Weeks 4 and 5

We are so lucky to have such generous people helping us at hockey! There are police officers, cadets and many other volunteers including Mrs. MacDonell that used to work at our school, but because she loves the program so much and loves the students at Stevenson, she comes every week to help out! We also have Ms. Husein, a mother of 3 at home, but a mother of 25 as she helps the grade 2/3s get dressed and with anything while they are on the ice!

Our volunteers are helping tie skates, tying hair back, untwist the jerseys from the rest of our equipment, tightening hockey shorts that are sometimes become loose and fall down to our ankles! 

We also have some of the greatest coaches also! They are so patient and so encouraging and lead us through so many fun and challenging drills! They also go out of their way to help out any way they can, and will literally take the shirt off their back to make sure everyone has everything they need.

Thank you!!

After School Plan

Last week was our first after school session. The students were excited for their dry land training to begin! The students also spent time filling out a survey about their feelings and opinions about hockey and the night finished with a heathy dinner.

Each session will have gym time, classroom time and a meal. In the classroom, students will explore a different topic exploring different healthy living topics and positive character traits. Here is a list of the topics that will be explored:

November 13th: Trust (Team building)
November 20th: Yoga
November 27th: Empathy
December 4th: Humility/Caring
December 11th: Resilience
December 18th: No After School Session
January 8th: No After School Session
January 15th: Failure
January 22nd: Hard Work
January 29th: Outdoor Game
February 5th: Respect
February 12th: Attitude/Golden Rule
February 19th: No School - Louis Riel Day
February 26th: Goal Setting
March 5th: Project 11
March 12th: Hockey Review
March 19th: Last Session Patience and Mirror Image

Week 3

I spy with my little eye some pretty great hockey players! The grade 2/3 students continued to work on their skating skills. There were drills skating around cones and diving under sticks. There was even some really great determination practicing crossovers! Way to go 2/3s!

The grade 4/5s were challenged skating backwards, working on agility and scrimmaging!

It has been wonderful having all of the families coming to watch during practices. If you are thinking that you might like to come watch a practice, our ice times are from 12:40 - 1:40 pm.

Please remember to send your child with a change of clothes. There have been a lot of sweaty hockey players lately! They have been working hard!

Week 2

Another great week of hockey!

The grade 2/3s continue to blow away the coaches with their determination and hard work. The students have shown so much improvement already. Coach Corey had the students getting up, then falling down, then getting up, then falling down, then getting up, then falling down.... I was exhausted just watching from the bench!

The grade 4/5s have quickly fallen into the groove of practicing their skating, then rotating through drills practicing their shots and passing.

It is exciting for me to see everyone having so much fun, but it is also exciting to hear everyone's enthusiasm. I hear comments like "I skated so fast today!" "Thank you so much for letting us play hockey" "I did so much better today" "I can tie my skates all by myself!"

Great work everyone!

After School Hockey Starts!

After school hockey starts for the grade 4/5 students tomorrow! Students will meet in the classroom to learn about the skills that will help them be great hockey players, they will play some floorball in the gym, and they will have a healthy dinner.

Please pick up your child by 5:30 pm. We will be in the large lunchroom.

Week 1

Wow! What an exciting day! If I was given a dollar for every time someone asked me "When are we leaving for hockey?", I would be rich!

We were surprised to be greeted by a swarm of members of the Winnipeg Police Service! They helped us get changed, and even came on the ice with the grade 2/3 hockey players. Thank you WPS!

I was very impressed with everyone's skills on the ice! The 4/5s were practicing skating drills right away, and the 2/3s focussed on getting a feel for the ice and getting comfortable on their skates. Some of the returning 2/3s had some skating drills too.

Every student had a story to tell! Congratulations WJHA hockey students on a day of hard work, determination and a lot of fun!

How to Put on Your Hockey Equipment

Hey everyone,

Here is a great video for your child to view to remind him/her how to get dressed into their hockey equipment. It will take some time to master this if they are new to hockey. The quicker they get dressed, the more hockey time their will get!

