| Welcome back to all of the students and families, I hope you and your families had a wonderful summer, and were able to connect with family, friends and nature. This year at Hugh A. Bennett our school will be exploring the power of story. We will be sharing our own stories, and building our collective stories in our classroom, school and community. We will be celebrating what makes us unique while also building a strong sense of belonging though creating our collective story. Literacy, Mathematics and Well-Being will also continue to an area of focus as we work towards the goals of our School Development Plan. As we move through our School Development Plan planning we will share out more specific information at our School Council meetings and through our website. We're also looking forward to welcoming families throughout the school year. We will be having an in-person School Council meeting on Thursday, September 21 from 6:00-7:00 pm. School Council is great way to connect with the school, and to build a sense of belonging with our families. We hope to see you there! We look forward to another year of learning and growing and can't wait to see everyone soon. Wishing you well, Mrs. Diaz and Mrs. Laythorpe
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| Dear families, It is with a heart full of gratitude and joy that I thank all of you for your support this year. The Circle of Gifts: Courage, Compassion, Respect and Understanding, is a fundamental piece of Hugh A. Bennett School's identity, and it is a privilege to see students treat each other with these values each day. Getting to know the students at Hugh A. Bennett has been a highlight of the year, and I look forward to continuing to welcome new families and see familiar faces next year as well. I have enjoyed celebrating your child's growth and achievments alongside you this year.
I look forward to seeing the students back on August 31, 2023. Additionally, we will be having an Open House on Thursday, September 7th from 4:00-6:00 pm. This will be an opportunity to welcome families into the school, and a chance for you to meet your child's teacher. I look forward to connecting with you then.
Wishing you and your families a safe and joyful summer!
Donna Diaz
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| A huge thank you to all of the families that came out to support with our casino this month. Our School Council and School Society worked very hard to make this important fundraiser happen. Your support is greatly appreciated! Once we have the fundraising profits from the casino we will share that information, as well as how it will be spent. We look forward to using the profits to support enriching learning opportunities for our students.
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| It's hard to believe the winter break is almost here! December 21, 2022 is our last day before the break. We look forward to welcoming students back on January 9, 2023.
Wishing you all a safe and healthy winter break! Mrs. Diaz
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| Dear HAB families,
As this school year draws to a close and we look ahead to next year, I wanted to take a moment to send my best wishes to you and your families for a safe and happy summer break. Over the last few weeks I have been working with the current administrative team to ensure a smooth transition for students and staff. Everyone I have met speaks very highly of the students, staff and families of Hugh A. Bennett School. I am looking forward to meeting you and your children in September.
I also wanted to draw your attention to some important dates coming up in September. Some of these dates are already reflected in our online calendar, but some are specific to our school community.
Monday, August 29: School Office opens
Thursday, September 1: First day of School- see back to school information on our school website for more information
Monday, September 5: Labour Day: School Closed. No school for students.
Thursday, September 8: First School Council Meeting: We will meet at 1:00 pm online. At this meeting we can make a plan for the format of the rest of the meetings for the year. Coming to one meeting does not mean you have to commit to all of the meetings, but it is a great way to ask questions, give feedback and be involved in your child's schooling. It will also be an opportunity to share you thoughts on how I, as a new Principal to Hugh A Bennett, can continue to support your child's learning and well-being.
One of the most important ways parents/guardians and community members can make a meaningful difference for students is by participating on the school council. Under the Education Act, a school council is a collective association designed to advise the principal and the CBE Board of Trustees on matters related to the school. School councils have legislated advisory and decision-making authority. They are different from Parent Societies & Associations, whose main function is to raise funds for the school. You can find more details in the CBE School Council Handbook.
Thursday, September 22: Open House for Parents. Details will be sent out in September, but for now I wanted to let you know we are planning to welcome parents into the school that evening. Mark your calendars!
Friday, September 23: Non-instructional day: No school for students.
There is additional back to school information on the school website. Should you have any additional questions, our school office will reopen on August 29, 2022.
