| On behalf of the entire staff of Catherine Nichols Gunn School I would like to thank you for your continued support through this past year in keeping our community safe. I hope everyone has a restful, safe, and happy summer.
Return from Summer Break – Office Open and First Day of School: August 17, 2021 The school will be closed during the summer break, and the office will be open again on August 12th from 8am – 3:45pm. The first day of school for the 2021-22 school year will be August 17th. As mentioned before we will be returning to the modified calendar. For the current school year, we had two entrance times as we managed Covid-19 restrictions. We know this was challenging for some families, and we thank you for your perseverance and helping us keep the school safe. Next year we will be having only one entry and exit time, we will maintain our three lunch breaks, and grade teams will have a shared recess time. The times are as follows: Monday thru Thursday Entry Time: 8:18am School Start: 8:20am Lunch 1: 11:10am – 11:55am Lunch 2: 11:55am – 12:40pm Lunch 3: 12:40pm – 1:25pm Dismissal: 3:04pm Fridays Entry Time: 8:18am School Start: 8:20am Nutrition Break: 10:00am – 10:10am Dismissal: 12:05pm You will be notified of which lunch break your child has after August 12th. Kindergarten Start of School We are very excited to welcome our new Kindergarten families to the 2021-22 school year. Mr. Hefler and Mrs. Way will be contacting families when they are back on August 12thregarding your specific schedule, but the general schedule is as follows: Tuesday, August 17th: This day is reserved for the teachers to have one on one interviews with parents and children. This is your opportunity to share everything you know about your child's learning, to ask questions, and to meet the teachers. Wednesday, August 18th: Half of the students will attend a full day
Thursday, August 19th: The other half of the students will attend a full day. Friday, August 20th: All Students will attend the full day (which is an early dismissal Friday) We hope you all have a relaxing break, and we look forward to seeing you all in August. Mr. McCracken Principal
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| Dear Parents and Guardians of Catherine Nichols Gunn School, To start, thank you so much for all your support this week with Scenario 3 (At Home Learning). We definitely prefer to see your children in person, but I know everyone has had a good week of learning at home. As you know, the government has made the decision that students will return to in person learning on Monday, January 11th. Please find attached here an updated version of our School Re-Entry Plan that was originally sent out at the beginninig of the school year. I encourage you to have a read. All previous measures will continue to be in effect, and it's a good idea to have a reminder. Some important information includes: - Every morning please complete the health checklist with your child. We ask that students and staff do not come to school if they have symptoms or are sick. Please communicate with the school all absences and we can discuss the processes with you.
- Masks are mandatory while at school. Please see the mask guidelines listed in the re-entry plan.
- To limit congestion at the beginning and end of day, we do have staggered entry and exit times. Please make note of your child's entry/exit time, and the door in which they enter. It is listed in the entry plan, and has not changed from December.
- We ask that students arrive just before their entry time, and that once they arrive they line up, wearing a mask, and are 1 metre apart.
- Each homeroom is considered it's own Cohort. Cohorts learn together, and do not mix with other cohorts for the learning day, including recess and lunch.
- Playground Structures: To ensure that cohorts do not mix while at school, the playground structures on the north and south side fo the school are closed before school, and after school until 3:30pm. The playground structures are part of the rotation of outside spaces during the day.
- Hand hygiene is very important. Hand sanitizer stations are in every room, and at every entrance. Sinks with hand soap are in every room, except for the learning commons. We ask that all staff and students clean their hands when entering the building, when leaving any area, and when returning to the classroom.
- When possible, and if weather permits, Physed will occur outside, so students should be prepared for this.
- Touchpoints in the school are cleaned and sanitized throughout the day, and processes are in place to ensure learning materials within classrooms are cleaned.
Return to School After International Travel If you have travelled outside the country during the holdiay, we have been asked to remind you of these policies.
Students and families who have travelled outside of Canada are legally required to follow all provincial and federal travel restrictions upon arrival. If your family is participating in the International Border Testing Pilot Program, your child may not return to school until they have tested negative on a second test 6 or 7 days after your arrival. If you are not enrolled in the pilot program, your child must: This means nyour child is unable to return to school for a minimum of 14 days after your return.
