support student participation in everyday

environments. Because we conceptualize service in this way, we are cognizant that:

The goal of service is to improve student participation in language and social interactions at

home, school and within the community by impacting functional change.

More intervention is not always the answer. If there has been slow or no progress towards

goals in previous episodes of care, we consider contributing factors and evaluate the efficacy

of continued services.

Factors that influence prognosis are considered so that expectations and goals are realistic.

Not all students with severe impairment are good rehabilitation candidates.

Collaborative partnerships with families and educators are vital to achieving positive

outcomes for students.

AHS Speech language Services is guided by the AHS Patient and Family Centered Care model.

We work closely with families to create goals that take into consideration the needs of the child

within the context of their family and community.

3

Summer at Speech Language

Services

During the months of July and August our

service provided services to hundreds of

students from Calgary and area schools.

We ran many summer groups targeting:

phonological awareness skills

speech skills

narrative skills

fluency skills

general language skills

social language skills

Dozens more students were seen for

assessments and individual treatment

at 10 sites across Calgary, Airdrie and

Cochrane.

*remember that we are able to

accommodate students in the summer

as you create your school plan with

your SLP this fall

Because of the AHS commitment to

family centered care along with our

consent requirements, we work hard to

reach parents.

Without talking to a family, we are

unable to assess a student or

provide individual services.

We welcome your help connecting

with hard to reach families

School Speech Language Services is a health

service offered by Alberta Health Services.

As such we have a different process than

Education regarding consent. We must have

a conversation with families before we

complete an assessment or provide

individual service.

We work in multiple school boards in

Calgary and surrounding areas. Each board

has their own process for referring to out-

side agencies. Please ensure your board

process has been followed before referring

to our service.

4

Students entering grade one with an ELL Designation

Students who live in homes where English is not the primary spoken language may look language delayed when they enter grade one. These children may have had SLP services in Kindergarten—should they be referred in Grade 1? Please consider that these students have probably spent the summer speaking in their home language, and that in kindergarten they spent 2 1/2 hours per day in English but may have spent the rest of their day speaking in their home language. With this little exposure to English it is difficult to diagnose a child as disordered in English. Because our mandate is to work with language disordered children, we will consider these referrals only after they have had more classroom exposure allowing us to feel more confident that the differences are not simply related to learning English as a second language.

If you are a CBE school…

CBE has a created a great resource -Complex English Language Learners (CELLS) which can help you work through whether the student has learning issues beyond learning a second language.

Applying a code 57 is a school decision. A

code 57 can be removed at your

school’s discretion. You do not need

input from your SLP

Your SLP can assist you in deciding if a

specific communication difficulty

requires accommodation or

modifications to the curriculum.

Decisions about which students will

benefit from speech and language

intervention are made independent

of coding.

Your SLP can assist in crafting a

communication goal that you can

measure in the classroom. An SLP

goal will not always be tied

to educational outcomes. (e.g. pro-

duction of a specific sound).

Please feel free to copy the next page to send home to families.

Spelling and Sound Errors– Are

they Related?

There are many factors affecting

spelling ability. A mild articulation

disorder is not one of them!

A child using a w/r (wat for rat) for

example thinks he is saying rat, so

will spell rat not wat…

Your SLP can provide more in-

formation on this topic– just

ask!

5

1. Spend more time doing fun activities

You and your child may enjoy free play, playing outside,

reading books, visiting friends, games, crafts, dancing and

puzzles

2. Set a good example

Children often copy what we do. Try to spend less of your

time with screens. This will also free up time to do things

you enjoy and you may be less frustrated by interruptions

3. make meals a special family time

Share your stories, dreams and plans together with each

other. Be sure to leave the tv off during meals. Research

shows families who eat together eat healthier

4. Arrange the furniture to shift focus

Set up a play table as the focus in your living room or

arrange the furniture to increase space for doing activities

you enjoy together– a family room for family

5. Avoid using screen time as a reward or punishment

Your child will think screen time is more special or

important if it is used as a reward. Positive behaviour is

encouraged when you have fun together.

6. Start and end the day screen free

Screen free mornings are less stressful and more efficient.

We sleep better if we turn off all screens at least an hour

before bed.

What if…

I need to make dinner or get the wash done

Plan simple, fun activities for your child to help you or have

fun by themselves. They may like to do a simple craft in the

kitchen while you are cooking– or play with a bin of dress

up clothes when you are doing the wash.

My child won’t eat without the TV

Sometimes it helps to eat together at the table. Your child

will learn good eating habits and manners. Talking and

interacting during meals also builds communication skills

My child cries when I take the tablet away

Screen time is habit forming. Your child may be upset or

sad when you start to set new rules. Let your child know

that you understand how they feel. Show excitement for

other fun activities that they are doing.

Helping Families

Too much screen time places these at risk:

Brain development

Vocabulary development

Physical and mental health

Attention and memory

Social skills

Learning and performance in school

Coping and behavior

So unplug the TV, computer, phone and tablet!

adapted from AHS Edmonton Zone

Speech Language Pathology

Professional Practice Council