| Welcome to our website and a somewhat belated update to the welcome message. This year we have an exciting and vibrant school community made up of more than 950 students in grades six through nine. We are excited for the amazing things to come this year.
Each week an update will be posted on our front page with important information, upcoming events, and a summary of activities during the week. Check back regularly to stay up to date on events around the school.
There have been some organizational changes to the school schedule both on a daily basis and throughout the year. We have adjusted our lunch schedule to provide two separate lunch breaks for students: our grade six and seven students have lunch from 11:39am-12:20pm and our grade eight and nine students have lunch from 12:20-1:03pm. This change allows us to manage some of the congestion in the hallways and improve lunch supervision for our students.
The schedule for sports has been adjusted this year to allow for access to referees in various activities. We will be participating in a variety of interschool competitions on the following schedule: Cross-country running (Aug. 31-Oct. 15), Soccer (Aug. 31-Oct. 29), Basketball (Sept. 11-Dec. 3), Volleyball (Jan. 8-Mar. 24), Badminton (Apr. 2-May 31), Track & Field (May 13-June 16).
If you need to connect with your child's teachers, please use the links in the contact us page to access email addresses and check the Teacher Pages & Blogs page for ongoing updates on classroom activities.
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| Welcome back to all of our students! We are very excited to be back in classes and this year feels especially exciting with the lifting of health restrictions.
We are looking forward to a fun-filled year with many activities, field trips, and opportunities to come together as a community. Our school is fortunate to have such a wonderful student population who work together to make a difference.
This year, we will post information on our website instead of sending frequent emails. If you are curious about events and activities around Captain Nichola Goddard School this is the place to find information. If you can't find information here, please contact the school office with your questions and we'll be happy to help.
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| It’s already the end of January. It feels like the month has flown by but it also feels like the winter break and delayed return to classes was months ago. We’ve been fortunate to have some warm days in between cold spells and that has allowed students to get outside and enjoy some much-needed fresh air. The cold days have presented challenges for lunch supervision, masking, and physical distancing but we’ve made it through. Healthy Hunger Being able to continue offering lunches through Healthy Hunger has been very helpful for everyone and it is something we can only do with the support of your School Council and some very dedicated parent volunteers. If you are able to offer help on Tuesdays over the lunch break it would be very much appreciated. Contact Rachel Lea, chair of School Council, at cngscouncilchair@gmail.com if you can support this very valuable program.
Basketball Basketball has had some very interesting twists and turns this month. Initially, everything was running as normal and then the season was put on hold. Tryouts and training continued in the hope that the season would resume but that wasn’t to be. We are now in the process of designing an in-house program that balances student interest with opportunity. Coaches have informed athletes of the short-term schedule and future updates will be announced as we work through some of the organizational challenges. It really is wonderful to see kids participating in sports and we are very hopeful that while basketball cannot run as normal, badminton and track & field will be allowed.
Attendance Attendance has been a significant concern throughout Calgary and Captain Nichola Goddard is feeling the challenge. On a ‘typical’ day we have approximately 150 students absent and staff absences range between 3-10 people. Teachers have been working to keep Google Classroom materials updated for students who are absent in an attempt to provide some programming. Unfilled staff absences are having a noticeable impact on classes. We have been fortunate to have some substitute teachers at the school but there is always at least one and sometimes up to six unfilled teacher absences. We have been able to cover these unfilled positions with internal support from teachers and administration but it isn’t a sustainable practice. When staff cover additional classes, the cost is felt in decreased planning, marking, energy and physical health. The coverage continues but other work is either incomplete or delayed, staff become more susceptible to illness and more people are interacting with cohorts of students that we are trying to protect. The best thing any of us can do is to stay home when feeling ill to protect others.
Masks & Rapid Test Kits We were grateful to receive a supply of masks and rapid test kits from the government during January. Unfortunately, we did not receive the correct number of items; everyone in the school community received masks but less than the promised 2.5-week supply. There were also not enough test kits so we ensured every student received a box of kits but not all staff received them. We are unsure when we might receive another shipment but we will pass them along as soon as they are received.
