| Dear North Haven Families, As the school year comes to an end, it gives me great pleasure to reflect on my first year at North Haven School, and the amazing journey we have had together. It has been a pleasure to get to know the community that welcomes new comers so warmly. This past year has been a year filled with resilience, growth, and inspirational moments. Let me start by expressing my heartfelt appreciation to our students. Great strength, adaptability and perseverance in navigating your learning this school year, has been evident in all of the learning opportunities and challenges faced this year. I would like to commend you on your steady commitment to your education, and your determination to succeed. Each one of you has contributed to the vibrant and inclusive Wolfpack that makes our school community so special. A sincere “Thank You.", goes out to the families, for your continuous support and collaboration throughout this school year. Your involvement and active engagement in your child's education have been invaluable. Your partnership with our teachers and staff has been vital in creating a strong foundation for academic excellence. I would also like to extend my gratitude to our exceptional team of educators and staff members. Your dedication, creativity, and tireless efforts have made a profound impact on our students' lives. You have gone above and beyond to ensure that our students received the best possible education and support. Your unwavering commitment to the well-being and growth of the students has been nothing short of inspiring. There are two staff members that I would like to acknowledge as we say farewell to them: Mrs. McDonald has been part of the school community for 6 years in the role of Lunchroom Supervisor. Her care and kindness towards all have been greatly appreciated and will be missed. All the best Mrs. McDonald on your next adventure. Mrs. Hartley will be leaving North Haven after having been part of the Wolfpack for 5 years. She has worn many hats while at North Haven, teaching in many areas - Kindergarten, Literacy Support, Grade 4 & 5, as well as the Music Teacher, to name a few. Her ability to re-work a song to support every activity was very creative and greatly appreciated. Thank you, Mrs. Hartley, for what you have brought to the school. Good luck in what you do next. Finally, remember to take time during the summer break to relax, recharge, and reflect on the achievements and lessons of this past year. Thank you once again for your support, commitment, and collaboration. I wish you all a safe and revitalizing summer. Sincerely, Cat Gammell
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| We are pleased to announce that a new Principal has been chosen for North Haven School. Please join us in welcoming Ms. Catherine (Cat) Gammell as your new Principal. Cat is coming to us from Sir John A. MacDonald school where she is currently the Acting Principal. Her first official day at North Haven will be on September 12, 2022, however she will begin connecting with us at North Haven prior to this time to help ensure a smooth transition. Thank you for your patience during this process of hiring a new Principal.
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| Today is the last day of school. Looking back at our school year has been a pleasure. We should all be proud of what we have accomplished as a school community.
I would like to thank all our students, staff, and families for their support and dedication this year. I am proud of the way our community came together to focus on developing a learning community in which all member can thrive in life and learning. Through the reduction of pandemic restrictions, activities involving student voice, and other changes in their community our students have grown into leaders and contributed to a thriving learning environment.
Yesterday we shared an exciting carnival style sports day, complete with water balloon tosses. Today we share a slideshow of photos from this year and had more water thrown at yours truly. We also said farewell to some staff members who will be leaving next year.
