Hello, well it's almost time again, just a few more weeks before
school is over. I want to thank all the parents that send their
children to school even though we had rough times with the
buses but they still came to school. All students learn when they listen to their teacher and I always remind them to listen to their teacher.

Students need their education so they can go on other careers as they graduate
from grade 12. There are lots to discover out in the world. So keep sending your children to school. We had lots of fun days throughout the school year. Students went for field trips out of the community which they enjoyed. We had other programs that came to our school, like tradition culture teachings with our
elders. The students enjoy life skills program and they say they learn new things. So, I hope we keep bringing in new programs to our school.

I always ask God to keep the students safe that we watch every day.
Unfortunately, He took one away to be His angel. We will never forget the
late Vinny Harper. His memories are still with us.

Have a good month and God bless everyone that read this.

Till next time,

Leslie Harper
Principal

From the Guidance Department

We are somewhere in the middle of the second semester and it would not be long before we know where the students stand academically. Parents, this is the time to push your child to attend classes regularly.

Good luck for the rest of the semester and finish your assignments.

Thank you!

Albert Harper - Guidance Counsellor

Kindergarten AM/PM

Francine Wood - Teacher

Hello from Kindergarten! Spring is here and we only have few weeks of
school left. Wow, time went by so fast! This month, we are doing our fish
unit and we are excited to go set up our fishing net.

Perfect Attendance for the month of March:

• Brooklyn Harper
• Jakob Harper
• Toby Harper
• Aggie Knott
• Layla Knott
• Lucy Taylor
• Ricco Wood
• Aubree Harper
• Darien Harper
• Lonnie Harper
• Mya Harper
• Hilary Mcdougall
• Jesslyn Mcdougall

In our Classroom:

* We respect each other
* We follow classroom rules/routines
* We are a team
* We try our best

Reminders

• Remind your children about ice safety
• Go to bed early
• Send your children to school everyday
• If you send snacks with your child, please bring enough snacks for everybody

Hello from Grade 3A

Amanda Harper - Teacher

Spring is slowly coming along, we enjoyed the mini winter carnival in March.
We won the snow sculpture of making a turtle. We are continuing to make good progress in the class, students are continuing to work hard, but we still need to have good attendance. Our attendance has fallen quite a bit. Please continue to send your children to school every day.

As spring is arriving, students are eager to go outside and have already enjoyed
a few recesses outside and also lunch hours. So we have been outside a few times already it is good to remind your child to stay in the playground area because it
is not safe to wander off especially that the ice is getting thin.

I hope everyone enjoys the spring air that is coming. It is so nice seeing all the birds and animals coming back for spring. Have a wonderful time.

Thank you.

From Grade 4A

Corazon Rabasto - Teacher

The month of April seemed to be a hectic, fun-filled, exciting and a fascinating month for GKS starting with accomplishing report cards (N to Grade 8), observing Pink Day, Easter festivity and organizing a fishing derby for the teachers and staff.

Pink Day celebration highlighted our desire to respect diversity and consistency against all forms of bullying. The aerial PEACE logo photo taken symbolizes our stand as a peace-loving individual, school and community as a whole. As educators, it is a duty of care, a legal responsibility to ensure that all our students are safe from any harm. The Golden Rule do to others as you would like to have them do to you assures us one of the most basic principles of Christian living.
Part of the Easter holiday, students and their respective families were drawn to
the deeper aspects of what Easter story is all about.

The ice fishing activity enabled us to unwind from the routine of our work schedules.

Grade 4A students uphold anti-bullying, accept individual differences and concur to respect one another.

Hello from Grade 5A

Sheryl Harper - Teacher

It has been a busy few months. The winter road came to an end. Most of the students enjoyed going on the road. As spring is finally coming and snow is melting, the students are eager to learn and get back in track.

The students enjoyed the anti-bullying activities and Easter activities. As we
are in the third term year, students are expected to work harder and show
effort into their work. I know at times a student is unmotivated, but we
have to learn to help one another.

Hello from Grade 6A

Blandilyn B. Galeon - Teacher

What a wonderful time we had in our school for the month of March, everyone had fun and enjoyed the carnival.

This month we will continue our study on Flight, they understand that different movements in the air can be achieved by creating unbalanced forces. The class
has shown interest in our topic about Canadian inventions and achievements. Persuasive writing is the focus of our writing at this time and we will be working on improving our writing and verbal skills on this topic.

