| Hola and Hello A.E. Cross Families! We hope that you were able to enjoy a restful long Thanksgiving weekend. It is amazing to think the students have already been in classes for over a month. There has been so many different activities and events that have taken place within our school during the first 6 weeks of the school year. I hate to make lists because there's always going to be something that is missed, but I will try to capture most of the great work done so far at A.E. Cross: - Colts' Athletics
- Our Cross-Country and Soccer teams represented our school with pride throughout their seasons. Thank you to Ms. Brown, Mr. Cancio, Mr. Richards and Mr. McGowan for their time and hard work with these teams.
- Our basketball teams started their regular seasons last week and their games will last into the middle of November. Thank you to Mr. Simpson, Ms. Hatler, Mr. Wong, Sra. Hernandez and Sra. Prieto for taking on the responsibility of coaching these teams.
- Terry Fox Run
- Our entire school honoured the legacy of Terry Fox on Friday, September 15th as students and staff, walked and ran around our school field. We were grateful that nice weather allowed us to honour Terry properly.
- Meet the Teacher Night
- We welcomed our parent community into the school on Thursday, September 14th. It was wonderful to see so many parents and kids in the building that evening. I enjoyed meeting all of you during the night.
- Treaty 7 Week and Orange Shirt Day
- Our school community recognized the signing of Treaty 7 and the significance of Orange Shirt Day during the last week of September. As I told the students on that day, it is important that we don't just recognize the atrocities of residential schools for a single day or a single week, but rather, we need to make it a part of who we are as Canadians to ensure that Truth and Reconciliation moves forward.
- Chew and Chat
- Our first Chew and Chat breakfast took place on Friday, October 6th. The school cafeteria was filled with students and staff getting together and talking with each other while eating breakfast. It was wonderful to see students from all grades in that space mingling with each other. Thank you to Ms. Simmons and Parent Council for putting on that event.
- School Council
- Our first school council meeting was well attended on Thursday, September 21. Our next school council meeting will take place on Thursday, October 19th at 7:00 pm in our Learning Commons. Everybody is welcome to attend.
We had a wonderful month of learning. I have been trying to get into as many classrooms as possible to get a sense of what learning looks like here at A.E. Cross. I have been blown away by some of the work that students have been completing in both core and complementary classes so far. Additionally, I want to thank everybody that made some time for their IPP meetings with teachers. Those connections early in the year are integral to student success so I really appreciate that you found value in those meetings. The rest of October will be a busy one around A.E. Cross. Please keep watching for updates through the Colts' Community Chronicle that gets sent home at noon on most Sundays. Thank you everybody your support of learning here at A.E. Cross. It has been a great first 6 weeks for me as a principal here at the school. Sincerely, Randy Lewis Principal, A.E. Cross School
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| Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! It is amazing to think that in one week's time, the halls and classrooms of A.E. Cross School will be filled with students after, what I hope was, a relaxing and fun summer break! As the new principal of this wonderful learning community, I cannot wait to meet and work with the students and parents throughout the year. You will find some important and helpful information below as we begin another school year. For any inquiries, the school's main office will be open beginning on Monday, August 28th at 8:30 AM. Please note, if your family has moved out of the designated area for A.E. Cross School or have chosen not to attend A.E. Cross School in 2023-2024, please email me at rglewis@cbe.ab.ca so that we can properly adjust our student data. Thank you for your attention to this. First Day of Classes The first day of classes for all students will be Thursday, August 31st. Beginning at 9:10 AM (school doors will be opened at 9:00 AM), students from all grades will meet their homeroom teachers in the following locations: - Grade 7 Students – Will enter through the Main Entrance and meet in the Main Gym
- Grade 8 Students – Will enter through SE Entrance and meet in the Cafeteria/Courtyard
- Grade 9 Students – Will enter through Back Entrance and meet in the West Gym