Mrs. Buckley has been at North Haven for many years as a lunchroom supervisor. She has decided to retire. Mrs. Buckley could be seen doing any number of jobs around the school during her time at North Haven- we will miss her and wish her well as she moves on to the next chapter as one of the lucky ones to retire. Ms. Pfeifer-Ms. Pfeifer has been at North Haven for 3 years as our PLP teacher. In that time she has set the direction for the culture of our PLP class. We will miss her when she is gone. We look forward to hearing about all of the many ways you grow, learn, and lead in your new position, Ms. Pfeifer. Ms. Gregory has been at North Haven School for 2.5 years as our Behaviour Support Worker in Bridges and we have enjoyed every minute of working with her! Ms. Gregory, we wish you well as you take on an exciting new role – we know firsthand how lucky your new students will be to have you be part of their lives. Ms. Toews has worked at North Haven for two years in multiple roles including Division 1 and Grade 5 this year. We will miss her dedicated, scholarly, kind approach to her work at North Haven. All the best in your next steps Ms. Toews! Ms. Shevchuk joined the NH staff this year in January. We have appreciated her up-beat, generous, thoughtful presence around the building. All the best in your new role at Terry Fox, Ms. Shevchuk. Mr. Stack joined us in January and we disappointed to not have his role continuing next year here at North Haven. We will miss his fun anecdotes and social chats. Thank you for being part of the learning community at North Haven, Mr. Stack. Ms. Poitras joined the staff at NH in and temporary position in February of this year. She jumped right in and in her determined, fun, and caring way moved learning forward and added so much to the culture of NH. We will miss you Ms. Poitras. All the best in your next position. Mavrick- Finally, Mavrick will be leaving us next year and we will miss his kind, happy, hungry, and sleepy approach to his work. All the best Mav. Thanks again to all families for your continuing support as we advance learning at North Haven School. Please regularly check your email and our school website in August for back to school updates and classroom configurations. The slideshow we shared today will be available online until June 30th, 2022. If you do not consent to having your child's photo in this slideshow please reply to this email. We hope you will enjoy the time you have together as families and a North Haven Community this summer as you watch the construction of our Naturalized Learning Grounds.
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| Dear North Haven Families, I am writing today to share some news with all of you. After ten years of being part of our beautiful learning community I have decided to accept a principalship at Queen Elizabeth Elementary School to begin in 2022-23. I have made the decision to accept another role in the CBE because it is time for me to take steps to continue my professional growth as an educator. This was a difficult decision because in the time I have been a member of the learning community at North Haven, I have seen it change into a flourishing learning environment with a strong sense of community, care for each member, and a focus on quality teaching and learning, in which I have loved every minute of being involved. In 2012, I came to North Haven and subsequently taught many, many students. I had the pleasure of being a teacher, learning leader and assistant principal at North Haven. I later took on the responsibility of leading this learning community as principal, through community movement, programs opening and closing, and a global pandemic. As our city and community emerge from the pandemic and come together again in person, I can see that all of you are as committed to our students as I have been for these many years. Together we have created an environment that advances learning according to each individual's gifts and abilities. We have created a learning environment of which we can all be proud. I am leaving with the knowledge that North Haven is in good hands with our strong parent community, our dedicated staff, and of course, our incredible-in-so-many-ways-students. In the last few years I have received messages from some of those former students who look back at their time at North Haven with fond memories. I know that, like these incredible students, I will always do the same- as North Haven has been a home for me for almost half of my career. As you all look forward to a new school year at North Haven, I know that, once hired, you will welcome your new principal with open arms. Please visit the North Haven School website to complete a survey to provide your input regarding the programming and leadership attributes you value. Your input will be considered as part of the hiring process for a new principal and will be shared with the successful candidate to inform their entry plan to North Haven School. I will be spending the last couple of weeks of school enjoying every moment before I leave with my fond memories and the knowledge that North Haven will continue to be a shining example of how a community comes together in the interest of our children. Wishing you all the best, Lisa McConnell Principal
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| June is here! Looking back at the year in June is always a pleasure. Some of our students have watched the metamorphosis of caterpillars to butterflies and much like the butterflies, we can see so much growth in our students' academic progress, friendships, and even how much they have grown physically. Our students have demonstrated growth in their relationships at school and in literacy and mathematics. We will share more in September about this growth.
This year we have also settled into new ways of doing some of our school traditions. We have some exciting events upcoming this month. We will have our sports day on June 27th. We look forward to it being a day to focus on healthy living outside. Please dress for the weather. If it is sunny, please ensure your children have sun protection. If it is rainy, please ensure they are ready for wet grass and have a rain layer. The event will also be to continue to foster continuing interest amongst our students about the potential Naturalization Learning Grounds to be built this summer. Please look for further information about this event in the coming weeks. June is also the time to look back with gratitude at the support we received from our volunteers this year. We will have hosting a volunteer tea on June 10th. If you did not receive an invitation but volunteered in any capacity, please contact your child's teacher. Toward the end of June, we will be saying farewell to our grade 6 students as they transition to grade 7. We will also have a virtual assembly to say farewell for the summer on the last day to school. We will try to record this for families who might like to see it. Before all of the year end wrap up events, we have weeks of hard work to do at school. Students and staff are still engaged in rigorous learning. Our grade 6s have upcoming Provincial Achievement Tests and other classes are writing, reading, and problem-solving up until the last day of school.
