Is anyone as tired of this, damp weather as I am? Where are the warm days? I am ready for them… now!

With all the poor weather and our weeklong break, our month of March just sped by… ending with the grades 4, 5 & 6 Pie-in-the-Eye Fundraiser. Thank you to Mrs. Tammy Maloney for organizing the event. Also, thank you to the following people who volunteered their faces… Mrs. Sheri Julian-Brooks, Ms. Angela Maloney, Ms. Kelly Oliver, Ms. Ambrah MacNeil, Ms. Erika Hilchey, Mrs. Tammy Maloney, Ms. Helena Sack, Mr. Morgan MacDonald, Mr. Jonathan Crawford, Mrs. Sarah Doucet, Mr. David Nevin and Chief Rufus Copage. The children truly enjoyed their part in the event… they were the ones who pied the staff!!

The students of the month for March are: Kaicee Sack, Robert Sack, Kayla Nevin, Gabey Paul, Riley Howe and Austin Bernard. The Mi’kmaq Student of the Month is Royce Nevin while the Grade 5/6 won the Gym class and Grade 4A was awarded the “Golden Garbage Can”.

Before we put March behind us, I want to congratulate two of our high school students, Latisha Paul and Kristin Sack for winning the essay contest that earned them a trip to Vancouver, B.C. They attended the 12th Annual Gathering of Aboriginal Youth at the “Gathering Our Voice 2014” conference, chaperoned by Ms. Elle Michael. Held at the Hyatt Regency and Fairmont Hotels, youth from all across Canada gathered together to celebrate our culture, values, arts and beliefs by attending various workshops and events. Some of the activities included a Youth Dance, Opening/Closing ceremonies, a youth talent showcase and a Career and Education Fair.

Now for the month of April, which brings us to the end of our Adopt-a-Library WOW Reading challenge. I want to thank all the Elementary staff and students for their “reading” efforts. The final results for our participation are as follows:

Top Class

• Lower Elementary (Grades Primary to three) — Grade 3 @ 5,224 books
• Upper Elementary (Grades 4 to 6) — Grade 4A @ 811

Top Student

• Lower Elementary — Caro White (Grade 1) @ 364 books
• Upper Elementary — Shaelyn Hamilton (Grade 4) @ 108 books

Top Staff

• Lower Elementary — Ms. Tabetha Stephens (Grade 2 teacher) @ 255 books
• Upper Elementary — Ms. Helena Sack (Grade 5/6 EA) @ 95 books

So, CONGRATULATIONS to Grade 3, Caro White and Ms. Tabetha Stephens. You have all done very well.

Our annual Science Fair contest for grades four to nine was held on April 2nd. After the judging, the following students received their awards for all their hard work.

Grade 4
1st Place – Carly Brooks and Kassidy Augustine (“Germs Everywhere”)
2nd Place – Halle Knight (“Reflex Reaction”)
3rd Place – Ocean Pierro-McDonald (“Bitter Sweet”)
Grade 5 & 6
1st Place – Yvonna Sack (“Taste the Difference”)
2nd Place – Miguel Julian
3rd Place – Mackalen White (“Ice Melt Down”)
Grades 7, 8 & 9
1st Place – Kierra Sack (“Think Fast”)
2nd Place – Kateri Dorey (“Music: To My Roots”)
3rd Place – Josiah Howe and Lyndon Sack (“Positive or Negative”)
Best Overall – Yvonna Sack
Cultural – Shaznay Julian (“Do the Eyes Have It?”)
Best Display – Riley Howe (“Taste This”)
Technology/Environmental – Darcy Evans (“Don’t Get Burned”)

On April 22nd, our winners attended the MK Science Fair, and as a group they represented our school very well. In addition to that, we have a few students who placed in the top three of their categories… so… congratulations to the following students…

• Grades 3 to 4 Category: 1st Place – Halle Knight (Grade 4A) and 2nd Place – Kassidy Augustine & Carly Brooks (Grade 4B)
• Grades 5 to 6 Category: 3rd Place – Miguel Julian (Grade 6)
• Grades 7 to 9 Category: 1st Place – Kierra Sack (Grade 7)

Students of the month for April are: Caro White, Mason Pierro-McDonald, John McDonald, Trey-Lee Glasgow, Kierra Sack and Celia Jones. The Mi’kmaq student of the month is Harmony Paul. Gym Class of the month is Grade One and Grade 5/6 won the “Golden Garbage Can” for the tidiest classroom.

