| Holy snow! Winter came overnight (literally), and we now have our first dusting of snow on the ground. With the change in weather, which is the reality of life in Calgary, we remind families to please dress their child(ren) for all weather to participate in learning outdoors and for recess breaks. We learn better with fresh air and movement and will be going out rain, snow and sunshine as we only keep students inside when the temperature dips below -20 C.
Tomorrow evening (Thursday, October 15th), we have our first Council(6:30) and Enrichment Society (7:30) meetings (virtually) with our new executives. We always welcome all families to attend meetings when they can, and to learn about the school. Tomorrow, Sra. Jackie will share life in her classroom and the work she is leading around Indigenous ways of knowing through land-based learning. Teachers are expected to develop their understanding of Indigenous perspectives and contributions as part of the Teaching Quality Standard, which is also reflected in the curriculum and aligned with the calls to action for Truth and Reconciliation.
We appreciate families doing all they can to keep students home when they are experiencing illness or symptoms of COVID-19. We know there is a lot of overlap between COVID and the common cold, and Alberta Health has updated information to help families know how to best proceed in determining whether to send their child to school. Thank you for helping keep our school healthy and safe! Gracias,
Sra. Greenlaw AHS Parent Guide
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| This week, families will have the opportunity to book appointments for parent/teacher conferences. Bookings open Thursday, September 17th at 4:00 PM. We are not able to welcome families to the building at this time and will be setting up online meetings or phone calls for 15 minutes per child (30 minutes for IPP students). When teachers have confirmation of bookings, they will send a unique code for families to use when signing in.
A change for this year: students in grades 1-5 will have early dismissal (1:25pm) on the Thursday conference days to allow teachers preparation time before conferences begin.
Thursday, September 24
No classes for kindergarten students Daytime kindergarten conference appointments 8:30 – 12:30 / 1:15 – 2:30 1:25 PM Early Dismissal Grades 1-5 Evening K-5 appointments 4:00 – 7:00pm
Friday, September 25
No classes for students Morning appointments 8-12
Hub families will have an opportunity to book an appointment with their hub teacher. This may be at a different time, depending on the school each teacher is based out of.
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| Eugene Coste Families, We successfully completed our second week of classes! Thank you for your support in our return to school. We continue to learn how to best manage student movement and processes for hygiene in the school. We are fielding numerous calls a day to determine what to do if a student is experiencing symptoms. Families are to complete the “COVID-19 ALBERTA DAILY CHECKLIST” with each child, daily, prior to coming to school. We are using the guidelines provided by Alberta Health Services and the Government to support families to the best of our ability.
We appreciate your patience and understanding; we are airing on the side of caution in an effort to keep everyone healthy and safe, and thank you for calling to ask questions prior to sending children who may be experiencing symptoms to school.
We hope you are able to join us for our upcoming Enrichment & Council meetings next Thursday evening (Zoom meeting) and welcome families to get involved however possible. Positions are open and we appreciate everything our families do in support of the school.
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| Dear Eugene Coste Families,
Welcome back! It is starting to feel a bit more “normal" each day with our groups returning through staggered entry and developing new routines. Our staff are thrilled to see their students' smiling faces, even with their masks on.
We know there has been a lot of information flying at families in preparation for returning to school, including mask protocols, expectations for social distancing, etc. We have made a commitment as a staff to maintain distancing measures and mask protocols to the best of our ability, even with the relaxed expectations shared last week. We feel it is best practice to develop good habits starting day one as is easier to “ease up" on rules and expectations over time with direction from the province and CBE. Thank you for preparing your child(ren) to return to school; they have been very calm and respectful of others' space and seem to enjoy the new directional traffic and reminders in the halls. We have also noticed a significant sense of calm over lunchtime with the small groups eating and playing at different times. More than anything, we want students to return home each day with stories of their learning, playing with friends and enjoyment, rather than only speaking about COVID19. We also want to recognize our “HUB" families who are still part of our Eugene Coste family who are partaking in online learning from home. To support this new opportunity, we reorganized prior to the first day of school, as Srta. Paula will be working as a HUB teacher, supporting grade 2/3 students from our school and a few other Spanish Bilingual sites. As an admin team, we are in communication with our System Languages Strategist who is supporting the work for HUB learning to assist in programming for our students with individualized programming needs. We are still your school and support network, regardless of if you child is being taught by a teacher who is from another Spanish Bilingual site, and any questions can be brought to us in support of your child(ren). More information will be coming out next week with live instruction the week of September 14-18.
For our new families, mail day is on Thursdays, when students will bring home information / notices, etc. Anything on a blue piece of paper indicates it is to be signed and returned to school. We will be sending out our demographic verifications and kindly ask you to update any change of information and please include the contact information for any caregivers who will be picking up / dropping off your child(ren). Updated information is on our school's website: http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/EugeneCoste/Pages/default.aspx Lastly, we can not do this work without you. Although we are not able to have volunteers in the school at this time, we want to thank you for your support in this first step of building resilience in your child; returning to “school" in whatever format, is very important to re-establish a sense of normalcy. School allows students to re-connect with peers and feel regulated through the routines they participate in and sense of accomplishment through their learning and relationships. We care deeply about their development as learners and as individuals and will be sharing our goals for student well-being throughout the school year. Please take care of yourselves with the increased pace of life – put your oxygen mask on first in supporting your kiddos. Sincerely,
Sra. Greenlaw
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| “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
John C Maxwell
In a time of constant change and uncertainty, we hope you and your children know we are
here to support you and maintain a solid relationship with our community. Thank you for
your ongoing support of our team and your child(ren) in their learning journey through this
time.
We recognize not everyone is at their
best right now, or things can change and
many of us are facing ups and downs.