There have been additional costs associated with these deliveries; staff are taken away from their regular assignments to repackage the items into individual packages and the school is required to purchase the bags used for organizing the large shipment into individual supplies. These costs come out of the regular operating budget of the school and in a school community of just slightly less than 1,000 people that is no small thing. School Council has offered to pay for the Ziploc bags we use to divide up the supplies and that is very much appreciated. If you think you might be able to volunteer to repackage supplies that would also be extremely helpful. The challenge with this volunteer opportunity is that we don’t know when shipments will arrive and we want to respond quickly when they do. If you are able to come to the school on short notice to help out, please let us know by emailing captainnicholagoddard@cbe.ab.ca
Take care and stay safe,
Ross Bushell, Principal
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| As the first week after winter break comes to an end, I'm pleased to say it has been a successful return to in-person learning. There are few items to update at this time:
Masks & Rapid Test Kit Distribution
We have not received any masks or test kits at this time. When we do receive them, we will repackage them into individual bags for each student (reports from other schools are that they come in large boxes and need to be counted out and divided up). Each student will then receive a resealable bag containing their masks and test kits in homeroom. The bag will be labeled with the student’s name and each student will be asked to sign that they have received their items. If your child is absent on the day of distribution, please contact the office to arrange a time to pick up the items.
Covid Reporting & In-Person Learning after a Positive Test
The current health guidance for schools is that Individuals who are not fully vaccinated must still isolate for ten days after a positive test and they are symptom free. This includes students who have received one dose of a Covid vaccine.
Fully vaccinated individuals can return to school five days after a positive test provided they are symptom free. Individuals must wear a mask for another five days while in public, only removing their mask when they are alone in a room. Unfortunately, we don’t have space to allow students who tested positive and have returned to school after their five days of isolation to remove their masks and eat lunch in the building. Our recommendation is for students to eat at home during this five-day period. This allows students to remove their mask and also assists in maintaining privacy post-Covid.
Families are no longer required to report test results to schools and we are not allowed to share that information even if families give permission to share it out. Please continue to monitor your child’s health using the AHS Daily Checklist and keep them home if they are ill. Absences should be reported by calling 403-817-3300 ext. 1.
Basketball Update
A previous update shared with families identified that the basketball season is currently on hold until the end of January when a decision will be made regarding cancelling or shortening the season. We will continue training sessions focused on skill building for those students who have attended try outs. This allows us to maintain grade cohorts and manageable numbers while providing a small sense of normal despite current Covid numbers.
School Council
Our next school council meeting has been moved to Tuesday, January 25. We will be discussing recent developments at the school and within the CBE along with a discussion on Student Services, student supports, psychological assessments, and IPPs. A link will be shared closer to the date and we hope you can join us at 6:30pm that evening.
Take care and stay safe,
Ross Bushell, Principal
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| Good Afternoon CNG Families Here are a few updates for the upcoming week: Student-Parent Teacher Conferences – bookings open on Monday, November 15th at 8:00 a.m. Student Parent Teacher conferences will be held online over Microsoft Teams. When you sign-up for conferences through Power School you will receive an email to your inbox (or junk/spam folder) confirming the meeting time and date, as well as the link to join the online meeting. If you have any issues with booking conferences, please contact the main office. Here is a how to link for booking conferences. https://cbe.ab.ca/support/Pages/MyCBE-PowerSchool-School-Conferences.aspx School Fees All school fees have been added to parent/guardian accounts. Please make payments for school fees online through the MyCBE/PowerSchool account. If you are having any difficulty accessing Power School please use; MyCBE/PowerSchool HOW TO. Scholastic Book Fair Our students have been visiting the Learning commons this week to view and purchase a rich variety of books and other items. A reminder online orders are available at https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5149399 and sales continue until November 15th. Thanks in advance for your support! School Council Meeting is on Tuesday, November 16th at 6:30 p.m. Here is the information to join the meeting; You're invited to join a Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting Mr. Bushell is returning from his leave on the 15th and I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all staff, students and families for your warm welcome during my short stay at your school! Take care – Carol Hall, Acting Principal