“Good Luck” to the students who will be representing LSK in Potlotek at the “Show Me Your Math” presentations. Representing grades 4 to 6 are Carly Brooks, Jacobi-Lynn Marr, Kaleah Sack, Julia Julian, Kispesan Julian and Trey-Lee Glasgow. Representing Junior High are Kateri Dorey, Camryne Peter-Paul, Nina Knockwood, Lynishia Julian-French, Keetra Jones and Klarisse Evans.

And now we are on to May, which still hasn’t truly warmed up… YET! Good luck to the students who participated in the District Track and Field meet: Camiel Marr (sprinting), Daniel McDonald (shot put), Ethan Paul (shot put), Michaela Julian (shot put), Precious Paul (shot put), Cody Julian (javelin) and Dean Evans (javelin). It should be noted that Dean is moving on to participate in the Regional T&F events. Good Luck, Dean!

“Elephant Thoughts” is conducting workshops and programs for the next little while. They are based out of LSK. What is Elephant Thoughts? “We are a charitable organization, created by teachers and run by teachers, that promotes sustainability and excellence in education for all – despite geographic or economic barriers. ET promotes and celebrates cultural diversity and the values of environmental stewardship.

We offer sustainable educational solutions to increase the levels of inspired learning with tools and resources such as educational science camps, workshops for children from kindergarten to grade 12, mentoring programs and a teacher supply catalogue. With a unique retail store in Collingwood, Ontario (plus an online store soon to be launched), international internship and group travel programs, a unique targeted 100% donation program and a volunteer program that gives back to you in a meaningful and tangible way, you can feel good about bringing Elephant Thoughts to your next event.”

The students are enjoying this program. I have seen many students waiting outside for the after-school program to begin, and I was lucky enough to witness the students participate in a couple of the classroom presentations. Thank you Erik Koopman, Haley Ward and Candace Gehue, along with all the rest of your helpers, for this fun program.
Another science program that came to LSK was “X-Chem”. Camp leaders from St. FX brought their outreach program to our school. For three days (May 20th to 22nd) students from all grades interacted with scientists who led them in the hands-on activities that explored the fascinating world of science. Some of the activities included: water, forestry, bones, food science, metals, engineering, electrochemistry, etc. What a fun way to learn about so many interesting things.

Speaking of learning, our Robotics team, the Flying Wombats, recently competed in the World Robofest Championship held in Southfield, Michigan, where they learned what it was like to adapt on the fly. These young men finished 15th out of 20 in their division, after they had to compete in an assortment of challenges where they had to modify/adjust their robot prior to the competition. There were teams from China, Japan, Korea, India, USA and other parts of Canada. Since they finished 3rd in their very first completion, they were eligible to compete in the World Robofest. These four grade eleven students created their robotic Lego named “Toby”, who is only 30cm long and 44 cm high.

Congratulations to Ethan Paul, Tristan Bernard, Sutherland Greer and Thomas Toney for a job well done, and special thanks to their coach, Mr. Anirban Halder. We can’t wait to see what you have come up with for next year!!

“Minuaq (Coming Back to Life) Mawio’mi” was held May 23rd, and even with the damp, chilly weather, it was deemed a success. Dancers of all ages danced to the drumming/singing of Eastern Eagle (Indian Brook’s host drum group), Stoney Bear (Eskasoni), Lone Cry Singers (PEI) and Spirit Bear (Listiguj). Special thanks goes out to all the staff who helped out throughout the day, to the people who donated food to the potluck, to our MCs (Elle Michael, Simon Nevin, Helena Sack), Trevor Gould (Arena Director), our lead dancers (Armando, Chasity, Nevin and Shaylah), Chief and Council, the Pow-wow Committee… Amy Maloney, Carol Howe, Becky Julian, Curtis Michael, Karen Francis, Mary Lou Bernard, Greg Marr, Colin McDonald, Diane Sack, Andrea Brooks… and Leeanne Maloney for her coordination of the event. Last, special thanks goes to Becky and Curtis for coming up with the name of the event and to Colin for designing the t-shirts. Tahoe!

As the school year comes to an end, I would like to thank the staff and students for their fine efforts in making yet another memorable year. Good luck to all the students who will be traveling for their year-end field trips, and congratulations to our graduates… Bry Bernard, Jameson Pictou-Toney, Candace Gehue, Darren Peter-Paul and Austin Bernard. Good luck with your future endeavours.

Finally, if anyone is interested in learning more about our school, they can visit our website: www.lskschool.ca. The monthly calendars, monthly newsletters, announcements, videos, photos and much more are now posted there. I hope you find it informative!