We look forward to seeing everyone on January 11th, and would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Safe, Healthy, and Happy New Year.
Colin McCracken, Principal |
| First Day Back To assist in adjusting to new rules, practices and procedures our school will welcome students back on a staggered schedule. The purpose of the schedule is: - To ease the transition of students into school,
- To spend time with smaller groups familiarizing them with our school health measures,
- To facilitate physical distancing while teaching the protocols of our health measures.
We are sharing the schedule with you now to aid in the planning all families engage in as the start of the school year approaches. More details will be provided to you around our specific measures on August 28th. During staggered entry, students will follow the same routines as they would on a day when everyone is attending, just fewer students. September 1: Those with last names beginning A-K will attend. If there are younger siblings with a different last name, they should attend with their older siblings. September 2: Those with last names beginning L-Z will attend. If there are younger siblings with a different last name, they should attend with their older siblings. To decrease congestion during entry and exits, bell times are slightly staggered for the duration of the school year. Schedule 1: Kindergarten, Grades 2, 3, 4 - 8:08am: Soft Entry
- 8:10am: School Start
- 2:53pm: End of School Day
Schedule 2: Grades 1, 5, 6 - 8:18am: Soft Entry
- 8:20am: School Start
- 3:03pm: End of School Day
Students will be exiting through the doors in which they arrived. Siblings should pick a suitable meeting area outisde the school. We undertstand that first days of school are an exciting and sometimes nervous time. We ask that parents say their goodbyes outside, and wish their children a great. day. Parents should plan on meeting their children at the end of the day outside, and not plan on meeting students inside the school. Lunch: More information will be coming out on August 28th around lunch, but please note that students will have lunch in their homerooms within their cohorts. There will be three lunch periods to accommodate social distancing and sanitzing. A more detailed explanation is coming on August 28th. September 3: All students, as per the schedule above. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Colin McCracken, Principal
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am pleased to announce that Michelle Chastko, has been offered
the Principal position at Rosemont School. The position will begin for
the start of the 2020-21 School Year. Though we are very happy for Mrs.
Chastko and this well-deserved opportunity, she will definitely be missed at
Catherine Nichols Gunn School. Over the last 4 years Mrs. Chastko
has worked very hard to support students, families and staff. The
families, students and staff of Rosemont School are very fortunate to have such
a caring and hard working individual as their Principal.
This of course means that Catherine Nichols Gunn School has an
Assistant Principal vacancy. As we know more about this process, we will
be happy to communicate with you.
Regards,
Colin McCracken
Principal |
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
Due to the ongoing health risk of COVID-19, the Calgary Board
of Education has made the decision to move all modified calendar schools and
programs to the traditional calendar next year. This means our first scheduled day of
classes will be Tuesday, September 1, 2020.
Catherine Nichols Gunn School has operated on the modified schedule for
many years. Please know the decision that was made for the 2020-21 school
year was not based on the merits of the modified calendar, and is only made due
to the ongoing health risk.
The safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance,
and we look forward to welcoming back our students as soon as it is safe to do
so. More information about the re-entry plans for next school year will
be provided later this summer.
If you would like to see a
template for the traditional calendar, you may see it here. Traditional
Calendar. Please note that the specific school calendar will have
slight variations, and in the next week you can expect to receive an updated
school instructional calendar based on the traditional schedule, as well as
updated bell times. This means, due to a later start, that we will
follow the shorter winter and spring breaks of the traditional calendar, and
the usual fall break following Thanksgiving will not be a part of the school
year.
Thank you for your
understanding and patience. Please see our school website for more
information, including some frequently asked questions.
Colin McCracken,
Princpal |
| Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
We have now reached the end of
the third week of Ongoing Learning as per the order from the Minister of
Education. Teachers and students are gathering via Google Classroom and
Google Meet to ensure the essential learning outcomes are met to ensure that
students are as prepared as possible for the next school year. We
understand that everyone's access to materials, and context at home is
different, and we wanted to let you know that we thank you for all you are
doing at home to support learning. We know that your main contact during
this time has been your child's teacher, but we wanted to let you know that the
school is open should you require support. We are happy to support you
with technology concerns, accessing programming, and where possible can assist
and direct you to needed community supports.
