| As Christmas approaches we remain in awe of the remarkable things accomplished at Olympic Heights School. Students continue on incredible learning journeys, which we were fortunate enough to share with families during our November parent/teacher conferences. With the support of our School Council and Parent Association, we completed a very successful residency with our Indigenous artist in residence, Chantal Chagnon, who led students on an exploration of Indigenous story telling, finger weaving, drumming and singing, and much more. Now, as 2023 approaches, we look to host our first in-person concert in a few years with eager anticipation. An ongoing theme at OHS this year has centered on “footprints.” Students have examined what it means to leave a footprint, to make an impact, and to have a lasting impression, whether that impact is on ourselves, on others, on our community, or on our planet. This theme ties in directly with our Three Pillars of Care; care for ourselves, care for others, and care for our place. During the Christmas season, care has been abundant, particularly in the many generous donations made by families to our food drive, and to our Christmas hamper initiative. The response by students, families, and the community demonstrates a clear indication that the OHS collective truly cares for others.
While we deeply appreciate material donations, another sign of caring takes the form of action. Over the past couple of months we have been stressing a rather simplistic, yet extremely powerful option; choose kindness. Classrooms have held class meetings to discuss and solve challenges while focusing on the opportunity to be kind. We see evidence of kind behaviours on a daily basis at Olympic Heights. Students holding doors for others, individuals helping others who need assistance, phrases such as “Welcome!” and “Thank you” shared without anything expected in return, students being inclusive, welcoming others to join in an activity or event, all exemplify this choice. Staff sacrificing personal time to assist with a situation or to support someone in need, volunteers offering their time during a deep freeze to assist with Kiss & Drop, and parents putting the safety of others ahead of their own personal convenience are also examples we see regularly.
The generosity of kindness can have a powerful and contagious effect. A kind response is free, and the “return on investment” can be profound. As one of the key focuses of our school development plan centres on well-being, kindness lies at the heart of many efforts at OHS, and evidence of student initiatives can be found throughout our halls. With welcoming 2023, we will continue our efforts of using kindness to solve challenges, and promoting the idea that when given a choice, choose kind.
Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and much prosperity and kindness in 2023.
Trevor Barkley, Principal Adam Eakins, Assistant Principal |
| Dear Families of Olympic Heights School,
Roman philosopher Seneca once stated, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”, reminding us about the un-ending possibilities offered by life and that every ending will lead to a new beginning. We have reached the end of another school year impacted by a global pandemic, and despite all of the many changes, our students and staff have persevered together and grown stronger as a result. Teachers have been challenged to adapt curriculum to meet learners where they are and build bridges over learning gaps. Support staff have all taken on additional roles and responsibilities to assist students with various parts of their day. Students have also supported one another both socially and emotionally. And parents, guardians, and caregivers have continued to be there every step of the way to support their children and the school staff. It has definitely been our team approach that has allowed the OHS to continue on and thrive throughout 2021-22. As the year winds down, we would like to take this opportunity to wish our grade 6 students a fond farewell and success as they move on to academic and extra-curricular opportunities in junior high. We would also like to acknowledge staff who will be leaving OHS at the end of the school year. We wish you the best of luck and thank you for the lasting impact you’ve had on the staff and students at Olympic Heights School. We would also like to extend best wishes to all students and families who will be moving away and leaving our school community. As we prepare for next school year, we are excited to welcome our incoming students and families. In addition to our returning staff, there will also be new faces on staff next year. Our hope for 2022-23 is that we can continue to follow the path back to some of those community events and traditions that make OHS such an incredible place to grow and learn. With that, we would like to wish students, parents, guardians, caregivers, and school staff a safe, restful, and rewarding summer. Hopefully, we will all get the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends and come back to school with a sense of rejuvenation in the fall.
With deep appreciation and gratitude,
Trevor Barkley, Principal Adam Eakins, Assistant Principal
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| Dear Olympic Heights Families,
Happy New Year! A warm and heartfelt welcome back to all. The laughter and liveliness of the students was defintely missed during that extra week at home. It is great to be back now and see all those smiling faces - even if they are behind a mask most of the time! A tremendous thank you to all our staff, students, parents, community members for their tireless support through these uncertain times. The strength and spirit of the Olympic Heights School "family" shines bright through the darkness. An amazing example of this was the "Holiday Hampers" that were put together for families who could use a bit of extra support in December. Spearheaded by Ms. Hassen and our Care & Concern Committee, seven families were sponsored by the school - one for each grade level. The response to the call for donations and support was overwhelming and inspiring. By coming together as a school community, we were able to make the holidays just that much brighter for those families. A huge thank you again, to everyone, and for all the support we recieved. We know that families are faced with a variety of challenges and uncertainites these days, but know the Olympic Heights remains a welcoming, caring, and safe place for students to learn and grow. Please reach out if your have questions or concerns. Take care,
Trevor Barkley, Principal Adam Eakins, Assistant Principal
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| Dear Olympic Heights' Families, It is hard to believe that next week will bring the first days of December! The first few months of school have simply flown by. Students have been busy living our three pillars of care: for yourself, for others, and for our place. Thank you to everyone in our school and community for reaching for those new heights!
