Dear Parents and Guardians
Thank you to all the parents who attended the school council meeting on Tuesday evening at 6:30pm in person. This was also the AGM. All current board members were confirmed in their positions. Thank you for taking on the responsibilities of your positions for another year! Thank you, Bessie, for volunteering to be vice-treasurer and learning from Krystina, and to Marlen who will be vice-chair for fundraising, supporting and learning from April. Thank you to all parents who are on the Executive of BPAC!
On Thursday, we had some very special guests visiting the German program. Frau Irene Mrázek, Fachberaterin für Deutsch / Senior German Language Consultant, Edmonton, AB
Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen/Central Agency for Schools Abroad; Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten/BfAA. She is responsible for Western Canada ranging from Manitoba to British Columbia. Her job is to oversee the advanced German language exams and promote German language learning in general. She will be in Canada for up to 7 years. She will be able to meet her at our winter celebration in December! Irene was accompanied by her own supervisor: Naamah Segura, Manager of International Services Branch at Alberta Education.
We also had our first lockdown practice on Thursday afternoon. Drill expectations change as the years go on as the real-life experiences of the Calgary Police change and Best Practices are adjusted. New this year is: as the students sit against the (safest) wall in their class, they are now asked to ensure to have their hat/caps/hoodies off. Staff are sitting at the front of the line, not in front of the students. The students all did a fantastic job of being quiet.
Today, Friday 11, 2024, Chantal, indigenous storyteller, shared some of her stories with all our classes. Students listened attentively. Did you know that Chantal also speaks German? Her dad is German!
Next week, Thursday, October 17, 2025, we welcome our parents, grandparents and students to join us for the FAMILY LITERACY NIGHT that runs from 6:00 to 7:00pm. This is a time to explore, experience and learn about your child’s discoveries in reading, writing and speaking.
6:00-6:30pm
- Elder Chantal will be in the gym with Division 2 Classes (grade 4-6)
- Division One will be in their classes walking parents through literacy learning opportunities.
- Frau Thomsen will be in the library for story time
- Parent Table will be available for parents to ask questions, see how to support UFLI at home, how to talk with your student about school and what is a 1,2,3, 4 in writing.
6:30-7:00pm
- Elder Chantal will be in the gym with Division 1 Classes (grade 1-3)
- Division Two will be in their classes walking parents through literacy learning opportunities.
- Frau Thomsen will be in the library for story time
- Parent Table will be available for parents to ask questions, see how to support UFLI at home, how to talk with your student about school and what is a 1,2,3, 4 in writing.
Growing up on a farm, Thanksgiving was always a special time: the harvest was in, the winter sowing completed. My parents would work a little less, a sort of calm arrived. One winter, my dad taught us how to play SKAT a Northern Germany, complicated card game that requires 3 players (or 4 with one person is dealing the cards). On Saturday nights, my dad would sometimes play with my sister and me, while my mom was baking something delicious for the Sunday ahead: fresh bread, a cake – or both. She loved to cook and bake. A passion that has clearly missed me. Her passion for gardening though, I did inherit. For the past six weeks, I’ve been eating grapes from my own garden. As well as apples. I’m grateful for all the fruit my garden has provided me with – fresh during the summer and fall and frozen as we move into the winter season. As a gardener, you notice the little things and are grateful for the little things. You also appreciate how everything is a cycle: the year and its season, our life, the moon.
The biggest lesson I learned from growing up on the farm and with my parents was this: family is important. You work and help each other. Children can help. With easy tasks when they are young and bigger tasks as they get older. Giving children chores to do is important. It teaches them responsibility. It teaches them that you think they are capable. It teaches them that you rely on them as much as they rely on you. They need to learn early on that they can rely on themselves. Raising children into problem-solving, confident young adults starts when they are little. Don’t always rescue them. Allow them to fail in a safe environment and allow them to figure it out by themselves. Failing is part of learning, is part of working things out. My 5 year old granddaughter still has training wheels on her bicycle. It’s driving me crazy! Take them off! I say to my son (who also rode his bike without the training wheels by the time he was 3).
Wishing you and your families a thankful, peaceful Thanksgiving weekend. See you all on Tuesday !
Warm regards,
Meike Thomsen, Principal
Dates to Remember
October 14: No School; Thanksgiving
October 17: Grade 6 Vaccinations and Family Literacy Night 6:00-7:00pm
October 25: No School; Non-Instruction Day
October 29: Photo Retakes
November 5: BPAC, 6:30 pm
November 8: No School; Non-Instruction Day
November 11-13: No school; Fall break
November 14: Classes Resume
November 19-22: Ms. Dietrich, Grade 3 to Calgary Open Minds week-long field trip: Eco School
November 26: Family Math Night; 6:00 – 7:30 pm
November 26-29: Book Fair Now a day longer to be open during the family math night too!
November 28: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:15 to 8:00pm
November 29: No School; Parent-Teacher Conferences, 8:00 to 1:00pm
December 3: BPAC, 6:30pm
December 18: German Winter Celebration, 6:00-7:00 pm
December 19: Community Winter Celebration, 6:00-7:00 pm
December 20: Last Day of School
December 23-January 3: Winter Break
January 6: Classes Resume
January 7: BPAC 6:30 pm
January 13-17: Frau Hauck, Grade 2: Calgary Open Minds, Library School
January 20-24: Ms. Buckner, Grade 3: Calgary Open Minds, Library School
January 31: No School, Non-Instruction Day
February 4: BPAC 6:30 pm
February 13-14: No School; Teacher Convention
February 17: No School, Family Day
February 24-27: Ms. Halvorson, Grade 1, Calgary Open Minds, Arts Commons
February 24-27 & March 17: Regular Grade 6, Calgary Open Minds, Arts Commons
February 28: No School; Non-Instruction Day
March 3-6: Ms. Ruhrmann, Grade 1, Calgary Open Minds, Arts Commons
March 4: BPAC 6:30 pm
March 10-14: Ms. Tessier, Grade 4, Calgary Open Minds, Jube School