lskschool

September 2020 Note…

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Welcome to a new school year, students!  We look forward to serving you and making sure you have an enjoyable and successful year.

The Education Department and LSK School have come up with plans that aim to keep students, teachers, families and the community safe as possible during these current times.

We are adapting our classrooms to accommodate social distancing and teachers are preparing virtual lessons, due to a possible interruption in regular classes at school.  Students and teachers will begin a new technological way of delivering assignments and marks.  Change can be difficult, especially when conditions are uncertain but we shall keep moving forward.  I believe we have always been a resilient people for at least 500 years, and the proof is, we are still here.  I feel we can get through additional requirements and still reach our potential and goals.  I am hoping with this distancing we will communicate more, regarding questions, understandings and needs, so don’t be shy students.  As for parents, I can be contacted mornings at school and after class hours if you have any concerns you would like to discuss.  The ‘sooner the better’ is my motto.

My overall plans for my course this term is to infuse as much Mi’kmaq culture into the content of materials we use to meet the goals of each course.  For example, in the new Film and Video Production 12 course, students will be analyzing short scenes, character histories and movie reviews in order to create their own works.  We will view ‘Indian Horse”, which is a cinematic landmark dramatizing Canada’s First Nations history.  When we start filming near the end of the course, I am hoping to get the students out on the land filming natural elements and their processes.

I am looking forward to working with students and parents this year.

Respectfully,
Carol Howe

September 2020 Note…

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I am happy to be back as  your music teacher for LSK.  I have been busy preparing for you and our ‘new music’ lessons.  Things will be different for us all.  I will be coming to your classrooms for our music lessons and although different, we will still enjoy music in many new ways… ‘It’s not hard, it’s just new’ … Ms Bev – Music Teacher LSK

September 2020 Note…

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Junior High Mi’kmaq Language Report

As is the case for many First Nations throughout North America, the Mi’kmaq are living in an era of resurgence of interest in their language, culture, history, traditions, values and worldview. In addition, there is increasing interest by non-Mi’kmaq speakers toward the contributions of the Mi’kmaq in Atlantic Canada, and, indeed, all of Canada.

There are two critical problems facing the Mi’kmaq today:

1). There is the danger of the extinction of their language that, in turn, influences the extinction of traditional knowledge through Mi’kmaw culture, history, traditions, values and worldview. In the last half of the 20th century;

2). There has been a decline in the number of people who speak the Mi’kmaw language, due in part to the determination by successive Federal Governments to engage in a forced assimilation of the First Nations peoples into the “mainstream” society through many actions now perceived as wrong (for example, Residential schools), the prevalence of the English language, both in North America and throughout the world, has greatly influenced the erosion and diminishment of Mi’kmaw almost to the point of extinction.

(Mi’kmaq Language Curriculum, Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI)

Here at LSK, one of our main objectives for the Mi’kmaq Language Program will be to encourage our students to speak more Mi’kmaq in school, at home and within the community. 

As a result of the coronavirus (covid-19), Mi’kmaq Language classes will look a bit different than previous years. Our classes will be held in your homeroom classes. 

This year, we will be planning activities on a monthly theme basis according to the month and season. Students will continue learning Basic Mi’kmaq Conversations, colors, numbers, days of the week, months, vowels and consonants, Mi’kmaq history and culture. We will also be focusing on the importance of Treaty Education and the history of Sipekne’katik. Our students will also be participating in Outdoor Education/Land Based Learning/Project Based Learning that will focus on a Mi’kmaq way of life. We will also be presenting several workshops and elder teachings. Parents are encouraged to visit the school and participate in revitalizing the Mi’kmaq Culture and Language throughout the year.

September 2020 Note…

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Hello, and welcome back.  I know this year school will be different from what it has been in the past but I am looking forward to doing the best I can, given these unusual circumstances.  For those of you who don’t know me yet, I am Gordon Pictou and I am excited to be teaching Phys. Ed.  I started a few weeks before Covid shut down school early last year.  I know there will be many challenges to offer gym classes safely, but I am confident we can still have fun moving and developing our athleticism.  One of the best ways to do this is by being outside; so, as much as possible, gym class will be outdoors this year. 

Who is this guy anyway?

