Next Tuesday, April 19th is Highroad’s Annual Service Day where the various classes participate in service activities in our community. Our grade 5 class, along with Mrs. Couse’s class, will be heading to the Harrison area to do some weed clean-up for the FVRD. We will be leaving at lunch and back before 3pm. We would love for a few parents to join us to help with crowd control.
Students need to bring GARDENING GLOVES (available at the Dollar Store) and a hand trowel, if you have one. Don’t feel like you need to purchase the trowel if you don’t have one.
Students can wear play clothes on this day and should dress in layers for the ever-changing weather. If it is pouring rain, we will not go. If you have any questions, please e-mail Mrs. Derksen at mderksen@highroadacademy.com.
On Monday, students can pay $2 and skip the uniform by dressing in casual clothes. All money raised will go to support the Love Guatemala Missions Team.
As you may have already heard from your child, our family has started the process of sponsoring a refugee family. We are excited and terrified, but have no doubt that this is what God is wanting us to do at this time. The grade 5 class has been very encouraging and supportive as I have shared parts of our story so I thought that I would fill you in as well.
We have partnered with two other local families and the non-profit organization, MCC. MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) helps in navigating the government paperwork, matching us with a family, helping us know how to prepare for the family, and opening up a trust account so that we can take donations that are tax-deductible. Our FIRST STEP is raising $35 000. We need to have ALL of the funds in place before MCC can bring the family to Chilliwack. After the money has been raised, they will organize the travel plans and once the family arrives, WE are the ones that are responsible for supporting the refugee family for THEIR FIRST YEAR. We need to have housing in place, cultural/language support, education, and all of the daily needs met to help the family adjust to their new home and community.
We recently started the fundraising portion and we are having our first official fundraiser on Saturday, Feb 20. I realize that this is not a ‘Highroad’ event but I’ve had a couple of parents ask questions so I thought I would extended the invite to our classroom community. We will be having a dessert fundraiser, featuring Christian singer/songwriter Ryan McAllister, and a silent auction. If the grown-ups in your family would like to join us for this event, please e-mail me and I’ll be sure to save a seat for you. (Details are at the bottom of this post.)
The students have also asked how they can help raise funds as a class. Since this is not a Highroad event, I need to be careful not to ‘step on any toes’ so anything we do would need to be done outside of school. If you have any ideas or ways to help organize a fundraiser that our grade 5 students could take part in, please let me know. I’d love to organize something with your support.
Thank so much for your support, both in the classroom and in our personal lives. Pam and I are so blessed to have such an incredible, supportive parent community.
Dessert Fundraiser Details:
Date: Saturday, February 20th at 7pm
Place: Central Community Church
Tickets are $10 each and payable at the door. We just need an RSVP ahead of time to reserve a spot for you.
Silent auction items include…4 night stay on Kootenay Lake, Canucks Tickets, Outdoor Movie Screen Rental, Capturing You photography session, and so much more. Silent auction items can be paid for by cash, cheque, or credit card.
The Intermediate After School Clubs brochure went home yesterday. If your child is interested in one of the five options, please register them in the school foyer on THURSDAY at 3:15. Below is a copy of the brochure.
Next Tuesday, January 26th, we will be starting our Immigration Centers. I am still in need of 2 PARENT VOLUNTEERS to help with them. The commitment would be from 9:15-10:15am on the following TUESDAYS: Jan 26, Feb 2, 9, 16. If you have this time available in your schedule, PLEASE consider helping out. Having an adult to help ‘direct’ each group will only make the educational experience deeper and more enriching for the students. Please e-mail me ASAP if you are able to help at mderksen@highroadacademy.com. Thanks so much!
Today we are kicking off our Immigration unit in Social Studies. I am so excited about this area of study since the topic of Immigration is forefront in the news right now and the students are able to make lots of connections to the topic. We will be focusing on the history of immigration in Canada, but in order to do so, I NEED YOUR HELP! There are 2 opportunities for volunteering in the next month or two. Please take a look at the options and see if one or both fit with your schedule.
1) Did you immigrate to Canada? I am looking for parents that immigrated to Canada (at any age) to come and speak to the class about their (and/or their families) experience. I have a few questions that I would love for you to answer and can give them to you beforehand. This is very casual, so no need to get nervous. We just want to hear your story of immigrating to Canada. I know there are a few of you that this applies to, so if you don’t get in touch with me, I’ll be tracking you down. 🙂 I would love it if you could come join us for Social Studies on Monday, January 18th at about 2pm. You can simply pop in to share your story or you can stay for the whole block (2-3pm) to hear the stories from the other parents as well.
2) I am going to be setting up centers around the class for small groups of 4-5 students to visit and learn about a specific people group that immigrated to Canada. I will have artifacts/pictures/video available for each group but need a PARENT VOLUNTEER to sit at each center and help facilitate discussion. This will be FUN and EASY!! I will have everything ready to go, I simply need you to assist the students in looking at the information and talking about it. I need 3-4 parents for one 45 minute block a week, for four weeks. The centers would take place on the following TUESDAYS: Jan 26, Feb 2, 9, 16. I am fairly flexible for what time of day would work. The only time that DOESN’T work is last block of the day. Once I have a few parents available, I will talk with them to discuss a time that works for everyone.
Thank you, in advance, for helping out in the class and enriching the students’ educational experience. If you have any questions or want to volunteer, please email me at mderksen@highroadacademy.com.
Casual Day TOMORROW!! My apologies for not reminding the students today. Students can pay $2 and dress in casual clothes OR they may wear their uniform as usual. All money raised is going to support the Highroad Guatemala Missions Trip.
Food Drive: Our Salvation Army food drive will begin on Monday, November 30th. We are competing with K-3 classes to see who can bring in the most cans. All food items are worth 1 point each except the following items are worth 5 points each:
Christmas Concert: The Intermediate/High School concert is on Monday, December 14th at 7pm. Our grade 5 class will be dressing up in nativity costumes. Please plan to dress your child as a shepherd, wise man, Mary/Joseph, etc. Dig out those robes and head towels. Look forward to seeing you all there!
Hi everyone, The students have been working hard on learning the proper pronunciation of the French alphabet letters. Next Tuesday, I will give an oral quiz to test them. Below is a song/rap video that has helped us to learn them, as well as a handout with the pronunciation written out for them. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me. Thanks! Mrs. Derksen