We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and had an opportunity to gather with loved ones, connect, and enjoy some time together. 

Last week, our Grade 6 students wrapped up their weeklong field study at the YMCA Rocky Ridge, and it sounds like they had a fantastic experience! From learning to play pickleball and creating sculptures to participating in a variety of healthy living and wellness activities, the week was filled with opportunities to learn new skills, try new things, and build connections with one another. What a wonderful experience for our students! A huge thank you to all of the parent volunteers who gave their time to support the field study and help make the week such a success. We truly appreciate your involvement! 

A reminder that there is no school for students on Monday, October 19, as this is a professional learning day for teachers. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Tuesday! 

Please Check your MYCBE Account 
There are some yearly important housekeeping items that are required from our families, all of which can be completed via your MYCBE account.  These include completing the yearly verification of your child’s demographic and contact information, ensuring your child is registered in the lunchroom program, as well as ensuring all outstanding fees are paid and up to date.  Thank you for attending to these important housekeeping items, especially the verification process as Alberta Education requires that all our information is updated and current as of Oct 31st. 

Fun Lunch – Subway – Tuesday, Oct 26 
Our next fun lunch will also be having Coco Brooks on Oct 26. All orders can be made through the Healthy Hunger website by visiting https://healthyhunger.ca/index.php. The deadline to order is Oct 21 at 11:59pm. 

AMPA Hosted Family Halloween Dance | Oct. 29 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm 
AMPA has planned a fantastic family night out for Halloween fun. Costumes are encouraged! Especially for the adults. The first 30mins of the dance (6:00-6:30 pm) will be sensory friendly with lower volume music and regular lighting. Also, AMPA will be offering a quieter activity area in the front hallway during the regular Halloween dance hours. Snacks and juice will be available for purchase. Parents are required to attend with their children.  Due to liability requirements, students without parental supervision will not be allowed to attend the dance. 

Orange and Black Day | October 30 
Students are invited to wear orange and black to school on October 30. There will be no costumes at school on October 30 (save this excitement for Saturday evening trick or treating). Friday, Oct 30 will be a regular learning day at school and the focus will continue to be on academics, however the day may include some Halloween themed activities. If your child wants to wear a costume to school, this will only be allowed during the Halloween dance on the evening of October 29. 

Toys, Cards (Pokémon), Fidget Tools, and Key Chain Charms 
A number of students have started to bring toys, cards and other personal items to school. Bringing personal items to school is a distraction to the learning environment leads to peer conflict.  Please support our teachers and staff by ensuring that your children are not bringing in personal items to school.  If any personal items are required for projects or classroom learning, the teachers will communicate this through email or their Google classrooms. If sensory or fidget tools are required as an accommodation for learning, the teacher will either provide these for your child or will directly consult with you to arrange the bringing in of and appropriate expectations of how and when to use these tools.  Please do not let your child bring in any personal items unless you have been contacted by their teacher. 

Safety Patrols 
Our Grade 5 and 6 students are patrolling the crosswalk on 78th Ave.  Thank you, parents, and students for using the crosswalk when crossing the street. 

Garden News 
Thank you so much to everyone who came by to help the garden this summer. The water barrels are still out so that you can keep watering your favorite plants! 

October 1 - 9 > For those who adopted a plant over summer, there will be a small thank you bag at Ms. Best's desk. 

October 17 1-3pm > Fall Fertilizer Frenzy: make your own bonemeal! Bring your leftover turkey bones, coffee grounds and eggshells and see our demonstration for how to make your own home fertilizer. Learn about the plants in the garden, pull up some persistent weeds to show its full glory and get the beds ready for winter. We may wash up with homemade soap from our new garden soapwort plant! All families are welcome for this Saturday afternoon of fun. Hope to see you there! 

Bus Attendance 
If your child rides the bus and will not be riding after school on a particular day for any reason please call the office at 403-777-6600 to let us know so that we can ensure we have an accurate bus attendance list for each day.  Letting us know helps ensure that the buses leave on time. 

Bottle Drive Fridays 
Just like last year you can donate your refundable bottles to AMPA by dropping them off at the front of the school (by the free little library) every Friday.  Our goal this year is to raise $2000 through our bottle drive Fridays. This supports events and resources that directly benefit students. 

Important Upcoming Dates: 
Oct 16 – Mon/Wed Kindergarten Class attend 
Oct 16 – Early Dismissal 1:17pm 
Oct 19 – Professional Learning Day for Teachers – No School for Students 
Oct 23 – Tue/Thurs Kindergarten Class attend 
Oct 23 – Early Dismissal 1:17pm 
Oct 26 – Fun Lunch – Coco Brooks 
Oct 29 – Halloween Family Dance 6-8pm 

For additional upcoming dates please see our school calendar by clicking here