Trickster

Our school is excited to welcome a residency with the company “Trickster” the week of October 31^st - November 4^th. A huge thank you to School Council for funding this program. Students will explore the central question/theme of connection to the land. Each classroom will be paired with a member of the Trickster team to spend the week creating a performance connected to this theme. West Springs School is an inclusive space for all of our students, and we will be supporting both neurotypical and neurodivergent students in the residency and in the class presentations in a meaningful way. It is important that our performance incorporates student voice and choice.

Kindergarten students will be sharing on Thursday during the school day. On the evening of Thursday November 3rd, the school will welcome Grade 1 – 4 students and families to watch these skits as a collective performance and to celebrate student learning. In order to accommodate all of our families and students, there will be two different evening shows, consisting of different classes. To be clear, this will not be one performance that is repeated, but two unique performances with separate classes.

Please plan to be involved in the show Thursday evening during the time range of 5pm-8:30pm until we have finalized what classes are in which show and shared a more precise schedule (coming next week). Shows are tentatively planned for 5:30pm and 7:15pm start times. They will range from 65 to 75 minutes in length. Families with more than one child who attends West Springs School may find that their children have two separate show times and as a result, they will be involved in and invited to attend both performances. Please note that leaving mid-performance will not be an option as there is a light show component to the event and doors will be closed with lights off.

Students will remain with their class with their teacher when they are not performing. Each student will have 2 tickets for their family during their performance. We do not have the space in our gym for siblings to watch but siblings whose parents are in the gym watching will be offered supervision in the school if necessary. On Friday November 4^th performances will be presented at school during the day for students to be able to watch each other.

We will send the finalized schedule for the evening show as soon as we have it as we recognize that families need time to make plans and arrangements for the evening performance. These are exciting times! It’s been a while since we have had an event of this nature so we are looking forward to the celebration. It does take a huge amount of time and organization as well as energy from the staff and students so we thank you in advance for for your ongoing support of West Springs School!

Halloween

Students are invited to dress in their Halloween costumes for school on Monday, October 31^st. This is an optional activity and is not mandatory in any way.

In maintaining our core CBE values of: Students come first; Learning is our central purpose and Public education serves the common good, we feel the following parameters around Halloween, and all “spirit” days at WSS, are important to frame the context of this decision:

Costumes with attached masks or other “Halloween masks” that cover the eyes are not permitted for safety and security reasons.
If you are choosing to send your child in a costume, they will need to be in the costume all day. Students must be able to participate in their regular school programming including sitting on the floor, being physically active and comfortable. No large boxes, inflatables or other oversized costumes are allowed.
Students must be able to use the bathroom independently. A good rule of thumb is a simple costume that students can wear over top of their clothes.
Costumes must be age-appropriate and must not include any type of external or removable accessory (weapons, swords, wands, light sabers, etc).
Costumes of a violent or gory nature are not permitted.
Please remember that it is never appropriate to wear someone else’s traditional or cultural clothing as a costume.

We ask that families not send candy or food, as we cannot distribute or share them with students due to our Nutrition Administrative Regulation (https://www.cbe.ab.ca/GovernancePolicies/AR3047.pdf)

As we have talked about before and was shared last year around this time, not all families in our community recognize or celebrate the same holidays or events. It is true of many celebrations and calendar dates like Halloween, Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan and many others. This is OK! At WSS, we respect all students, their families, traditions and roots and celebrate our diversity as a community. We use the events happening around us, as well as those less recognized, as learning opportunities to talk about the “why” and learn about how our differences make us great. Sincerely, Susan Westgate, Principal

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