How to Get Dressed in Hockey Gear

Here's another super fast video. The only thing that it is missing is the Jock because it is attached to the long underwear.

How to get dressed

The Season Begins!

I have had many excited hockey players asking when we are finally going to get on the ice! The schedule is as follows:

October 26
November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
December 7, 14
January 11, 18, 25
February 1, 8, 15, 22
March 1, 8, 15, 22
April 5, 12, 19, 26
May 3, 10

Bus Pick-Up from School: 11:35 am
Ice Time: 12:40 - 1:40
School Drop off: 2:20 pm

All practices take place at the MTS Bell Iceplex. You are very welcome to come watch and cheer on your child whenever you can! The coaches ask that all family and visitors wait in the foyer and stands. Please stay out of the change rooms as they are very busy and for the privacy of all the children. If you let me know that you are coming I will make sure that your child changes quickly and comes to say hello and get some hugs!

Please remember that all students should have a change of clothes for hockey. Long underwear or tights work best under hockey equipment. Please label all pieces. These clothes should be brought home everyday after hockey, and please have them washed and ready for hockey the next week.

If you haven't signed up for Remind yet, please send me an email and I will send you the link.

Amanda Havixbeck
ahavixbeck@sjsd.net

Equipment Fitting

Tomorrow (Thursday, September 28th 2017), all WJHA students from Stevenson will be going to the Bell MTS Iceplex to be fitted for equipment. Each student will be assigned a bag and we will being the equipment back to the school. We will keep the equipment in our special hockey room attached to the large lunch room.

We will be picked up by a school bus at 12:00 pm and will be fed lunch at the Iceplex. We will be back around 2:30.

Students are encouraged to bring a book or colouring for while they are waiting for their turn.

Fan Fest!

What a fun day! When we arrived at the Bell MTS Iceplex, the lights were dimmed and blue lights were lighting up posters of the Winnipeg Jets. Some of the players were on the ice doing drills! Our first activity was a room that was filled with inflatable games; bouncers, slides, obstacle courses and jousting!

Next we got to upstairs in the "Press Box" restaurant for a delicious lunch! I was impressed that so many students were excited for their veggies! I think broccoli and carrots might have been the favourite!

Unfortunately we didn't have time for any more activities. Time flies when you are having fun!

Welcome Back!!

Welcome back to the returning hockey players this season and a very warm welcome to our new hockey players this year! I am so excited for the hockey season to start again!

If you have not returned your package of forms, please do so immediately because I need those permission forms for your child to attend Fan Fest this Friday.

Fan Fest is a special party for fans of the Winnipeg Jets held at the Bell MTS Iceplex! There will be games and activities and guest appearances by mascots and alumni. This is put on by the True North Youth Foundation. They will also be providing the students with a healthy lunch.

We will be leaving the school at 12:15 and will return by about 2:30. Since we are leaving after the school's scheduled lunch time, it would be a good idea to send a few snacks with your child that day so they aren't too hungry.

I have had a few questions about when hockey starts. I don't know the exact date at the moment. I will keep you posted as soon as I find out. It will be starting in October.

The End of a Great Season!

Last Thursday we had our very last skate! For some it was sad, for some it was relief, for some there were questions about when we will get back on the ice??!!

A huge thank you goes out to the many patient and encouraging coaches and volunteers!! And of course the True North Youth Foundation for providing the opportunity for our students to participate in such a great program, feed us healthy food and all the fun and generous little extras we have been given.

The students cleaned out their hockey bags and returned all their equipment. They were given their jerseys and socks to keep!

This Thursday will be the last day of the WJHA program this school year. We will all be going to Camp Manitou for the day! They will feed us lunch and a snack and guide us through a whole bunch of fun activities. Please check the weather and dress you child in appropriate clothing. All students will also need to bring a water bottle and wear sunscreen.

