December Newsletter
Principal’s Message
December is here, and we are excited for the snow to arrive! This is a wonderful time in our school, as we see so much growth and progress in our students each day. Teachers are wrapping up assessments and learning updates, and students are taking time to reflect on their growth and goals.
As part of our ongoing communication about student learning, the first written learning updates will give families a clear picture of how your child is doing so far. You can expect these to come home around the week of December 8th-12th.
There is a lot happening at this time of year, and while the season brings plenty of joy, it can also be a busy and expensive time for families. Our district’s Affordability Fund is available to offer a little extra support where needed. These funds can help with warm winter clothing, special field trips, or even a bit of spending money for school events. If you feel your family could use some support, please reach out to me or your child’s teacher, we are here to support all families.
Wishing all of our CPE families a joyful, and restful holiday season. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community, we truly appreciate your support, kindness, and partnership.
Sincerely,
Tammy Tomm
Principal, CPE
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Leadership
| The Leadership team has been busy organizing charitable initiatives for our school awards. When students receive an award at our assemblies, they will also receive a ticket to place toward one of four local charities chosen by our Leadership group. At the end of the year, we will count the tickets, and the charity with the most will receive a donation on behalf of CPE students.
The four charities are: Revelstoke Humane Society, the Food Bank, Search and Rescue, and the Women’s Shelter. Leadership is also preparing for our annual Food Bank Drive. The class that brings in the most items will earn an extra recess! A big thank-you to Ms. Findlay for meeting regularly with the team and supporting their great work. |
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Food Bank Drive
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The Revelstoke Food Bank is seeing a high need for support this year. At CPE, we are collecting non-perishable food items in each classroom to donate before Winter Break. High demand items such as canned fruits and vegetables, pasta and pasta sauce are always appreciated. Gift cards are also a wonderful way to help families in our community. |
Christmas Concert: Wednesday, December 17th
| Our classes are beginning to warm up their voices and prepare a holiday song to share with you. Please join us for either the afternoon rehearsal performance at 1:00 pm or the evening performance at 6:30 pm.
For the evening show, students should be dropped off in their classrooms at 6:00 pm so they can have one final practice and get their costumes organized. The gym doors will open at that time for families to enter. If you are able to donate a non-perishable food item on your way in, it would be greatly appreciated. |
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CPE Calendars on Sale at the Concert!
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The CPE PAC is hosting their annual calendar fundraiser. This calendar has all the important dates, including school closures and hot lunches for the upcoming school year. The calendars also act as a lovely keepsake, capturing each class with their peers at this moment in time! Be sure to bring $20 cash to the Christmas concert on December 17th where calendars can be purchased just in time for the holidays!! |
CPE PAC News
The next PAC meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 9th at 6:30pm in the CPE Library. Free childcare will be available.
The CPE PAC supports school events, activities, equipment, and more throughout the year, and every CPE parent is automatically a PAC member. There are many opportunities to contribute, whether a little or a lot, depending on what works for you!
PAC Holiday Pop-Up Shop – December 10th
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The CPE PAC is holding the annual Holiday Pop-Up shop on December 10th. This is a special event during school hours, that allows children to purchase small items to give to their family or friends during the holiday season. The craft items provided will be priced and sold to students of CPE anywhere from $0.25-$5.00. We like to ask all CPE families to donate 6 items to be sold at the craft fair. Items can be store bought or homemade. Please hand in items to the office by Monday, Dec 8th. Thank you!
The event will be in the gymnasium from 8:30am-12:00pm. They are looking for parent volunteers to assist in one or more shifts to ensure that the event runs smoothly. Please check your child’s agenda for the volunteer form or phone the office. |
Battle of the Books
| Students in Grades 3–7 are invited to participate in the annual Battle of the Books reading event. From now until Mid March, students will read as many of the 10 selected Battle Books for their grade level as they can. Teams from each school will then compete to correctly answer questions about the books.
