| Thank you to the volunteers who are supporting our SOGO Orienteering residency and in-class learning experiences this week!
Due to Covid restrictions relaxing we have many more opportunities to volunteer in classrooms, on field trips, and at School Council events than there has been over the last couple of years. Just a reminder that in order to volunteer in the school and/or with students, you need to have a Police Information Check that has been completed for the CBE in the last five years.
If you have not had a police check done for the CBE, now is a great time to do one! You need to come into the school office in person, with picture ID, and we use that to give you a letter with a unique code that you use to apply with the Calgary Police Service. For information on what you need to volunteer, please check out this link. If you are not sure if your clearance with CBE is valid, or if you have any questions, please call Michele at 403-777-6789. These fun and valuable on-site and off-site learning experiences cannot happen without the incredible support of the volunteers from our learning community. Please consider getting your clearance today!
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| Dressing for Field Conditions It's that time of year – spring thaw means our school field is often in very boggy conditions. We want to remind students and families to come prepared with outdoor spring boots and a change of indoor shoes. It is also a great idea to pack extra socks and for our most rambunctious athletic crew – a pair of rain pants or back up pair of track pants.
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| On February 23rd, we will be holding our annual Pink Shirt Day! Queen Elizabeth School is a proud supporter of Pink Shirt Day and the message of kindness, respect and gratitude that it brings.
On this day, we will be starting a school-wide initiative that asks students, staff and families to engage in acts of kindness together both at school and at home. At school, we will be participating in an “18 Days of Kindness" Challenge where there will be a new act of kindness (to self and others) each day from February 23rd to the beginning of Spring Break. Each day there will be a kindness challenge displayed at every entrance of the school and an announcement will be made each morning so that we start our day in a good way - together! From there, each student will be challenged with completing the task and teachers will use these moments in the classroom to promote a positive mindset and healthy friendships. At home, each family will receive the “18 Days of Kindness - Home Edition" where there is a new challenge for each day that focuses on bringing organization, laughter, and conversations about wellness into our homes. Students can bring their stories from home into the classroom to share each day or keep it private if they prefer. Please click on the links below so that you can engage in conversation with your child about the daily activities. 18 Days of Kindness – School Edition 18 Days of Kindness – Home Edition This is just one way that we hope to continue to inspire and build a culture of belonging and gratitude between students, staff and families at QES. We are so excited to see what each member of the wolf pack does to honour each day and how it will shape our mindsets moving forward. A huge shout-out to Mrs. Gould's class for their Pink Shirt Day advertising campaign and for Mrs. Wentzell, Mr. Cuculea and Ms. Hall for their work in organizing the Kindness Challenge. Good luck and have fun with each new daily challenge!
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| In June 2021, the Federal Government declared that September 30 will now be recognized as the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. The intention of the day is to recognize and honour residential school survivors, their families and communities. It will also ensure that public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process. All CBE schools will recognize this day and there will be no classes on Sept 30. This year, September 27-October 1 will be known as Truth & Reconciliation Week. During this time, QES students and staff will be making space each day to honour Every Child Matters and Orange Shirt Day while learning about the history and legacy of residential schools. Throughout the week and in particular on Wednesday, students are invited to wear an orange shirt. Teachers have been working to develop age-appropriate entry points for all learners and intentional land-based learning activities that help us all grow our understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing. These are ongoing conversations in our school as we work towards meeting our QES Call to Action. Students will engage in a variety of activities to build intercultural understanding, empathy and mutual respect. I would like to again share Spirit Bear's Guide as a family-friendly resource to learn about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. As an added piece towards our ongoing commitment to reconciliation, QES has organized a school-wide donation drive with 100% of donations going to the Urban Society of Aboriginal Youth (USAY). This is a local not-for-profit organization that relies heavily on donations from the community to provide support and programming for Indigenous youth in our area.
To take part in our donation drive, please do one of the following: - Send a cash donation in a labelled envelope inside your child's agenda to give to their classroom teacher.
- Go to https://usay.ca/ and click on “Donate" for E-transfer and Credit Card options. Online donations over $25 can receive a receipt. Please be sure to state that this is part of our QES donation drive.
Online donations will be accepted at any time, however, our final day for cash collections will be Friday, October 1st.
We look forward to this important kick-off week of learning that we can continue to build upon as we move forward through 2021-22 and beyond. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or myself.
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| Teachers will be reaching out with class placement information on Monday, August 30.
Tours are being arranged for students new to QES in Grades 1-6 on Tuesday, August 31. Kinders will have their tour as part of their staggered entry day.
