Good Afternoon CMAC Families,

What a fun week at Colonel Macleod! Students showed up in a huge variety of costumes to celebrate Halloween, and staff too. From Care Bears, Play Doh, Spelling Bees and Bathroom Police to Hogwarts Headmistresses, Pirates, dinosaurs and aliens, school spirit was definitely in the air. Student also dressed in cultural dress to celebrate the start of Diwali, always a highlight of the year. I look forward to seeing more cultural dress on Tuesday for those who wanted to dress in Halloween costumes today, and celebrate Diwali. The door decorating competition was a huge success too. So many creative, scary, hilarious ideas. I love the shared brilliance of our school community.

students


We also have our first ever Student Council representatives! Congratulations to our successful candidates. It was a tight race, and we had incredible candidates, and I look forward to working with and learning from our new President, Vice President, and Secretary in the coming months. Stay tuned, we will begin selection of Grade Representatives in the coming weeks! 

Next week, in addition to belated Diwali celebrations, we move into observance of a very important Canadian holiday: Remembrance Day. Canada has a long history of standing up on the world stage for our shared beliefs and values. The sacrifices of Canadian soldiers have made it possible for us to have a country that protects our human rights, and works to make this a place where people from all over the world, with different beliefs and practices, are welcome, able to follow their conscience, and pursue a good life. As we move toward November 11, I invite you to learn about the importance of Remebrance Day, and find ways to share in this important celebration. 

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/how-to-honour-remembrance-day-in-calgary- 2024

Upcoming Calendar and Events 

Monday November 4 – Day 3 – TLC Formal – Class Pictures and Picture Retakes – First Wrestling Practice

Tuesday November 5 – Day 4 – TLC Casual/Cultural Dress

Wednesday November 6 – Day 1 – TLC Informal

Thursday November 7 – Day 2 – TLC Informal

Friday November 8 – Non-Instructional Day – No School for Students

 

Monday November 11 – Remembrance Day – School Closed

Tuesday November 12 – Fall Break – School Closed

Wednesday November 13 – Fall Break – School Closed

Thursday November 14 – Day 3 – TLC Informal

Friday November 15 – Day 1 Odd – TLC Casual -

Housekeeping

  • IPP’s – If your child has an IPP, please sign it and return it to ASAP.
  • Yearbooks – Links are on teacher D2L Sites. If we don’t sell enough the yearbook will be cancelled. If your child wants a yearbook, please purchase NOW!
  • Morning Drop Offs – If you drive your child to school, please drop them off and pick them up on the far (west) side of the street. Do not drive into the staff parking lot or park on the East (school) side of the street.
  • TLC Uniforms: If your child is in the TLC program, please support them in following uniform requirements, including wearing black shoes.
  • Cafeteria:
    o   Microwaves and hot water are available in the Cafeteria over lunch. Grade 5 & 6 students have approximately 15 minutes in the cafeteria . This time goes quickly, please keep lunches simple.
    o   If you send your child with a meal that requires cutlery (fork, spoon), also send them with the required cutlery.
  • Messy, sticky drinks - we don’t allow messy sticky drinks in the school (think slurpees, milkshakes/ice cream, open pop, ice caps, canned iced tea, etc), or energy drinks. Please support students in bringing healthier, less messy drink choices to school.

School Council 

Let me start by sending out a huge thank you to the parent who has stepped into the role of treasurer! We are incredibly grateful to you and all of the parents who make our council possible. 

We still need a casino chair to organize the casino fundraiser for next fall. This is easily our single biggest source of fundraising revenue for the year, and makes it possible for us to think outside the box to make CMAC an amazing school. 

If you are able to support, you can contact me at srbecker@cbe.ab.ca, council through our CMAC parents Facebook page, or just show up at a council meeting. 

Grade 9 Sailing Trip 

We have just 3 spaces left for our Grade 9 sailing Trip in British Columbia! Also, I (Mr. Becker) will be going along as the second supervisor, with Mrs. Dokimenko (I am very excited!) We have done this trip for many years prior to COVID and we are excited to get the program up and running again. This optional fieldtrip provides a safe ocean going five day expedition within the protected waters of the Salish Sea (Canadian Gulf Islands) aboard certified Transport Canada sailing vessels. With all required safety equipment, certified captains, qualified crew, and use of ocean going kayaks. 

