Dear JJ families,
I hope everyone has had a wonderfully adventurous and enjoyable summer! July and August always fly by at an alarmingly rapid rate. It really is true- time flies when you're having fun!
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the 2022/23 school year. If you are new to JJ, I am so excited for you to join our wonderful learning community. If you are returning to JJ- welcome back! The hallways and classrooms are looking forward to having you back on September 1.
As I sit alone in the school, I am keenly aware that the heart and soul of the school are the staff, students, and parents. This building is nothing without all of you! I'm anxious to have the building full of noise, activity, and laughter. Having the teachers back on August 29 is very exciting! We have a lot of work to get started with – especially since we are implementing and piloting the new curriculum from Alberta Education. We will kick start our time together with professional development about the new curriculum. Many teachers have spent part of their summer in sessions learning all about it. Your children are in very good hands as education transitions into this new phase of learning.
STAFFING
Lots has been happening behind the scenes in preparation for the new school year. Our school staff has had some big changes! All of our new staff members have been hand-picked to join the JJ team. Every single one of them have incredible skills to contribute to the learning community. We look forward to you meeting all of them! For a list of staff members, click here.
ENROLLMENT
I have been closely watching our enrollment since May. Student enrollment determines our staffing needs and budget for the year. At the end of June, based on the numbers that were confirmed, we made the decision to configure our French Immersion program to straight grades. We will have two grade one classes, one grade two class, one grade three class, and one grade four class. Class size will range from about 24-29, with the exception of grade one which is sitting around 20 in each class. These class size numbers align with the class sizes of the English Program.
START UP INFORMATION
Teachers and some staff are back to school August 29-31. The school is not open for students and parents at that time unless specific arrangements have been made. On August 30 and 31, Grades 1-4 teachers will be calling the students/families in their classes to introduce themselves and provide information about the first day of school on September 1. Please do not call the school- we ask that you are patient and wait for your child's teacher to call you. The school only has two lines so making all the calls takes some time. Thank you in advance for your patience.
KINDERGARTEN STAGGERED ENTRY
Kindergarten staggered entry information is posted on our website. Please check the schedule to find out when your child attends staggered entry on September 1 and 2. Regular Kindergarten classes begin on Tuesday, September 6.
Please note: Kindergarten teachers are not call families. They will meet you at the Kindergarten door for your staggered entry time.
CALENDAR
Our school follows the traditional CBE calendar. JJ's calendar is set up with specific dates for our school only, such as AM and PM Kinder dates, conferences, etc. Please make sure you have our school calendar downloaded for your own records (see below). It helps with planning for winter and spring break, as well as other non-instructional days.
· Please check the calendar page on our website to stay up to date with events and special days
· Download Janet Johnstone's 2022/23 Calendar
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL- GRADES 1-4
The first day of school for grades 1-4 is Thursday, September 1. School hours are 8:00am-2:32pm. Relaxed entry is from 7:45-8:00am, however, on the first day of school, students will meet their teacher outside of their entry door. The location of graded entry doors will be published in the coming days. Teachers will share all of the first day information when they call to introduce themselves to you. Please watch your email closely as more information will be sent prior to the first day of school.
Important note: parents are not allowed in the school on the first day. Parents and students will say good-bye prior to teachers bringing in their classes at 8:00am.
ADDITIONAL BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION
For other back to school information, please refer to our school website. It's updated frequently with details and should be your go-to for information. For information about our school bell times, lunch times, etc., please refer to the Back to School Information news story on our website.
OFFICE HOURS
Mrs. Larsen and Mrs. Stahl will be happy to take your phone calls starting Monday, August 29. If your call isn't answered, please know they will return your call as soon as they can. You are welcome to email the school with your questions and inquiries, as well. Please send your email to the school account JanetJohnstone@cbe.ab.ca.
I hope everyone enjoys the last week of summer! Back to school is one of my favorite seasons!
See you soon!
Mrs. Kivi
Principal
blkivi@cbe.ab.ca
