Meet Grizz - Banded Peak's very own mascot
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So many highlights from this past week here at Banded Peak.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we were so grateful to receive Smudge teachings from RVS' Cultural Liaison, Stacey Dyck; RVS Learning Specialist, Gretchen Riel; and Tsuut'ina's School Liaison, Dawn Onespot. Students were engaged, asked great questions and had the opportunity to participate in Smudge and learn about traditional medicines through a hands on experience. On Tuesday next week, during lunch, we will offer an Open Smudge to all students wishing to participate. Again, this is voluntary and the choice to participate is the students. We are excited to build this into our weekly routine as it is an important step forward in ensuring our Indigenous students feel their culture is recognized, accepted and celebrated as an important part of our learning community.
Wednesday and Thursday also saw our grade 1/2's learn about bears from an expert from the Cochrane Ecological Institute. The focus of this presentation was to learn about the life cycle, diet, characteristics and habitat of bears. The grade 3/4's welcomed a presentation called "How Computers Work" presented by the Association for the Advancement of Science and Engineering Education. What was extra special about this presentation is that it was presented by a Banded Peak Alumni! How awesome to have them come to give back to Banded Peak in this way!
Yesterday's House assembly was so much fun with the introduction of Grizz our new school mascot! A huge thank you to last year's grade 8 students as Grizz was their legacy gift to Banded Peak. Grizz will serve as a symbol of a school’s spirit, pride, and identity, acting as a unifying force for students, staff, and alumni. You can expect to see him out at school events, from sports games to pep rallies, energizing the crowd and creating an atmosphere of excitement. And in his first outing, Grizz did just that; he was able to get students pumped up for this month's Cheese Touch battle! Ask your child to explain the game to you! So much fun for all including the teachers! After all the grade battles were completed the Red Wolf Fangs took first, Raven Wing a close second and Blue Bear Paw third. As well as meeting Grizz, our new students were welcomed into their House! What a fun community building initiative led by our Leadership students! Thank you to all of them for their hard work in making this such a success!
Today our Jr Boys played at Herons Crossing for their final tournament prior to Divisionals. The boys finished with a 4-1 record in Divisional play and have placed 3rd out of 10 in RVS 1A/2A schools' regular season. The boys play again at Divisionals February 4 and 5, 2025 at Seven Chiefs Sportsplex. Banded Peak is the only 1A school in the top 5 and will be competing against schools 2-3x larger than us. I am so proud of how they have battled and worked to improve and compete. Well done boys!
Last but not least, this Saturday is the Grade 8 bottle drive. I know that the organizing committee is still looking for additional volunteers and if you are able to help out, please see the details attached in the event poster and letter showcased a little later in this week's Gazette.
Unbelievably next week is the end of January! Crazy how quickly time is going.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
Mrs Moore