Dear DGS Families,
We are BAAAAAAAAAAACK! Did you miss us? We missed your kiddos, and we are so glad to all be back together. This week’s Principal Message is coming to you on Monday so that you feel like you have all of the information you need to get your family through this week! We will return to our regular Wednesday schedule next week.
DGS Badminton Try-out Schedule
Please see the attachment for all the details for grades 6-9 badminton try-outs schedules this month. As a reminder, our Badminton and Basketball Seasons have been switched, so as to ensure we have sufficient referees for the 2023 basketball season.
BadmintonTryoutschedule2023-new.pdf
Toy Mountain
We want to thank EVERYONE for their generous donations of toys and gifts for toy mountain AND for their cash donations from our annual Hot Chocolate Fundraiser that took place on Thursday December 22. We will be able to share our fundraising total in next week’s update. A very heartfelt thank you to our School Council and Parent Fundraising Society for sponsoring and preparing all of the Hot Chocolate needed for 640 students!!!!
Away for the Day- Our Commitment for 2023
New Year, Old Expectations! Today, teachers will take time with homerooms to review and reinforce our Away for the Day Cell Phone Policy.
Phones are in lockers from 8:30am to 2:55pm daily, including lunchtime. This allows students to focus on their learning, their human connections with others, their ability to self-regulate in the absence of technology and minimizes background distraction. A really good read related to this is Johann Hari’s 2022 book Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again. (Important: Hari writes in a more casual register, and he is a bit sweary- his anecdotes may not resonate with all readers; however, his core message is food for thought. It’s also important to note that his insights about “attention” are NOT a commentary on ADHD or ADD or people with those neurodiversities.)
Technology and Social Media are woven into the fabric of our world and it’s up to all of us to influence how we use it in a way that highlights the positives and offers protective factors to deal with the negatives. We ask that parents help us by not texting or calling their child during the day on their device. Should you need to speak to your student, please call the main office and we will be happy to help!
Staff will work with students who have their phone out of their locker in a number of ways. This might include being asked to return the phone to their locker or being asked to pick their phone up at the end of the day from the main office or requesting that a parent come to the school to pick the phone up. We realize this last option is the least convenient, and we use it only when other responses have not changed behaviour with the phone.
This is also a good time to remind families that we cannot be responsible for lost or stolen mobile devices or accessories such as earpods or smart watches.
Keeping Sick Students Home
We ask that if your child is sick, please keep them home from school, as we want to see all of our community make it through cold and flu season safely. Please continue to phone or email the school each day that your child will be absent, with the reason for the absence (examples: illness, medical appointment, etc.). Teachers will continue to post assignment basics in Google Classroom by 4:00 each day for students to access.
Got Lunch?
We remain a closed campus at lunchtime. We want to remind families that students need to bring their lunch or have it ordered through Healthy Hunger for distribution through the servery. We do have a variety of lower cost items for purchase at the server including Cheese Buns, Ham and Cheeses Buns, and Chocolate Chip Buns from Glamorgan Bakery. Hot water is available for soup through the servery. We are not able to provide access to microwaves for student use. As a reminder, we are not able to receive Skip the Dishes, Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc. in the main office. The driver will be asked to return the delivery to the restaurant.
Yearbooks
Yearbooks for 2022-23 – must be PREPURCHASED prior to February 10, 2023. You will need to self-add the yearbook to your account following these simple steps:
1. Login to your MyCBE account, using your username and password
2. Click the box “Fees, Waivers & Service Registration”
3. Select your student
4. Click on “School Based Optional Fees”
5. Click on the box “Yearbook 2022/23”
6. Click “Add to Cart” and proceed to payment
Demographic Verification Forms
We have now printed copies of these forms for any families that still have not completed them and sent them home with your student. Please make any necessary changes, sign and send them back to the school as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can still sign into your MyCBE account to complete them. These forms are a legal requirement and must be completed every school year. If you are having trouble completing them, please contact the office for assistance.
Fees Reminder
Course fees, lunch supervision fees (for students in grade 6) and transportation fees (for registered users) have all been assigned. Fees are due upon assignment.
Payment can be made on your MyCBE account or in the school office.
Upcoming Dates:
January 9
January 26
January 30
January 31
February 2
February 3
February 8
February 10
- Cut-off for ordering Yearbooks
February 16
February 17
February 20
As always, please feel free to contact me at csmalette@cbe.ab.ca OR 403 817 3556.
Chantal Malette
Principal, Dr. George Stanley School
