Good Afternoon CMAC Families,

We are back into the swing of things, and I think this is our smoothest startup yet! Students are doing a great job of getting back into school routines and expectations, and our teachers and staff are doing a great job of helping them do so. This lets us all jump right into the important business of teaching and learning that brings us here every day. We have an awesome group of students this year, and I am really looking forward to the coming year.

As a side note, we have a fair number of students coming to school tired in the morning. When we ask them why, they almost always tell us its because they were up late on screens (especially phones). Please help your kiddos get the rest they need by removing all screens from their rooms at night, at the latest by 10 pm (9 pm is better!). Having our students in bed, maybe with a good book, by 9 or 10 goes a long way toward setting them up for a successful school day. They will complain (I know my kids do) but it will go a long way toward providing them every opportunity to succeed in school.

We are well into preparation for our 2nd Annual Welcome Back BBQ, and I am getting excited. Last year, this event was attended by well over 500 family members, the numbers are in for this year and we are expecting closer to 800! This year, We will have the same drop in model from 5:00-7:30 pm where families can come, grab a burger, and mix and mingle with other families and CMAC staff. We will also have brief grade team presentations in the Learning Commons throughout the evening. Please only grab the food you ordered on the form sent out this week, we want to make sure we have enough of everything to meet each of your needs.

I am also looking forward to our first online School Council meeting this coming Tuesday at 6:30 pm. This will be a big year for School Council at CMAC, so all are very welcome to join. We need to take some big steps with our school park fundraising. We also have a casino fundraiser coming up. This is in addition to the million other ways our School Council supports us throughout the year, and contributes to it being a great place to learn and work.

Looking forward to seeing many of you Tuesday and Thursday next week. Get those kiddos outside for some fresh air and fun this weekend, in this town you never know how many nice days we have left.

Upcoming Calendar and Events

  • Monday September 15 – Day 2 – TLC Formal
  • Tuesday September 16 – Day 1 – TLC Informal – School Council Online at 6:30 pm
  • Wednesday September 17 – Day 2 – TLC Informal
  • Thursday September 18 – Day 1 – TLC Informal – Welcome Back BBQ 5:00-7:30 pm
  • Friday September 19 – Day 1 – TLC Casual
  • Monday September 22 – Day 2 – TLC Formal Uniform
  • Tuesday September 23 – Day 1 – TLC Informal Uniform
  • Wednesday September 24 – Day 2 – TLC Informal Uniform
  • Thursday September 25 – Day 1 – TLC Informal Uniform
  • Friday September 26 – Day 2 – 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 and have them use the crosswalk. 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 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 support them in following uniform requirements, including wearing black shoes. TLC is a program of choice, and following uniform expections is a part of that choice. If you are unable to replace uniform pieces for retail price, there are a lot of items available of Facebook Marketplace now. If you still require support, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.
  • Cafeteria:
    • The hot food cafeteria (Cougar Café) is temporarily on hold, menus, and information to come. Please do not send students with money for the school cafeteria just yet.
    • We are very pleased that The Breakfast Program has returned to CMAC This program is already running, with snacks available for students every morning at nutrition break.   
    • Microwaves and hot water are available in the Cafeteria over the lunch period. The grade 5 & 6 students will have approximately 15 minutes in the cafeteria .  This time goes quickly for the kids, keep lunches simple. 
    • 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 Council

As I said above, all are welcome to join us for School Council Meetings. The link is in our school Calendar, see you there!

Welcome Back BBQ

I provided some information above, with a little more to come this week. For now, save the date, we will look forward to seeing you between 5:00 and 7:30 pm this coming Thursday. If you would like to donate to our park project, there will be a space available for you to do so.

Fundraising

Coins for Cancer

Over the next two weeks we will be collecting Coins for Cancer. I will be sending a leadership student around with a collection jar. Please collect coins from students up until October 3. The homeroom with the most collected wins Timbits and house points!

Casual Tuesdays

We will also be having two casual Tuesdays. Students can pay a twoonie and TLC students will be able to wear casual for the day.

Freezie Friday

Lastly, we will be selling freezies on Friday, Sept 19

https://schools.terryfox.ca/97728

Sports Teams

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

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

Cross country, Soccer and Basketball teams are all up and running. Please be sure to students are able to be picked up, or find their own way home, at the end of all games and practices. Coaching is a volunteer activity our teachers take on. Teaching all day, then coaching afterward already makes for a long, long day. No need to make it longer while they wait for our kiddos to get picked up.

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.

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. Students were so excited and had a great time. As an aside, if your child has significant struggles with high sensory environments and needs a space away from events like pep rallys, please connect with Mr. Scholpp acscholpp@cbe.ab.ca or send them by the office to chat.

  • PURPLE- 5-1, 6-1, 7-6, 8-4, 9-3 
  • ORANGE- 5-3, 6-3, 7-2, 7-4, 8-2, 9-1
  • BLUE- 6-2, 7-1, 8-3, 9-2, 9-5, LEAD
  • GREEN- 5-2, 6-2, 7-1, 7-5, 8-1, 9-2

Beginning of Year Assessments

In the coming weeks, we will assess students skills in reading, writing and mathematics. The purpose of these tests is to gain an understanding of where students’ skills are now, so we can support their continued growth. Please know these marks will not go on report cards and students do not need to study or prepare. This is just us, gathering information, so we can help each of our students learn.

Library Books

If your child is new to CMAC and has library books from another school, please return them to Mrs. Slater in our learning commons as soon as possible.  She will see that they are returned to their home locations and your student’s lending account is cleared of overdue items.

We should be able to begin lending books at the end of next week. If a student has a book that is more than 3 weeks overdue, we will deactivate their CBE account and they will lose access to technology while at school. We will support them in accessing it if there in an unavoidable need for particular class periods. Please support your children in keeping track of and returning their library books on time so we can maintain the excellent collection Mrs. Slater has built for the school.

Volunteers

We need your help! Our teachers are doing a great job organizing exciting field trip opportunities for your kids. 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. Please see the link for details.

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.


Have a wonderful weekend everyone, thanks for reading to the end ;)

Stephen Becker,

Your Principal,

Colonel Macleod School