Dear Parents / Guardians,
I sincerely hope that as October has begun and we are past the 1-month mark of the school year your child has become more accustomed to the routines of a new grade-level, and for most, a new teacher as well. By this point, routines are well-established, and expectations are clear, but a more trusting bond with their teacher and surrounding staff will also be emerging.
Throughout the month of September, we as a school also work to set the stage for learning throughout the year, for both students and teachers. Though we are very fortunate to have quite robust expertise in our building, wherein teachers can learn from one another, we also engage in various other forms of professional development led by external providers. Some examples of what some of our staff is exploring include:
- Professional Learning Communities / Collaborative Response which are school-wide models for addressing students' individual needs that leverage collaborative structures and processes, data and evidence, and a continuum of supports to help all students succeed.
- New Curriculum professional development. We are connecting with system experts and using our in-house leaders to build teacher capacity surrounding the new Alberta curriculum.
- Multi-Cultural Perspectives and Learning: As a school we take pride in celebrating and learning about all cultures. This past month in particular, our Mandarin Bilingual Program students and teachers shared activities and learnings with the whole school focussed on the Mid-Autumn Festival. As teachers, we learned about the 7 Sacred Teachings. These learnings emphasize character education through Indigenous teaching and will be a continuous focus within our classrooms throughout the year as we building our understanding of our school-wide, yearlong focus statement “I Belong". Every 6-8 weeks throughout the year we will be having whole-school learning celebrations hosted by specific grade teams where our students and staff will come together to celebrate their learning related to the 7 Sacred Teachings. All students began the year with a focus on “Respect". In October, we are looking forward to having the Grade 3/4 students from both programs together host a celebration focussing on “Truth" and the Turtle.
Of course, these are only a few examples of what we are exploring, since many other new learning opportunities are also on the horizon. Professional development that is undertaken is always with students at the forefront; what we learn aims to create more rich learning experiences for all Marion Carson School students.
Revised Report Card for 2022-23 School Year
You should have received email communication yesterday directly from the Calgary Board of Education regarding a revised report card for the 2022-23 school year. K-6 New Curriculum | Revised Report Card is a resource document outlining the changes in more detail. You can also visit the CBE's Assessment & Reporting page for more information.
Additional Resources
Some Reminders / Upcoming Events…
Jacket Racket
- Thank you to those families that have dropped off some lightly used or new items for our Jacket Racket collection. We will continue to collect items until October 31, 2022. Should your family be personally in need of such items, we would ask that you email your child's teacher directly, or the school office at MarionCarson@cbe.ab.ca. before October 24th, 2022.
Fun Lunch
- Our first Fun Lunch of the year is occurring on October 14th, 2022. A reminder that the deadline to order is October 9, 2022 by midnight. Visit Healthyhunger.ca to place your child's order. This Fun Lunch is Subway and is available for grade 1-6 and Community English Kindergarten students.
- Upcoming Fun Lunch Dates and Vendors:
o Friday, November 18, 2022- Mary Brown's Chicken
o Friday, December 16, 2022- Papa John's Pizza
Bottle Drive
- School Council is holding a Bottle Drive on October 16, 2022.
- Please drop off your can and bottle recycling at the Marion Carson School parking lot on Sunday October 16, 2022, between 9am-2pm. The council is looking for volunteers to take 2 hour shifts for this fundraiser. No police clearance required & it's a super easy way to get involved!
- *To volunteer, SIGN UP HERE
Sincerely,
Mr. D. Turner
Principal, Marion Carson School
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 10: Thanksgiving Day – No School
Oct. 11: Speed Skating continues for grade 5/6
Oct. 11-12: In Line Skating continues
Oct. 14: Fun Lunch (Subway)
Oct. 16: Bottle Drive
Oct. 19: School Council / Parent Association Meeting (7pm in-person at Marion Carson School)
Oct. 31: Last day to provide items for Jacket Racket
Oct. 31: Hallowe'en Festivities (more information to come)
