Good Afternoon CMAC Families
Fall is definitely in the air! Leaves are turning, and mornings are getting colder (did anyone else see the snow in the forecast?!) Please send your children dressed for the weather. School doors open at 7:45, and I am thankful for my warm jacket every morning while I wait for the day to begin outside with our kiddos.
It has been such a fun day at CMAC. I have loved seeing the incredible variety of beautiful cultural dress worn by our students. I have also really enjoyed conversations about dressing to represent North American culture, why this can be hard to see when it is something we are immersed in, and how we can help each of our students feel like the culture(s) they identify with are represented. I think students appreciated my combination of wool, plaid, and hiking boots, as this is a representation of something very important to the culture of my family: the great outdoors!
It was also a lot of fun watching homerooms get started on our Halloween door decorating competition! From pumpkins and bats, to skeleton Kanye, to dripping red paint, it was great to see kids and adults out having fun, and working to win points for their House Team. There were a lot of happy, smiling children at CMAC today!
Finally, students are in the process of starting up our first ever Student Council! This is new to us, so we are learning a lot. We have had students in grade 9 coming forward all week to run for the positions of President, Vice-President and Secretary. We wlll then move on to ensuring we have representation from all grades in the school. This, alongside our growing Student Leadership program, has me very excited for the coming year. I look forward to some incredible opportunities to hear from, learn from, and see the efforts of our students as we all work to make this an even better place to be!
Upcoming Calendar and Events
Monday October 21 – Day 3 – TLC Formal
Tuesday October 22 – Day 4 – TLC Informal
Wednesday October 23 – Day 1 – TLC Informal
Thursday October 24 – Day 2 – TLC Informal
Friday October 25 – Non-Instructional Day – No School for Students
Monday October 28 – Day 3 – TLC Formal
Tuesday October 29 – Day 4 – TLC Informal
Wednesday October 30 – Day 1 – TLC Informal
Thursday October 31 – Day 2 – TLC Casual – Halloween – Students can dress in costumes – no masks, no weapons (not even costume weapons)
Friday November 1 – Day 1 Even – TLC Casual – Theme Day – PJ Day
Housekeeping
- 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/icecream, 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.
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 Athletic Tryout form.
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 new teacher trivia!
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: Central Fee Waiver
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:HealthyHunger
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!
Oct. 24 - Banzai (order deadline Oct. 19)
Nov. 4 - Coco Brooks (order deadline Oct. 30)
Nov. 21 - Subway (order deadline Nov. 16)
Dec. 5 - Taco Time (order deadline Nov. 30)