Students will be able to determine their homerooms through MyCBE/PowerSchool. Additionally, there will be lists of homerooms posted just inside each of the entrances on Thursday, August 31. The first day of classes will include a combination of homeroom activities to build a sense of community within the students as well as a brief introduction to their core subject areas as well as Physical Education. Students are asked to bring a water bottle, snack, and lunch with them to school on the first day of school unless they walk home for lunch. Students who are not going home for lunch will remain on campus and eat lunch between 12:07-12:30 pm and then go outside from 12:30-12:50 pm. Students will re-enter the school after the lunch hour through their designated grade doors. School Communication There will be a variety of different ways for you to stay informed with what is happening at A.E. Cross. Each week, a weekly message will be sent to all families of A.E. Cross outlining important dates, activities for your students to get involved in as well as any celebrations from the school community. These messages will be sent out through SchoolMessenger as well as posted to our website. This year, our school will also have an Instagram account where we will be sharing all of the wonderful things that are occurring at A.E. Cross throughout the school year. The information for our website and Instagram account can be found below: Do You Have a MyCBE Account? Have You Added Your Child(ren) To the Account?Parents / Legal Guardians / Independent Students who have not already done so, must create a MyCBE account and add their child(ren) to the account to: - access your child's program information (e.g., course assessments, daily attendance record, report card)
- view your child's learning using Brightspace by D2L
- pay fees and request waivers
- register for transportation and lunch supervision
- book parent-teacher conferences
- submit online school forms (required for 2023-24 school year)
You will need your email address on file at the school as well as your child's CBE ID, which can be found on the: - SchoolEngage student profile, for families that registered their child using SchoolEngage.
Note | For a visual guide on how to find the CBE ID within SchoolEngage, refer to SchoolEngage CBE Student ID - CBE Report Card, beside the child's name
- CBE ID card
MyCBE Account For parents / legal guardians / independent students without a MyCBE account - Sign in at www.cbe.ab.ca/mycbe
- Create the account; refer to MyCBE - Creating an Account
- Add child(ren); refer to MyCBE - Adding Additional Students
For parents / legal guardians / independent students with a MyCBE account - Sign in at www.cbe.ab.ca/mycbe
- Add child(ren); refer to MyCBE - Adding Additional Students
School Forms There are a variety of different forms that parents are asked to complete at the start of each school year. The completion of these forms has been moved online to SchoolEngage. The following forms can be completed via SchoolEngage: - Demographic Verification Form
- Annual Authorization Form, which includes:
- School District Use of Personal Information
- Consent for CBE Use of Student Information
- Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party)
SchoolEngage can be accessed through the following link: SchoolEngage Should you need any of the above forms printed for you, please contact the main office. Student Health Plan and Student Health Emergency Response Protocol For those students that have significant health concerns that could impact their learning at school, a Student Health Plan (click link to access) must be completed and returned to the main office. A Student Health Emergency Response Protocol Form should be completed as it will assist school personnel to develop a plan of action when students require an intervention or emergent response to a situation such as an anaphylactic shock. School Volunteers There will be activities done at A.E. Cross that require parent volunteers. In order to volunteer for events occurring at the school, parents must complete an Annual Volunteer Registration Form. Extracurricular Activities A.E. Cross will be providing many different activities that your children will be able to choose from to become a strong part of the school community. Dates and times for these activities will be communicated to students at school as well as through our weekly messages. We look forward to working with you and your children throughout the 2023-2024 school year. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with the school should you have any questions or concerns. Randy Lewis Principal, A.E. Cross School rglewis@cbe.ab.ca
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| Hello A. E. Cross Families! This message brings one of the more unusual school years (on our experience) to a close. We're sure this comes as no surprise to you as we started the year in Pandemic Protocols and finished in a very different scenario. We were happy to see the return of things such as interschool athletics, grade 9 farewell, and field trips as they bring so much to the school experience for our staff and students. We are hopeful that the upcoming 2022-2023 school year will bring additional opportunities to offer a broad set of experiences to our community. We would like to recognize and thank our students, staff, and families for their positivity and support throughout the year. Our community is a wonderful place to be because of what each person brings each and every day. We are also sending a special thank you to our School Council for all of their unwavering support, volunteer time, and positive energy. It all makes an incredible difference for our school. Speaking of a new school year, we have several staffing changes that we would like to share with the community. Leaving our school this year are: Ms. Byman is moving to Centennial High School in the Access Program Ms. Fehr who is moving to a Learning Leader position at Colonel MacLeod School Ms. Peltier is moving to a new position at the brand new Lakeshore Middle School Mr. Thomas, Mr. Trenholm, and Ms. Tuff are all moving on to new adventures after well-deserved retirements. We wish everyone well and thank them for their time and dedication to the A.E. Cross community. You will all be missed. Joining our community next year are: Mr. Bredal in Grade 8 Math/Science Mr. Ford