We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
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| Dear QES Families, We did it! This week we celebrate the successful conclusion of the 2020-21 school year. A year of many changes, resilience, challenges, growth and learning! We are sincerely grateful for the efforts of all students, families and staff in making this year one to remember! When faced with many restrictions, our community went above and beyond to support each other and our students to have a safe and productive school year. A special thanks to our HUB parents for your support and commitment in helping your child continue their learning online. I have appreciated all the stories, pictures, and videos that have been shared with me. We look forward to welcoming our students back to in-person learning next year and for continued success for those who are not returning to QES. I want to extend a huge thank you to Ms. Pfob, Mrs. Ernst, Mr. Tinaburri and Ms. Sousa for supporting our Virtual Grade 6 Farewell Assembly. We applaud the achievements of our amazing group of Grade 6 students and wish them all the best as they embark on their new adventures in junior high school. To our School Council and Parent Society team, you are truly a remarkable group of people. We could not provide the rich opportunities we do without the wonderful support of our parent community and we missed our parent volunteers greatly this year! We cannot wait to have you back in-person again once restrictions lift. A special thanks to Laura and Marcy, our co-chairs, for leading this amazing crew and always checking in for ways to support our students. Jenn, thank you for organizing our Grade 6 celebration treat! I also want to thank our outgoing QES Council and QEEPES members Carla, Kristina, Hamish, Janyce, and Gillian for their service. We look forward to having more parents and guardians join us in the fall! As the year closes, I want to express my deep appreciation for our staff and the outstanding work they have put into making this year a success for our students. Thank you all for demonstrating tenacity, flexibility and empathy through a very challenging year. Unfortunately, we must also say goodbye to some of our valued staff members. Ms. Engbers and Ms. McConnell will be leaving for new school support roles in other CBE schools – thank you for your support this year and we wish you all the best! We also say goodbye and good luck to the fabulous crew of contract teachers that joined us this year including Mrs. Davey, Mrs. Webb, Ms. Sousa and Ms. Lawless. We are incredibly lucky to have had these talented educators join our QES team and we wish them all the best for next year. We are so grateful that we had the chance to get to work and learn with you! As we look ahead to 2021-22, families will be kept informed from CBE Communications over the summer should any public health information impact our plans for school re-entry. Communications directly related to QES will resume when our office opens on August 27th. Information regarding first-day entry points and classroom assignments will be communicated by email at the very end of August. Thank you for another memorable year! Have a safe, healthy and awesome summer. All the best,
Cristin Marr
Principal
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| Dear QES Parents and Guardians, In keeping with our commitment to partner with you on matters of importance, I am writing to advise you of important discussions being held with students over the course of this week and throughout the month of June. The recent news of the tragic discovery of the burial site at The Kamloops Residential School prompted many questions by students and provided an opportunity to help students understand the issues and build compassion for one another.
Queen Elizabeth School students will be given an opportunity to discuss and explore issues connected to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, and provided opportunities to share their thoughts, feelings, and reactions. This discussion includes understanding the significance of National Indigenous History month, flags being flown at half-mast across the country and Orange Shirt Day. As a school committed to teaching care and compassion, the students will be discussing what actions they can take in support of the children, families and communities suffering this tragedy. This week, as one small way to acknowledge our commitment, we wore orange.
Throughout the coming month, we encourage you to answer your child's questions in an open and honest manner and within the context of your families' beliefs and values. As a school, and a member of the larger Calgary Board of Education community, we are committed to fostering a safe, caring, and welcoming learning environment for all students. We are also committed to acknowledging and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action for a better Canada for all of us.
Please contact the main office at 403-777-6789, if you have any questions regarding these conversations, or if you or your family require any additional supports.
Sincerely,
Cristin Marr
Principal
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| As we move into June and the end of our school year, I would like to remind all families that we must maintain our current COVID-19 protocols. Regardless of recent announcements, our expectations for health and safety regulations including mask wearing, physical distancing, hand-hygiene and cohorting have not yet changed. We ask that all parents entering our field property or gathering near entry/exits please continue to wear masks and exercise appropriate distancing. This has undoubtedly been a challenging year for our students and we appreciate how difficult it can be, especially on our youngest learners, when there are significant differences in expectations between the community and the school. We continue to have issues directly after school with large groups gathering on the playground without masks and with limited or no supervision. The number of people far exceeds the current outdoor gathering limits and we continue to receive concerns from parents regarding enforcement. As a staff, we have limited avenues for enforcement and rely on our community to work collaboratively to follow public health measures. I would like to reiterate that there is no school supervision provided after dismissal and the expectation is that all students go directly off school grounds. The Adventurers program utilizes our playground between 4-6pm and they also have mandates regarding health and safety protocols and cohorts. I kindly ask that you work with us to help ensure a safe and healthy end to our school year.
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| Students and families who have travelled outside of Canada are legally required to follow all provincial and federal travel restrictions upon arrival. If your family is participating in the International Border Testing Pilot Program, your child may not return to school until they have tested negative on a second test 6 or 7 days after your arrival. If you are not enrolled in the pilot program, your child must: This means your child is unable to return to school for a minimum of 14 days after your return.
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