While we have not been given updated costs for the 2025 year, we know that the cost for last year was approximately $2500.00 per student. This cost includes return flights to Victoria B.C., entrance to all exhibits and activities, as well as all food and accommodations. As a group we will also be offering fundraising opportunities throughout the year to lower the cost of the trip. For those who are interested, please connect with Mrs. Dokimenko ASAP. 

Library Books 

PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR STUDENT ABOUT LIBRARY BOOKS. Students receive notices of overdue books on a weekly basis. Any books that are a month overdue (four or more weekly reminders) are considered lost, and students will be asked to pay for replacements. 

Did you know students can check the status of their library account at any time? All you need is internet access.   Visit the CMAC website, use the Quick Link for E-Library, sign in and click on My Account. Student loans, checkout dates and due dates are all listed there for your convenience.

In addition, any books your student has from another school can be returned to Mrs. Slater in the Learning Commons. She will see that they are returned to their home location and cleared from your student’s account. 

Sports Teams 

As we enter Basketball and Volleyball season, please review expectations for spectators at all sporting events. 

  • All students/youth in attendance at games must be accompanied by a supervising adult who can bring them home if they are unable to follow the rules. Children must not be left unsupervised while in the school.
  • If students do not have an adult to supervise them, they will be directed to leave.
  • Please do not take photos or videos of players if other youth may be in the frame. I understand the desire to capture and share your child’s experience, but it violates the privacy of the other players.
  • If you attend games at other schools, you may be directed to keep your phone in your bag at all times, and not to enter/exit the building once you have arrived. If needed, we will implement these rules here too.
  • All attendees should be positive and supportive: disrespectful behaviour to players, coaches, referees or other spectators will be addressed by admin.
  • Failure to follow rules and support a positive experience for may result in your being directed to leave, and possibly being barred from attending future events

We have an incredible community of students and parents, and I don’t expect any of this to be an issue. Clear expectations help set us all up for success, and keep our focus where it belongs: on our incredible student atheletes. Thank you in advance for another incredible year of CMAC athletics! 

In further athletics news: 

Please have a look in your MyCBE account and pay any unpaid fees. 

If students want to try out for a team, they MUST first return their Annual Authorization for Atheltic Tryout form Included in my email). 

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 or find their way home 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.

Homework Hotel 

Tuesday and Wednesdays after school, students in grades 7-9 can stay from 2:30-4:00 to get extra help from teachers, or complete their homework. Students in Grade 6 can attend Homework Hotel at lunch on Day 3 each week. Please, if your child is staying after school, ensure they have a ride home, ready to go by 4:00 pm. 

House Teams 

Building from last year, homerooms have been split up into house teams. A huge thank you to Mrs. Fehr and Mrs. Dokimenko for the work they have put into this. Ask they what they have learned about their teachers through our teacher trivia! And check with your child to see who won our recent Halloween Door Decorating Competition! 

PURPLE- 5-1, 6-3, 7-6, 8-2, 8-4, 9-3

ORANGE- 5-3, 7-2, 7-3, 8-1, 8-6, 9-4

BLUE- 6-1, 7-4, 8-5, 9-1, 9-5, LEAD

GREEN- 5-2, 6-2, 7-1, 7-5, 8-3, 9-2 

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 

There is a new voucher process in place to pay for police security checks for volunteers, please connect with Karen Ondrus in the office to learn more. 

Fees 

Please pay your fees! A little bit from each family really adds up, and we need that money to support your child’s education. Log in to MyCBE now and pay any outstanding fees. While you are there, please complete your student demographic form for the year. This is what allows us to quickly contact you in case of an emergency! 

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.

Healthy Hunger 

Healthy Hunger is BACK! Healthy Hunger is a fundraising lunch program where every lunch purchased helps raise money for the school to enhance and enrich the learning environment of the students. Register your child at: www.healthyhunger.ca

Place all orders at once OR at multiple times throughout the year. Currently we have dates for September- December. More dates will be added later in the year for 2025. 

Note: All orders, changes or cancellations must be completed no later than 5 days prior to the lunch date. Don’t miss those deadlines! 

Nov. 4 - Coco Brooks    (order deadline Oct. 30)

Nov. 21 - Subway   (order deadline Nov. 16)

Dec. 5 - Taco Time (order deadline Nov. 30)