We also supported the Pink Day (Anti-bullying awareness). We went outside the school to form a PEACE sign.

Hello from Grade 7A

Angela Harper - Teacher

Hi, We hope everyone has an awesome spring season.

Hello from the Science Room

Keith Ranville - High School Science Teacher

Easter is now over and the end of the school year is fast approaching. I hope
every high school students will get their credits. You have to work for it.

The ice is getting thinner so be careful out there. The winter carnival we had a
few weeks ago was much fun. I hope the students enjoyed it as much as I did. Being pulled all day is not as much fun as you would think. I am sorry I missed the ice fishing, but I am glad they went out and had some fun.

I hope that the upcoming senior prom will be a huge success. Have an excellent day and until next time, be safe.

Hello from the Social Studies Department

Randy Harper - High School Social Studies Teacher

I would like to say it has been interesting year. At the moment, I have the Grade 10s who are studying the Geographic Issues of the 21st century; Grade 9s are studying contemporary Canada, and aboriginal studies which include the history of aboriginal peoples.

I would like to encourage all students to do their best and to never give up.
All of us have to work hard to accomplish our goals. In all, I wish you all well.

From Home Economics

Ella Knott - Home Ec Teacher

Hello people of Wasagamack!

I hope you are doing well and as you all know another school year is coming
to a close soon and it is approaching fast with all the yearend activities
happening. There is only a couple months left and it will be a very busy time
for all the teachers and students.

As for our Home-Ec classes we have been doing sewing and learning the
different stitching that can be done on cloth. Some of them are basic, hemming, cross, blanket and embroidery stitches. Students really enjoy doing them and we will be doing cooking as soon as we get our orders and supplies here. Last semester, we also did leather and beading work. Girls made mittens (leather) or gauntlets before Christmas and they are enjoying it.

I hope to do more before the end of the school year and please parents keep sending your children to school, especially the elder ones as we would like to
see them graduate.

Thank you.

Physical Education Department - High School

Fabian Harper - P.E. Teacher

Hello! To everyone out there in the community of Wasagamack.

I just want to remind everyone to be safe out there, especially the students
as spring is fast approaching. I am proud to say that the students had fun
during our inter-community tournaments in the Island Lake region. All participants tried their best and did well in these games. I always try to
encourage all students to give it their best when they play and it is not
always about winning but to stay active and participate.

On a closing note, high school students should keep coming to school so
they can achieve their credits and move on to the next grade level.

Meegwech- Fabian Harper

Computer

Butch Rabasto - Computer Teacher

Hello everyone!

Our second school term really started with action-packed activities with lots of excitement in between. We began with our local science fair, then joining the 1st Annual Island Lake Regional Science Fair at St. Theresa Point in February and spearheading a team of delegation to participate in the Manitoba First Nations Science Fair held in Winnipeg last March 9-10, 2017.

The Grade 12 class was able to enhance the functionality of our GKS website which enable us to publish the story covering the best of both worlds of our science fair team as they travel to Winnipeg amidst challenging weather conditions. The team went on to showcase their science projects at the Max Bell Centre, University of Manitoba and garnered bronze and silver medals after the deliberation and judging of all school participants throughout Manitoba.

Internet signals to the portables and Industrial Arts are now restored. Additional access points were installed to make internet signals from the server rooms available along the school hallways. Busted lamps of Smart board projectors in
the classrooms are now replaced and operational. We have on-going hardware upgrades and we hope to embrace the latest technologies soon like the new Interactive Flat Panels (IFP) that will help teachers deliver their methods of instruction and techniques to a new level and bring about a conducive learning environment for the students.

Let us continue to encourage our students to attend their respective classes and to always remind them that GKS stands for growth, knowledge and skills which are the prime advocacy of George Knott School.

Join the Running Club !!! See details below ...

Greetings to one and all!

Oh my! Time is flying by, but I am grateful to finally be seeing signs of spring. The snow is gone, the robins and killdeer are here, and the willows are starting to bud. With spring, comes the anticipation of the last weeks of school.

Students, it is not too late to get yourself all caught up and complete your work. It is still important for our students to attend class each and every day. If your child is unable to come, please notify us so he/she can be marked accordingly.

We have had a very successful couple of months at George Knott School with an awesome Pink Day, inter-school tournaments held, cultural winter carnival, and a few winter field trips for students. I would also like to remind everyone to practice Spring Safety. Follow the guidance of our Elders in regards to the unsafe ice and be extra cautious with fire when cleaning your yards; it will spread quickly.