Keep your eye open for pictures on our Instagram account!

Some days are like that....

Have you ever read "Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst?

Our last hockey practice kind of felt that way. One of our school buses was late which meant we were late to eat and late to get on the ice, some equipment didn't seem to fit, some drills seemed harder than usual and we had a lot of grumpy hockey players.

Some days are like that.

If your child has a rough day at hockey, remember to help them to drink lots of water, get plenty of rest, eat a healthy meal, and give them lots of hugs and encouragement! Everyone has a rough day at practice once in a while, even the pros!

A Win for Stevenson!

Last Thursday the grade 4/5s had their first game against another school. They showed great teamwork and sportsmanship and came away with the win! Way to go Stevenson!

Our next game is Thursday, April 20th at 10:20 against Heritage school. Come and cheer them on if you can!

While the grade 4/5s are playing games against other schools, the 2/3s have been playing games against one another. It is a very exciting time for all of our hockey players!

Game On!

Now that we are nearing the end of the hockey season, (last hockey session is May 11th), the grade 4/5 hockey players get the opportunity to test out their hockey and teamwork skills with four hockey games against other schools.

All games will be played at the MTS Iceplex (3969 Portage Avenue). Come and cheer them on if you can!

Thursday, April 6th: 12:40 pm against Donwood School

Thursday, April 20th: 10:20 am against Hertiage School

Thursday, April 27th: 12:40 pm against Norquay School

Thursday, May 4th: 11:30 am against TBD

**Bonus: Tuesday, May 9th 10:20 against Crestview School

Go Sabres Go!

We Love Our Volunteers!

Not only do we have amazing coaches at hockey, we have great volunteers! Usually we have at least 3 volunteers on each rink, including Mrs. MacDonell whom we miss very much!

They help get our students dressed, fed and motivated. They help with injuries, thirsty hockey players and the occasional disagreement. We could not do this without you! Thank you!

Just a reminder that this Monday is the last grade 4/5 after school session.

I Love to Read Month

It is I Love to Read Month and that doesn't stop when we leave the school for hockey. We brought some great books to the Iceplex and some of our coaches read to us while we were changing. Here is a list of some great hockey books:

Just One Goal By Robert Munsch

The Hockey Tree By David Ward

The Brady Brady Series By Mary Shaw

The Big Game By Gilles Tibo

And a classic.....

The Hockey Sweater

Scholastic has a great list of other Hockey books on their website. Hockey Books

Remember to take the time to snuggle up and read!

Week 9

Our grade 2/3 WJHA students received a great compliment today! Coach Titan congratulated our students on dressing quickly, being respectful on the way to and from hockey and for working so hard on the ice. Way to go Stevenson!

Actually both groups of the students (the grade 2/3s and grade 4/5s) were very efficient this week. Almost everyone was dressed and had eaten their lunch before the Zambonis had even finished cleaning the ice.

Week 8: Back into the Routine

Students were excited to get back on the ice today! And they looked great!

The grade 2/3 students were divided into three groups and worked hard through their stations. There was a scrimmage at one of the stations and they practiced taking a face off.

The grade 4/5 students were skating hard, practicing their passing and taking shots on net. The adults were very busy on the benches when it was time for a water break!

Sending out a big thank you to the WJHA and True North Foundation for the performance long underwear that each student received today. A top and a bottom! Some students chose to take them home today to be washed (good choice), but some were worried that they would forget them at home, so they kept them in their hockey bag. Don't worry, the hockey bags are left open to air out, so the long underwear will dry out along with their other equipment. If your child did bring the long underwear home, please be sure to send it back on hockey days.

No Hockey Today!

Unfortunately we will not have hockey today because of the weather conditions. Lunches will still be provided to students, so if you did not send a lunch with them, they will be fed.

Everyone will be looking forward to next week's practice!! The grade 4/5 after school program will begin next Monday (January 16th).

Stay warm!