Dec 14
January 17 - École Chinook Park School Open House and Information Session for French Immersion Kindergarten and Grade 1



Tuesday, January 17, 2023 – 6:00-7:30 pm at École Chinook Park School

Are you considering French Immersion in the CBE for 2023-2024 for your Kindergarten and/or Grade 1 child? If so, and if Chinook Park is your designated French Immersion School, this open house is for you.

  • Find out what French Immersion is all about and if it might be a good fit for your child.
  • Don’t speak French? No problem…come and find out how this program works.
  • Meet with school administration.
  • Tour the building and chat with Kindergarten/Grade 1 teachers.

Please check the CBE website to determine your designated French Immersion school.

Students can begin Early French Immersion in either Kindergarten or Grade 1.


Entrance Age Requirements

Children can start Kindergarten in the fall of 2023 if they turn 5 years old on or before December 31, 2023. Children must start school if they are 6 years of age or older on September 1.

Language Requirement

There is no requirement for students to have prior exposure to French to begin classes in Kindergarten or in September of their Grade 1 year. Parents are also not expected to understand French.


Sep 16
ECPS Weekly – September 19-23

Bon Vendredi, 

Happy Friday, 


A big thank you to our School Council for organizing our Family picnic night last Wednesday! It was a good turnout and a great opportunity for École Chinook Park Schoo families to connect. 

The fire truck was an exciting surprise! 

 

Reminders 

  • Thursday September 22 is Picture Day  
  • There is no school on Friday September 23 

 

Meet the Teacher Reminder 

Thursday Evening 

Following a 2-year period of limited and restricted access into our schools, we are excited to welcome our families to École Chinook Park School on Thursday, September 22, 2022. All classes and school spaces will be open for you to visit and meet your child’s teacher.   


This year we will be doing an Open House format. Feel free to pop into your child(ren)’s classroom anytime between 5:00 – 7:30. All classroom teachers will be offering a brief presentation at 5:30, 6:00, 6:30 and 7:00 to showcase their routines and snapshots of what a day looks like in their room. Feel free to create your own schedule to see all of your child(ren)’s teachers. 


Teachers are still in the process of getting to know your children and as such this evening event will be focused on connecting with our families, rather than one-on-one progress conversations. 


Friday 

If your child has an Individual Program Plan (IPP), teachers will be reaching out to set up preliminary conversations around IPP goals for this year. If you require a one-on-one conversation this early in the school year, please discuss with your child’s teacher directly. 

 

Jacket Racket  

Chinook Park School will be participating in donating to Jacket Racket once again this year. Up until the end of October, we will be accepting donations of winter jackets, snow pants, hats and mittens in any size (child or adult) which will be distributed through the organization to schools where there is a need. We kindly ask that donations that are collected be clean and in good condition. Donations can be dropped off at the office anytime between now and November 1st. 


If your family is in need of winter clothing, please reach out directly to Mrs. Poole, Assistant Principal at dmpoole@cbe.ab.ca. 


We will also require a parent volunteer to deliver the donated items to the drop-off location in the Foothills Industrial area (SE Calgary) on November 4th between 10am and 12pm. Please let the office know if you are able to help out on this day. 

 

Message from School Council: Courtyard  


Hello families! 


Now that we are back in school, we are excited to get back to work in our courtyard. We have a lot of heavy weeding to do, which will require shovels and such. With the help of the schools administration and caretaking staff, we have managed to secure four evenings to complete this work. If you are able to help out with any of the following dates and times, please send an e-mail to Katie at chinookparkschool.courtyard@gmail.com  

    • Tuesday September 20th, 5:00 - 7:00 pm 
    • Wednesday September 21st, 5:00 - 7:00 pm 
    • Tuesday September 27th, 5:00 - 7:00 pm 
    • Thursday September 29th, 5:00 - 7:00 pm 

Thank you in advance for helping to revitalize our inner courtyard. 

 

Reaching out 

To get in touch with your child’s classroom teacher, email is the preferred method of communication.  Please refer to the updated contact list below: 

 

Upcoming Dates 

September 19 

School is open  

September 22  

Picture Day 

September 22 (5:00-7:30) 

Meet the teachers 

September 23 

Conferences (Request and IPP) 

September 27 

Terry Fox Day  

September 28 

School Council AGM 

September 30 

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 

 

All the best, 
Bien à vous, 

Guillaume Comeau & Dawn Poole 


Sep 09
ECPS Weekly – September 12 to 16

Bon Vendredi, 

Happy Friday, 


We had our first full (almost) week at École Chinook Park School for this year! Everything went smoothly during these first few days and we are feeling great. 