We look forward to our last weeks together before the summer break.
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| Happy Eid to all those who will be celebrating on May 2, 2022! Over the month of April there was renewed energy for learning and community engagement in our school. As the snow melted (and came again…) students gained energy for their own learning spaces. Many students engaged in the creation of a student designed community space called the Wolf Den. We also started clubs for the first time in two years. We have Math Club, Debate Club, News Paper Club, and Drawing Club so far. Stay tuned to our website and your North Haven Community Newsletter for student updates from the News Paper Club. In addition to clubs coming to live, we saw lots of seedlings planted as we get ready to populate the front garden with various plants. In June 2021, we made the following commitment: “North Haven School acknowledges and supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action, and makes the following commitment to action for the 2021-2022 school year: We will build the capacity of all community members for intercultural understanding and mutual respect through visual acknowledgments of the legacy of residential schools embedded into the design of our Naturalization Learning Grounds to be built in 2021-22". Students will develop a mural to be placed on the fence surrounding the future learning grounds as a way to recognized the naturalization of the land and its connection to the legacy of residential schools. What have we done so far: • Tree Cookies with symbolic representation in front garden. • Chance Bellegarde, Cree Artist, met with students to discuss community and each member's individual and collective roles in community. • Students created a classroom representation of community and their collective responsibility to demonstrate intercultural understanding. • Their designs will be painted on a wolf mural which will be mounted on June 15th, 2022 Please share your ideas as we look forward to our TRC commitment renewal in June 2022. Education Matters has started a new campaign called Loonies for Literacy: Text-to-donate is now live for EducationMatters' Loonies for Literacy fundraising campaign. Parents and community supporters can text LITERACY to 30333 and donate $5. To direct your donation to a specific school, simply text LITERACY followed by the school's short code. This system-wide fundraising event was initiated to help schools purchase the resources their students need most. Every dollar raised in-school will be matched up to $51k by community partners. Funds raised throughout the campaign will be used for: § Books for school libraries § Digital resources such as reading apps and e-books § Early learning resources § Decodable texts Parents and community supporters may also use a school's Loonies for Literacy fundraising page – if the specific school you are looking for does not appear up under the search, please contact your Principal to see when their page will be launched. Your school may also be accepting cash and cheque donations, reach out to your school office to check. Supporting literacy needs has never been so easy – please give today and help students all over the city close the COVID learning gap.
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| As some of you may know Ramadan is here. We recognize that Ramadan is an important time for people of the Muslim faith and is based on values of charity, family, and community. The North Haven learning community would like to send well wishes during the month of Ramadan for those members of our community who participate. Developing a sense of community and belonging continues to be a focus at North Haven School. We continue to support students in developing positive relationships with one another. We do this to foster a welcoming learning environment but we also know that learning happens best when students are ready for learning physically, emotionally, and socially. This sense of belonging is reflected throughout our school environment from the bulletin boards with posted academic and wellbeing learning intentions, success criteria, and conceptual questions to recess activities and the emphasis on intellectual engagement in task design. Teachers plan learning activities that engage the hearts and minds of all learners. We have done this throughout the year using the principles of design thinking with the Minecraft Challenge, and our ongoing Learning Grounds Project. For our next schoolwide project, we are engaging students in the development of a Wolf Den in one of our spare rooms. The room will be a student space for working, making decisions with peers, and having class meetings. Look for updates on the Resource Instagram or ask your child. This spring students continue to be challenged to think critically while engaging in rigorous, authentic tasks like the design of the Wolf Den, Math clubs, and designing gardens, that support the acquisition of conceptual academic connections and wellbeing for learning. Another example of this is an upcoming artist residency with local North Haven artist, Chance Bellegarde. This residency is funded by our North Haven Parent Association (NHPA) and will result in a mural to enhance the anticipated Naturalization Area/Learning Grounds. Chance will meet with students on April 18th and after much work, the art will be displayed for your viewing on June 8th. Welcome to the North Haven Learning Community, Chance and thank you, parents! Happy Spring North Haven!