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| Good Afternoon CNG Families
Here are a few updates for the upcoming week: Poppies are still available for a small donation for our students in the office and their classrooms and will be distributed to all students the morning of November 10th. Veteran's food Bank drive is going to continue for the rest of November. Non-perishable foods can be dropped off in classrooms or in the main office. Thanks in advance for any donations that families are able to provide. Remembrance Day Assembly – Students will be in their homerooms for the morning of the 10th and our virtual assembly will begin at 10:15. Unfortunately, it can only be streamed within the school. Students have been completing activities in their homerooms each week to better understand this time of gratitude for those who have fought and are fighting for our freedom. Remembrance Day – November 11th – is a statutory holiday and the school is closed. Professional Learning Day – November 12th – students are not in school this day and staff will be involved in meetings in curricular and grade team professional learning communities as we continue work in our School Development plan. Student-Parent Teacher Conferences – bookings open on Monday, November 15th at 8:00am and will close on Wednesday, November 24th. Due to health and safety restrictions related to the pandemic, Student Parent Teacher conferences will be held online over Microsoft Teams. When you sign-up for conferences through Power School you will receive an email to your inbox (or junk/spam folder) confirming the meeting time and date, as well as the link to join the online meeting. If you have any issues with booking conferences, please contact the main office. School Fees All school fees have been added to parent/guardian accounts. Please make payments for school fees online through the MyCBE/PowerSchool account. If you are having any difficulty accessing Power School please use; MyCBE/PowerSchool HOW TO. International Baccalaureate Information Night – Grade 9 John Diefenbaker is hosting an information night on November 18th and January 27th – both at 7:00 p.m. To attend this teams meeting use this link; info.diefib.ca. Facebook information is at fb.me/DiefIB Scholastic Book Fair Our students have been visiting the Learning commons this week to view and purchase a rich variety of books and other items. A reminder online orders are available at https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5149399 and sales continue until November 15th. Thanks in advance for your support!
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| Dear CNG Families, We wanted to thank all families for their support, queries and understanding around what started as a difficult week. Things have settled down since Monday and we will keep you informed of any updates regarding ascertaining who the perpetrators of the graffiti were. Our fall budget was released and we have been able to hire a .5 teacher and are pleased to welcome Shar Johnston who will be teaching Grade 8 Humanities and Health. In the coming days we will be interviewing for a new lunchroom supervisor as well. In the meantime we wanted to share updates around a new Noon hour supervision schedule as the weather begins to cool down. This will be effective, Monday, November 1st. - Our front doors will not be open for students to come in to the school until 7:50 – to date the foyer has been a place students have been able to come in to at 7:45 but this is becoming problematic for COVID safety and social distancing.
- We will be specifying two classrooms per grade in Grade 8 – 9 for students to have their lunch in.
- Grade 6 students will now be eating in their class cohort for the first half of the lunch hour and then will be free to go outside, or as scheduled go to the Learning Commons or Gym with their cohort homeroom.
- If Grade 7, 8 and 9 students choose to leave at the start of lunch hour they will be able to come back in at 12:25 – 12:30 only and will then need to go to either an open classroom of their Grade or a supervised activity in their Grade or remain outside.
- Doors will open again for afternoon classes for those who chose to be outside at 12:46.
These changes have been communicated to students by their classroom teachers. A reminder to our Grade 6 students of Vaccinations on Tuesday, November 2nd. Thank you to School Council for your continued support with our Healthy Hunger lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday! We appreciate the support of all families each day in our school community!
