Good Afternoon CMAC Families,
The sun is back! In Calgary we are always ready for more snow, but here’s hoping that is the end of the bitterly cold weather. It will be so great for the kids to be able to get outside and move during the lunch break again.
Looking ahead into the spring, we are still in early phases of planning two events. First I would like to bring in a long-time colleague of mine, Dr. Allan Donsky, to spend some time with members of our parent community discussing mindfulness, belonging, and supporting students through their adolescent years. He is brilliant and I count him amongst my the most influential teachers and mentors I have had in my life. I will reach out to parents to gauge interest before booking this opportunity. Second, I would like to organize a CMAC Cultural Night. One evening, families would come to the school, set up booths, or even put on performances to share their cultures with other families and staff. Families will also be welcome to attend and learn about the cultures of others.
Again, I will reach out to the parent community to gauge interest, but I think this could be a great opportunity for us all to come together, build community, and learn from each other.
Some updates for staffing: Josh Overland, Allan Diewold and Dawson LaDuke will be staying on with us until the end of the year. Megan Rollinson is covering Ms. Swiatek’s classes until Spring Break. Ms. Lacey Brown is settling into her new role in the office nicely. Our new bookkeeper, Sylvia Chandon starts Monday.
Upcoming Calendar and Events
Monday March 11 – Day 3 – Cultural dress/dress your best day! Casual dress for TLC
Tuesday March 12 – Day 4 – TLC Informal
Wednesday March 13 – Day 1 – TLC Informal
Thursday March 14 – Day 2 – TLC Informal
Friday March 15 – Day 1 Even – TLC Casual – Wear green for St. Patrick’s Day
Monday March 18 – Day 3 – TLC Formal
Tuesday March 19 – Day 4 – TLC Informal
Wednesday March 20 – Day 1 – TLC Informal
Thursday March 21 – Day 2 – TLC Informal – School Conferences 4-7:30
Friday March 22 – PD Day – School Conferences 4-7:30 - No school for students. Happy spring break!
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, dropoff spot is the rec centre parking lot across the field. Just enter on 13th 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 7:45. 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/icecream, open pop, ice caps, etc), or energy drinks. Please support students in bringing healthier, less messy drink choices to school
School Conferences
Our second round of school conferences approaches. If you see a need to connect with teachers, please register with MyCBE. Conferences will be in-person by default, if you need an online conference on Microsoft Teams, please connect with teachers to arrange this.
Also, please bring your kids! Conferences are so much more meaningful when students are a part of the conversation.
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, starting Monday, the Cougar Café will be 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
Volleyball season is in full swing and our teams are doing great! The girls’ team is in the finals next Friday afternoon at Crescent Heights. The boys have a pretty good shot at making the finals too, if they do they will play Friday after the girls. Our students and coaches always make me so proud, they show up and play their best, and do a great job of keeping it classy and demonstrating excellent sportsmanship. Go Cougars!
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 (link below) so we can keep offering these experiences for our students. https://www.cbe.ab.ca/get-involved/volunteer/Pages/volunteer.aspx
Fees
For families with low incomes, the CBE provides a fee waiver program. Please see the following link for details: https://cbe.ab.ca/registration/fees-and- waivers/Pages/Waivers.aspx
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.