Liebe Eltern, dear parents and guardians,

At the end of any residency, I always like to gather feedback. Today, I would like to share what some of the kids have said:

Grade 1:

I liked when Mister Martin taught me how to do the spin in Merengue dance.
I liked to perform in the gym with all of the people.
I liked to do Merengue and I learned the 8 steps.
I liked Merengue because I liked dancing at the concert. Dancing is fun.
I liked learning about Merengue dance from the Dominican Republic.
I liked dancing with a boy. The Merengue with Ms. Halvorson was fun.
I liked when I got taught by Mr. Marin and he’s a good Merengue dancer.
I liked how you taught me the Merengue. I also liked your clothes at the Christmas concert.

Grade 2/3

When asked what they liked the most, their answers varied from: the promenade, the tango, dancing, dancing and learning new moves like the cortez, the performance
When asked what they are most proud of, some of the answers were:
I learned to ballroom dance. vI was happy because it was so good. Doing it. Performing in front of people. Being a leader (instead of the follower).  That I performed well.
Showing up.
When asked: “When you performed, how did it make you feel?” students answered:
Wonderful, excited, nervous, happy, excited because my dad and mom watched. One student’s response was “sad, because I did not like it at all.”

One parent wrote:

I must say when the ballroom dance residency was first announced, I was completely put off by the idea.  I didn’t understand what the kids would gain from this.  After talking to a parent, my eyes were opened to what the kids could learn - focus, dexterity, coordination among other skills.

Emric was also completely defensive when the teachers shared the upcoming program with the kids.  He was not dancing, he does not dance, it was not happening. 
I asked him to be open to the idea as this may help with his Ninja skills (he wants to be a Ninja when he grows up). 

By the time the Dance Performance came, Emric was absolutely taken in; he was even dressing like the instructor on a daily basis as Tango dancers, like Ninja’s, wear black.  He was so confident in himself and excited to perform. 

He showed the video to everyone who would watch over Winter Break.

Thank you for opening both myself and my children to this experience!

The instructor was absolutely amazing. 

I appreciate the social respect and sense of cooperation he instilled in all the students.                      Morgan Metzger

Next month, our school council meeting will be one week later: February 12, 2024. Thank you for changing it in your calendars, too!

We are in the process of organizing a Grade 2/3 field trip to the Royal Tyrell Museum on May 16, 2024. This would include ALL 111 students! Please mark your calendar, as your child will need to be dropped off at school EARLY: at 8:00am. The busses will leave at 8:15am. We will not be able to wait for stragglers, as we need to be at the museum by 10:00am as our programs start at 10:15am. We will need many volunteers. If you are interested, please take the day off work. If you do not have your volunteer clearance, come to the office and get it started. It takes up to 2 months!

The field trip is scheduled to be back at school by dismissal time.

Stay tuned as we share more information at a later date.

Monday is no school, as teachers are having a professional development day.

Please stay warm and safe! Frostbite at -40C happens quickly!

Warm Regards,
Meike Thomsen, Principal

Important Dates

January 15: No School, Professional Development
January 19: Kindergarten classes to Fish Creek Park, field trip
January 23: Branton School, Late French Immersion presentation to grade 6 classes, 2:45 pm this is a day later now than in the last WAG
January 25: German/kindergarten Open House 6:00pm
January 26: ROARS assembly
January 29-February 8: Alien Inline skating 
February 12: BPAC Meeting at 6:30pm this is a week LATER than initially planned
February 15 and 16: No school, Teachers' Convention
February 19: No school, Family Day
February 23: ROARS assembly
February 29: 6:30 pm literacy night
March 4: BPAC meeting at 6:30pm
March 21: Last day of classes before Spring Break; Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:15 to 8:00pm
March 22: Parent-Teacher Conferences 8:00am to 1:00pm
March 25-April 1: Spring Break
April 2: Classes Resume
April 8: School Council, 6:30 pm
April 19: No School, System Languages PD
May 16: Grade 2/3 trip to the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller