SOURIS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER www.shmb.ca/sourisschool Volume 30, Number 23 March 19, 2010 NEWS FROM THE OFFICE At our annual PAC/Souris School meeting held on March 15th we decided to put our school mission statement in this weeks newsletter for parents/guardians to review.  As indicated at the meeting, the mission statement is about eight years old and needs to be reviewed.  We are looking for your input.  Please review the mission statement and if you would like to make comments or revisions to the mission statement, please email them to roberty@shmb.ca.  We will be reviewing the mission statement at the next PAC executive meeting in April. Mission Statement Souris School, together with families and community, will provide a positive, safe environment where individuals can develop personal potential and life-long learning skills to achieve success in a changing world. A congratulation goes out to the Sabres Hockey Team on a great season.  The Sabres Hockey team participated in Provincials last weekend in Killarney.  They finished fifth in the Tournament.  Well done boys. The Sabre Varsity Girls Basketball team is off to a great start at Provincials in Boissevain this weekend winning their first game last night against Roblin.   The girls play Niverville today at 4:00 p.m. in Boissevain.  Best of luck ladies. Just a reminder that report cards will be going home over the next few days.  Parent-student-teacher interviews will take place next Wednesday, March 24th from 5:30 ñ 8:30 and Thursday, March 25th from 5:30 ñ 8:00 p.m.  This is your opportunity to discuss your son/daughters progress in their present grade.  Hope to see you at interviews. We would like to welcome the following student teachers to Souris School ñ Greg Beckworth, Sarah Michalski, Jessica Denbrok, Carla Cooke, Darlene Baker Durga De Silva, Andrew Sharpe and Lindsay Falloon.  This is their second week here and they will be here for the next 4-6 weeks.  We hope you enjoy your time here. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me directly at 483-6230. ïMr. Bob Young THANKS FROM GRADE 2 The Grade 2 classes would like to thank the many volunteers who helped with the Dinosaur Unit.  A special thank you goes to Lisa Edmunds for phoning everyone and organizing the cooking volunteers.  Thank you to Crystal Page, Twila Morrisseau, Kim Eissner, Vanessa Ross, Wendy Fergusson, Lisa Edmunds and Heather Remillard  - our cooking centre volunteers.  Thank you to Mrs. Butterfield for running the Paleontology Centre.  Thank you to Frank Grabowski from the Rock Shop for lending us fossils to look at and study. We couldnít have done this fun unit without everyoneís help! KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION The school is now accepting registration for Kindergarten students for the 2010-2011 school year.  Parents who have children of Kindergarten age are asked to register these children with the school secretary between 8:00 a.m. ñ 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday at the school office.  Parents are asked to bring their childís birth certificate when they come to register.  Children must be five years of age on or before December 31st, 2010.  Anyone who is aware of neighbors and friends who may have children ready to begin Kindergarten in the fall are asked to pass the message on to them to assist with our school planning. NEWS FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT Listening With Paint WOW!  Again our Grades 2 & 3 students were privileged to participate in the wonderful ìListening with Paintî program on March 3, 4, & 5.  This Phase II (Sessions 4, 5 & 6) again linked music and painting in an informative and dynamic manner. The Heritage Chamber Players provided a great listening experience at the same time engaging and encouraging the student to join in with their own creative expression through visual arts and movement.  The students truly showed their excitement each day. Our students and school thank the Heritage Chamber Players ñ Joan Dillon, Irene Todd, Linda Connor, Carol Ross-Harms and Mary Lowe for presenting this unique program. This opportunity for our students would not have happened without the generous sponsorships from:  the Brandon Area Community Foundation, Souris and Glenwood Foundation, Souris District Arts Council, Southwest Horizon School Division, Souris School, Souris Laureate Gamma Chapter and Souris Exemplar Preceptor Gamma Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.  Thank you to all these groups who financially support this music/art program for our students to experience.  Thank you to the Faith Community Baptist Church for allowing us to use their facility.  It is a perfect venue for the live music component and then the painting hall. Thank you to the parent volunteers who helped clean up all the painting utensils etc.  These extra hands were greatly appreciated ñ Jaycee Thexton, Jennifer Gordon, Cheryl Roberts, Wendy Fergusson, Diana Fraser, Lana Gordon, Crystal Page, Andrea Boyechko and Renee Stone. The students loved every minute of the ìListening with Paintî program and we hope that Phase III (sessions 7, 8 & 9) will be able to be presented next year for our school. VIRDEN FESTIVAL AWARDS Word was received this week that three awards will be presented to our students in the Grade 7 Beginner Band at The Virden Festival Hi-Lites Concert this Sunday. Congratulations go out to the clarinet trio of Krystal Adams, Andrea Robins and Raeleigh Logan who will receive the Instrumental Ensemble Award and perform in the Hi-Lites Concert. Jeremy Carter and Grant Jackson will perform their Saxophone Duet at the Hi-Lites Concert as well.  They will be awarded the Instrumental Duet Award.  Congratulations boys! Our Grade 7 Beginner Band will be receiving the Band Award for the highest mark in all the Band categories ñ Beginner, Junior Intermediate and Senior.   BRAVO to our Beginner Band members on receiving this honour.  We are proud of you! FAMILY FUN NIGHT Some of the grade 11 and 12 Phys. Ed. students in conjunction with Parent Council are organizing a Family Fun Night to be held at Souris School on Monday, April 12.  The event will be geared toward preschool age students right up to grade 5.  For a cost of $5.00, each participant will be given a ìpassportî to all of the activities, which include games (bean bag toss, basketball shoot, hockey shoot, bowling, etc.), coloring contest, craft center, obstacle course, face paint and dress-up, fish pond, and a food station with cookie decorating, candy kebobs, and a cake walk.  The participants will have a chance to visit each center 3 times throughout the evening.  Prizes will be given to all. To promote this night, each Early Years class will be making a basket for a raffle table.  If you are able to donate an item for this basket, it would be greatly appreciated.  With each passport, there will be 3 tickets for opportunities to win these baskets at the end of the evening. This event is open to all families whether you have a child at Souris School or not.  We look forward to seeing you at this great evening. Direct comments or inquiries to Rhonda Young at Souris School 483-2161.   Following are some ways to get involved or help out with what promises to be a very exciting event. - donate gently used toys for the ìFish Pondî -as an individual or family, bake a cake and decorate it for the Cake Decorating Contest that will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Mon. Apr. 12.  NO NUTS PLEASE  These cakes will be used for the cake walk prizes. - make and donate other items of baking (cookies, muffins, rice krispie cake) for the cake walk prizes - lend costumes for the dress-up station - contact a parent council member to volunteer time or cookies for the cookie decorating station. MIDDLE YEARS NEWS Interviews:  Students have received letters to parents with their scheduled interview times.  Please be sure to check with your son or daughter to confirm your interview time.  Due to the number of students that our teachers see with our cross-over format in Middle Years, not all students have been scheduled for an interview time this reporting period.  If you did not receive a scheduled appointment, but wish to see one of your childís teachers, please contact that specific teacher and we will do our best to accommodate you. Interviews will take place on:         Wednesday, March 24th - 5:30-8:30         Thursday, March 25th -  5:30-8:30 Portfolios:  Portfolios were sent home with our Middle Years students on Thursday, March 18th.  Please take this opportunity to sit down with your child and discuss the progress they have made.  We do request that all portfolios be returned to the school by Wednesday, March 24th so we have them available to discuss at interview time. Report Cards:  Report cards will be sent home with all Middle Years students on Monday, March 22nd.   Welcome!  We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Miss Lindsay Falloon to Middle Years!  Miss Falloon will be student teaching with Mr. Elder in grade 7 and we are very pleased to have her join us! Momís Pantry Our Middle Yearís students will begin our annual fundraising efforts on Monday March 22nd.  The proceeds from this activity go towards covering the cost of Middle Years outings such as our swim day @ the Sportsplex, all ìjellybean jarî celebrations and our ìpoints challengeî activities.  We are also continuing to build our funds for other final phase of our playground equipment installations   BAND NEWS Souris Band Concert is taking place Monday night at 7:30pm.  Senior Band students are having a full Band rehearsal at 4:45pm-5:45 p.m. in the Band Room. Jazz students are having a full band rehearsal from 5:45 p.m.-6:45.p.m. In order to help with clean up, all families of jazz students from grade 8-12 with last names starting with K-P are asked to help out after the concert. Hartney Band Concert is on Tuesday with all Senior Band and Jazz Band members expected to attend.  There is a bus departing for Hartney, leaving Souris school by 5:55pm.   I will be in Souris for parent-teacher conferences the evening of Thursday.  No appointments are necessary. ìDeadline for Sadlerís Band Booster Fundraiser Monday, Mar 22nd -- All orders and money for the Sadlerís Greenhouse Band Booster Fundraiser needs to be handed in to your band teacher by end of day on Monday, March 22nd.~ Thank-you to all students for doing your part in selling to your family and friends. ~Thank-you to all who have purchased plants; your support is appreciated!î Updated information is regularly posted on the Band website: www.shmb.ca/~paulc ïMr. Cwir MICROWAVE DUTY ATTENTION:~ PARENTS WE WILL BE HAVING MICROWAVE TILL THE END OF APRIL. ~ Please arrive at the school at 11:45 a.m.~ Parents you will have to use main office doors as all other doors will be locked.~ You can go to Room 7 in the Early Yearís end.~ The microwaves are stored on a cart in this room.~ Someone could be taking a lesson so, PLEASE enter quietly.~ The instructions are on the side of the top microwave.~ The monthly calendar is on the top. The workers for next week are:~ Mar. 22 ñ Marie Peaslee, Mar. 23 ñ Kim Eissner, Mar. 24 ñ Lana Gordon, Mar. 25 ñ Kim Eissner. ~ Thank you to ~Cheryl Apperley, Rene Stone, Jennifer Gordon and Jaycee Thexton for doing microwave this week. ~ ~ If there are any problems please phone Marie Peaslee at 483-1511.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you ïMarie Peaslee PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL SSPAC AGM AND REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MARCH 15, 2010 IN ATTENDANCE: Lara Bossert, Henry Maryniuk, Bob Young, Heather Remillard, Jaycee Thexton, Bonnie Radcliffe, Shelley Elliott, Mary Lovatt, Shirlee Goldrich, Glenn Wallmann, Pam Walker.~ REGRETS: Brad Kyle, Jackie Kirkup, Cheryl Roberts Adoption of Agenda ñ Moved by Heather and Seconded Bonnie AGM Reports ñ Presidentís Report was presented outlining SSPAC activities since the last AGM in April 2009. If you would like a copy of the report please email Jaycee at jayceet@mts.net. Treasurerís Report was also presented. There was an opening balance of $499.68. Income included $512.00 from student fees. Expenses included $202.64 for the staff appreciation breakfast and $22.33 for the bulletin board that was purchased for the early years end. Closing Balance was $786.71. Proposed budget for the 2010-2011 school year was given. Income was estimated at $500.00 from student fees. Expenses were budgeted as follows: $325.00 for staff appreciation breakfast, $280.00 for 2 delegates to attend the MAPC conference in 2011, and $80.00 for cookies and juice at career night. Motion was made to accept by Mary to accept the budget as presented. Seconded Lara Nominations for Executive Positions President ñ Jaycee Thexton Early Years Rep ñ Shirlee Goldrich Middle Years Rep ñ Still~ Open Senior Years Rep- Bonnie Radcliffe Treasurer ñ Heather Remillard Above positions were nominated and carried by majority vote. ~**Please note we are in need of a Middle Years Representative for the upcoming school year. If you have a son or daughter in this area, please consider joining the parent council executive to ensure that the voice of middle years parents is being represented. Regular Meeting Secretaryís Report ñ Minutes were handed out from the January 18th meeting and reviewed. Move to adopt by Henry. Seconded Shirlee -Info was given about a letter written by the Minister of Education regarding the nominations for the Teacher of Excellence Awards that PAC and Parents had collaborated on.~ Unfortunately the nominations that we sent in were unsuccessful this year as other nominees were chosen for these awards. Treasurerís Report ñ Balance of $786.71 (see above for details) Principalís Report -School Clothing ñ there were only 2 orders received so it was decided to wait until after Spring Break to see if there was any more interest in this. -Bob thanked the sponsors for nominating Brian Elder, Barb Falloon, Susan Hicks and Vivian Thompson for Teacher of Excellence Awards. -Budget this year was discussed and Bob informed us that their small schools budget would be reduced by 20% this year.~ At the next meeting he will have staffing information. We were also told that Kindergarten registrations were down. If you know of Kinder aged children please ask them to come and register as soon as possible to help out with the staffing decisions. ~-Possible topics for Parent Information Evenings were presented. These included: Internet/Chat Rooms, How to help your child learn to read, How does a Middle Years child learn,~ and What is the Big Picture School?~ After some discussion it was decided to offer an information evening for parents about the Internet/Chat Rooms on Tuesday, April 27th at 6:30 to coincide with the Career Night.~ Shirlee will assist in the planning of the evening. -Bob presented the Souris Schoolís current mission statement and thought it may be time to review it to see if any changes were necessary.~ It will be posted in the newsletter and he is asking for parental input on what, if any, changes should be made. -Grade 5 Musical will be ìRatsî based on the Pied Piper.~ Auditions have been held and parts distributed.~ Date is still undetermined at this point. -There was a discussion about Early Years students rushing through or not eating all of their lunch to avoid receiving a stop card for not being outside by 12:20. Mr. Wallmann indicated there is leniency for children who were not able to start eating their lunches at 12:00, but that getting outside for recess is important and some students would not go outside at all if there were no time limits given. He will talk to staff in his end and be in touch with PAC regarding this issue. Also, if a student must stay in at recess due to a health reason that is directly affected by the weather a doctorís note is necessary. -Another question regarding whether or not the division was considering full time Kindergarten and the answer was No they werenít. ~Business Arising -Staff appreciation breakfast was well attended and expenses were down due to the borrowing of the decorations from Faith Community Baptist Church.~ Thank you FCBC! Leftover food was distributed among staff rooms and bus garage. Updated inventory lists and an itinerary for what was purchased were given to Mary for future reference. -Family Fun Night will be held on April 12th starting at 5:30 and going till 8:00.~ Rhonda Young and her Grade 11 and 12 Leadership Students will be doing the planning.~ There is a small parent committee that is helping out and they will need parent volunteers again for ? hour shifts for the 2 food stations.~ There will be a cake decorating contest this year with various categories.~ The cakes will be judged at noon on the 12th of April.~ Other ways to help out include donating gently used items for the fish pond, lending dress up clothes for the dress up station.~ New items are needed to make raffle baskets and you could also bake cakes or cookies for the cake walk. NEW BUSINESS -Microwave duty will be extended this year until the end of April and we will see how well it goes over.~ This will be evaluated at the end to see if it was successful and how much usage it received. -We are looking for ways to update out PAC mailing list. This has been a great way to get volunteers for activities such as Family Fun Night.~ It was suggested to send home a slip of paper with report cards so parents can send emails back to the school for us to add to our list. Jaycee will contact the school to unsure this done. -The MAPC ~AGM and conference will be held on April 23/April24th. It will be decided within the week if any delegates will be attending from Souris School. If so, a letter will be sent to the Board to request assistance with costs incurred. -The position statements and proposed resolutions that will be voted on at the upcoming MAPC were discussed to determine if we supported them or not. -Career Night and Job Fair will be on April 27th. PAC will be providing juice, coffee and cookies for this event. -PAC would like to thank Minor Hockey for changing their awards night to avoid a conflict with Family Fun Night. Adjourn Next Meeting Monday, May 17th, 2010 @ 7pm ~ ìA community organization dedicated to the education and well being of children.î CAREER EXPLORATION NEWS Historicaís Encounters with Canada is a weeklong seminar held at the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre in Ottawa.  This is an ìonce-in-a-lifetimeî opportunity that allows youth from across the country to come together. This experience is offered to our current Grade 9, 10 and 11 students.  For more information and forms, please stop in at the Career Center. Plans are well underway for the Souris Schoolís Career Night /Job Fair on April 27th.  If you have a particular career idea or suggestions that you would like to see there, please let us know. Many scholarships are still available to the Grade 12 students.  However, deadlines are approaching quickly.  Please see me for further information and continue to check our schoolís website for updated scholarships. ïMrs. C. Delaurier CAN YOU DONATE SOME CDís,  DVDís OR USED BOOKS? Grade 5 will again be selling used books, and new this year CDíS & DVDíS during the March Parent/Teacher interviews. Money raised will pay for our trip to Lower Fort Garry.  If you have any books, CDís or DVDís that you would like to contribute, please leave them at the front office.  Thanks for your support!         ïMrs. Carol Turner GAMES AND PUZZLES We are looking for board games and jigsaw puzzles to add to our life skills room.  If you have any that are suitable for kids aged 7 and up that you would be willing to donate, it would be greatly appreciated!           ïMrs. Sharon Kreusch www.shmb.ca/sourisschool Missing:  Jessie Robbins MIDDLE YEARS GIRLS BASKETBALL The Middle Years Girls Basketball team capped off a great season when they traveled to Killarney for Zones on Tuesday.  The girls came out swinging in their first game against Wawanesa, defeating the Raiders 40-22 in the best game they have played all season.  The second game saw the Sabres come on strong again to beat Killarney 41-26. This win put them first in their pool, which meant going up against a strong team from Oak Lake for the championship.  The girls went into the final as underdogs, and were determined to force an upset.  Alissa Swaenepoel put the Sabres on the board first, hitting a free throw in the early seconds of the game.  Unfortunately, it was the only time the Sabres would lead the Raptors, whose defence and experience proved too tough for the girls.  The Sabres were able to slow down the Raptors offence in the second half, but ended up dropping the decision 44-16.  Congratulations on an excellent finish!  Top scorers for the tournament were Jessie Robbins with 22 points, Tara Farmer with 18, Sarah Palson with 17 points, and Alissa Swaenepoel with 15.  Thank you to Krystal Adams for stepping up and coming to the tournament with us on such short notice. A huge thank you to the parents who came to cheer us on at Zones, as well as those who came to support us throughout the rest of the season.  We would also like to thank all the parents who drove to and from Brandon to get us to our games; we really appreciate it! Team members for this year were: Alissa Swaenepoel, Bailey Radcliffe, Charlotte West, Emma Boisvert, Emma Weadge, Gina Williams, Hannah Cooke, Janaye Wurtz, Jessie Robbins, Kelly Kilmury, Lane Fraser, Ryanne Downey, Sarah Palson, Stacey Sherritt, Stacy Ringland, and Tara Farmer. MIDDLE YEARS BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM BRING HOME ZONE CHAMPIONSHIP Congratulations to the Middle Yearís Boyís Basketball team who capped off an outstanding season with a zone championship on Tuesday in Killarney. They won their championship by breezing through Killarney (72 to 18) and Wawanesa (77 to 8) in the round robin. They went on to play Kola in the finals where they found themselves down at the half for the first time all year, but went on to have a hard fought second half and come away with the win 30 - 24. Great job boys. Players who traveled to Killarney were, Michael Gohl, Sebastian Gohl, Brad Engelbretson, Ricky Braun, Andrew Davis, Harris Robertson, Justin de Koning, Tyson McRae, Luc Hainsworth and Peter Bussidor. The Middle Yearís Boyís Basketball team also traveled to Brandon for the year end tournament on March 6th. They went undefeated at the tournament with wins over Meadows 32 to 17, Riverheights 51 to 28 and finally a 57 to 32 win over the host team J.R. Reid. The boyís went 8-0 in regular season play, 3-0 in the Brandon tournament, and going 3-0 at the Zone tournament for an impressive final record of 14 wins and 0 losses for the season. Middle Boyís Basketball team roster: Michael Gohl, Sebastian Gohl, Brad Engelbretson, Ricky Braun, Andrew Davis, Harris Robertson, Justin de Koning, Tyson McRae, Luc Hainsworth, Peter Bussidor, Nathan Greig, Michael Fortin, Blaine Driedger, Curtis Cripps, Brett King, Kolton Kowalchuk, Tyson Hale and Kevin Ringland. ïMr. Affleck SUMMER CAMPS Registration forms are available in the office for Turtle Mountain Bible Camp AND Camps with Meaning (Camp Koinonia, Camp Assiniboia, Camp Moose Lake). AVALON THEATRE March 19-21  7:30 P.M. WHEN IN ROME Starring: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel Rated: PG-13 1HR 31 min Disillusioned with romance during her whirlwind trip to Rome, an ambitious New Yorker defiantly swipes a few magic coins from a "foolish" wishing fountain, inadvertently igniting the passions of a motley crew of suitors as she's pursued by a handsome reporter with charm to spare. Beth (Kristen Bell) is at a point in her life where love seems like a luxury she just can't afford.         