We’ve started the week by visiting every classroom to meet the students and provide reminders about school expectations. Classes are settling into their new routines and diving into new learning. We even had our first fire drill on Thursday, and our students did a fantastic job! Our focus in these early days is to build community connections, friendships and foster belonging. 

 

Reminders 

  • New - Please complete your “back to school” forms online this year 

 

Welcome Back Picnic 

From School Council: Join us for a welcome back picnic on Wednesday, Sept 14 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM in the field beside the school. Bring a blanket and a picnic and we will have a cold treat for the kids. All family members are welcome. This will also be a chance to meet the school administration as well as the School Council Executive.

 

School Pictures 

School pictures have been scheduled for Thursday, September 22. Students will have both Class and Individual pictures taken on this day.  Retakes for individual pictures will be on October 27. 

 

School Messenger for Attendance 

This week we started using School Messenger, the CBE’s mass communication tool, for attendance notifications for unexcused absences or lates. This new system will ensure quick communication with parents about their students' absences or lates to ensure the safety of our students. Please contact the school and let the office know if your child will be away from school that day or will be arriving late. This helps us ensure students are safe and accounted for. 

 

Meet the Teacher: 

Thursday Evening 

Following a 2-year period of limited and restricted access into our schools, we are excited to welcome our families to École Chinook Park School on Thursday, September 22, 2022. All classes and school spaces will be open for you to visit and meet your child’s teacher.   

This year we will be doing an Open House format. Feel free to pop into your child(ren)’s classroom anytime between 5:00 – 7:30. All classroom teachers will be offering a brief presentation at 5:30, 6:00, 6:30 and 7:00 to showcase their routines and snapshots of what a day looks like in their room. Feel free to create your own schedule to see all of your child(ren)’s teachers. 

Teachers are still in the process of getting to know your children and as such this evening event will be focused on connecting with our families, rather than one-on-one progress conversations. 

Friday 

If your child has an Individual Program Plan (IPP), teachers will be reaching out to set up preliminary conversations around IPP goals for this year. If you require a one-on-one conversation this early in the school year, please discuss with your child’s teacher directly. 

 

Online Forms 

One way you can help us get ready for the year is to complete the online demographic, health and consent forms. This ensures we have the correct information about each child which is essential in the case of an emergency. Please review the email sent by the Calgary Board of Education on September 2nd for step-by-step instructions on how to complete these forms online via school engage. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office. 

 

Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids 

Brown Bagging For Calgary Kids (BB4CK), in partnership with Calgary schools, is able to provide fresh lunches to school children in need. This program is run with the support of BB4CK, lunchroom supervisors and parent volunteers.  Our volunteers purchase the groceries and a lunchroom supervisor assembles the lunches.  


Your child’s privacy is held in confidence.  If you choose to access this program, your child/ren will receive a daily lunch that will include a freshly made sandwich, fruit and vegetables, yogurt as well as a snack item such as a granola bar or muffin. We are unable to customize lunches but will accommodate vegetarian, non-vegetarian and allergy restrictions, where possible.  There is no charge for this program as it is made possible through corporate and private donors to children in need in Calgary.  


If your child/ren require the support of this program, please email Mrs. Poole at dmpoole@cbe.ab.ca, indicating your interest in the program along with your child/ren’s name(s) and whether there are allergy or vegetarian needs.  She will get back to you with a start date for the lunches. 


If you are interested in volunteering for our Brown Bag students, please let me know and I will forward your contact to our coordinator.  This involves shopping and dropping off groceries as well as some menu planning.  Typically, each volunteer takes responsibility for one month's shopping.   


More information about the program can be found online at www.bb4ck.org or by contacting Mrs. Poole directly at the school.  It is our goal to reach those in need. 

 

Reaching out 

To get in touch with your child’s classroom teacher, email is the preferred method of communication.  Please refer to the updated contact list below: 

 

Upcoming Dates 

September 14 (5-7pm) 

School Council’s Welcome Back Picnic  

September 22  

Photo Day 

September 22 (5:00-7:30) 

Meet the teachers 

September 23 

Conferences (Request and IPP) 

September 28 

School Council AGM 

September 30 

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 

 

Please reach out to us or to your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns. We want to hear from you; please be involved and seek us out when it comes to supporting your child’s education. 

 

All the best, 

Bien à vous, 

Guillaume Comeau & Dawn Poole 

Leadership Team, Chinook Park School 


Sep 02
ECPS Weekly – September 6 to 9

Another school year has begun! Welcome back ECPS students and families!  

Et c’est parti pour une nouvelle année scolaire! Bienvenue aux élèves et familles d’ECPS! 

