Dear Parents and Guardians,
As the first term draws to a close, it is a time to reflect on our success and accomplishments these past three months as we look forward to December days.
September 21 marked the day for our annual Terry Fox Run that is intended to raise awareness and funds in support of cancer research. Through the generosity of the community the school raised almost $ 2,000. As always, MTS families, showed their care and kindness for others in supporting this cause. An added bonus in meeting our goal was that Mr. Van Sluys sported a “tutu". This year, in solidarity with Mr. V. students were invited to don a tutu for the day and join in the fun.
The fall term marked the completion of our in-school artistic/physical residency with Sound Kreations for morning Kindergarten, grades 3 and 4 and EES students. Grades 1 and 2 and afternoon Kindergarten will experience the residency when Sound Kreations returns to work with them the week of January 9-13. We thank parents who through their fund-raising organization and support provide our students with the opportunity to extend their learning through these unique experiences. It was energizing to have parents in the school to enjoy watching their child’s accomplishment and performance.
The grade 4 students once again presented a memorable Remembrance Day assembly that was filled with music, and the representation of story, history and events through acting and video. All students in the school had the opportunity to participate in the assembly in the gym. Student art related to Remembrance Day once again beautifully decorated the walls of the school.
Parent- teacher conferences in November, once again held online due to outbreak status in the school at the time, provided the opportunity to discuss student learning and achievement, celebrate student success and set goals for the future. Students will receive their first of two report cards on January 31, 2023 and the second report card at the end of June.
Our Scholastic Book Fair during the week of parent conferences in November was highly successful. Net sales of $ 8,430 resulted in a credit of $5,058 for the purchase of new books for the library. We thank parents for their generosity in supporting their children as readers and for the support of the book fair at the school which provides for the development and enrichment of the school library collection. We missed seeing parents in the school for the fair but students proved to be savvy consumers, armed with their wish list and the responsibility to purchase with the funds that parents entrusted them to bring to purchase their “picks." Thanks to our Library Assistant, Mrs. McLean for her organization.
Each year, our school prepares a development plan with input from teachers, school staff, students and parents. We review many sources of data, including report cards, provincial achievement test results and school surveys. Based on this information, we create our plan identifying targeted areas for growth. Our school development plan is not meant to represent all of the work that takes place in our school, but rather it focuses on specific areas for improvement. Our school also prepares a results plan, which looks at our previous school year. It shows our students' achievement and progress in meeting the goals and outcomes as set out by the CBE and Alberta Education, outlines some of the highlights of our school development plan and gives an overview of our school. These documents are available on our school website.
We look forward to many exciting events over the next several weeks. Previous School Messages and teacher blogs have advised you of these events which are also updated and posted on our school website.
On behalf of the staff here at MTS I would like to extend to all our families the very best wishes for a peaceful, restful, and healthy winter break. The last day of classes is Thursday, December 22. We will see you back on Monday, January 9, 2023.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lorraine Slater
