Good Afternoon CMAC Families,
Thank you to all the families that were able to come in for School Conferences, or find other ways to connect with teachers so we can all work together to help your children learn. A healthy partnership between families and the school is essential to student success, so we deeply appreciate your involvement in your child’s education. If you were not able to attend and need to discuss your child’s learning, please reach out after the break and connect with teachers. Spring break is almost upon us! Too bad spring seems to have disappeared… oh well. We hope your children (and the adults who support them here and at home) benefit from this opportunity for rest, play and recovery. From here it is just three short months, and summer will be upon us!
Upcoming Calendar and Events
March 23 – April 1 – Happy Spring Break!
Tuesday, April 2 – Day 3 – TLC Informal – Students return to school
Wednesday, April 3 – Day 4 – TLC Informal
Thursday April 4 – Day 1 – TLC Informal
Friday, April 5 – Day 2 Odd – TLC Casual
Housekeeping
- Morning Drop Offs – If you drive your child to school, please drop them off on the far (west) side of the street. Do not drive into the staff parking lot, as this creates a hazard for kids getting off the bus. Also do not park on the East (school) side of the street as that interferes with bus drop off. An excellent alternate, low traffic, drop-off spot is the recreation centre parking lot across the field. Just enter on 13 avenue and drive to our field and you can avoid the busyness at the front of the school.
- TLC Uniforms – If your child is in the TLC program, please remind them of the uniform requirements, including wearing black shoes. We are working to ensure all TLC students are following uniform standards each and every day. Please support us in this. If you need replacement uniform pieces, and cost is a barrier, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
- Cold Weather – As we sometimes don’t know when the temperature will drop, please help your children dress for the weather. This includes a warm jacket, warm hat, and gloves. Our relaxed entry begins at 7:45am. Class activities, and lunch time, often find our students outside, and it is important that they are able to stay warm. Fresh air is good for us all, we just need to dress for it.
- Lunch – Please, if you send your child with a meal that requires cutlery (fork, spoon), also send them with the required cutlery. We don’t not have cutlery to provide them with.
- Messy, sticky drinks – we don’t allow messy sticky drinks in the school (think slurpees, milkshakes/ice-cream, open pop, ice caps, etc), or energy drinks. Please support students in bringing healthier, less messy drink choices to school.
Engagement
I recently sent out two engagement surveys. The first one is about our School Development Plan and Fees, and closes on March 31. Your feedback will help us plan for the coming year. The second one is to help us plan some family nights at CMAC, and closes on April 9. Your feedback will help us make plans for this spring. Your feedback on both is very much appreciated, I have provided links to both below so you don’t need to search you inboxes.
School Development Plan and Fees
Casino – Volunteers Needed!
I recently send a school messenger about our upcoming school casino fundraiser. I can’t say enough how important it is that we fill all volunteer spots. Sign up! A big thank you to all who are able to support the school in this way.
Cougar Café Grand Reopening!
For those who don’t know her, Christine Goett has been here at CMAC, striving to bring excellent lunch experiences to our kids for a very long time. She and her amazing team organize snack bins for everyone and free lunches for those who need it. They work to keep kids’ lunch experiences exciting, and fill the bellies of our kids. Christine ran a hot food cafeteria for years until it was cut. This year we were thrilled to be offered an opportunity to bring hot lunches back into our cafeteria. While free snacks and bag lunches will still be available, The Cougar Café is once again offering affordable nutritious meals to kid. This is a big moment for our lunch room team, and I just want to express my deepest appreciation for all of their hard work!
Sports Teams
Badminton Tryouts are Coming!
Junior team tryouts (Grade 7-8) - Wednesday, April 3
- Boys - 2:30pm - 3:15pm
- Girls - 3:15pm - 4:00pm
Senior team tryouts (Grade 8-9) - Thursday, April 4
- Boys - 2:30pm - 3:15pm
- Girls - 3:15pm - 4:00pm
If interested, sign-up sheets are posted
- Room 29 (Junior)
- Room 7 (Senior)
Bring your own racquet (if available) and be changed.
If students wish to attend sporting events as a spectator, they need to come with a parent. This helps our coaches to keep their focus on the athletes who are competing. If your child is playing on a sports team, or volunteering, please pick them up right at the end of their games and practices. Our teachers generously volunteer their time, and like the kids, are tired by the end of the day. If students cannot be picked up on time, they will not be allowed to participate.
To participate in games and practices, students must be present for the duration of the school day, as per Calgary Middle Level Schools Amateur Athletics rules. They must also represent themselves as positive members of the school community, as per the standards set by our school for students in leadership roles.
Volunteers
We need your help! Our teachers are doing a great job organizing exciting field trip opportunities for your kids. With the new volunteer clearance process, we are running short on volunteers. Please, if you are able to volunteer, complete the new volunteer process so we can keep offering these experiences for our students.
Fees
For families with low incomes, the CBE provides a fee waiver program.
If there is a field trip or other learning opportunity with a fee, and this fee will prevent your child from participating, please connect with the principal. No child should miss a learning opportunity offered to their class due to financial reasons.