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                                                                                                                                                                                      SCHOOL COMING EVENTS March 22              Spring Band Concert-Souris 23              Spring Band Concert-Hartney 24              P-T Interviews, 5:30 ñ 8:30 p.m. 25              P-T Interviews, 5:30 ñ 8:00 p.m. 26              No Classes ñ Admin. Day 29-Apr. 4       Spring Break April 5               First Day of Classes after                 Spring Break 12              Family Fun Night 19              Course Selection Meeting for Gr. 8 students going into Gr. 9 7:00 p.m., rooms 12 & 14 20              Course Selection Meeting for                 Gr. 9 students going into Gr. 10                 7:00 p.m., rooms 12 & 14 21              Course Selection Meeting for                 Gr. 10 students going into Gr. 11                 7:00 p.m., room 12 & 14 22              Course Selection Meeting forí                 Gr. 11 students going into Gr. 12                 7:00 p.m., room 12 & 14 27              Brandon Festival                 Grade 8 & 9 Band Students                 Circle Square Parent Info Meeting                 6:30 p.m. ñ Rm. 5 M.Y. 27              Career Night ñ 7:00 ñ 8:30 30              PD Day - NO CLASSES May 4,5,6           Beverley Hillbillies Drama                 Production 17              PAC Meeting ñ 7:00 p.m. 24              Victoria Day ñ NO CLASSES 26-28           Senior Band Tour 31              Summer Band Concert-Hartney June 1               Summer Band Concert-Souris 25              Souris School Grad LAST PUBLIC SKATING FOR THE SEASON Public Skating Friday, March 19th,  6:00 p.m.-7:00.p.m., Saturday. March 20th 6:30.p.m.-7:30.p.m. (last public skating for this season) BALL REGISTRATION Registration will be held on Wednesday March 24th and Thursday March 25th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.~ (these are the parent teacher evenings at the school).~ Registration will be located in front of the School Office.~ Last date to register for ball will be Monday April 5th, 2010.~ Any registrations received after this date, will be charged a $20 late fee.~ If you need additional information please contact Della Butler ñ Registration at 483-1507 or Mark Jones ñ President at 483-2478. SHOP IN THE HALL SPRING SALE Carroll Hall, April 10th, 10:00 a.m. ñ 2:00 p.m. Lunch Available, Examples of vendors who will be there:  Tupperware, Epicure, Watkins, Fifth Avenue Collection Jewellery, Scrubs, jackets, purses, coats, shoes, books, clothes, soaps, make-up, Scentsy, plants, baking. Sponsored by Carroll UCW.   SOURIS SKATING CLUB PRESENTS THE OLYMPICS Friday March 19th 2010 @ 7:00pm Admission Family $12.00               Adults  $5.00               Children $3.00                Three and under free. Show your support by wearing red and come cheer on our skaters. SOURIS HARVEST FOOD BANK Open first and third Thursdays of each month from 5:00 p.m. ñ 7:00 p.m. It is located at St. Paulís United Church and please use the NE entrance. WHAT EVERY BABYSITTER SHOULD KNOW Saturday March 20th & April 17th. 9:00 a.m. ñ 4:00 p.m. Training & Community Services Centre Brandon Shoppers Mall. Course designed for kids aged 11-14.   Cost is $45.00.  Pre-registration is required.  To register or for more info call 727-4466. ìJakeís Giftî Jake's Gift tells the story of 80-year old Jake, a Canadian World War II veteran who reluctantly~returns to Normandy, France, for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day.~ While revisiting the beach he landed on sixty years earlier, Jake encounters Isabelle, a precocious 10-year old from the local village whose inquisitive nature and charm challenge the old soldier to confront some long-ignored ghosts - most notably, the war-time death of his eldest brother Chester, a once promising musician.~ To let you know more about the playwright/performer, Julia Mackey was born into an active theatre family in Birmingham, England.  When she was three years old, her family immigrated to Montreal, Quebec.  After completing a Bachelor of Education degree at McGill University, she moved to Victoria, B.C. to pursue theatre.  