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SCHOOL NEWS
Welcome to the School News Page!
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We make it our priority to keep families up-to-date on relevant news happening within our school. This is why we have decided to bring you a School News Page! In this way, information can be relayed to families in real time without delay. We will always send School Messenger updates when a new item or event is added to our page.
PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE:
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December Update
Dear Aurora families,
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We have now completed Term 1 and we look forward to starting Term 2. It brings everyone a chance to try again and learn from Term 1 and grow as students and as a community. As we push towards the holiday season, we continue to invite families to attend school events as a part of our community building. We also request parents to continually check their child’s PowerSchool account for grades and contact teachers if there are any issues. The sooner and more often we work together, the greater the chances of success for our students.
1. Important Dates:
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Friday, Dec. 1: ADD (Plaid shirts only, uniform bottoms, no pajamas)
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Sunday, Dec. 3: Little Caesar's Pizza Kit orders due
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Wednesday, Dec. 6: Term 1 Awards Ceremony VIRTUAL @ 9:25 am (ZOOM LINK below)
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Tuesday, Dec. 12: Friday schedule
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Thursday, Dec. 21:
-Coffee and Carols in the front lobby for all parents. 3:30 pm-5:00 pm. Come and enjoy some holiday spirit!
-Little Caesar’s Pizza Pickup from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm.
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Friday, Dec. 22:
-ADD: winter holiday colors
-Coffee and Carols in the front lobby for all parents. 8:00 am-9:30 am. Come join us!
-Hot lunch (Subway)
-Little Caesar’s Pizza Pickup all day until 5:00 pm
-Last day of school before winter holidays
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Monday, January 15, 2024: First day of school after the holidays
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Friday, Jan. 19, 2024: Grade 6 Telus World of Science overnight trip
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Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024: Friday Schedule
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Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024: Family Winter Festival night at Primary School from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm (for families from both Primary and Secondary Schools)
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Friday, Jan. 26, 2024: PD day (no school)
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Friday, Feb. 1 & 2, 2024: Science Fair
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Monday, Feb. 5, 2024: Science Showcase 5:00 pm-6:30 pm
2. Term 1 Awards for Grades 5-7. There are no awards for grades 4 and lower (based on current school policy).
When: Dec. 6, 2023 at 9:25 AM
Topic: Term 1 Awards for Grades 5-7
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88277536229?pwd=WabtDbw9faXJGeI6i_Brl7BSBnNkdw.l9glb-QOzhgEY-To
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3. Awards for Gr. 5-7: Term awards are given to grades 5-7 only each term.
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Honors with Distinction:
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Unlimited number of recipients per homeroom
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Has an average of 90% or higher in the four core subjects combined and nothing lower than a B or 75% in any subjects
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Honors:
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Unlimited number of recipients per homeroom
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Has an average of 80% or higher in the four core subjects combined and nothing lower than a B or 75% in any subjects
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Citizenship:
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One recipient per homeroom to a student who demonstrates:
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Respect and integrity by valuing diversity and equity, advocates for themselves and others
Empathy and compassion by sharing in other people's feelings, showing concern for others -
Selflessness by being supportive of others, being inclusive of all other people no matter their background or beliefs
Academic integrity
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Diligence:
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One recipient per homeroom to a student who demonstrates:
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Critical Thinking by showing fairness and being open-minded, willingness to solve problems and to improve thinking skills, challenges assumptions behind thoughts, beliefs, or actions
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Hard Work and Empowerment by demonstrating a positive attitude and willingness to work, looking for and acts on new ideas and opportunities for learning, approaching new tasks with a positive attitude, becoming stronger and more self confident
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Innovation by generating new ideas and showing a willingness to act on them and applying them in different situations, demonstrating enthusiasm, optimism, initiative, and ingenuity
4. Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT):
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Grade 6 students will be writing the Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) in the three core subjects (ELA, Math, Social Studies) at the end of June. They are mandatory tests that we use for final exams and for reporting on the Annual Education Results Report (AERR) to the government.
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There is no Science 6 Provincial Achievement Test (it is for the old curriculum) this year but students will write a regular final exam since we taught the new curriculum this year.
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To help prepare grade 6 students and their parents, please look over the guide that is attached. It is provided by Alberta Learning: Grade 6 PAT Parent Guide (there are even some practice questions). edc-grade-6-parent-guide.pdf
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Other very useful information about the Provincial Achievement Tests can be found here:https://www.alberta.ca/provincial-achievement-tests.aspx.
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PAT info night is on the Aurora Primary School Open House: March 13, 2024 (details to be announced)
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French final exams will be written in regularly scheduled classes in June
5. Final Exams: The dates are still being determined but they are in the last 2 weeks of June.
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6. Policy on missing Final Exams: Final Exam Absence policy AR 6170 Section 2
-Should a student leave early for summer break and miss any Final Exams, the student may NOT write any exams early before departure.
