Dear
Somerset School Families and Students,
We hope that all our students,
parents, guardians and families are healthy and safe. What a year it has been! We are in the home stretch with
preparations for the upcoming year well under way. We wish our grade 4 families
and students moving on to grade 5 all the very best in the future. The virtual
farewell celebration time and details for grade 4 students and their families
will be shared soon by Ms. Jongeling and Mr. Hitchcock.
We have accomplished a lot working together from last September to
now…here are a few highlights…
- We reflect on the many families that
attended the Family Picnic to help build community and strong relationships
with each other, teachers and administration to start the year
- The unveiling of our new buddy bench
honoring Mrs. Baines as part of our Terry Fox Run in September to help build a
place of belonging and inclusiveness for all students
- Orange Shirt Day – recognizing that “every
child matters” - school wide learning- to honour the Indigenous
children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada and learn more
about the history of those schools.
- The amazing volunteers that made in
school and out of school experiences like field trips and Scientist in the School
possible all through the school year
- Our Halloween Howl Family event in
October for a building community spirit and belonging
- The moving Remembrance Day Assembly
honoring those who have served and are currently serving
- National Metis Week –school wide
learning - held annually in November surrounding Louis Riel Day to remember
& honour Riel's leadership and bravery in leading the Métis people of
western Canada
- Bullying Awareness week in Alberta – school
wide learning- promoting awareness and understanding of bullying,
its impacts and people and resources that can help; encouraging everyone to
learn where to turn when dealing with bullying.
- Our grade 4 leadership club and student
“Success Makers” being there for other students everyday on the playground and
as peer helpers in school activitiies
- The strong involvement and high parent
participation in our Parent-Teacher Conferences in November
- Our fabulous book fair in November with
proceeds purchasing more reading materials for the students
- Our communities generosity for food
bank/clothing donations during the holiday season in December
- The support of two live theatre
performances and a week-long hip hop dance residency sponsored by our School
Council and Friends of Somerset School Foundation
- Our Winter Play Day, school wide Mission
Impossible Obstacle Course challenge in physical education classes, our new
“Heart & Hustle” award and active living clubs offered by the teachers
- National Pink Shirt Day - “Kindness
Promise” and leadership club “Blizzard of Kindness” project to connect with all
students to make a difference - school wide learning - a day to stand against bullying, working
to raise awareness of bullying prevention and highlight where to turn if in
need of help
- Our Spring Concert “Celebration of
student learning” evening performance in early March
- Our fabulous School Council and FSSF
members who gave generously of their time and viewpoints to enhance student
learning as well as organizing and running our Fun Lunches and Halloween Howl
Family event in October for community spirit and belonging
- Our terrific team of teachers & support
staff who care deeply and make a difference every day!
With all this supporting our work to reach School Development goals for
student well-being, and student achievement in mathematics and literacy.
We also want to genuinely express our gratitude for the work that you have
done with the teachers and your children to support their “learning at home”
via the online learning platforms that were introduced in March. We will continue
to support you and your children in caring, empathetic and flexible ways for
the remainder of this school year. If you are looking for tools to support your
child and your family through this time, resources are available for student
health and wellness at this link CBE
website.
Please also continue to reach out
directly to your child’s homeroom teacher for assistance and support too. More
information will be coming out to parents and guardians for the process for
year-end report cards, IPPs and student material pick-ups at the school
following the CBE – Alberta Health Services protocols for your health &
safety and the health & safety of others. We realize you may have many
questions about fees and more. You can find answers to frequently asked
questions here - visit this CBE page often as information is updated regularly.
So much has been learned from this experience and additional innovative ways
to further personalize learning to meet student needs as well as new ways to
communicate, collaborate and celebrate our work with our students and families
too!
We are awaiting direction for the 2020-21 school year from Alberta Health
Services Alberta Education and the CBE and we will communicate with you as
information and direction becomes available. We feel inspired by what we have
achieved together as a community and believe that we are well positioned to
build on our strengths and continued collaborative efforts to have a successful
and meaningful learning experience in 2020-21 for all students and families.
Thank
you to School Council, Friends of Somerset School Foundation and our volunteers
for their tremendous support throughout the school year. Thank you to our
executive for their service, for members departing as well as ones continuing.
Thank you and welcome to our new volunteers for getting involved to continue
the wonderful tradition of support for students and the school. Information
coming on meeting dates for 2020-21.
In closing…
Please note there is a message on our CBE home
page news from our Chief Superintendent regarding – “Racism and Schooling:
Public Education Plays an Important Role”.
We all need to work together to contribute to
positive change.
Go to www.cbe.ab.ca
to keep up to date on system information and updates for the 20-21 start up
that may be available during the summer holiday break. Remember August 1 is the
current scheduled time for an announcement from Alberta Education regarding
more details for re-entry and the new school year.
On behalf of all the staff and the Calgary
Board of Education thank you for your support of Somerset School
We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer
holiday!
Happy summer – stay well – stay active – stay
safe
J. Gibb, Principal and N. deBoer, A. Principal