 

As we begin a new week, we wanted to let you know that the first few days at Chinook Park have been smooth.  It has been great to feel the positive energy in our hallways, classrooms and on the field once again. We’d like to express a big shout out to our staff who have worked very hard to prepare for a successful first week! 

Below is additional timely information for parents. 

 

Reminders 

  • ​There is no school on Monday September 5th as it is a statutory holiday. 
  • Keep an eye out for school happenings by checking our school website and Twitter account @ChinookParkCBE 

 

ECPS Teaching Staff 

We would like to introduce you to our 2022-2023 teaching staff:  

 

Regular Program 

Kindergarten: Kim Leroux 

Grade 1: Krista Weicker 

Grade 2: Jess Woelfle 

Grade 3: Ingrid Willie 

Grade 4: James Hewitt 

Grade 5: Charles Morand 

Grade 6: Cory Davis 

 

French Immersion/Immersion française 

Kindergarten: Corine Mazerolle Heppell 

Grade ½: Wendy Gray, Isabelle Lemieux et Julia Holgate 

Grade 3: Sarah Barr et Katie MacLean 

Grade 4: Caroline Carrier 

Grade 5: Carla French et Mathieu Beland 

Grade 6: Mara Austin 

 

To get in touch with your child’s classroom teacher, email is the preferred method of communication.  Please refer to the updated contact list below: 

 

Student Agendas 

We will be using Student Agendas again this year.   Please take the time to review the Student Handbook insert in the front of the agenda with your child as it provides important information about school protocols.   

 

Drop off, Pick-up and Parking 

A huge thank you, un gros merci, to parents who are following our before and after school procedures! 

  • Supervisors will be present on the field at 7:45. 
  • A bell rings at 7:57 am for students to head to their designated entrance and classes will begin at 8:00 am. 
  • If you are running late and won’t make it in time for the bell at 7:57 am, please bring your child to the front office doors. 
  • No parking in the crosswalks or bus zone. 
  • No student drop-offs/pick-ups in the staff parking lot. 
  • School ends at 2:35 pm Monday-Thursday (12:01 Friday) 
  • This heightened awareness will increase and ensure our students’ safety.  We appreciate your support!   
  • https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/chinookpark/registration/getting-school/parking/pages/default.aspx 

 

Online Forms 

Demographic Verification, Citizenship Information Update and Annual Authorization Forms will be completed digitally this year. Information on the process was sent by the CBE to families on September 1. If you need support setting up your account, we can help you in the office.  

 

We are looking forward to an eventful year of learning, growing and connecting with our students and their parents! 

 

All the best, 

Bien à vous, 

Guillaume Comeau & Dawn Poole 

Leadership Team, Chinook Park School 


May 17
Principal Update


Dear Chinook Park Families,

 

I am excited to announce that I will be the new principal of Chinook Park School beginning August 2022!

 

I am looking forward to working alongside you to continue providing a safe and caring environment where students can each achieve their personal best. The foundational skills of literacy, numeracy and student wellness will continue to be our focus at Chinook Park as we plan for the upcoming school year. As a parent of elementary-aged children myself, I know how important strong elementary programming is in order to set our students up for future success and I take this responsibility very seriously.

 

A born and raised Acadian from New Brunswick, I obtained my Bachelor’s Degrees in Education from the University of Moncton.  I moved to Calgary in 2009, which was quite a change for me, having only having ever lived in small East-Coast Francophone communities. I was fortunate to enjoy a couple of French Immersion teaching positions at two CBE middle schools before pursuing my career in school leadership. I began earning my Masters degree in Education at the University of Alberta in 2013.  From there, I accepted a position as Assistant Principal at Elboya School, followed by another Assistant Principal position at Valley Creek School. From my experience working in dual track French Immersion schools, I understand and appreciate the importance of strong language acquisition teaching practices in all curricular areas.

 

It is my privilege to have this opportunity to work alongside the staff, parents and students of the Chinook Park community.  Together I am confident that we will continue to find new and innovative ways to engage our students and guide them to approach learning with confidence and competence, as well as challenge themselves towards higher-level thinking.  I look forward to meeting and collaborating with each and every one of you to support our students to achieve their personal and academic potential.

 

Sincerely,

 

Guillaume Comeau​


Mar 28
Administrative Announcement

Chers Parents/Dear Parents,

It has been an honour to serve Chinook Park Families over the last six years.  Having been a principal at two elementary schools, it is time for another challenge in my career.  As such, I have accepted a principalship at Elboya School (K-Grade 9) and will be transitioning to this new role as of April 11, 2022. 