Wishing you a safe and happy summer,
Sincerely,
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| Good afternoon Hugh A Bennett Families, We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our school community and our School Council for all of your ongoing support this school year. We began our school year welcome many of our students back into our school as they returned from online learning. This left us with a challenge of rebuilding our school community and creating a renewed sense of belonging. This year, our School Development Plan has focused around literacy, mathematics, and well-being. Teachers and students worked together to develop instructional strategies that continue to improve reading comprehension across all curriculum areas. This school year saw a new School Development Goal of learning and using multiple way to represent numbers in mathematics. All of our students had daily discussions around numbers and the characteristics of each number. Alongside our literacy and mathematics goal, we continued to develop our well-being for learning at Hugh A Bennett School. We focussed our work on creating and achieving life and learning goals by using a variety of tools, including self-assessment, examples, and student voice, and integrating the Indigenous Holistic Lifelong Learning Framework into our Circle of Gifts. We are excited about the progress our students have made and will be continuing these goals into the 2022-2023 school year. As we finish this school year, we are also in the process of planning for next year. We look forward to welcoming most of our families back to Hugh A Bennett School in September. Just before the first day of school, you will be receiving a Welcome Email from your child's teacher. This will introduce students to their new teacher and include classroom location, entry door information, pick-up information and other important start of the year instructions. At the end of this school year, we will be saying farewell to Ms. L. Wolkowski (Resource), Ms. E. Braaten (Grade 3), Ms. K. Hucal (Grade 3), Ms. Laird (Grade 3), and Ms. M. Harvey (Grade 4). It has been a pleasure having these excellent teachers at Hugh A Bennett School and we wish them all the best in their new school. I will be leaving Hugh A Bennett School to assume the Principal role at Ramsay School. I have really enjoyed my time at Hugh A Bennett School and I would like to thank the HAB Community for all of the support you have given during the past 5 months. Ms. Donna Diaz will be joining the HAB family in August as Principal. I trust that she will receive a very warm welcome and support form this wonderful community. All of our staff at Hugh A Bennett School would like to take a final opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful, safe and restful summer. We look forward to seeing everyone back to school on September 1, 2022. Shane Turner Acting Principal
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| I am excited to join the Hugh A. Bennett learning community as the Principal. It is such an honour following the leadership that Lisa Nachtigal has provided since the school opening. She has been so instrumental in developing HAB's learning community as a supportive environment for students' social, emotional, and academic growth. My goal is to connect with our families and students around student learning and how we can continue to focus on the safety, well-being and academic success of all of our students. I look forward to developing positive relationships with our families and students in the weeks to come. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me via email at saturner@cbe.ab.ca Sincerely, Shane Turner
Principal
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| Staffing/Class Sizes I am pleased to announce we have been able to hire a 25-hour Early Childhood Practitioner to support in kindergarten and grade 3. The Early Child Practitioner in these classes supports students with literacy, numeracy as well as social skills. Our class sizes are higher this school year due to a decrease in funds in our Spring Budget. We are looking at how best to support all the students in our building and will be moving support staff around throughout the year in an effort to ensure student's needs are being met.
School Development Plan (SDP)Professional Learning We were busy in September and October looking at data to ensure our three-year SDP continued to support our students through teaching and learning in an optimal way. Our school goals will be grounded in reading comprehension, multiple ways of representing numbers and helping to ensure students are to identify interest and strengths in order to create learning goals and strategies to meet them. Progress towards our SDP for the 2020-2021 school year can be found within our Annual Report. Professional development has been focused on goals noted through the lens of assessment. We also meet once/month to set our own goals around different formative assessment (in the moment assessment) techniques to ensure we are meeting students where they are at and supporting with them with next steps in learning. Cookies and Conversation We are excited by the turn out to our Cookies and Conversation sessions so far this year. This is a time for you to come and understand about how we teach your children each day. Our last meeting featured a virtual tour of our school. Thank you to Mr. Edgardo Gonzales, our facility operator, for supporting our students in creating an amazing video capturing all the spaces within our school and how students learn. Our next meeting will focus on how we teach students about reading and how you can support your child at home. Our next meeting is Tuesday, December 7 from 4:15 – 5:00pm
School Council We are also thrilled by the number of people who are coming to our School Council meetings. Our new co-chairs, Amarjeet and Harleen are excited to support these meetings in Punjabi. School Council is a time for you to advocate for your child at the school level and make suggestions about learning. As an advisory group, we will consider your suggestions, but may not always be able to implement them. It is a time for parents and administration to come together to work as a team on behalf of all the students in the building. Our next meeting is Thursday, November 18 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm.
Parent Teacher Conferences On November 25 and 26 you will have an opportunity to speak with your child's teacher through Microsoft Teams or over the phone to better understand where your child is at in his/her learning. Some questions you may consider asking your child's teacher are: · How does my child get along with others in the class? · What are some of the strengths you see in me child? · What are the areas of growth for my child? · Is my child able to demonstrate the gifts within the Circle of Gifts? · Does my child understand the zones of regulation and what strategies does he/she use to be in the green zone?
Report Cards During the month of January, teachers will finish gathering assessment data to write report cards. Report cards will be available for you to view in Power School the beginning of February. There will not be a printed report card sent home with your child. Thank you for all of your time, effort and support each and every day. We are so lucky to be able to work and learn alongside you, the Hugh A. Bennett families. Lisa Nachtigal Principal, Hugh A Bennett School
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| It is wonderful to see students back in our school learning. Our health and safety protocols including hand washing, hand sanitizing, wearing masks, keeping cohorts smaller and physically distancing when and where possible are still in place. The learners in our school are truly amazing and I know we will all continue to learn and grow this school year. Student Illness A reminder to all parents about the rules around student illness and when to isolate. You can find more information about this here. Please note within this information is when you must isolate for 10 days. Please ensure you refer to the correct checklist beginning on page 2 for children under 18. Masks Masks must be worn by all students during the day in the school. We request adults wear masks when picking up and dropping off students. Parent Teacher Conferences Due to Covid-19, parent teacher conferences will continue online this year. Our meet the teacher evening will be October 7 from 5:00 – 6:00pm during this time each grade team will prepare an online presentation and you will have an opportunity to ask questions. This will not be a time to ask about how your child is doing. Should you require this information, please contact your child's teacher directly. Should you require an interpreter, please email your child's teacher to let them know. Forms Forms will be coming home for parents to look at and sign. Please ensure you check your child's backpack for these forms. Forms will go home with students before the end of September.
