Dear DGS Families,
Fare thee well, February, we’re all about March now!
Last week, we managed all of the fun and games nature had in store for us- my personal favourite was the 30-degree temperature swing where I was reminded that the rubber soles of my favourite boots turn into ice skates. Safety first! Don’t worry everyone, some days I am just a wizened adolescent myself as I stand there in impractical shoes, no jacket, and mittens. It used to make my mom crazy, too. This week, the outdoors isn’t so angry with us, and we are getting ourselves back out there for PE Classes, lunch time and community activities. Please note, we cannot open our school any earlier than 8:00am, even in extreme weather, as we are not resourced to supervise students until that time. Please do not drop students off at school before this time unless they are prepared to wait outside.
School Planning Parent Survey
Last night at our Monthly School Council and Parent Fundraising Society Meeting, I presented our School Development Plan, and Budget and Fees Report in preparation for planning for the upcoming school year. A shortened version of the presentation and a link to a survey where you can have your feedback heard has been sent to all families via school messenger. This survey will be open for completion until March 15 and should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. The feedback gathered from this survey will be used to inform planning decisions for next year and will be shared with you in May 2023.
Camp Chief Hector Experiences
As you may recall from last Spring, we have now incorporated a 4-day trip to Camp Chief Hector into annual planning at the Grade 7 Level. Typically, this whole-grade experience will take place in June of each year. This year, we were offered a late-breaking opportunity to take our Grade 9’s to Camp Chief Hector the week before the May Long Weekend for three days and two nights. We are pleased to confirm that for one year, we will offer Camp Chief Hector to both Grade 7’s (June) and Grade 9’s (May). Parents in Grade 7 and 9 have been surveyed as to whether or not their child will participate. Our school has now paid the service provider deposit related to both of these experiences. Families in both Grade 7 and 9 who intend on having their child attend will be asked to pay a refundable $50.00 deposit by April 1, 2023, in order to confirm their spot on their trip. This is not a mandatory experience, and students who do not attend will have programming provided to them daily at school. More information will come out regarding this in the weeks to come. We are planning to hold ONE larger scale fundraiser in support of students in both Grades. Stay tuned for more details.
Grade 9 Farewell
Recently, we were made aware of a revised Provincial Schedule related to Provincial Achievement Tests. This revised schedule necessitates some changes to our tentative plans related to scheduling our Grade 9 Farewell and our Grade 9 Farewell Fieldtrip to Calaway Park. The new tentative date for our Grade 9 Farewell Ceremony is Friday June 16 at 10:00am. The new tentative date for our Grade 9 Farewell Fieldtrip to Calaway Park will be announced as soon as it is available. As with the past two years, our Grade 9 Farewell consists of a formal hour-long celebration of our Grade 9 students from 10:00-11:00am in the Main Gym and an Informal Outdoor gathering (including snacks, drinks, music, and photo opportunities) from about 11:00-11:55am. The celebration audience is meant to include siblings and family members of Grade 9 students only. Students are welcome to wear whatever they wish- there are no formal requirements. Most Grade 9 students do choose to dress up a bit for the occasion.
Provincial Achievement Test Schedule
Save the Date- this will all be communicated in detail in May and June 2023
(All exams are in the morning)
Monday May 15
Wednesday May 17
Tuesday June 20
Thursday June 22
Friday June 23
Monday June 26
Tuesday June 27
Upcoming Dates:
March 4
March 9
March 10
March 21
March 27 – 31
April 7
April 10
April 25
As always, please feel free to contact me at csmalette@cbe.ab.ca OR 403 817 3556.
Chantal Malette
Principal, Dr. George Stanley School
