Colonel Irvine School 412 Northmount Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2K 3H6 t | 403-777-7280 f | 403-777-7283 e | colonelirvine@cbe.ab.ca

w | cbe.ab.ca/b000

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Newsletter | February 2018

Virtue of the Month-Wisdom

Principal’s Message

The month of January seems to have flown by since our winter break. Our feeder school tour was held January 24

th during the day and our annual open house was in the evening. It

was great for us to see and meet our new prospective students for the next school year. We had over 250 people at our open house. This was an opportunity to visit the school, meet teachers, and to see many displays and students in action. If you missed this evening and have questions, please feel free to contact us.

We will be hosting two outstanding celebrations bringing in the Lunar New Year on February 12

th at 10:00 am and an evening program at 6:30 for parents and guests. Our

students are very excited to show off their skills and talents. We also thank the numerous students and parents for their energy and support. We are very fortunate to have such a supportive school community.

Accountability Survey

As an annual check-up on the education system, the Accountability Pillar provides an opportunity for Alberta Education and school authorities to ensure that we are equipping students for success.

The Accountability Pillar uses a set of 16 indicators. Data on these indicators consists of surveys of students, parents and teachers on various aspects of education quality, student outcomes such as dropout and high school completion rates, and provincial assessments of student learning.

From January to the end of February, Alberta Education will be conducting the annual Accountability Pillar Survey.

In January, parents of students in grades 4, 7 and 10 received a survey from Alberta Education.

In February, students in grades 4, 7 and 10 and all teachers will be completing their surveys online at school.

All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with your school. In addition to English and French, the parent survey is available in Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic, Blackfoot, Dene, Cree, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Urdu.

If you Don’t Know the answer to a particular question, please skip that question and go to the next one, unless you want your response to count as a negative one.

Your participation in the survey helps provide important information on the quality of education your child is receiving, so we encourage you to return your survey promptly.

Survey results will be available to school authorities in May 2018, and will be reported publicly as part of their 3-Year Education Plans and Annual Education Results Reports.

Important Dates February 12: Lunar New Year activities,

all grades 12: LNY Celebration, 6:30 pm,

main gym 14: Theatre Calgary 15-16: No School, Teacher’s

Convention 19: No School, Family Day

20: No School, PD day

22: Gr 8/9 Band Festival, UofC

27: Gr 7/8 Hitmen Hockey

28: Pink Shirt Day

March 9: Virtue Assembly 9: Early Dismissal, 12:02 13: School Council, 6:30 22: ED, 12:02 23: Non-instructional day 26: Spring Break begins

April 3-Classes resume

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We also have the upcoming Family Day long weekend. I hope that students and families will find time to spend with each other.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely, Ms. Bea Ko, Principal

School Council & Parent Advisory Association The next regular School Council meeting is on March 13 at 6:30 at the school. All parents/guardians are welcome to attend as this is a great opportunity to stay informed about what is happening at the school. Special Meeting to review CISC/CIPAA Online Survey Outcomes The CISC/CIPAA Online Survey just before the winter break enjoyed a very good response from our Irvine community. A big THANK YOU goes out to all of you who filled it out! We truly appreciate your candid feedback! Your input will help inform our plans and priorities over the next 2 years. If you would like to hear a summary of the Survey outcomes and participate in some preliminary visioning based on these results, please join us at our special meeting on Feb 27 at 6:30pm in the staff lunchroom. Everyone in the school community (staff, students and parents) are welcome! Happy New Year! Our all-school celebration for Chinese New Year is on Monday, February12, beginning at 10a.m. The afternoon will be filled with activities for all students; these will include dumpling making, Chinese Yo-Yo, Calligraphy with an Artist in Residence, and Chinese painting. The evening celebrations begin at 6:30 at the school. To make the day even more special, students, staff, and guests are encouraged to wear their cultural clothing or red on February 12. As in the past, we rely heavily on the good will of our volunteers to help make this celebration a success. Please go to Sign-up Genius http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c45a8af23a13-lunar to secure your volunteer spot.