Some students are loving the routine of
online learning while others are “losing
that loving feeling” and are becoming
disengaged. We acknowledge where
things are at for you and your child and
please know it is ok. The most important
this is to maintain relationships with the
school and your child’s peers.
We care about you and your children and want to be another connection for you in our now
seemingly “virtual” world. |
| I heard a phrase today that struck a cord; the days are long but the week seems to fly by. I
am amazed how we all seem to be experiencing “long” days that may seem a tad
monotonous, and how at the same time, we are half way through the month of May.
You may be feeling invigorated by the time at home and the improving weather. I also hear
many students are starting to lose their excitement to come to google meets and complete
assignments….we understand. The most important thing we can be doing at this time is to
maintain contact and relationship with your children, and a sense of community beyond the
walls of your homes. Eventually, we will be back at school together.
In a leadership webinar hosted by the ATA, Simon Breakspear, education leadership guru
and researcher, encouraged us to “check the pulse” of our community. In the coming week,
you will receive some short surveys to help us chart the path for learning through the end of
the year, and provide feedback around decision making for next year. More information to
come.
We are anticipating a message from the Board regarding transportation and fees for the
2020-21 school year. Please check your email for this important message.
Have a wonderful long weekend.
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| As a staff, we hope this message finds you well. It is always strange to be working with
students from a distance, and we miss our time with you and are thankful for families’ support
of helping their child(ren) attend online lessons and discussions with their teacher; it is
important at this time to maintain a connection.
We have had families ask what we will do to address “missed” curriculum. The messaging
from the Province is we are currently emergency teaching; we recognize this is not the norm
for anyone and certainly there will be content students will not receive as planned. Our job
as educators is to look carefully at our curriculum, throughout the year, to determine essential
outcomes and key concepts for student learning. As in our combined classes, we are utilizing
a conceptual understanding framework to determine how to approach learning experiences,
rather than a “coverage” model where students memorize facts, and begin determining their
own understanding and definition of ideas and concepts in relationship to other ideas. Our
teachers are reading a common text to explore Conceptual Understanding in relation to their
planning, task design and assessment. This framework requires teachers to know the
curriculum deeply and analyze what is truly important for students to explore; “concept based
units demand that students process information on the factual level while also discerning
larger patterns and coming to deeper transferable understandings about conceptual
relationships.” Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Elementary P.18. Concepts
endure beyond one grade level, and reoccur throughout curriculum with increasing
complexity and nuance.
The current situation in our province and around the world will have an impact on many of
us, yet in the future when reflecting on this time, few children will remember what lessons
they were working on from home, but how they continued to connect with their peers, their
teacher and their community. We recognize the need to be thoughtful in our approach to
learning when we return to more typical teaching conditions, and our work will be to assess
where students are at and program to their needs. We are confident our positive relationships
with students and families, and communication between teams, we will have a strong
understanding of what material may require further support and will plan accordingly.
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| The week has come and gone and we are moving into week 5 of ongoing learning from home.
Please let your teacher know if you require any adjustments / or support to help make things
manageable for your child(ren).
Limit TV and exposure to news: Some families are reporting the never-ending new cycle is
affecting kids negatively. If you notice a student is not themselves or seems to be struggling,
check in with them and/or parents. Many kids can’t process the weight of the ongoing crisis
and may need families to be aware of what the kids are exposed to, and how much time
family conversation surrounds the current situation.
Wellness Together Canada – Resource https://ca.portal.gs/
We recognize the significant strain that COVID-19 has placed on individuals and families
across the country. Many people are concerned about their physical and mental well being.
Canadians are being challenged in a number of ways because of isolation, financial and
employment uncertainty and disruptions to daily life. Wellness Together Canada provides
tools and resources to help get Canadians back on track. These include modules for
addressing low mood, worry, substance use, social isolation and relationship issues.
We have a number of Chromebook computers available for families to
borrow if they are in need of additional devices (one per family) at the
school. Please let Sra. Greenlaw know and you can come sign a form
and collect a device.
Please let us know if you require anything.
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Families,
Please let us know if you are requiring a school Chromebook to support your child's learning - we have a limited number available to help you through the ongoing learning process.
Updated information about assessment and reporting in this week's update.
Thank you to families who have provided teachers with feedback on how things are going. Some teachers have sent out a brief 2 minute survey to understand what is working for you, and what suggestions you have.
If things are too much, please do not worry. Take time to read with your child, play a game, do something together. We need to accept these are strange times and it is not intended to add to family's stress. Teacher time online will be key in supporting your child through the learning process.
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| Welcome to week 2 of our ongoing learning in the midst of an ever-changing world. We have
seen a number of happy stories of how people are rising to the occasion and finding new
ways to celebrate, connect and positively contribute to the world; your work supporting your
children in their learning is an example of this.
Teachers have been meeting online with groups of students as well as one-to-one and over
the phone to reach out and connect with students. If you are experiencing difficulties with the
scheduled time(s) provided or utilizing the technology, please let us know. We want to make
this as easy on everyone as we can and recognize not everything will be perfect as this is
new to all of us.
Friday is a stat holiday, and teachers will be “unavailable” to support learning. With the
holiday, learning plans will be available Thursday online and paper packages for those
who have requested them will be outside tomorrow from 1:00 – 4:00 for pick up. Monday is
a non-instructional day and teachers will be working remotely and available for questions /
support online via email.
Below are some resources and ideas to support learning at home. If you have found a
particular site or resources you feel other families may enjoy or benefit from, please feel free
to share with myself and I can share with the community. Sharing is caring!!
We hope this finds you well and know we are here to support you and your families. Please
let us know if you require anything.
Sincerely,
Sra. Greenlaw |
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