Mr. Larter and Mrs. Wegner are available to answer questions and help students prepare. Lists of books have been posted, shared on bookmarks for students, and sent home with participants. |
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Grade 6/7 Basketball
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The Grade 6/7 basketball season begins this week. Girls’ practices will run after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30–3:30 pm. Boys’ practices will take place on Wednesdays after school, with an additional practice held at lunch. A game schedule will be sent home before the winter break.
Thank you to our volunteer coaches, Ms. Lacroix, Ms. Findlay, and Ms. Flexman, for supporting our teams! |
District Winter Sports Activities
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Each year, the School District supports a variety of community-based activities for students at each grade level.
Grade 3 and Grade 6 students will be heading to Revelstoke Mountain Resort for alpine skiing and snowboarding lessons with the RMR Ski School. Grade 1 students will be going skating at the Forum, and Grade 4 students will participate in Nordic ski lessons at Mt. MacPherson with coaches from the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club and Grade 7 will be going Curling. Please watch for notices sent home about these activities, which will take place early in January and February. District Winter Sports Activities
Permission forms will be sent home soon, look for them in your child’s agenda. |
Kindergarten Registration
Do you have a child born in 2021? It’s time to register for Kindergarten in Revelstoke!
We are excited to welcome parents, guardians, and caregivers to register children born in 2021—who will be turning five years old in 2026for Kindergarten starting this September. Revelstoke School District aims to ensure that staffing and resources are in place at our neighbourhood schools to support all incoming Kindergarten students.
Registering new Kindergarten students during 2025 year helps us prepare for our newest young learners!
RESP and Saving for Your Child’s Education
Your child may be eligible to receive a $1,200 BC Training and Education Savings Grant. Children qualify if both the child and the parent/guardian are residents of British Columbia. Once you open a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), the Government of BC will deposit $1,200 into your child’s RESP. This money can be used for future education expenses such as books, tools, rent, or transportation in programs including apprenticeships, trade schools, CEGEP, college, or university.
You do not need to contribute any of your own money for your child to receive the $1,200 grant.How to Apply
Step 1: Get a Social Insurance Number (SIN) for you and your child.
Visit: http://www.canada.ca/social-insurance-number or call 1-800-622-6232.
Step 2: Make an appointment with a financial institution that offers RESPs.
Bring both SINs to your appointment.
Learn more: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/BCTESG
Questions? Email: BCTESG@gov.bc.ca
School District No. 19 – Middle-years Development Index (MDI) and Early-years Development Index (EDI)
For two decades Revelstoke Kindergarten teachers have completed the EDI. The foundational goal of the EDI is to promote “equity from the start.” Over time, EDI data have highlighted that there is great disparity in the rates of children’s developmental vulnerability across different geographic areas in BC – children’s development is impacted by where they live in the province. Revelstoke’s children continue to show low rates of vulnerability, which is a testament to the strong community we are fortunate to call home. Decades of research, informed by the observations of Kindergarten teachers, reinforces the value of investing more robustly in early childhood development – it is society’s collective responsibility to provide the best possible start for all children.
This year again, Kindergarten teachers will complete the EDI to continue the research that helps our community prioritize quality early years programs and collaboration. The Middle-years Development Index (MDI) gives children in Grade 5 and 8 the chance to tell researchers (and parents and teachers), about their experiences inside and outside the school. The MDI is not used to assess a child individually, but to understand how groups of children are doing in areas of their life related to social and emotional well-being, health and academic achievement. The information collected helps schools, communities and governments understand children’s health and well-being during middle childhood. For more information, there is an MDI Info Sheet. Grade 5s will complete the MDI in January or February. Both of these measures help CPE, the School District, and our community and families understand the strengths and needs of the children of Revelstoke. You can see past reports for both the EDI and MDI for Revelstoke here.
Upcoming Dates:
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Stay connected!
Please visit our website columbiapark.sd19.bc.ca and twitter @columbiaparksch
