Dates to Remember Conferences are open for booking: https://sis.cbe.ab.ca/public/ please use your mycbe account to sign in and access the booking system. Nov 22/23 (Afternoon) - Kindergarten Parent/Teacher conferences (On-Line) November 24/25 Parent/ Teacher Conferences (On-Line) November 25 No school for students/ Parent-Teacher conferences (On-Line) December 1 6:30 School Council Meeting (This is likely to be an on-line meeting - TEAMs) December 9 8:00-8:20 AM Tuesday/ Thursday Kindergarten Music - Celebration of Learning December 16 K-Gr 5 Music - Celebration of Learning December 22 Last day of school before winter break The health of our school population As you may have heard in the news and from our weekly messages, there have been many absences due to illness recorded within the CBE. AHS is currently learning about the trends of respiratory illness in schools. One support they are asking for is the disclosure of respiratory symptoms (cough, sore throat, trouble breathing) when parents are reporting illness. If you are willing, when you call the absence line, it is appreciated if you mention that your child is away with respiratory symptoms (this is all the info we need). We also respect medical privacy so if you are not comfortable disclosing that is not a problem. In the last week, we have had approximately 35 students daily with unexcused absences. We are hoping to reduce this number by learning why they are absent. We also have over 10% of our total school population away due to illness. AHS has been informed of our state of well-being at CAS. We continue to encourage all parents to keep their children home when they are unwell. We also respectfully request that parents pick their child up quickly if the school calls you to say they are unwell. No child wants to wait by the office when they are unwell. Thank you for your consideration and understanding. Parent/ Student/ Teacher Conferences Our booking system is open for parents to sign up for interviews. In an effort to reduce our exposure to germs, interviews will be online via TEAMs. All parents will receive a link to the meeting in their e-mail in advance of the interview. Please ensure you arrive to the TEAMs meeting on time and in a location that will allow you to hear the teacher and participate in the conversation. If you are a CBE employee, kindly log into your meeting on time, but not early as there is currently no waiting room for CBE employees. If you are unable to attend interviews during the time allotted, kindly connect with your classroom teacher to arrange a different time. Police Clearance We will have volunteer clearance appointments available in the school office on December 2 and 9. These will be pre-booked appointments and will be the last opportunity before winter break to initiate the process. The Calgary Police Information Check system is currently working on clearances from the beginning of November so clearances initiated from this point forward will not be cleared before winter break. If you would like to book a 10-minute appointment, please call the school office between 8:30 – 10:30 am Monday through Friday. Volunteer clearances must be initiated in person with a piece of government issued photo ID. Appointments are scheduled for: Friday, Dec 9 8:30 – 9:30 and Friday December 16 8:15 – 10:30 If you need a police clearance completed in advance of these dates, please let Ms. Scherwitz know on the telephone. Music Celebration of Learning Our musical celebration of learning, that was put on hold in October, will take place on Friday, December 9 and Friday, December 16, 2022. Please join us in the gym as our students share what they have been learning in music so far this year. Here are the times each class will perform: Friday, December 9 8:00-8:20 AM Tuesday/ Thursday Kindergarten ONLY Friday, December 16 8:00 Grade 3 8:30 Grade 4 9:00 Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten ONLY 9:30 Grade 1 10:00 Grade 2 10:30 Grade 5 Each grade presentation will be about 10-15 minutes in duration. The other 15 minutes will be used to transfer students/ parents in and out of the gymnasium. There will be benches, some chairs and standing room for parents to watch the brief presentation from each grade. The gym doors will close promptly at the start of each presentation to ensure our presenters are not interrupted or distracted. Please ensure you arrive on time. Given our current state with illnesses in our school, our team would greatly appreciate if adults would wear a mask when visiting the school during this presentation. No one wants to be sick for the holidays. Your consideration of this request would be very appreciated. Winter conditions Parents, it is cold and icy on our school grounds. The snow has been cleared as best as we can, given the present circumstances. Snow removal around our building is very difficult at best. We have put in a request to have snow fences installed. Given the ground is frozen, I suspect this may not happen. Like all congregated areas, parking lots, and playgrounds in Calgary – the ground is slippery and dangerous at Chris Akkerman School. Please walk carefully and remind your children to walk slowly and carefully at school. The current conditions are a reality in Calgary and will persist for many months. We appreciate your understanding and kindness towards our team as we also navigate these cold and slippery conditions alongside you and your children. | 
