Welcome back to school! Summer has zipped by and it's time for autumn and all things pumpkin to begin! Back to school is an exciting time- the staff are eager to get students in their classrooms. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone on Thursday, August 31!
Please read this information very carefully- we want everyone to be prepared for start-up next week.
School is open!
Officially, the office is open on Monday, August 28. Teachers start back on Monday and will be in meetings for the majority of the day. Staff hours August 28-30 is 8:00am-1:00pm.
Our office staff consists of Mrs. Stahl (who has taken over Mrs. Larsen's position while Mrs. Larsen continues to be on medical leave). Mrs. Davey is also supporting in the office- she has taken over Mrs. Stahl's roll.
Relaxed Entry- IMPORTANT CHANGE
This year, we hare adjusting the time for relaxed entry in the mornings. Relaxed entry will be 10 minutes long and will start at 7:50am each day. This means that students can enter the school starting at 7:50am each day. The bell rings at 8:00am when classes begin.
Grade 1-4 Classes and Teachers
On Monday, teachers will receive their class lists. Grade 1-4 teachers will be calling parents for introductions and information about the first day of school. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES.
We would ask for patience when waiting for these phone calls. Teachers will hopefully start calling on Monday afternoon and continue calling on Tuesday. They will be making these calls in between setting up their classrooms and attending meetings.
Please do not call the school. Teachers need the phone lines to make their calls.
Kindergarten Classes
We are still looking for volunteers to move their child to the PM French Immersion Kindergarten Class. Currently the AM has 23 students and the PM has 9. If anyone in English Kindergarten would like to move to PM French OR if anyone in the AM French class would like to move to the afternoon, please reach out to the school ASAP.
Email Mrs. Stahl jnstahl@cbe.ab.ca
Staggered Entry is on Thursday, Aug 31 and Friday, Sept 1. Please check the schedule below for when your child attends.
PLEASE MEET THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS AT THE KINDERGARTEN DOORS LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING CLOSEST TO THE GARDEN BOXES.
Thursday, August 31, 2023
ENGLISH AM CLASSES
8:00-10:48am: ONLY students with last names that begin A-J
FRENCH IMMERSION AM CLASS
8:00-10:48am: ONLY students with the last names that begin A-J
FRENCH IMMERSION PM CLASS
11:44am-2:32pm: ALL PM students attend due to small numbers
Friday, September 1, 2023
ENGLISH AM CLASSES
8:00-10:48am: ONLY students with last names that begin K-Z
FRENCH IMMERSION AM CLASS
8:00-10:48am: ONLY students with the last names that begin K-Z
FRENCH IMMERSION PM CLASS
NO staggered entry on Friday
***normally Friday times are 8:00am-12:15pm. For Staggered entry, the time is limited to 8:00-10:48am
Kindergarten regular classes start on Tuesday, September 5.
First Day of School- Grades 1-4
Teachers will share the location of your child's entry door during their phone calls. On August 31, students can meet their teacher at the designated door. Teachers will have a list for attendance and will bring their class inside once they have everyone accounted for. Teachers will be outside to meet their students at 7:50am.
Snacks and Lunches
Students will need snacks and a lunch on the first day of school. Our school is NUT AWARE as we have many students with severe nut allergies. Please do not send any food that contains nuts or traces of nuts. Please check granola bars and pre-packaged food ingredients carefully. PB&J sandwiches are delicious but can't be sent for lunches. Nutella is made from hazelnuts and should only be consumed at home. Thank you for your time and consideration when sending food with your child each day.
Students are not allowed to share food in order to keep students safe.
At lunch, students will be eating in their classrooms. Our schedule is still in the works so the specifics of when each class is eating lunch will be shared in the coming days. Please make sure that students have their lunch bags clearly labelled with their name. We are also unable to supply utensils and students do not have access to microwaves.
Please send a labelled water bottle with your child. We ask that parents do not send pop and juice as they are sticky and often don't get finished. Water is easy to clean up and students can refill their water bottles at the fountains.
School Supplies, backpacks and shoes
The school purchases ALL supplies that students need for their learning. Please do not send any school supplies with your child.
All students need indoor runners that they can do up on their own. These shoes will stay in their classroom all year. Please make sure they are labelled with your child's name.
Backpacks need to be large enough to hold their water bottle, lunch bag, and library books, snow gear, etc. Please clearly label your child's backpack.
Please dress your child for the weather! We play outside every day (each class has a recess in the AM and a lunch recess). We stay inside if the air quality is poor or if the temperature is colder than -20 degrees. Students are required to remove their shoes when they enter the building, which is very helpful during the winter months.
Class Changes
Class requests by parents were due to administration in May. At this time, we will not be making any changes to class lists.
Our enrollment is continuing to grow! This is very good news! However, we are looking at a possible re-organization of some class configurations. Our enrollment final count is not until Sept 30, which means that re-organization is possible at any time during the first couple of weeks of school. Enrollment implications impacts staffing. If we lose students, we lose staff. If we gain students, we gain staff. Administration is already monitoring this very closely. Families will be updated along the way with any new or changing information. Thank you for your trust and patience as we work through start-up complexities.
School Website
Please refer to the website as your first point of contact for information. The website is updated frequently and has the most up to date information for your convenience.
2023-2024 Janet Johnstone School Calendar
Thank you for taking the time to review all of the information. We look forward to connecting with everyone next week!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Kivi
