It is not a surprise that the arrival of November brought with it colder temperatures, snow on the ground, and an increase in colds and flu-related illnesses. Please monitor your child’s health closely to determine if he/she needs to be at home. Unfortunately these respiratory viruses spread very quickly and we want to do everything possible to keep everyone healthy and at school. Please remember to call the school if your child is going to be absent and provide the reason for their absence. All schools monitor the absentee rate on a daily basis and report to AHS when required to do so with high absenteeism.
Lates
We have had an increased number of late arrivals in the mornings. When students are late, it disrupts their class and the learning that is underway. Coming late to school is also a difficult transition for the late student- it can be stressful for them. When students arrive late at the front door, in the office, we do our best to greet students with a smile, a welcome slip, and an adult to walk them to class when we have administration available. In the event that your child needs to arrive late to school, we would ask that only the student enters the building. Adults do not need to come into the office to check their child in. This is especially important first thing in the morning when there is a high volume of traffic in the office.
For your convenience, we have relaxed/soft entry every morning at 7:50 am. We recommend trying to arrive anytime between 7:50 - 8:00am so that your child has time to settle in class before starting their day of learning. Grade team teachers will always be at designated grade entry/exit doors at this time to welcome students into the school.
Thursday, Nov. 10, 10:30 am- MTS Remembrance Day Assembly
On Thursday, Nov. 10, all CBE schools will hold Remembrance Day assemblies in their buildings to honour our many military men and women and recognize the sacrifices made by Canadians in armed conflicts. Our grade four students have been working hard to prepare the assembly for the school. Parents are invited to join us at the school, in the gym, to join the ceremony.
Friday, Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day
All CBE schools and offices will be closed on Friday in commemoration of Remembrance Day. Flags will also be lowered to half-mast.
Conferences
We look forward to our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences and we encourage all families to book an appointment to visit your child(ren)’s teachers. We plan to host in-person meetings on Thursday evening (November 24) from 4pm – 8pm and on Friday (November 25) from 8am-12pm. Bookings will open on Saturday, November 19 at 8:00 AM through your MyCBE account. Please note that this is your opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping as the school will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair during conference times.
Sound Kreations Dance Residency
November 28 to December 2 students in morning kindergarten and grades 3 and 4 will have the opportunity to increase their physical literacy through dance. Sound Kreations, a local dance company, will be coming to MTS to provide dance instruction. We have chosen the Mumbai Moves dance program enabling cross curricular connections to the grade 3 social studies program of study. As well, Alberta’s new Physical Education and Wellness curriculum states that physical literacy supports wellbeing across a lifespan, and dance is a great way to develop
physical literacy. Parents will be invited to a dance performance on the morning of Friday, December 2. Please stay tuned for more information about the performance.
Please note that afternoon kindergarten students and students in grades 1 and 2, will be completing their dance residency with Sound Kreations from January 9-13, 2023. We extend our thank you to all parents, who, through your fund-raising initiatives and support, enable the school to provide our students with these curriculum-related, exceptional experiences.
Christmas Concerts- December 14, Grades 1 and 2
We are thrilled to be able to have students share their talent through a return to our annual Christmas celebration concerts. We will follow the pattern established several years ago with grades 1 and 2 offering the Christmas concerts, and grades 3 &4 providing a musical performance in the spring. The grade 1 concert will take place at 5:30 on Wednesday, December 14, followed by the grade 2 concert at 6:30. Parents can attend the concert that is applicable to their child’s grade. Organizing the concerts in this way has been highly supported by our parent community as the reduced number of students performing at one time has created more space and ease of seating and increased visibility for the performance in the gym.
More information regarding the concerts will follow in December. If you are a grade 1 or 2 parent- save the date and time!
Finally, a thank you is in order for all of our incredible parent volunteers who have supported us in the school this fall. We have had many parent volunteers so far this year. Some of these include:
· Walks in the neighbourhood with many classrooms
· Helping during our picture taking day
· Attending school council meetings and taking on executive positions
· Supporting Fun lunches and snacks
· Attending field trips
· Volunteering in our classrooms and learning commons
Looking forward to seeing you in the school over the next two months. Stay healthy, happy and warm!
Sincerely,
Dr. Lorraine Slater