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| Good afternoon CNG families! Mr. Bushell is on leave until November 15th and we are pleased to welcome Carol Hall who is serving as our Acting Principal in Mr. Bushell's absence. As well we would like to welcome Tommy Tea who is here covering for Charlotte Macpherson-Levesque who is on leave until mid January. We have several upcoming events that we want to ensure you are up to date on; Monday, October 25th - Photo orders are due back. The Grade 7 Leadership group has planned SPIRIT week and all students and staff are invited to take part in the following special days: Monday - 25th – Crazy hair or hat day Tuesday - 26th – CNG Pride day – wear purple and gold Wednesday – 27th – Twin Day Thursday – 28th – Jersey or Pajama day Friday - 29th - Halloween dress-up day - students and staff alike are welcome to come to school dressed up for the morning. A friendly reminder that students are asked to refrain from wearing costumes with full masks and any costumes that entail carrying weapons. Wednesday, October 27th - Photo Re-Take day - students must bring in their original photo package to the main office and then will be called down for re-takes that day. Thursday October 28th and Friday October 29th – The Clinic Line from the University of Calgary will be conducting clinics with our Band students! Monday, November 1st – Friday, November 5th – our school will be non-perishable food items for the Calgary Veteran's Food Bank. Boxes will be in the front foyer and we thank all families in advance for any donations you are able to make. Our goal is to collect 10 boxes of food so we can match or exceed last year's donations! Tuesday, November 2nd - Grade 6 Vaccinations – our colleagues at AHS have asked that our students should have breakfast and wear appropriate clothing to make their vaccination experience the best it can be. The Scholastic Book Fair is back from November 2nd – 15th!!! We are so happy to be able to once again offer this opportunity for students to view and shop at an in-school Book Fair! Students will be notified in advance when their assigned co-horted class time will take place so they will be prepared should they wish to shop! We will only offer in person viewing and shopping to our students. In addition to the in-school Book Fair, we also have a virtual option to families to shop from home through our own personal Book Fair website! Our online shopping link can be found below – please feel free to share this link with family and friends! Online orders will be delivered FREE to our school immediately following the Book Fair on November 15th. Scholastic Shopify URL: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pags/5149399 We are thrilled to offer this much-loved event once again to students and families! As well, every item purchased earns us valuable rewards to supply new books to our school, so thank you for your support! Monday, November 8th- Wednesday, November 10th – Our Poppy Drive will take place and students can bring in cash donations to the office or in their homeroom should they wish to have a poppy. Wednesday, November 10th - virtual Remembrance Day assembly for our school. Thanks to our Grade 9 Leadership students and staff committee for their dedicated and thoughtful work on this important event. Unfortunately, the assembly can only be streamed within our school due to privacy regulations. Thursday, November 11th - Statutory holiday - no school for staff or students. Friday, November 12th - Professional Learning day for staff - no students at school. Remembrance Day Family Photographs We invite you to send photographs of family members who currently serve or have served in Canadian Armed Forces or Canadian Allied Forces. Please send scanned photograph's in jpg format (maximum file size of 5MB) with family members name, rank, position and any other service information you would like to share with us to [captainnicholagoddard@cbe.ab.ca]our school email account. Our families' photographs are shared with our school community virtually as part of our Remembrance Day program in honor of their service Some fee reminders for families; Grade 6 families who students access the lunch supervision program. Lunch supervision registration continues throughout the year and payments can only be accepted once students are registered. You can register and pay using MyCBE/PowerSchool. Captain Nichola Goddard School operates a 4 day program. Student Supplies Fees For the 2021-22 school year, a student supplies fee will apply to all students in grade 6. The fee supports in offsetting the cost to purchase supplies like pens, pencils, and erasers so that students have the tools to learn from their first day in class. Student supplies fees will be assigned in late October. You can pay using MyCBE/PowerSchool. Complimentary Course Fees (Grade 7-9) For the 2021-2022 school year, a course supply fee will be assigned to students who are registered in the following courses · Art $5 · Band $10 · CTF Communications Technology $8 · CTF Construction $8 · CTF Foods $10 Fees will be assigned in late October, You can pay using MyCBE/PowerSchool.
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| It is so wonderful to have kids back in the school again. The atmosphere in the school always changes when the students return after summer break. The laughter and smiles this year were such a welcome sight and set the tone for a great year no matter comes our way.
This year we continue to work within the health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep everyone as safe as possible. We are very pleased some restrictions have been lifted within the school and it was nice to see kids putting their things inside their lockers for the first time in over a year. We will begin some of our extra-curricular programming with tryouts for cross-country, soccer and volleyball starting soon. It is also so wonderful to see our Band Room returning to a classroom space and hearing the excited voices as our musicians pick up their instruments again. There is also a great deal of positive energy with the opportunity to resume studies in our complementary courses as kids take classes they requested instead of a preselected menu of courses that we had to offer last year.