Over the past few months, we have made some hard personal decisions, and have decided to make this our last year here at George Knott School. After 25 years, I am closing this chapter of my book, and starting a new one. This decision comes with happy, yet sad emotions; excited yet overwhelming emotions like a complete roller coaster ride. I look back at my time, and it sure does not feel as long as it really has been. My friends, family, and colleagues have supported me through many good times as well as the hard ones that we have overcome. I know in my heart I have made a difference, touched many lives, and have had an impact on many others. We have an abundance of fond memories that we will cherish as we move forward to a new beginning.

I thank you all for making my many years memorable, enjoyable, and given me the opportunity to grow personally and especially professionally.

Respectfully,

Jody Koch
Vice Principal (Middle Years)

Greetings from Grade 1B

Lydia Wood - Teacher

We have worked and it's been busy within the last couple of months. We just finished our Rabbit Unit and we had our rabbit soup and bannock. The students enjoyed the rabbit preparation and enjoyed their soup. The students also enjoyed their special activities that occurred - Winter Carnival, Classroom parties and Pink day.

We still have 8 more weeks of school left and a lot has yet to be finished. Please keep sending your child to school and inform the teacher or call the school if your child is sick.

Thank you.

From Grade 2A

May Escudero - Teacher

REMEDIAL READING PROGRAM: A REMEDY TO UNLOCK READING DIFFICULTY

(Source: www.depedcamnorte.net by Geraldine Calleja)

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Reading is the most fundamental part of education. It opens the door to a number
of opportunities for growth and development. Reading develops the imagination of a child and it helps kids develop empathy. Children who read do better at school.

At a Glance: Why to conduct remedial reading program?
5 areas of reading instruction

1. Phonemic awareness
2. Fluency
3. Phonics
4. Vocabulary
5. Text comprehension

Preparing and even improving reading ability of the students is such a tedious and
serious task for the teachers and parents. It needs a lot of time, effort and cooperation. Special attention should be given to those who need reading remediation.

Thus, remedial reading especially for slow reader students, said to be the key to
unlock reading difficulty of the students. Many students nowadays found difficulty in reading, pronouncing words, and do not even comprehend what they have read. Based from the research, there were many factors that affect the ability and the willingness of the students to read. Through Remedial Reading Program, the students will be given the opportunity to love reading again, increase phonemic awareness, develop skills or effective oral and written communications, organize and express ideas and develop skillful study habits, develop correct speech habits which guarantee automatic response in normal speech situations and helps the students listen and read with comprehension.

If we want to improve the academic performance of our students, if we want to help them achieve their dreams, let us unlock their reading difficulty.

In this light the schools and teachers as well can hold a fifteen to twenty (15-20) minutes daily activity devoted to reading books or any materials available in the school. Remedial lessons are given to children in the non-reading level.

From Grade 4B

Mary Grace Demapanag - Teacher

Lots of exciting things happening in our classroom.

Group Work. Brain Storming ...

Egg Hunting (Where's the egg?) ... Musical Dance

Hello from Grade 4C

Cecilia Harper - Teacher

The Students have been quite busy doing their work in groups and it is good to see all of them learning to socialize with one another in respectful way. In these activities we do in our classroom, it motivates them to focus on what they need to practice on for the upcoming grade level.

Also, we have done our Easter activities and we really enjoyed having our classroom party. Thank you to the parents and guardians who have sent the treats with their child to share with their classmates.

Now that we are slowly starting on the last few clusters from our Grade level activities, we would be more interested in focusing on our upcoming nature walks and more hands on activities. This is another way of focusing more to look forward. The spring is here now and we hope you are being careful out there. DO NOT WALK ON THIN ICE!

Hello from Grade 5B

Sandra Douglas - Teacher

We are starting fractions in Math, doing weather and simple machines, external and internal
forces in Science and narrative writing and Haiku Poetry in L. A.. We had fun at
Easter and hope everyone stays safe on the ice and at break-up and enjoys the beginning of Spring.

Please send your children to school. We also have a book order coming from Scholastic and everyone has a book. The students from 5B usually work hard
and are enthusiastic and interested learners.

Hello from Grade 7B

Martin Ducharme - Teacher

It has been a blast teaching grade 7 English, math, social studies and science in Wasagamack. I really learnt a lot and so have my students. We learnt a lot of wonderful things.

We learnt about subjects, predicates, verbs, nouns, pronouns and adjectives. We learnt about simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences. We learnt about subject and verbs and complements and direct objects. We learnt about reading comprehension and asking questions about the text to actively engage ourselves in reading. We learnt about what a topic sentence is and what support sentences are and we learnt to identify them.

In math we tested our prior knowledge and learnt many new wonderful things. We added and subtracted using single, double and triple digits. We multiplied single, double and triple digit numbers. We learnt fractions, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. We learnt to add and subtract fractions with the same denominators and with different denominators. We learnt to compare fractions, which fractions were greater and which were smaller. We understand why one fraction is greater and why one is smaller using fraction pies and number lines. We changed mixed fractions to improper fractions. We converted fractions to decimals and percentages. We moved onto algebra. We translated algebra expressions. We completed basic algebra and that is where we left off. Next, we plan on doing order of operations and geometry.

In social studies we learnt about geographical location using longitude and latitude. We learnt the address of Wasagamack. We learnt about the different time zones. We learnt about land masses and the various continents and oceans. We learnt how to read an atlas. We learnt to get information from the atlas such as the population of places and much more. We learnt about government and about democracy. We learnt about our rights as citizens such as the right to vote for our choice for a representative. We learnt about various political systems including a system called democratic monarchy in Canada and Australia. We looked at dictators like Mao of China, Hitler of Germany, Stalin of Russia and compared them to other leaders in the free world. Finally, we covered Canada’s federal system in depth. We covered the division of powers between the federal and the provincial governments. We went over jurisdictions such as who is in charge of winter roads. We noted the difference between the members of the Parliament (MP) and members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). We noted the names of Federal and provincial ridings and the number of ridings needed to win an election at both the provincial and Federal level. We talked about Elijah Harper from Red Sucker Lake who was an MLA and a major player in defeating the Meech Lake accord. Now we moved on to North American and Australian indigenous people.

And finally in science we covered ecosystems and biodiversity. We learnt the vocabulary such as habitat, food chains, energy pyramid, producers, consumers and decomposers. We covered herbivores, carnivores and photosynthesis. We moved on to particle theory of matter and the four main ideas that particles is the basis of this theory. Particles behave differently in a solid, liquid and gas state. We examined that particles are attracted to one another and that there is always space between them. We noted the difference between potential and kinetic energy. Now we have moved on to forces and structures. We are presently learning the vocabulary. That is where we sit today.

Well that is what grade 7B has been doing in a nut shell. We have learnt many wonderful things.

Guitar

Bobby Knott - Guitar Teacher

I would like to say hello to all of you reading this newsletter.

The school year is coming to a close very quickly. It seems as though lots of activities were happening all winter. As the winter comes to an end, all classes
(grade 6 to 12) are preparing for their annual year-end concert in June that will showcase all their hard work and efforts throughout the year. This will be the best concert up to date so please do come watch your child perform for the school and family members.

I would also like to add that I enjoy working with all of the students and helping them master an instrument that requires diligent effort that might sometimes seem tedious and impossible to achieve. However, I have seen great improvements and progress from all students that keep trying their very best to persevere and overcome the challenges of learning such a hard instrument. I always reassure them they can overcome any challenges they face throughout their lives like they do if they overcome the challenges of learning and mastering the guitar.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the parents/guardians who continue to send their children to school each and every day.

Thank you very much.

Physical Education Department - Early Years

Dustin - P.E. Teacher

Hello again, from the Phys Ed dept.

Things are moving along at a fast rate in Phys Ed. We hosted two tournaments here in Wasagamack (Floor hockey, Volleyball) in which all teams did a wonderful job preparing and helping out their respective teams. The results could not be any better. The students enjoyed themselves as did the staff. All the students are progressing along great and the gymnasium continues to be booked all the time with limited time slots. We are doing are best to accommodate all grades from Nursery to Grade 12. The next couple months, up until school closes for the summer will be especially busy for us, not just the Phys Ed. Dept. but for the whole school as well. It is going to be an exciting time for the students and staff alike.

So, students please keep coming to school every day and please stay off the ice and lakes as it is not safe. Thank you!

Announcement

George Knott School will be closed from
May 9 - 12, 2017 for the annual Lighting the Fire Conference in Winnipeg

For other news updates ...

Visit our ARCHIVES - GKS School News & Events Library 2016 - 2018

Stay SAFE, everyone !!!

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