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Dear Families,
 
For most of our students last week was a great week! They have been continuing their learning in literacy and mathematics, wellbeing and PE, science and social studies, art and music, and playing with their friends. Many of the classes are bringing their learning outdoors as well. It's been great to have the warmer weather and to be able to be out of doors more often. 
 
With the warmer weather we have also seen an increase in some upsetting interactions on our playground and fields after school between our students, other students, and adults within the community. Our students – both at Cappy and other schools -  are often still learning how to interact well with others, and sometimes they make mistakes, swear, or become aggressive. This is all within the realm of growing up. Our students are children, with much to learn and many mistakes to learn from!  
 
Make no mistake, we are all a community!  That means each one of us has a role to play in how we teach children to respect their elders. The only way we are going to be able to nurture respect and tolerance is by modeling respect and tolerance.  As adults, we can show children the proactive ways to solve problems, including walking away or asking for help, considering their own role in the conflict, and nurturing understanding of diverse perspectives.  We want our students to feel good about themselves, their cultures, and their ability to stand up for themselves. Standing up for oneself does not mean swearing, hitting, or making fun of other children or elders. This applies to ALL young adults from other schools and our parents and guardians as well.  
 
At school we are working hard to teach our students to be respectful. If someone is being rude or mean to them, and they need help, they need to report to their teacher(s) or to the office. If your child comes home upset, please listen to them and remember they have their own single perspective. Often there are many truths within a story and it is always good to reach out to their teacher to ask questions about what the child is sharing. All too often stories are not complete, and our staff are working very hard to support children to understand the impact of their actions and words at school.  
 
Thank you for communicating proactively with our staff and the office. Thank you to each family/community member for consistently modelling respect and care in the community and to their children. We are so diverse, and we have so many perspectives and we know it takes everyone working together to raise healthy, resilient children. What an amazing opportunity to learn from each other and create a super strong Cappy community! I love Cappy Smart, and I am so proud to lead this excellent public school community! 
 
I will be available all afternoon, from 1:30-3:30 pm, on Wednesday, May 3, to any parent who would like to come in to talk about how their child is doing at school and to share any stories/experiences/perspectives they may have. I look forward to hearing back from you! 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 Rachel MacDonald, Principal 
 
For further reading about school culture and environment, including the expectations for parents, students, and staff, please link to our CBE page: https://cbe.ab.ca/about-us/school-culture-and-environment/Pages/default.aspx  ​