It has been a privilege serving this community and we have accomplished a lot together for the benefit of students.  Some highlights of my time at Chinook Park include accomplishing many initiatives with Student Voice Council (GSA, fundraising to build community, Health Fair), our journey towards understanding Indigenous ways of knowing & reconciliation, transitioning from a library to Learning Commons and one cannot forget living & working through a pandemic together.  This is a special community and your students are incredible!

The Calgary Board of Education welcomes input from parents, students and staff regarding the programming and leadership attributes you value in a principal for Chinook Park School.

Your input will be shared directly with the new Principal to help with their entry plan.  Please share your thoughts.  Survey closes April 8, 2022.

Input for New Principal

Retired Principal Lucie Lejeune will be acting principal, starting April 11, until the new principal is selected.

I will be taking many fond memories of the interactions and impact I've had on supporting students and their families.  Thank you for trusting me and for the tremendous support you extend to your children every day!

Avec reconnaissance/With Gratitude,

Aliki Avdicos

Principal, Chinook Park School


Oct 13
October 2021

As we continue into fall we are grateful to be learning in-person with our students.  We'd like to give a big “shout out" to teachers who show great flexibility by adjusting their instruction, to meet students where they are at, while learning new assessment tools, the intricacies of combined grades and technology platforms. It is an honour to work alongside these professionals everyday.  

Although the landscape continues to evolve in Alberta, staff have their minds focused on maximizing learning opportunities for students.  It's a joy visiting classrooms and seeing students intellectually engaged and motivated to learn.  This year our journey will involve all aspects of well-being: mind, heart, body and spirit.  Our understanding of land-based learning and Indigenous ways of knowing will continue to have a presence in our work with students, as outlined by Alberta Education.  Our School Development Plan (SDP) will be addressing key areas in literacy, numeracy and student well-being.  Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at a variety of data to determine relevant goals supporting student progress and sharing the SDP with parents.  Stay tuned!

Excitement is building with our annual pumpkin carving contest. Students always look forward to seeing the creative, funny and even scary pumpkins that arrive.  We are asking parents to drop off their child(ren)'s carved pumpkin on the morning of October 29th and be ready to pick them up at dismissal the same day.  Left over pumpkins will be discarded. Thank you for your participation in this event. Teachers will also be in touch about Halloween festivities in the coming weeks.

https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/ChinookPark/about-us/news-centre/_layouts/15/ci/post.aspx?oaid=f27c5683-5230-44fd-841d-0daee764156a&oact=20001

As always, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns or compliments.

Sincerely,

Aliki Avdicos & Dawn Poole

Leadership Team, Chinook Park School​


Jun 29
June 2021 Message

This has been a year like no other!  Our students have demonstrated incredible resiliency amidst an evolving pandemic and we are so proud of their accomplishments. Our extraordinary staff worked hard from the onset to ensure that our students' safety came first and learning was their central purpose.  Staff kept essential outcomes in mind and were on top of our students wellbeing through frequent check-ins and focused strategies addressing mental health.  Not only did our students learn in the dual environments of in-person and on-line settings (a few times) but they also navigated physical distancing, mask wearing, hand sanitizing and bouts of isolation.

June is a time to reflect and celebrate!  Despite the challenging year we reflect on all the things we accomplished together as a community and celebrate the growth of our students as individuals and learners.  Now that summer is upon us, take the time to relax and enjoy your amazing child(ren).  We look forward to our return to school in the fall where we can hopefully meet in person again and reconnect.  Please access the main CBE website for up to date information about school re-entry, over the summer.  Our calendar for the 2021-22 school year is posted on our website:  https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/chinookpark/about-us/calendar/pages/default.aspx.

Families will be notified at the end of August via email from their child's teacher regarding placement.

On behalf of the Chinook Park Staff, we'd like to wish our families a wonderful summer!

Confirmed Staff for 2021-22

Regular Program

Mr. Morand            Ms. Watson

Ms. McKenzie        Ms. Weicker

Mr. Brown              

French Immersion Program

Mme Corine           Mme Katie                Mme French           Mme Julia          

Mme Wendy          Mme Annie               Mme Sarah             M. Beland

Mme Isabelle         M. Hewitt                 Mme Caroline

           

EES II – Enhanced Educational Supports
We look forward to welcoming our EES II students to Chinook Park, along with Mrs. McGarvey their teacher. 
Music
Ms. Bohan

We look forward to having the following support staff in the fall:

Administrative Assistants:          Mrs. Powell

Library:                                       Mrs. Higgins

Lead Lunch Supervisor:             Joyce Nisker

Lunchroom Supervisors:         Gay, Dean, Peggy, Tania, Roya, Maryam

Educational Assistant:               Ms Aslam

Facility Operators:                     Mr. Gurevitch & Ms. Lawine

Farewells

At this time we would like to recognize Mme Gina, who is retiring after 30+ years of service to the Calgary Board of Education, specifically dedicating her life to students in French Immersion.  You have touched many lives, Mme Gina and will be sincerely missed.