Some of the notable events from the past few months have included our annual Terry Fox School Run, where we raised $3223.15 for cancer research, our observation of Orange Shirt Day, where we re-affirmed our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and Indigenous learning, and our November 11 Remembrance Day program – thanks to all the students who took part. As always, Halloween was a favourite, with students putting together some incredible costumes. During the week of November 15, students participated in activities celebrating Metis Week, including exploring stories by Leah Dorion and creating dot art, as well as learning a few words in Michif – the language of the Metis people. (Tawnshi! Hello!) Also in November, a few of the staff members participated in Movember, by wearing moustaches in support of issues affecting men's health. Thanks to all our students, staff, and families, for all the work that goes into these events – they don't just happen on their own. Fun fact: Did you know that Olympic Heights School has been participating in the Terry Fox School Run for 30 years? Coming up, don't forget to book your learning conference with your child's teacher on November 25 or 26. Conferences can be booked online using your MyCBE/PowerSchool account. If you have any trouble, please contact the main office for assistance. All learning conferences will be conducted using Microsoft Teams. Parents who have students with IPPs, please reach out to your child's teacher to book a longer timeslot. A quick reminder, as the weather begins to get colder, please remember to make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Proper winter gear includes a hat/toque, mitts or gloves, a warm coat, boots, and snow pants. As always, huge gratitude and appreciation to everyone who makes Olympic Heights School such a safe, caring, and welcoming place. If you have questions, concerns, or an idea about how to make OHS even better, please reach out.
Trevor Barkley, Principal Adam Eakins, Assistant Principal
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| Dear Families of Olympic Heights School, Welcome to the 2021-22 school year! It's hard to believe that summer is over already, but the cooler temperatures in the evening certainly help make it more believable. Hopefully, these past summer months have provided not only an opportunity to rest, relax, and recharge, but to also reflect on the challenges and successes of last year. Learning often occurs at the point of challenge, and our students successfully adapted and learned many new ways of thinking, doing, and being. Along the way they built resilience, developed independence, and gained skill at advocating for their learning. September, at Olympic Heights School, will be a month about well-being, relationships, and building community. As a staff, we will use this time to get to know our students' individual needs in a way that honours the experiences and challenges that each learner has gone through over the past year. We know we our learners may have many different starting points in the fall, but we have confidence that with the correct supports, all students can and will be successful in their learning. With student success in mind, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher at any point, with any concern. All staff email addresses can be found on this website. When there is clear communication between all parties involved in a student's learning, that student is likely to experience greater success in learning. Thank you again to all the students, staff, families, and community members, for everything you do to make Olympic Heights School a great place to learn! We are excited to see the wonderful and amazing things this year will bring!
Trevor Barkley, Principal Adam Eakins, Assistant Principal
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Dear Olympic Heights community,
My name is Trevor Barkley. I am extremely excited and honoured to be joining the Olympic Heights School community as your new Principal on February 1, 2021. I have already connected with Karen Barry, Acting Principal and with Director Lori Cooper to ensure smooth continuity in addressing school goals and priorities.
During my career I have had many diverse school experiences, and held a myriad of roles including teacher, resource teacher, school-based ESL coordinator, assistant principal, principal, staffing consultant and staffing coordinator. During the past 20 years I have held formal leadership roles in our system and see myself as a collaborative, visionary, reflective, inclusive, responsive, leader. I believe in developing effective relationships in an environment of open feedback and trust. I believe that all students can succeed, and to make that happen, we all need to work collaboratively. We all possess strengths and it is our work at school to help students see and understand their strengths to be the best version of themselves. I appreciate your understanding during this transition. Please rest assured that our priority will continue to be to provide a quality learning program for all students. I look forward to meeting you all and learning together. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me directly at tsbarkley@cbe.ab.ca Happy Holidays. Trevor Barkley
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