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| Students and teachers have spent February celebrating kindness with Pink Shirt Day and our Kindness Challenge. Students continue to work on social emotional skills including managing disagreements and being a good friend. Teachers are guiding this work through opportunities for shared activities like planting, shared story writing, and group problem solving as well as peer coaching. In the coming weeks cooperation and self efficacy in learning will continue to be fostered through gymnastics in gym and our upcoming student led conferences. As the spring approaches we look forward to the shifting season and all of the learning that can occur by observing our natural world. We are excited to inform you that Mrs. Gregory, our Behaviour Support Worker has been successful in her application to be the owner and handler of Mavrick. Mavrick is an Assistance Dog who will be working in our school, daily, to assist with emotional regulation, motivation, engagement and classroom community building. Congratulations on your new job Mavrick! The Calgary Board of Education is committed to providing inclusive services and access for all students and employees. This Assistance Dog is registered and trained through a professional organization. All students and staff have been instructed as to the proper protocols regarding working Assistance and Service Dogs, and students will be reminded to not touch or interact with Mavrick unless granted permission by Mavrick's handler, our Behaviour Support Worker, Mrs. Gregory. The school will take all the necessary precautions, and will consider the rights of other students and employees (e.g. severe allergies to dogs, phobia to dogs etc.). Please contact me should this apply to your child, or if you have any further questions. School Council March 14th, 2022 Will be in- person at the school at 6:30pm.
COVID Update Due to recent changes to Alberta Health restrictions, we wanted to update all families on how the changes will look at school. Alberta Health Services recommends continued efforts to minimize transmission of COVID in our communities. The Daily Health Checklist continues to be the best tool to support in reducing transmission. Everyone is encouraged to use this checklist daily and follow the recommendations for staying home according to specific symptoms. Students who become ill at school will be moved to a space with fewer people and parents will be called to pick them up and remain at home according to the Daily Health Checklist. Masking continues to be a personal health choice. There are continuing recommendations to include good hand hygiene when entering and leaving schools, when using shared materials, before and after eating, etc. It is recommended to reduce crowding at schools. We will continue to use the drop off and pick up procedures for all students with families avoiding crowding at the side walks. We will be inviting volunteers in for specific opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the office to learn about the procedure for the process for police information checks in the CBE. Any adult or visitor in the school is encouraged to complete the Daily Health Checklist and reschedule their appointment if symptoms are present. Visitors can choose to wear a mask or not. They will be asked to follow the hand hygiene recommendations, and the measures to reduce crowding. The evening of March 10th and the morning of March 11th, 2022, we will be holding Student Led conferences. Student Led conferences encourage students to share their learning progress and success with the guidance of their teacher. There will be both in-person, and online opportunities to meet. In order to ensure the meetings go smoothly, we have designated Thursday evening from 3:15- 6:45 to be in person. There will not be online opportunities on Thursday. Friday from 8:00-11:45 am will be opportunities for online meetings. There will not be in-person meetings on Friday. Conference booking will open today, Friday March 5th at 9:00am. Please only book one time slot per student. If there are significant scheduling concerns, please contact your child's teacher. Thursday: § Each meeting block will be 15 minutes. § You can enter the classroom if there is only one other family there. § You can stay for an additional 15 minutes to view student work and watch their presentation. § The teacher will be in the class with both families to support the student led conversation. Friday: § Each meeting block will be 15 minutes. § You will receive a link via email to enter the virtual meeting. § Your child will have brought home items to share on Thursday afterschool § Students will share their work in a presentation. § Teachers will be available for the 15 minute block. We look forward to meeting with you and continued learning in the coming spring months.