In 1994, Julia started training with ground-breaking director Robert Osborne.  In 1995, she met the founders of Theatre SKAM, and began writing and performing short plays for their acclaimed show, 29 Plays in 59 Minutes.  Julia has worked as a professional actor since 1997 in theatres across Canada. In 2004, Julia Mackey travelled to Normandy, France, for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.  While there, she interviewed dozens of World War II veterans from Canada, Britain, and America who had returned for the ceremonies.  Their stories and the events that unfolded on her eight-day journey were the inspiration to create Jakeís Gift. This one-woman play was awarded Best Drama, Best Solo Show, and Best Female Performer at the Victoria Fringe Festival for the past two years in a row.~ In 2008, Jakeís Gift garnered five-star reviews at the Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Victoria Fringes, and was part of the Best of the Fest 2008 holdover at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival.  On June 6th, 2009, the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, Julia opened Jake's Gift at the Barney Danson Theatre in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.  This play was sold out at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre this past summer. ìItís hard to say which is better ñ her script about a reluctant veteranís return to Juno Beach or her twin performances as a 10-year old girl and an 80-year old man ñ both of which, in 60 minutes, speak more to the heart about Canadaís role in WWII than would a six-hour NFB documentary.î   John Threlfall of the Monday Magazine, Victoria ìI am a veteran of the Second World War, and this play and its performance made a greater impact on me than all the memorial services I have ever attended.î  Antony Holland, actor and founder of Studio 58 ìMoving, poignant, exceptionally funny and timelessÖone of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen.î  Karen Jeffrey, Artistic Director, Sunset Theatre, Wells BC Souris District Arts Council invites you to Jakeís Gift to be performed at the Souris Glenwood Community Hall on Friday, April 9th at 7:30.  Tickets are available at Plaza Petals or Souris Medical Associates, or phone Sharon at 483-2001; prices are $10 for students, $35 for family, for adults - $17 for early birds and $20 at the door. CAMPBELL SOUP LABELS Thank you to everyone who keeps saving the labels/UPC codes from Campbell Soup products, V8-Juice/Splash/Prego Spaghetti/Broth/Goldfish Crackers/Habitant/Chunky Chili Soup/Gardennay/Pace Salsa/Soup at Hand etc Just a reminder the bar codes have to be on them and if you can lay them flat and have them counted, that is also a big help. If interested, you can go to www.campbellsoup.ca, and then click on labels for education for more information on this program. Keep those labels coming!         ïMrs. Glenda McConnell The best vitamins for making friendsÖ..B1 FORBIDDEN FLAVOURS New Menu Items and Price List HamburgerÖ$2.75 CheeseburgerÖ$3.00 Hot dogsÖ$2.00 SoupÖ$2.50 SandwichesÖ$3.00 WrapÖ$3.50 Mini SubsÖ$2.25 Pizza PopsÖ$2.00 Kraft Dinner CupÖ$2.00 Daily SpecialÖ$3.75 Pizza PretzelÖ$2.00 OreoÖ$1.75 CookiesÖ$.75 MuffinsÖ$1.75 BagelsÖ$1.50 Fruit CupÖ$1.50 Sm. Choc MilkÖ$1.25 Lg. Choc MilkÖ$1.75 ChipsÖ$1.25 Hot RodÖ $1.25 Beef JerkyÖ$1.75 Cheese StringÖ$1.00 Cheeseín CrackersÖ$1.00 VeggiesÖ$2.00 Juice BoxesÖ$1.00 SlushyÖ$2.00 HallsÖ$1.50 Jello - $0.75 Yogurt - $1.50 Daily Specials - $3.75 Monday...Perogies Tuesday...Potato Skins Wednesday...Chicken Bacon Cheese Melt Thursday...Taco in a Bag Friday...Pizza ñ (Cheese or Pepperoni/Salami) As always, bag lunches will be delivered to Kindergarten and grade 1 students.  Please make sure orders have names, grade and room numbers on them. HANDICAPPED PARKING Just a reminder that the area designated as handicapped parking in front of the Early Years main doors is reserved for parents of children with special needs.  Please do not park in these spots. IF STUDENTS ARE ABSENT A reminder to parents that if your son or daughter is absent from school (K-12), please contact the school by phone or email the teacher directly.  In Early and Middle Years, parents will be contacted if a town student is absent without prior notification to the homeroom teacher.  A phone call that morning from parents or an email directly to the teacher would be greatly appreciated. SCHOOL CLOSURE A reminder to parents that in the event of a school closure due to weather, it will be posted on the Souris School website at 7:00 a.m.  School closures are also announced on our local radio stations, however, our website is another source for this information.