OFFSITE ACTIVITIES

Theatre Calgary

This Valentine’s Day, both Grade 9 classes will be attending an afternoon matinee of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at Theatre Calgary!

The grade nines are studying Twelfth Night in Language Arts class and are having fun familiarizing themselves with Shakespearean language and how to translate blank verse into our own modern day English. Students have been working in groups to read and understand the play scene by scene. Sharing ideas and working together has allowed them to be more confident with such challenging language and word play.

Twelfth Night is a comedy about a twin brother and sister who are separated and stranded in the fictional land of Illyria after a shipwreck. The twins are unaware of each other’s survival and end up in complicated and humorous love triangles. Twelfth Night reflects themes about unrequited love, deceiving appearances, and gender norms.

Theatre Calgary is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Colonel Irvine is happy to

be able to support them. Seeing a live performance is the best way to experience Shakespeare since plays are supposed to be viewed rather than read.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your family! - Ms. Duval

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Alberta International Band Festival In 1971, Mr. John Nikel had a vision for a band festival that would provide an opportunity for young Albertans to perform and learn in a positive, educational environment. This vision resulted in the first Alberta International Band Festival (then the Alberta Stage Band Festival) with 8 jazz bands performing in the first year. In keeping with the original vision of Mr. Nikel, the festival continues to be managed by volunteers, mostly band directors, in both Edmonton and Calgary as a not-for-profit venture.

The Grade 8/9 Band will be competing in the Alberta International Band Festival on Thursday, Feb. 22nd at the Rosza Centre at the University of Calgary at 10:30am.

All performances are open to the public and admission (with the exception of the Showcase Concerts) is free. Parents, friends, etc. are encouraged to attend the Festival and watch the daily festival performances.

Parents and friends are advised to park in the Arts Parkade at the University of Calgary. Please be advised that parking fees may apply.

ATHLETICS/PHYS ED.

Thank you to the Colonel Irvine Wrestling Team for an amazing season and a great showing in the Divisional

Tournament at the Genesis Center on January 25th. Our wrestlers worked hard through three separate Quad Meets to

come out on top in the area of 'Proficiency' at Divisionals. We are so proud of the dedication and growth we saw from our

athletes throughout the wrestling season!—Mr. Chang and Ms.

Uzelman Basketball is going well so far. Our Senior Girls won both of their games last week at HDC. Our Junior Girls will be hosting home games on January 30

th. Our Junior Boys will be hosting

home games February 5th. We look forward to an exciting

season with all of our basketball teams! Thanks to Mr. Chang and Ms. Uzelman for volunteering their time to coach our successful wrestling team.

LOST AND FOUND Please encourage your child to check our lost and found bins (across from the Resource Room and outside the main gym) for any items they may have misplaced. We have lots of clothes, shoes, lunch bags, and water bottles. The 2018-19 school calendar has been finalized and posted. The first day for schools following the traditional calendar is Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, while schools following the modified calendar begin Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018.

System calendars establish common start and end days, and 10 system-wide days for schools to schedule parent-teacher conferences, professional development and organizational days. Schools may identify additional non-instructional days, late entries or early dismissals in consultation with their school community and area director, and in alignment with Alberta Education and CBE requirements for instruction.

While most of our schools follow the traditional calendar, a number use a modified calendar with an earlier start to the school year and additional breaks throughout the year. Please visit our system calendar page or your school’s website for more information.

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Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) and Skilled Trade Fairs Junior & senior high students are invited to participate in a RAP and Skilled Trade Fair presented by CAREERS: The Next Generation in collaboration with the Calgary Board of Education and other partners. These FREE EVENTS will introduce students to various industries and career opportunities they might not know about. Students will be inspired and motivated to take steps toward high school internship opportunities with RAP. All events will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the following dates:

South Calgary - Wednesday February 21, 2018 at Lord Beaverbrook High School

North Calgary - Wednesday March 7, 2018 at James Fowler High School

East Calgary - Tuesday March 20, 2018 at Father Lacombe High School

All students are welcome! For more information visit: http://conta.cc/2rcT6hS

BUSSING With a new school year we are pleased to report that bus loading/unloading is going well.