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| Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. -Voltaire February is always the time of year when we intentionally plan to celebrate what is excellent in others. We take time to appreciate the strengths in others and the ways in which those strengths allow everyone in our community to thrive. February is Black History month and in our library, we have highlighted two new books we bought with our parent donation for books through the “Thank a Teacher Buy a Book" campaign. We decided to purchase the stories of Viola Desmond and John Ware. We will also focus on the success of other Black Canadians throughout this month. Our 2021-22 School Development Plan's Wellness for Learning Goal focuses on students contributing their voice to task design, assessment, and the school environment. Students have shared that they, like all of us, are growing tired of the pandemic. They work hard to ensure our health measures are working for everyone but want some distractions and exciting things to plan. Staff have worked with students to design learning tasks that foster engagement of all learners in academics and in positive relationships with one another and the wider learning community. Students have engaged in developing positive relationships and a sense of belonging through class shout outs and celebrating personal identity using the Holistic Lifelong Learning Framework to share ways in which they are resilient and brave. In the coming weeks, we will further celebrate belonging by engaging in Valentine activities in classes and wearing pink shirts on February 23rd, 2022 – Pink Shirt Day. We look forward to continuing opportunities to demonstrate belonging in our school community through projects and events that bring us together despite the health measures in place. We hope you will join us at our upcoming School Council meeting on February 14th, 2022 at 6:30pm. Please contact the office for the meeting link. Thank you to parents who continue to reach out in support of the learning team at North Haven as we continue to navigate the evolving pandemic. Your thoughtful consideration means a lot to all of us and is further evidence of the excellence of our learning community.
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| Winter celebrations have one thing in common- they are about coming together as families, neighbourhoods, cities, and a global community. Students, parents and staff at North Haven have come together in outstanding ways over the last few months. I am proud to be part of this community that engages in daily efforts to bring others together and contribute to communtiies around us.
We are excited to provide an update about the progress our Parent Association has made toward funding the Naturalization Learning Grounds. The committee overseeing the project has applied for many grants and the results have been favourable. There is some money to begin the project. The committee has also hired a landscape design company to provide the initial design. Regenerate was chosen after reviewing several companies. In the last coupld of weeks, students have engaged with Regenerate to provide input on the design. The next steps of the project are to seek approval from the CBE. We will continue to provide updates as we receive more information and as the project progresses. Students also engaged with our North Haven community directly by contributing to the Trout Canada Campaign, Yellow Fish Road. Many community members saw students out painting drainage signs to ensure waterways remain clear. In addition to the activities to engage with our Naturalization Area and raise awareness about waterways, students completed their Minecraft project submissions to provide ideas to the City of Calgary about how empty spaces might be used to enhance our city. We are proud of the way students have taken actions to make their community a better place to live. In education, we are supporting students to demonstrte resilience and good judgement in a rapidly-changing world, to build positive relationships, to take responsibility for their personal health and well-being, and to recognize the responsibility we share for environmental stewardship and sustainability through the Alberta programs of study. The CBE is further engaging student voice as the CBE Sustainability Framework is updated.
Sustainability, or sustainable development, is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is about developing an ecologically aware, socially just, and economically responsible society that can continue on into the future. The CBE has a considerable legacy of leadership and success in environmental education and energy management on both an individual school and system level. The CBE's commitment to environmental sustainability is laid out within the following Operational Expectations (OE) and Results: OE-9 Facilities and Results 3 Citizenship. In keeping with the direction provided by the Board of Trustees, the CBE Sustainability Framework was created in 2014. It was subsequently reviewed in 2018, with targets established out to 2020. The CBE Sustainability Framework supports a formal commitment to a sustainable future. It is time to review, reflect and check with our community on what being a leader in sustainable practices and behaviours will mean in the future, and what work we still need to do to be a leader in sustainable practices and behaviours. Please share your feedback to help us develop CBE's Sustainability Framework 2030. Our students are engaging in their community in real ways. This is modelled by the contributions our Parent community makes to Calgary, North Haven, and our school. We want to extend our gratitude to the parents and community members who volunteered for the North Haven Parent Association Casino Night. Thank you all very much! In the coming weeks, we will all have an opportunity to give back to the City of Calgary through our Outreach Event. Classes are currently collecting donations for various groups throughout our city. Thank you to those families who have already donated.
We look forward to continuing opportunities to learn through community engagement.
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