I am from Millbrook and have been a teacher since 2002.  I taught in High School in HRM and adult learners in Sipekne’katik and Millbrook.  For the last few years I have been the Municipal Physical Activity Leader (MPAL) for Millbrook and in that role, I had worked with all our communities, planning and coordinating sport and recreation opportunities.  I have been a baseball coach for over 20 years and more recently, soccer, baseball and track.  I am a positive an energetic person and I try to be an encouraging and supportive coach.  If you would like to reach out to me to talk about your child or to know more about sport during the pandemic, I am happy to have those conversations with you.  This guy is also a father to three boys and we have a crazy beagle, a silly black lab, and two feral cats.  My mother is Phillipa Pictou and my dad is/was Bill Pictou, and I have two sisters, Karen and Amber.  I grew up in Halifax, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver before moving back to Millbrook in 2009.  I’m trying to learn to speak Mi’kmaq but I’m far from good at it yet… meskay.  I am very excited to have this excellent opportunity to work for this school and to serve our future generations in this community.

September 2020 Note…

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Mrs. Brooks and Mrs. Levi

Hello Everyone! 

I would like to welcome everyone to our new school year! We are very excited to meet all the new students and look forward to working with their families to help make this school year a successful one! Our classroom may look a little different this year, due to Covid restrictions we have removed some supplies, furniture and manipulatives. We are working hard to make sure our students have a safe environment to learn in. We have been busy making sets of manipulatives and supplies for each student so they are ready to learn when they arrive! We would like to remind everyone to practice proper handwashing and properly wearing their masks so they will be prepared when they start school! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at sjulianbrooks@sipeknekatik.ca

Mrs. Brooks & Mrs. Levi

September 2020 Note…

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Welcome back students and staff! That was quite the March break we had…lol. I hope everyone is excited to be starting back. The grade sixes will be busy learning other First Nations people of Canada, Diversity of Life, Big Numbers, and staying healthy. We will also be social distancing and wearing masks in the hall.

Have a great and safe school year!

Love, Ms Helena

September 2020 Note…

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Welcome Back! 

K’we

I’m excited to start the school year and to see all the smiling face entering the school. I will be the Leveled Literacy Intervention teacher again this year.  I look forward to working with our students this year.  

What is LLI? Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) Program is a supplemental literacy designed to help struggling readers achieve grade-level competency. LLI is delivered through explicit, direct instruction in a small-group format. Fast- paced lessons aim to engage students and promote rapid processing.  

September 2020 Note…

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Hello All, 

I hope everyone had a great March/summer break! All kidding aside, I know this has been a challenging year so far and while there will continue to be challenges it’s important to remember that we are all in this together. We are all weathering the same storm but we may not be in the same boat. With that being said, I encourage all parents/guardians to be confident in our dedication as teachers to ensure the success of your children. I cannot wait to get them back in school and see their sweet faces. This will be a different year but we will do our best to make sure kids are safe, secure and happy while they learn.  

Much of the beginning of this year will be getting students reacquainted with the space and routines of school again. In order for kids to learn they need to feel comfortable in their learning environment. We are all doing our best to design our classrooms so that they will be both comfortable and safe for our kiddos. I would also encourage parents/guardians to check out the video produced for LSK about procedures for back to school and to read any documents outlining expectations (mask wearing, symptom checklist, lunches, etc.). Grade 3s are to wear masks on the bus and common areas in the school but not in their classroom, as that is considered our bubble.  

I look forward to being in communication with all of you and please feel free to reach out to me in whatever way is most convenient for you (facebook messenger, text, call, email). Keep an eye out for my letter soon.  

Over and Out

September 2020 Note…

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September has arrived and we are busy ensuring we are completely prepared to welcome our students in for a great start! We have been busy sanitizing, decluttering, and re-organizing our classrooms to ensure we follow the health and safety standards set out by Public Health. 

Our new normal will consist of some changes in the Senior High. Students will need to follow directional arrows in the hallways, use labelled staircases to go up and down the stairs, and wear masks in the hallways, on the bus, and in classrooms if they cannot distance chairs to standards. Students are to bring their water bottle each day to school, as there is no access to water fountains for students this year. Lockers will not be available this year. Breakfast will be provided in their homeroom class, and lunch will also be provided in their homeroom class. Always remember to have your temperature checked, each time you enter into the building and sanitize each time you enter any classroom. 

 Classes will resume as always. Students have been scheduled into their required courses and special attention was given to try to keep classes at an equal size to support the new distancing protocols in the classroom. Student schedules will be emailed to all 10-12 students prior to the start date and will be sent to their school emails. Personal Chromebook devices have been ordered for students, and will be arriving prior to their start date.

Career Cruising for Grades 9-12 will continue this year. This is a new approach to help students become more prepared for the decisions they will have to make on course selections and post-secondary institutions in their future. Our students will be using web resources as a tool to help them make these decisions. For the last 2 years all of our grads, who wished to attend a post-secondary institution were supported and accepted into the school of their choosing. This is an annual goal for each grad class to better support students in future success and academic achievement. 

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns that I can help you solve J 
nmaloney@lskschool.ca