We are also saying farewell to Mrs. Swan in kindergarten, Ms. Mondegarian who taught in Hub from CP and Ms. Ward, educational assistant. We were very fortunate to have additional help in our caretaking team with Andre and Millie helping to keep our school clean and sanitized.

Congratulations

We will be saying goodbye to some of our seasoned staff who were successful in obtaining new positions at other schools.  Congratulations to Mme Sherry who will be going to Erin Woods School as a Learning Leader, Ms Craig who will be joining the middle school staff at Mckenzie Highlands, Mrs. Coulling who will be joining the team at Le Roi Daniels School and Mme Karen who is taking a professional leave to complete her Masters degree.

Welcome

We have a few new teachers joining us in French Immersion.  Bienvenue à M. Mathieu Beland, Mme Sarah Barr, Mme Julia Holgate & Mme Caroline Carrier.  We also have Ms. Weicker joining us in our Regular Program.  We are so pleased to have these teachers join our Chinook Park learning community and look forward to their contributions to our school.

Bonnes Vacances!!!  Have a great summer!!!

​Aliki Avdicos & Dawn Poole

Leadership Team, Chinook Park School


Mar 18
March 2021 Message

​​

Dear Parents,

We are grateful for your continued support!  Teachers reported successful Student-Led Conferences with high parent engagement.  Having your child share their learning with you is a special time of celebration and one that we highly value.

With just over a week before spring break we wanted to share some highlights and information with you.

Food Bank – was a big success!  Students participated in a virtual assembly with a representative from the Food Bank that shared the importance of this organization, especially during these challenging times.  Thank you for all the items that you sent.  Together, we are making a difference!

Book Sign Out

We are pleased to share that parents can now sign out books from our Learning Commons.  Accessing our collection before spring break is a great time to start.  Follow the steps on our website:  https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/chinookpark/teaching-learning/learning-commons-library/pages/default.aspx

Chinook Park Covid-19 Update

We don't want to jinx ourselves but we are pleased that since the winter break there haven't been any new cases at CP.  It seems we've been living with restrictions and health guidelines (masks, hand washing, physical distancing, etc.) for so long, they've become second nature to us.  With the nicer spring weather, people want to spend more time outside, naturally.  Let's not get complacent at this time.  Please remember that the playground should not be used before & after school as we do our best to maintain the integrity of our class cohorts.  We realize this is a tough request but for all our safety, please abide by this protocol.

Lost & Found

Please see the video of items and claim your child's articles of clothing soon.

https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/ChinookPark/about-us/news-centre/_layouts/15/ci/post.aspx?oaid=d837db81-7f9b-4211-ad16-c8fe5887ec38&oact=20001

Dogs on School Property

While we can appreciate the multi-tasking of walking your dog while dropping off and picking up your children from school, please be mindful that dogs are not permitted on school grounds at any time.  Kindly leave your pet at home during these times, or remain on the sidewalk with your pet and out of the way of the pedestrian traffic.

Kind Regards,

Aliki Avdicos & Dawn Poole

Leadership Team, Chinook Park School​


Jan 15
January 2021 Message

Good Day Chinook Park Families!

We just completed our first week of in-person learning and can we share how amazing it has been?  Receiving the students, hearing their laughter, seeing the connections they are making to their learning as the curriculum becomes more complex and the overall high energy in the building is contagious!

Staff are grateful to be back at school and teaching their students face to face.  This month, teachers are busily working on assessments as they collect a varied body of evidence to determine the learning progression of each of their students, which will be documented on report cards.  This year, Chinook Park student report cards will be available digitally for parents to view starting February 5, 2021. 

Our students' physical, mental and emotional well-being is important to us.  To this end, in addition to the class opportunities where these aspects are addressed, we hosted a virtual Health Fair on January 7 & 8.  This was strategic on our part and we are pleased that it benefitted so many students as was evidenced by the feedback we received.  Thank you to staff and external partners that helped make this event so successful.

Other events that will occur this month include an Anti-Bullying Virtual Assembly, Sports Day – Spirit Day and School Council on January 20, 2020.  Looking forward to connecting with parents there.  Please join us at this link: Click here to join the meeting.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns or compliments. 

Aliki Avdicos & Dawn Poole

Leadership Team, Chinook Park School

 


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