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​I would like to wish all our families a happy and productive start to the 2022/23 school year! We have opened our doors to students and parents alike, under sunny, late summer skies. The warmth outside has been reflected in the warmth inside as well, with smiling students and welcoming teachers. Learning is well underway, and we thank you for your early support in all ways. Thank you especially for your participation in the dismissal survey, this important information ensures that our students get back home to you safely, each day. 

Staff Changes 

I would like to welcome Carmen Quessy to our staff. Mme Carmen is an experienced francophone Education Assistant who comes to us from King George School. She joins Karine Bluteau as part of our student support team.  

It is a real pleasure for me to return as the Acting Principal. I will be here until December 23rd, 2022. Mme Dhar McKenty will return as Principal after the winter break. 

School Organization 

Our grade configuration is as follows: 

• Kindergarten (4 classes) - Mme Long and Mme Willis 
• Grade 1 (5 classes) - Mme Nadine, Mme Kayleigh, Mme Carolyne, Mme Sara, and Mme April 
• Grade 2 (4 classes) - Mme Alex, Mme Danielle, Mme Cangemi and Mme Leithead 
• Grade 3 (4 classes) - Mme Nathalie, Mme Suzanne, Mme Lisa, and Mme Stephanie 
• Grade 4 (2 classes) - Mme Cristina and Mme Jennifer 

If you attended the School Council meeting in May, you may notice that we have had to add one Grade 1 class and remove one Grade 4 class. This became necessary as our enrolment numbers changed at the end of the summer. The result is that the Grade 4 classes are bigger than we would like (30 and 31 students in each class) while the Grade 1 classes are smaller than we had presented (classes of 19 and 20). This was a difficult decision for us to make, but in the end, we had to prioritize the heavy academic demands of Grade 1 students as they learn to speak, read, and write in French. We anticipate deploying a significant amount of Mme Carmen's time to supporting the Grade 4 classes. 

Daily Schedule 

Monday – Thursday  

Let me walk through a typical Sam Livingston day with you and comment where necessary. 

7:45       Outdoor supervision begins. This is five minutes earlier than last year. We believe this will reduce some of the traffic congestion around the school in the morning. Parents may drop off their students in the school yard after 7:45 and we will supervise them until entry at 7:58. ​

7:58       A bell will ring. Students may begin entering the school. Teachers will be at the doors to greet their students. It is not necessary for students to line up. If we see that there is congestion, we may ask students to line up in the future.  

8:00       A second bell will ring. Students finish entering the building. Teachers will close the doors shortly after 8:00 and begin instruction. If students arrive after the doors are closed, they must go around the school to the main doors and check in at the office. 

Throughout the morning and afternoon students receive instruction in the Alberta Programs of Study. This includes 60 minutes per day of Math, 30 minutes a day of Phys Ed and Wellness or physical activity and 30 minutes of Music (three times per week). 

10:00     A fifteen minute recess period begins. 

11:48     Lunch begins. Lunch is 46 minutes long. The length of lunch is determined by a few factors, including the requirement to provide 950 hours of instruction in 181 instructional days. We are also required to begin school at 8:00 a.m. and finish close to 2:30 p.m. because we have students that take the bus to school. We received permission to extend our afternoon dismissal to 2:34 p.m. so that we could add those four extra minutes to our lunch hour and maintain a 15-minute recess in the morning. At lunch, there are two 23-minute shifts. Grades 1 and 2 eat first and then play outside. Grade 3 and 4 students do the opposite. We are working hard to iron out transition issues at lunch so that students have the full 23 minutes to eat their lunch.

12:34     Afternoon instruction begins. 

2:34       Dismissal. Teachers hand Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 students off to their parents or childcare providers. They also lead students to their buses at the front of the school.  

Grade 3 and 4 students may go to their buses or meet their caregivers on their own as soon as the teacher is confident they are able to do so.  

Friday  

• School entry on Friday is the same as Monday to Thursday.  
• Recess is not scheduled, so teachers take their students outside when they judge it is the right time.  
• Dismissal is at 12:02 p.m. Teachers use the time after 12:02 for meetings and professional development. 

As we return to a normal life now that Covid restrictions have been lifted, we are continuing to adjust the organization of the school so that student health and learning is optimized. 

Food Choices and Birthdays 

As stated in the Calgary Board of Education's Administrative Regulation 3047 – Nutrition: The CBE supports access to healthy, nutritional food choices for students that are essential to establish an environment that is safe, caring, and conducive to effective learning by ... ensuring that good nutrition is promoted both in theory and in practice. 

In keeping with this, we encourage families to send healthy snacks and lunch items to school with their children. 

We strongly discourage parents from sending foods and beverages that contain common allergens such as peanuts and tree nuts. Some of our students will become deathly ill if they come into contact with these foods. 

Birthdays 

An important day for each of our students is the day that the class celebrates their birthday! We ask that families please refrain from sending food or other items from home to celebrate birthdays. Teachers may recognize birthdays in other ways. They will not distribute to the class food or other items from home as part of the celebration.  

Your child may distribute birthday invitations to other students in their class outside of class time. Teachers are not responsible for handing these out. We ask you to be sensitive to the feelings of all students in the class when supporting your child with this process.  

Noon Supervision 

Please remember to register for Noon Supervision in your MyCBEAccount. 

Attendance 

For any changes in attendance, arriving late or leaving early due to appointments  

• Send an email to samlivingston@cbe.ab.ca as well as your child's teacher 
• Whenever you are emailing the school, it is important to always put your child's first and last names, as well as the teacher's name in the subject line. Emails must be received before 1 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday.
  

Medication 

If your child requires medication at school, please email mmchampagne@cbe.ab.ca or call Michelle at school 403-777-6890.  

Traffic Safety 

We have already witnessed a few parents doing U-Turns in the crosswalk near the Big Toy playground, with a few people being just narrowly missed being struck by a vehicle. We cannot emphasize safety enough. We will be working in conjunction with our School Resource Officer to ensure safe and efficient traffic flow. 

• Please do NOT rush or break traffic rules to ensure your students get to school on time. We would rather they arrive late, and safe. 
• Please do NOT pull into the staff parking lot at any time. 

Student safety is paramount. Always. 

We are looking forward to a great school year. Please do not hesitate to call or email the school if you have questions or concerns. 

Rayna Bergerman (Assistant Principal) 
Scott Fehr (Principal)