December 2023 Monthly Update

Churchill news from December 2023!

Every month, our school council (CASC) meets to discuss events, fundraising, and other school-related items. As part of the meeting, our teacher representative provides an update on some of the events that occur in the school. In addition, our principal sends out a weekly email which often includes a bit of information about what's happening around the school. While this post does not capture every event that happened this month, it does provide some highlights as shared by our staff.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Make Some Cash.

The Yetis managed to raise over $200 for the lower yard by selling worm compost tea bag fertilizer at the Holiday Craft fair.

Student Teacher Farewells

This week, we say goodbye to three fabulous Lakehead Teacher Candidates. We wish Eric, Jane, and Lara well as they continue on their journey. With any luck, they will be back in the spring to supply teach!

Food for Thought

Over the past month, the Grade 5 Cacti have visited the Westboro Food Bank as well as the Parkdale Food Centre. Students learned about some of the reasons for food insecurities in our community and that it takes a whole lot of community support to keep these much-needed pantries open. The Westboro services on average 270 people a week, with an average of $700 in grocery bills above and beyond what the province funds. The Parkdale Food Centre collects an additional $ 18,000 a month in donations to support their food deliveries. We are collecting items until next Wednesday. Alternatively, become a monthly donor by visiting their respective websites.

Also around food insecurity- the Grade 1 Foxes gathered on Saturday morning at Morrison Gardens. Under the direction of Marta, they assembled some boxes of food for folks in the community. Students also enjoyed snacks and crafts!

Library

A HUGE thank you to everyone who supported our Scholastic Book Fair library fundraiser. The students had fun, practiced some valuable money management skills, and met our fundraising goal of $3000, which means we keep 40% of the money raised during the fair, in Scholastic credits, which we can use to purchase new books and other items for the library throughout the year.

The Owls have been researching various animals (Grade 2) and indigenous dwellings (Grade 3). This has included making posters and dioramas.

We have also been dissecting owl pellets - WE ARE OWLS after all!🙂

Stepping Out in Nature

In Back to Nature, the Grade 4 Dolphins and Grade 2/3 Rangers recently enjoyed reconnecting with nature. Guided by their educators, they embraced sit spots, finding quiet spaces to observe nature and then coming back to the circle to share their observations. Another exciting update, the Ranger Class took the initiative to teach the Dolphin Class how to play the dreidel game. This collaborative activity provided a fantastic opportunity for the students to explore diverse holiday traditions. The heartwarming scene of students coming together, learning, and having fun showcased their enthusiasm.

Bordenball Tournament

The Alternative Bordenball Tournament took place on December 5th at Summit Alternative and was a huge success! 75 students in grades 3-6 from Churchill participated and made Churchill proud with their teamwork, sportsmanship and best efforts. In total, 120 students from 3 Alternative schools attended the tournament and mixed for a day of round-robin play, each team playing 6 games! Next up in the New Year …Triple Ball!

Churchill Craft Fair

A huge congratulations on a very successful Holiday Craft Fair! The Craft Fair is an incredible way to bring the community together and to allow students to develop their entrepreneurial spirit. Thank you to the many volunteers and staff who dedicated their time to make this happen.

From CASC:

Wow! Such an amazing community we have here at our school! So many thanks go out to folks who helped decorate the evening before (parents, staff, kids and coop students). Stacey and her students really helped make the vision come alive with sooo many handmade decorations! Thank you! The school looked so beautiful, thanks to many!

Thank you to all who donated items for the Cafe and the Bake Sale, this truly helped make everything a huge success!

All leftover dinner rolls, unopened condiments and soup cups went to the community fridge at the Parkdale Food Centre

And another huge thanks to all of those who helped out whether that be, accompanying young crafters and supporting their special day. The student crafters were amazing, their tables and creations were whimsical and so thoughtfully planned. Thank you Kate for supporting these kids in this adventure!

Thank you to everyone for volunteering your time for set up, tear down or working 1 of our many stations. Also, thank you to the whole community who came out to support the event.

Lastly, a big thanks to our many highschool volunteers and Churchill Alternative Alumni who helped make this day possible. You are all so appreciated and it would not be the same without all of you!

Michèle retires at the end of December

Wednesday, December 13th had a wonderful community celebration for Michèle’s retirement. Thank you to all families, former and current students and members of the community who came to celebrate this special occasion with us! I know that Michèle was very moved by this event.

Theatre

This week students enjoyed a fantastic performance from Nepean High School’s Children’s Theatre tour. Pete’s Junior Core French classes also put on some great performances for Primary classes. Even our Kinder Wolves were inspired to put on their own impromptu show!