Our grade six students will remain in their class cohorts and take courses as a group but that is actually the same structure that has been in place for a number of years. The limitation of the cohort structure is only truly felt with extra-curricular activities as grade six students cannot participate this year. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will be able to join teams later in the year when new developments permit.
September promises to be a busy month with our annual Terry Fox Run, extra-curricular sports, and a virtual Meet the Teacher all coming soon.
As always, if you have any questions throughout the year please don't hesitate to contact the school through the office email at captainnicholagoddard@cbe.ab.ca
Take care,
Ross
Dr. Ross Bushell, Principal
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| The end of the 2020-21 school year is almost here and what a year it has been. This year will likely remain clear in our memories for quite some time. I still recall the feeling throughout the building when we welcomed students for their first day in September. There was a sense of nervousness with the new health restrictions, wearing masks, assigning specific entrances to homerooms, moving in cohorts, managing numbers in shared spaces such as washrooms, sanitizing desks and classroom materials, and learning new routines of frequent handwashing and using sanitizer. It was all so new and unfamiliar but students quickly adapted and demonstrated an amazing amount of resilience. Throughout the year our students have repeatedly shown that they are strong, caring and responsible. Despite the loss of extra-curricular activities and limited opportunities to learn outside of the classroom our students have continued to show up day after day no matter what new challenge they might face. Our successes this year can also be attributed to the support of parents. Whether through email messages thanking staff for their efforts, words of encouragement shared in a brief moment of interaction, relentless focus on keeping children safe and healthy, adapting to repeated shifts from in-person to at-home learning, checking children's temperature every day and keeping them home when they are feeling ill, the support for the school was unwavering. As a school, we have been shown such grace and kindness by all of you. It has been a difficult year for everyone yet the level of patience and understanding extended to all of us at the school has been evident and so greatly appreciated. Throughout this pandemic I have been so grateful to work in this community. This year has been the most challenging and stressful of my career but it has been made easier by the spirit of generosity extended to me by so many of you. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the work of school staff throughout the year. Teachers are often the face of the school, spending the day with students and acting as the primary point of communication with families. Every teacher has worked so hard to maintain a semblance of normal in students' days. I am grateful for their efforts keeping things moving forward all year long. The work of teaching and learning couldn't be successful without the support of our Education Assistants, Ms. Lai and Ms. Khan along with the support of Ms. Negrin, our ELL Assistant. Also, we are supported every day in our Learning Commons by Ms. Loeffler and with technology issues thanks to Mr. Ho. Students in grade six who remain for lunch are monitored with care by Mrs. Derkat, Ms. Leung and Mrs. Carleton. The balanced finances of the school are thanks to the professionalism and skill of Ms. Assef in our business office. Anyone who has called or come into our office has been met with the warm smiles and kindness of Mrs. Cwik and Mrs. Eldred who make everyone feel welcome. Finally, I would be at a loss every single day without the unwavering support and expertise of my admin assistant, Mrs. Dyer. This year we have been cared for so wonderfully by our facilities team; this team has faced the challenge of keeping our building safe every day, the routine of cleaning every classroom, washroom, shared space fills their days and they have been so consistent in making sure each and every student is protected. Mr. Meng and Ms. Von Tonder have been a constant and reassuring presence in every part of school every day students are in the building. Once the school day ends Ms. Fresnido, Mr. Martyn and Mr. Yi have stepped in to make sure deep cleaning takes place and the building is ready to welcome students again in the morning. As we look to next year and anticipate the challenges all of us will face we are making a conscious effort to focus on supporting all students. The ambiguity and unpredictability of the pandemic has increased the level of anxiety many of us feel and our students are no different. Our school development plan will continue to focus on two key areas; (1) increasing students' literacy in all subjects, and (2) strengthening students' understanding and application of resilience in and out of school. In addition to these items that provide a foundation for our School Development Plan we will strive to educate students with factual information and an impartial approach to current events, social issues, and the important work of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. When they walk out of the building on June 30, I hope all of my staff are able to let go of the challenges of this year and take some very well-earned time away from work. I know that when staff return on August 27 they will be ready to welcome students back and focus on the important work of caring and educating future leaders of the world. Take care, stay safe and we'll see you in September,
Ross Bushell, Principal
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