in Construction and Humanities Ms. Horne in grade 9 Math/Science Ms. Pham in Grade 7/9 Math/Science Mr. Richards as the Learning Leader of Physical Education, Wellness, and Athletics We will also be hiring two Temporary teachers in August. Each of these individuals brings a unique skill set and great energy to A.E. Cross School. We are excited to start the new year with them as part of our team. Should you have any questions coming into the new year, the office will be open during the last 3 days of August. We will also be sending out an electronic information package near the end of August that will be helpful in having a smooth start to the year. If you have not already done so, please ensure you have a MyCBE account set up as several important forms have moved to electronic formats and will be available to you through this system in the new year. It is also where you will be able to view important information such as Report Cards and Attendance. Please see this page for any technical support you may need: https://cbe.ab.ca/support/Pages/MyCBE-PowerSchool-Creating-Account.aspx As we head into summer, please accept our best wishes for a wonderful July and August and we look forward to seeing ALL of our new and returning students on September 1, 2022! Erin Bennett and Rhonda Williams
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| Moving to a new school usually comes with a blend of emotions as we work to meet everyone and come to understand and be part of a new community. I can say that this is true for staff as well as students As a new member of the A.E. Cross community myself, I have to say that it has been an incredible pleasure. The staff, students and families have all been very welcoming and have demonstrated flexibility and understanding as we started back up amidst some continued uncertainty around COVID. I have been very impressed by the understanding and kindness that I've seen from students, staff and families already this year and have greatly appreciated the positive energy that has come from having students back with us. As we head into the next few weeks, I am excited to continue to visit classrooms, meet everyone and learn even more about the great work that is happening at A.E. Cross!
Thank you all for a great first week! I'm looking forward to many more! Mr. Bennett
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| Dear A.E. Cross Families,
I have had a very interesting year as we have had to navigate the pandemic. Our staff have had to pivot with only a moment's notice to at-home and in-person learning. They have done an amazing job connecting with students and their families and learning new ways to provide ongoing learning. Despite the challenges this year our students continued to be engaged in the learning and showed resiliency and perseverance. I would like to thank our staff, students, and A.E. Cross families for all their ongoing support throughout this year. Our School Council also deserves a big thank-you for helping to lift the spirits of our staff throughout the pandemic by bringing in monthly treats, providing a snack cupboard for our students, and supporting learning opportunities for staff and students throughout the year. I want to celebrate two of our amazing staff members who are retiring: Mrs. Petrowitsch and Ms. Kryluk and I wish them all the best in the next chapter of their lives. I want to send a special thank you to staff members who are leaving A.E. Cross and will continue their journey elsewhere in the fall; Mr. Moskaluk, Ms. Kapeller, Mrs. Shumay, Mrs. McBride, Mrs. Verigin-Josza, Srta. Moranta (HUB – Spanish visiting teacher), Mr. Rodriquez (Spanish visiting teacher), Mr. Valdebenito (HUB), and Mr. Pihlainen (HUB). Each of these staff members were a huge part of our staff and school community, and I wish them all the best in their educational futures! I would also like to welcome back Carolyn Fehr and Kari Mandin. We also have added two staff members to our community. Jesse Rattan who will be our new instrumental music teacher and Ms. Klaire Smith will be joining our Paced Learning Program. With only a few weeks left in the school year and I would like to remind everyone that June 23rd and June 24th is early dismissal at 1:00 pm. Report cards will be available on June 26th through PowerSchool. The last day of school for students is June 28th and the morning of June 29th is for appeals. I am looking forward to next year and I would like to send my best wishes to the grade 9’s as they prepare to go to high school and any students who will be leaving A.E Cross School. I would also like to welcome new students joining the A.E. Cross family next year. I wish you an excellent and safe summer! Rhonda Williams Acting Principal A.E. Cross School
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| Dear A.E. Cross Families
We are pleased to announce that Mr. Erin Bennett has been appointed to the role of Principal for A.E Cross commencing August 27, 2021. The current Acting Principal Dr. Rhonda Williams will remain at A.E. Cross in the role of Assistant Principal for the 2021-22 school year. Rhonda has worked with Erin at another CBE Junior High School for two years and they are excited to work together again. He will be a fantastic addition to the school community. Erin will be meeting virtually with parents at the next School Council meeting on June 8th and via Microsoft Teams on June 4th. We are hoping that he can meet us all in person before year-end. Erin is looking forward to meeting the staff, students, and families at A.E. Cross School.