A few weeks ago we sent families
a list of possible supports, and wanted to send it again in case your family
situation has changed. We also recognize that you are receiving a ton of
emails, and wanted to make sure this information was present and available.
Alberta 211 |can be accessed via
the telephone (dial 211) or by the website.
The Calgary Food Bank | will be temporarily closed
for part of the week of March 16-20. Families needing urgent food support are
to access help via Alberta 211. Food hampers can be requested from the Calgary Food Bank by
calling 403-253-2055.
Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids | is
offering a $30 grocery gift card for any child who has recently received a free
lunch at school through Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids. Visit https://bb4ck.org/help/ or https://bb4ck.org/ and click the green "Need Food Support" button
at the top. This will require families to complete information online so
that the gift card can be mailed to you.
Calgary Co-Op | is offering
Care Packages containing non-perishable food essentials, free of charge,
to anyone required to be quarantined as directed by a public health
agency. These care packages are available until April 15 and will be
delivered to those affected in the Calgary-area. To request a care
package, please contact memberengagement@calgarycoop.com or by calling 403-219-6064. You will need to
provide your name, address, phone number and the start date of your quarantine,
as well as your closest Calgary Co-op Store. This offer will only extend
as long as inventory permits.
If none of the above options are working for
you, please do call the school and we can see if we can assist or direct
you.
Please know that your children are missed, and
that your family is on our mind.
Colin
McCracken, Principal |
|
Good Day to
all Parents and Guardians of Catherine Nichols Gunn School,
Being a
modified calendar school, our first day back from spring break will be Monday,
April 6. As you know from emails prior
to the break, and from emails from Chief Superintendent of Schools Chris Usih,
we know that learning and “school” are going to look just a different than they
have in the past as we move to primarily
an online format. For some of our
students, this will be an easy transition, and for others it will be more of a challenge. Even though we will not be face to face or in
the same space together, we will do our best to come together to create the
best possible learning environment within
an ever-changing situation.
As this is a
stressful time for our community, we will try to make communication as clear
and timely as possible. We understand
that access to technology may be an issue for some families. The Calgary Board of Education is looking at
ways to ease the burden on families.
Once I have that information I will forward it to you. This may include the loaning of devices, or
may include a scheduled pick up of print resources.
On April 6th, while the
school is technically open, the majority of teachers will be working from home,
collaborating with colleagues and planning for a new learning experience for
the students. To be clear, no families
should be coming into the school unless they have made a prior appointment with the school office to pick up
belongings or other materials for learning from home. Office hours at the school remain the same as
our regular school day hours, 8:30am – 3:00pm.
If you do require some learning resources, we can do our best to gather
these for you.
What I Do Know Moving Forward.
Based on the directive form the
Minister of Education, learning will be focused in the following ways:
Kindergarten to Grade 3: Language/Literacy
and mathematics/numeracy curriculum outcomes.
·
An
average of five (5) hours of work per student per week.
Grades 4 – 6: Language/Literacy and mathematics/numeracy
outcomes, with opportunity to incorporate science and social studies outcomes
through cross-curricular learning.
·
An
average of five (5) hours of work per student per week.
Kindergarten to Grade 5: Online Platform
-
The
school has decided to utilize the Google Suite of Apps, which also includes
Google Meet and Google Classroom.
Information regarding these platforms will be coming out early next week
so that you as a parent can be ready for it.
Grade 6: Online Platform
-
Teachers
will be using course shells located within Brightspace by D2L, but will be
presenting that information through the Google Suite of Apps, and Google Meet
and Google Classroom. Grade 6 Provincial
Achievement Tests for this school year have been canceled by Alberta Education.
Here is what can be expected in the coming days:
Monday, April 6: Teachers will be extremely busy,
learning about the online platform and collaborating with colleagues. We want to make sure we have uniformity and
consistency among teachers when it comes to delivering content the way that
Alberta Education has outlined. Teachers
will also begin to contact families, by email and by phone to clarify your
situation in terms of technology, checking on your child’s well being and
learning of any other concerns you may have, that we may be able to assist with.
Tuesday, April 7: Teachers will continue to contact
families, plan within their grade teams, and put forward plans to ensure a
continuity of learning based on the requirements of Alberta Education. On this day, teachers will also be reaching
out as to what their online environments look like, providing you the parent,
along with your child, the needed information to log onto the platforms, along
with a schedule for learning.