All busses leave from Highwood School this year, approximately 15 minutes after the bell. Our television monitors report bus arrivals at the end of the day and students are encouraged to check when their bus has arrived and where it is located.

Our students share busses with younger students from Highwood. Our older students are expected to provide positive mentorship and leadership on their bus.

Students, know your bus letter! It helps in finding the right bus.

Bus maps and routes can be found on the CBE or Colonel Irvine websites using the “Find my bus” icon and searching for Colonel Irvine busses. If routes are changed, we will notify parents and the updated information will be found on the transportation page.

Registered bussing students may switch busses to ride with a friend ONLY if parents have provided a written note ahead of time. This note should be brought to the office for a signature before the end of the day as it will need to be presented to the bus driver.

Students without a valid bus contract are not allowed to ride the school bus at any time.

If you miss your bus, return to the school! Phone home for a ride or other instructions from your parents.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please call the school office or Southland Transportation at 405-205-6688.

SUPERVISION TIMES Please note that teacher supervision times are 15 minutes before and after school (8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.). All students who are not directly under the supervision of a teacher should leave the school by 3:30pm at the very latest.

COMMUNICATION INFORMATION

Effective communication is important to us and we have provided many opportunities to provide communication tools. Some of our teachers have regularly updated information on the Desire to Learn website (D2L) where parents and students can look at assignments and up to date marks from home. Others are working toward placing information into their own D2L shell, and some staff and parents will continue to communicate through email or telephone. We also use Home Logic which allows you the opportunity to view your child’s marks and assignments in each subject. Both D2L and HomeLogic are available by accessing our Colonel Irvine website and clicking the appropriate button. We understand

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there have been some challenges around accessing HomeLogic and we hopefully have rectified the issues. Monthly newsletters are also placed on our website as is most information. It is recommended that you please check the website periodically to keep informed. Should you have other suggestions that could enhance our communication with you, please call or email.

LATES AND ABSENCES

IMPORTANT: Please call in all absences and lates **daily before 8:00 am** to help us ensure your child’s attendance. Please leave a message on the attendance line. Our phone number is 403-777-7280 – press “1”. Our School Messenger will automatically contact the home of students who are absent or late without notification. These calls happen between 6 and 9 pm. Our school will contact the home of grades 5 and 6 students, who are absent without notification, immediately. Please remember to clearly spell your child’s full name and give the homeroom number.

IMPORTANT ATTENDANCE INFORMATION! The following information from the Calgary Board of Education should help clarify school policy regarding students who have extended absences during the school year.

Calgary Board of Education believes there is a strong positive correlation between attendance and effective education.

Section 13(5) of Alberta School Act, excuses students from attending school due to illness or other unavoidable cause, religious holidays, suspension/expulsion, or permission from the Board. All other absences will be recorded as an unexcused in your child’s school attendance record.

It is not the school’s or Calgary Board of Education’s responsibility to provide homework to students who will be away on extended absences.

The Alberta Education website includes curriculum information for parents if they wish to ensure that a child continues to learn towards successful completion of their grade: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/

Consistent attendance in school is critical for children to complete their education successfully. These absences can interfere with their ability to achieve success in learning and social development. Please contact the office if you have any questions or wish to provide additional information. Parent Phone Calls to Colonel Irvine It is understood that at times a parent may need to speak to their child during school hours. However, we would ask that if possible, parents make arrangements with their child before coming to school. It is imperative that we minimize interruptions during class time for non-emergent issues. If you need to call we will ask your child to call you for your message. Please do not text with your child during class time. PARKING As some of the new bus stops in the communities are on busy roads, please park off the road while waiting for the bus so as not to risk your child’s safety when loading and unloading. To our parents who pick up their children at the school: A reminder that the parking stalls facing the local businesses at the small mall beside the school are not to be used as a parking area when picking up or dropping off your children. The local businesses appreciate your understanding and support. Please do not park in the bus zone in front of the school.

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Colonel’s Café Menu--February

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