Welcome, Mr. Erin Bennett to A.E. Cross!
Hello A.E. Cross Students, Staff and Families, I am very excited and honored to be the new Principal of A.E Cross beginning in August 2021. I am currently completing my 4th year as Principal of Cappy Smart School in Marlborough Park and while it has been an incredible experience, I am excited about this new opportunity. I am a born and raised Calgarian with 17 years of experience with the Calgary Board of Education as a Teacher, Curriculum Leader/Learning Leader, Senior Education Specialist, Assistant Principal, and Principal. While I have taught various subjects K-12, I have spent the bulk of my time in Elementary, Middle, and Junior High Schools in many parts of the city. I also have experience with multiple specialized setting classes including PLP and I look forward to reconnecting with the PLP program at A.E. Cross next year. I am also very excited to be reuniting with Dr. Williams who I enjoyed a highly effective relationship for two years in a previous school. I would like to thank her and this year’s staff for the time and care that they have undoubtedly given to supporting the community during a very challenging time. On a personal note, my wife Melanie and I have both been administrators with the CBE for several years. We have two children who are CBE students, one in Elementary and the other in Middle School. During the winter months, we are all involved with Ringette and during the summer, we enjoy obstacle racing and time in the mountains. As COVID restrictions have impacted our ability to get involved in most of our usual activities, I have taken the opportunity to work on my decidedly average golf game. I’m sure it will come as no surprise when I say that this has been an unusual school year that has brought many challenges for students, staff, and families. However, I must also say how impressed I’ve been with the efforts that everyone at home and at school have gone to in supporting health, wellness, and learning around our city. I have always held the belief that a school community will be strongest when students, staff, and families feel valued as partners in the community. I am looking forward to connecting with everyone over the coming months to learn more about how I can be of service to the A.E. Cross community in support of success for our students. Best wishes for a successful wrap-up to the school year and a fantastic summer. I look forward to meeting everyone soon. Mr. Erin Bennett
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| May 6, 2021 We would like to share that the position of Principal of A.E. Cross will be posted this spring. We look forward to working with the new principal and to share the amazing attributes of our learning community. The Calgary Board of Education welcomes input from parents, students and staff regarding the programming and leadership attributes you value. Your input will be shared directly with the successful candidate to assist with their entry plan into the school. Please share your thoughts in the following survey:
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| Dear A.E. Cross Families: It is almost a year into the pandemic, making it a great time of year for us to reflect on the positive contributions made in our school community. Since semester two began on Feb 1st, we have been working on building school spirit by spreading kindness during the month of February, celebrating Pink Shirt Day, hosting a virtual goodbye assembly for our Acting Principal, Mr. Chris Aylesworth, and welcoming our new Acting Assistant Principal, Jan Shantz. As we step into the second half of the school year, I am honored to have accepted the role of Acting Principal. Having worked alongside Mr. Aylesworth over the last year as co-principals and I am excited to continue the work of the administrative team.