Wednesday, April 8th and Thursday, April 9th:
You can expect that teachers will begin to engage your child in online
learning opportunities through Google Classroom and Google Meet.
If you have questions or concerns
about your child’s learning, please contact your child’s teachers. The majority of them will be working from
home, but will be accessible to communicate with you through email.
Myself, and sometimes Mrs. Chastko,
along with a small office staff will be here at the school. Feel free to call the school office, and
leave a message. If we are unable to
answer, we will get back to you as soon as we can.
As is our motto: Be Brave. Be Kind. Be Strong. We will continue working within the spirit of
this motto to provide ongoing learning to our community.
Regards,
Colin McCracken – Principal, Michelle
Chastko – Assistant Principal, and all the Staff of Catherine Nichols Gunn
School.
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| Winter Concert - December 12th
December is a very busy month at Catherine Nichols Gunn School. Our annual Winter Concert featuring Grades 4 - 6 students, as well as the K-3 Choirwill be held on Thursday, December 12th with two performances. The first performance will be held at 1:30pm and the second will be held at 6:30pm. It's our expectation that students perform at both concerts. A notice was sent home today asking families to clarify if their children will attend the evening performance. For those parents who have Kindergarten to Grade 3 students at the school, they will be the centre of attention at our Annual Spring Concert. Sadly occupancy restrictions do not allow us to have a full school concert. On the evening of December 12th doors tot he school will open at 6pm. Our Parent Council will be preparing hot beverages and some snacks for our families.
Report Cards Go Home December 16th
The first report card will go home with students at the end of the day on Monday, December 16th. If you have questions regarding your child's learning, we encourage you to contact your child's teacher.
Winter Break
December 19th is a half day with dismissal at 11:56am. This begins the school winter break. December 20th is a non-instructional day, and therefore no school for students. School resumes on January 9, 2020.
We would like to wish all of our families Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year.
Warm Regards,
Colin McCracken, Principal |
|
Before Fall Break begins the school is holding Student Learning Conferences at the following times:
- Thursday, October 10th from 4:30pm to 8:30pm
- Friday, October 11th from 8:30am - 12:30pm.
We ask that you book your 15 minute time slot through powerschool. Of course if you have difficulty booking online, please call the office for assistance.
It has been a wonderful time leading up to Fall Break. It has been filled with exciting learning opportunities for students. The grade 5 students just returned from 4 days at Camp Chief Hector's Eco school in Kananaskis Country. They had a wonderful time. Thanks to Ms. Robb, Mr. Trechka, Ms. Gloge, and Mr. Huppie for arranging the activity and for supervising students. Also thanks to the staff of Camp Chief Hector for providing such an amazing opportunity for students.
This week, we would also like to welcome Ms. Dvorkin and Ms. Lewis into grade 2.
We would like to thank our families for being such amazing supporters of Catherine Nichols Gunn School. We appreciate your support, and everything you do for kids in our community. In the last couple of weeks we've had a return to winter like weather. The forecast also suggests we could return to cooler weather the week of October 7th. As weathr in Calgary can be unpredictable we thank families for taking the time to ensure that students arrive at school prepared for any weather outcome.
Every School day, Mrs. MacDonald ensures that if students should need it, there is a breakfast for them. The Breakfast Program begins every school day at 8am. If your child is attending the breakfast program we ask that they arrive at school no earlier than 8am, as there may not be supervision for them.
Morning supervision outside begins at 8:15am on school days. Unless your child is attending the breakfast program at 8am, we ask that you not send your child to school until there is supervision outside at 8:15am.
If your child goes home for lunch, teacher supervison resumes at 12:35pm with an afternoon start for classes at 12:50pm. Please plan for your child to be at school for 12:35pm so that we know supervision is in place.
Warm Regards,
Colin McCracken
Principal
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| As we end the school year and I leave C N Gunn as principal,
I want to say thank you to the many people including student, staff, parents/guardians
and community members that I have had the honour of serving for the past five
years. I feel very blessed and privileged to have worked with you all. I want
to wish you all a happy and safe summer and all the best next year.
Kind Regards,
Steve Wigglesworth
Principal
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