Dear DGS Families,
Students have now started their Semester 2 Exploratories and are taking advantage of these new opportunities to design, create, learn, and explore for themselves. Mid-Year Report Cards are now available for viewing in PowerSchool- if you have any questions about your child’s progress in any area, please do not hesitate to reach out to individual teachers for clarity and support. Our next set of Parent Student Teacher Conferences are set for mid-March, but it’s important to remember that we are ALWAYS here for conversations and questions related to growth and achievement. Bi-weekly assignment updates in PowerSchool will also re-commence as of Friday February 10, 2023.
Winter Concert
Our instrumental music program is pleased to present our 2023 Winter Concert on February 2. All DGS students will be attending afternoon performances of the concert on this day so that they can celebrate the success of their siblings and friends. The evening performance is reserved for parents, guardians and family members who are not DGS students. This is to support there being enough space for our audience. DGS students who are not in the instrumental music program will not be admitted to the evening performance. There is no charge to attend this event. Doors will open at 6:30pm with the performance starting at 7:00pm.
It's Survey Season
Next week, all of our students will participate in surveys created either by the CBE or Alberta Education, depending on their Grade Level. These surveys will deal with topics such as access to programming, parental involvement, and safety and wellness in school. Parents of students in Grade 7 should watch their mailboxes for communication directly from Alberta Education on how to complete the parent portion of the Alberta Education Assurance Measure Survey related to your child’s experiences at Dr. George Stanley School. All other student surveys will take place during class time with their teachers.
Social Media and Our Students
What follows is something I originally wrote in response to an incident that occurred in Edmonton at the start of this summer. As the year has progressed, we have worked with a number of students who have needed extra guidance around the choices they make related to social media. As the adults in our student’s and children’s lives, it’s important we are partners in this work. This isn't meant to be about the "evils" of social media- it's about open involvement in your adolescent's online presence, digital citizenship for all, and putting protective factors in place for those times when their developing adolescent brains are on overload. Kids need us more than ever to show them we care, we are interested, and we are involved. Here are my thoughts:
1. Know what your adolescents are doing on Social Media. When I say Social Media, I mean anything where they interact with content, including YouTube, gaming platforms, messaging apps, etc. When I say know, I mean scroll it with them, ask them to share their DMs with you, be linked to them on the apps with your own account, ask them lots of questions, maybe even consider a program like Bark. (And the second they refuse to share, pull their phone- technically, no matter who "pays" that bill, 13-year-olds don't have registered mobile devices- YOU do.) It's eye opening for parents when they realize this, especially when an adolescent has been making poor choices with social media.
2. Ensure that they are not connected to people they don't know IRL. Ask them questions about the people they do know. Don't be afraid to speak up to other families if you see their kiddos doing sketchy things online. Remember that it's quite likely that family doesn't realize what their young adult is posting/saying/doing. Come at it from a place of care, a place of "I am not sure if you are aware of this, and..."
3. Educate yourself about the apps and platforms they are using. Have accounts yourself. Know how to use what your kids are talking about, no matter how uncool they tell you you're being.
4. Ensure their profiles are created as "private" AND that they stay that way. As I have said to adolescents and parents, "If I can find your child's account, so can icky people."
5. Actually observe the age restrictions for different Social Media apps.
6. Repeat items 1-5 REGULARLY. It's not a one and done situation. What they do today they can undo tomorrow and then you're no further ahead and they are no safer.
7. Start today- be open-minded, caring and most of all, be the thoughtful and "protective factor" adult they may not think they need, but they well and truly do.
DGS Badminton Practice Schedule
The season of play practice schedule is located here: 2023 Badminton final practice schedule.pdf
Yearbooks
Yearbooks for 2022-23 – must be PREPURCHASED prior to February 10, 2023. You will need to self-add the yearbook to your account following these simple steps:
1. Login to your MyCBE account, using your username and password
2. Click the box “Fees, Waivers & Service Registration”
3. Select your student
4. Click on “School Based Optional Fees”
5. Click on the box “Yearbook 2022/23”
6. Click “Add to Cart” and proceed to payment
Upcoming Dates:
February 2
Winter Concert
February 3
Professional Learning Day (no school for students)
February 8
Grade 6 Open House for Parents (6:00pm in Learning Commons)
February 10
Cut-off for ordering Yearbooks
February 16
Teacher’s Convention (no school for students)
February 17
Teacher’s Convention (no school for students)
February 20
Family Day (school closed)
As always, please feel free to contact me at csmalette@cbe.ab.ca OR 403 817 3556.
Chantal Malette
Principal, Dr. George Stanley School