Rhonda Williams Acting Principal
A.E. Cross School
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Welcome back to the 2020/21 school year! After months of virtual learning due to the pandemic, we are doing our best to provide a safe and meaningful in-school experience for our students. Our protocols for school re-entry have been guided by Alberta Health, Alberta Education and the CBE. Maintaining a safe school relies on everyone to do their part. Our facility operators have a strict cleaning regime to follow and staff have taken Covid-19 training. All of the sorts of safety measures taking place in retail environments and Calgary businesses are now visible in schools. More information regarding Covid -19 preparation is available on the CBE website www.cbe.ab.ca During the first few days of school the safety protocols will be discussed, modelled and rolled out. Cohorts, frequent handwashing, masks, hallway travel, seating arrangements, lunchtime routines and seating arrangements are all part of the mix. We also want to provide our students with engaging learning opportunities despite the more restrictive environment. The last few months have shone a light on the benefits of everyday school life verses the online learning environment. School life is all about relationships, flexible approaches to learning, socialization, extra-curricular offerings and camaraderie. We missed being with our students and are looking forward to seeing everyone. Friendships, learning from each other, the human touch, memorable experiences, honouring diversity and supporting one another are all important hallmarks of our school. Also, bringing the curriculum to life is paramount. Some of our students are participating in Hub learning because it works better for them. We wish them continued success and happiness. Classes were thoughtfully organized in the spring and revisited in August. Teachers take into consideration gender balance, academic diversity, special needs and the social dynamic when crafting class lists. Thank you for honouring their work. We value your trust and support as we navigate this uncharted territory. School changes based on feedback, new information, observations and system directives will continue to occur. We will keep you in the loop.
We are looking forward to our work together. Chris Aylesworth, Acting Principal A.E. Cross Staff
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| Dear
Families of A. E. Cross Students,
I would like to ask for your assistance and
support as a whole school community to address something my staff and I feel is
impacting the school experience of our adolescent learners.
Please know this is not something isolated to
the A. E.
Cross school community. It is something that we, as Calgary Board of Education principals, discuss
daily. It is also an issue that my principal
colleagues in schools around the world are facing. In CBE we have developed "digital citizen" guidelines that we make sure students and
parents aware of. But, it should come as no surprise that often adolescent use of mobile devices may not always
fall into what we would all deem good digital citizenship.
While at school, my staff and I do our utmost to monitor students’ use of technology (be it student-owned or school-owned devices) to ensure students are using the technology effectively and
appropriately. This is the reason I have
asked for students to keep their cell phones in their lockers during class
time, unless otherwise directed by their teachers. However, we also realize
that sometimes students bring their devices with them to
class when they should not or they engage in online
behaviour at school that is inappropriate. We really need your support in reminding your
children of our school policy related to cell phone use--and the subsequent
consequences, if they make poor choices with regards to the acceptable use of cell phones or other digital devices.
Students’ use of digital devices outside of school time is very complicated
matter. While what happens outside of
the designated school day is in most cases not an area of school jurisdiction,
under Alberta School Act Legislation, it becomes the responsibility of the school principal to intervene
when outside of school actions by students impact the
proceedings of the school. Constable Boyko, my School
Resource Officer, has asked me to remind all families that although students
may believe their cell phones are owned by the student, cell phone contracts cannot be issued
to anyone under the age of 18. If
CPS or other law enforcement agencies become involved and deem it necessary to “ticket” or lay charges,
those offences will be levied against parents/guardians. Students need to be very aware
that their inappropriate use of digital devices place their families in very difficult
circumstances.
The intent of this message to you as parents is
perhaps a "call to action"--a return to the belief that it does take a "watchful and caring village"
to raise our children well in our ever-changing digital society. While we certainly celebrate the many wonderful things our
students demonstrate each and every day, we also remind them of the values of
ethical citizenship as outlined in Alberta Education’s "Ministerial Order
on Student Learning." There is truly NO anonymity while using CBE
or other networks. Actions such making hurtful or threatening comments via
digital messaging or through social media or sending
anonymous letters filled with inaccurate information and venomous language are not acceptable
conduct in our Canadian civil society. Even though it may seem second nature to us as adults (and we would never
consider conducting ourselves in such ways) the images and messages our students are
exposed to every day through various forms of media present them with other
ideas.
Our students often laugh at me when I say to them that there were no
cell phones when I was in junior
high school--and if I had something to say to someone, it had to be done face-to-face. I tell them that talking directly with someone often improves the
conversation, not being able to hide behind the "perceived anonymity" of the methods
of communication they have access to today. The filter I remind our students of is, “Would you say this
directly to someone’s face?” Most of the time their answer would be "No," and, therefore they realize it is not
behaviour befitting of the respectful, kind and caring students I know them to be.
At A. E. Cross, my staff and I are very
appreciative of your ongoing support as we all work to
support students in navigating our
complex world,
complicated even further by social media and all too easy to access
digital devices.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brandy Yee |
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