- A missed Final Exam will be given a grade of "UA" (Unable to Assess) and the final course mark will be the average of the three terms.
7. Lunch supervisors needed: Paid Lunch Supervisors are needed for the Primary and Secondary Schools. Please see the attached ad. Feel free to forward to anyone who may be interested!
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8. Students late for class: Being on time is a good trait to have and we try to develop this in students. We need parents’ help in making sure the students do not miss the most important minutes of the first class of each day.
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Please ensure that you leave your home early enough to get to school on time and leave enough time for the student to get to class.
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Block 1 starts at 8:34 am with attendance taken, so arriving at school at 8:30 am or later means that the students are late since they will need time to put away their outdoor shoes, jackets, then head to class.
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Arriving after 8:30 am means that students must sign in at the front desk, indicating that they are late.
9. Little Caesars Fundraiser:
Please see the flyer and catalogue sent home last week. All funds raised will go towards future family events at school.
-Orders are due by Sunday, December 3
-Pickup is Dec. 21 (3:00-5:00pm) & Dec. 22 (all day)
How: You can order and pay online by credit card:
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Go to PizzaKit.ca or Scan the QR Code Below
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Click on Products, then Shop
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Select Ship My Order to the Group
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At checkout please enter the student name in the seller’s name field
Our Fundraiser ID # is: 434553
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10. After School Supervision: The deadline to register was Thursday, October 23, 2023 after being open for almost 2 weeks. No more registration is accepted at this time.
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Sincerely,
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Peter Dang, Principal
Happening Soon!
1. Aurora Primary School is hosting a "Family Movie" afternoon on Saturday, November 25th at 4:00pm. Please bring a blanket for your family to sit on in the gym.
Popcorn is available for pre-purchase only (orders due by Nov. 10th), and water will be available for a nominal fee at the doors.
If you do not plan to attend our "Family Movie", please consider a popcorn purchase as part of our fundraising efforts this year! All pickup orders will be available on November 25th between 3:30pm-6:00pm. (All orders close Nov. 10th)
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Click here to access the PDF version for more information and details on how to order your popcorn!
2. Fundraising announcement! It’s time for you, your friends, and your family to stock up with Little Caesars Pizza Kits!
Have them on hand for quick dinners, parties, or entertaining! $6 from every kit
purchased will go towards future family events at school.
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Click here to access the Little Ceasars Pizza Brochure
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To order online, click here. Then select "Products". Then "Shop". Then "Purchase and Support a Local Fundraiser -Ship my order to the group-"
3. We are excited about the new school year and would like to share information about student resources that are available from Castle Rock Research. Aurora Academic Charter Primary School is privileged to work with this Alberta-based company to access quality materials to support students, teachers, and parents.
Please note: Students are not to order the Grade 6 science materials. Those science resources are still for the current curriculum and resources are not available this year for the optional implementation curriculum that Aurora is doing in Science 6. All other materials are relevant.
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Click here to access the PDF version that details the ordering information.
Recent Schoolwide Events
1. This past month, Aurora Academic Primary School participated in the acknowledgement of National Truth and Reconciliation Day. Students in Social Studies 5, 6, and 7 participated in a feather decorum focused on how we at Aurora can stand with all Indigenous peoples.
Not new, but
Noteworthy!
01.
Europe: Spring Break
Attention students in grades 7-11, there are a few spots remaining on the Europe trip! Spend spring break with friends in Scotland, England, and France! Please see Ms. Wilson in room #221 at the Secondary School, or email mwilson@auroraschool.ca for more information!
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Hot Lunch Program
Dear Families,
Our hot lunch program has started again for the 2023-24 school year. Once again, we will be offering a variety of
options online through Healthy Hunger. There will be an average of one hot lunch per month on Alternative Dress Days.
Parents are encouraged to order early for each hot lunch, as orders close 5 days prior. Be sure to order under our new name: “Aurora Primary School”!
Healthy Hunger is a great way for our school to fundraise and provide a fun lunch for students. Each hot
lunch doubles as a fundraiser. In previous years, we have used the money raised to help pay for presentations, treats, and special activities that make our school a
dynamic and happy place to be!
Click here for ordering information
Thank you for your continued support!
02.
Music
We have begun our music program in grades 5-7, and the focus will be on playing instruments this year. As well, we will have some music clubs starting at lunch in October.
We are in need of 4-5 electric pianos and stands for our music room. If you or someone you know has a keyboard and stand they are not using and would like to donate to our music room, we could then begin some piano lessons at lunch.
We also have a music registry on amazon that has some simple keyboards and stands, as well as a few other instruments if you would like to donate to our program:
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Stay Healthy!
We would like to remind parents it is important that everyone monitors their own health daily, and stay home when feeling unwell, no matter what the cause may be.
We urge you to keep your child home if they are experiencing any symptoms of respiratory of gastrointestinal illness.
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Children who arrive to school exhibiting any symptoms of illness will be sent home. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school community healthy.
