December is Upon Us!

Hello again, Chester Ronning School Community!

It's incredible that we are entering the December already - the fourth month of the school year!

It's been a little while since my last blog post. Despite the fall break, the month of November has been a busy one, with report cards going out, producing a virtual Remembrance Day assembly and transitioning into the second quarter of the school year, just to name a few things! Now, as the calendar flips to December, it's a bit of a shock that there are only a few short weeks before our Christmas Holidays begin on December 19th! As is usually the case at an elementary school, it's going to be an exciting sprint for our staff and students as they gear up to complete important learning outcomes before the holidays, while also making time for the seasonal festivities that come with the season. 

Of course, things are going to look a little different at Chester Ronning School this year, as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times, and many of our school traditions will be forced to adapt. Our staff has already been planning to ensure that favorite activities such as the school Christmas tree with class sets of ornaments, can continue in a safe manner. Other traditions, such as caroling, are being adjusted to fit within the current parameters and guidelines from Alberta Health Services and our school division.

Unfortunately, there are some activities which will simply take a pause for this year - the main one being the annual Christmas Concert. As a staff, this was a very difficult decision because we recognize the importance of this event to our school community and we really enjoy helping the student to have the opportunity to preform for friends and family. However, the logistical challenges of fitting a school-wide presentation within the pandemic-related parameters we have to work with was daunting to say the least. Also, as we learned about a week ago, we will now have a week of at-home learning after our holiday, which also requires time and preparation from our staff. We appreciate your understanding this Christmas and we look forward to having this tradition return next year, strong as ever!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grinchmas - Grow Your Heart 3 Sizes!

On a slightly different note, part of the student-centered focus during the month of December will be Grinchmas at CRS, as we all work together to grow our hearts three sizes! It's hard to think of anything more grinchy than the COVID situation during the holidays, so it's a fitting theme and a nice way to put a positive spin on things! Thanks to Mrs. Foss and Mrs. Kroetch, there will be a variety of Grinch-themed character education messages and activities shared with students during the month of December. The big event, however, is a food-drive competition between our homeroom classes, in support of the Camrose Food Bank.

Chester Ronning School has a history of helping students participate in service projects during the holiday season and we are very happy to support our local food bank, this year! Camrose Neighbor Aid has been a great partner to our school and we receive a great deal of support from them for our breakfast and lunchtime programs, to help ensure that our students' nutrition is looked after and that they can focus on learning when they come to school. It's nice that we can use this opportunity to return the favour, at least a little bit!

Families who are willing and able to contribute can send non-perishable items to school with their child(ren).  Mrs. McLeod and myself will also be bringing in items that we will give out to students caught doing good deeds, so that they can be added to their class's collection. Teachers will display the donations in their classrooms so that students can visually see the growing results of their efforts and there might even be a few prizes available for the classes that end up gathering the largest contributions! 

At our school council meeting on November 25, a couple of parents indicated that they would like to also contribute to the "Gotcha Being Good" portion of this food-drive campaign. So, if you would like to donate some items so that they can be incentives for good deeds around the school, please let us know (780-672-5588) or send them in a bag marked "For: Gotcha Being Good". 

Thank you for helping make the upcoming holidays a little bit brighter for some of our community members!

Yours in Education,

Reid Lansing

Principal  

Items Needed at the Food Bank:

Food Items

• Pasta and sauce
• Canned fish and meats
• Peanut butter
• Soups
• Canned vegetables
• Baby food and baby formula
• Juice boxes, fruit cups, puddings, granola bars and other lunchbox snacks
• Powdered milk

Non-food Items

• Toilet Paper
• Soap
• Shampoo
• Deodorants and antiperspirants
• Baby diapers

If you want to make other donations, or if you are in need of support for the holdiays, more information is available on the Neighbor Aid Website