Fees All fees are paid through MyCBE/PowerSchool. Instructional supplies and material fees have been set at $20.00 for kindergarten and $40.00 for grade 1 – 4. If your child stays for lunch or rides the bus, please register for these services through MyCBE/PowerSchool. Once you have registered for the service, you will be able to pay these fees once they are posted. If you find yourself in need of a fee waiver, please visit the cbe webpage or call the school so we can support you. Please do this as soon as possible. Should you need support with creating a Power School Account, please contact the school. Student Code of Conduct Please familiarize yourself with our student code of conduct. This can be found on our school website. You can also read about the Circle of Gifts on our school website. Weekly Update Every Friday you will receive an email from your child's teacher outlining the learning that occurred over the course of the week. Please take the time to review this email with your child. Colour Tips Any notice or permission form needing to be signed and returned to school is printed on blue paper to remind parents and students to “Bring Back Blue." We are thrilled to be a part of your child's learning and development. We look forward to learning, as well as supporting your children, in understanding what their next steps in learning are. Lisa Nachtigal Principal
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| 2021 – 2022 Staffing Each Spring we engage staff in decisions regarding the next school year. For the 2021-2022 school year, we were unable to retain the number of staff members we currently have. This was due to a decrease in funding as well as decreased enrolment during spring staffing. As a result, we have 6 less teachers, 5 less lunchroom staff and we have not been able to maintain our Physical Education Specialist for the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, the number of students in each class is increasing. Our school configuration for 2021 - 2022 currently sits at the following number of classes and support staff members. Should our numbers increase over the summer, we will adjust to support all students who attend Hugh A. Bennett School. Classes/teaching staff: · 5 classes of kindergarten · 4 classes of grade 1 · 4 classes of grade 2 · 4 classes of grade 3 · 5 classes of grade 4 · 1 music teacher · 1 resource teacher · 1 assistant principal · 1 principal
Support staff: · 4 education assistants at 25 hours/week supporting students in grades 1 – 4 · 1 early childhood practitioner at 30 hours/week supporting students in grades 1 - 4 · 2 education assistants at 30 hours/week supporting our Enhanced Educational Support · 3 literacy school assistants at 25 hours/week supporting students in kindergarten – grade 4 · 1 office assistant at 20 hours/week · 1 library assistant at 15 hours/week · 8 lunchroom supervisors at 10 hours/week · 1 administrative secretary at 35 hours/week
Staff Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the following members of our staff who we will be saying good-bye to at the end of June. Each of these individuals is an integral part of our Hugh A. Bennett Family. Their dedication and commitment to your children and their learning is truly remarkable. Please join me in honouring the following staff members: · Amy Swanson · Kaitlin Richardson · Kendra Ortega · Raveena Sandhu · Stephanie Burns · Hollie Query · Neha Brar · Michelle Ries · Prahbjot Jhutty · Virdevinder Sroan · Ashley Addison · Joly Shahnaz · Dang Trieu · Hoan Nguyen · Kuesi Hashim · Jenny Wilson · Vinaya Polle In addition, Delmar Lucas has contributed to our school community as an additional cleaner in our facility this school year during the pandemic. I cannot thank him enough for all of his flexibility and willingness to get to know students. Thank you, Delmar for all of your time, support and energy. Community Engagement Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our Budget and School Development Surveys. You time and commitment to Hugh A. Bennett School is truly appreciated. The results for these two surveys can be found here. Your voice matters. Should the need to discuss anything at all with me ever arise, please feel free to email me at lmnachtigal@cbe.ab.ca or call the school at 403-817-3560. I am here to serve you and your children and always listen. Summer is coming The last day of school with students is Monday, June 28. This is a full day of school. I hope all of you are able to reconnect with family and friends this summer as our province continues to open up as more and more people get vaccinated. I want to express my sincere thanks and gratitude for the support of families over the 2020- 2021 school year. The families of Hugh A. Bennett school are truly gracious, understanding and trusting of all we do for and on behalf of children every day. To all of our families, thank you. I continue to be the luckiest principal of all time. I appreciate and am grateful for all of you!! Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful summer. I hope you are able to cherish this time in whatever way is beneficial to you. Lisa Nachtigal, Principal
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