Liebe Eltern, dear parents and guardians,

We have good news to share. The school has received Learning Disruption funding as well as increased enrollment and complexity funding. This means that Ms. Jones will be increased from 0.6 to 0.9 FTE. She will teach our new (additional) grade 4 class. We will also be hiring a new full-time teacher who will be teaching our new (additional) grade 5/6 class. Parents have been informed on Monday & Tuesday of this week, if their child is moving to a new class. The changes will take effect on Monday, January 29, 2024, as the second term starts then. Our new hire is Frau Cattanach. She is a German native speaker. She was Bowcroft’s FYTT teacher and is now a regular staff member. Please welcome her warmly.

More good news is that our student Maya Peiris from the German Bilingual program has emerged as one of the winners in ERA's Kids Poster Contest, and, as a result, the school has been awarded a free laptop! Way to go Maya! Thank you to everyone who voted on her poster!

More German Student Teachers Coming

Anna Maria Werner will be joining Frau Hauk’s class and Isabella Rossi grade 4 with Frau Viljoen in February /March for 4 weeks. Stine Warning will be with Mr. Benty starting on March 20 until the end of June. She needs her practicum to be in English.

Math: Grade 3 students (and grade 4, 5 and 6) need to know their multiplication facts up to 10x10. As mentioned before, I have practice sheets that I love to send home. Not many grade 3 students have come to see me to pick up even x2!
Please, do send your child to come and see me to pick up the sheet and start practicing. I know the teachers are working on it in class time, too, but practicing at home is also necessary.

Alien Inline Skating is starting on Monday!

On Thursday, January 25, we have our Open House for interested Kindergarten parents. If you have friends/neighbors who have a little one, tell them to check us out! You may have seen our advertisement signs in the SW or NW. We already have 32 kindergarten registrations (for both programs).

If you see any of our advertisement signs, please let me know WHERE you saw it. I would like to know which sign has been seen the most to make sure we put a sign there again next year. Danke!

Traffic Concerns

Please STOP doing U turns in the middle of the block - this is illegal.
Please STOP doing U turns in intersections - this is illegal, too.
Please STOP crossing your children in between cars - the roads are icy and cars cannot stop/should not stop - jaywalking is illegal and you are teaching your child the WRONG thing.

Here is the scary drop-off example of one of our parents:
This morning, I was driving very slow 10km max (on 73rd) because I was watching a sibling on the school side of the road that looked like he was going to run across back to his car in front of me. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the road a Mom/child were preparing to jay walk behind a big truck…I DIDNT SEE THEM until they were in the middle of the road and almost at my drivers side headlight!! The mom looked at me like I was doing something wrong because I almost hit her child. I then turned around the block to head home and someone was ‘stuck’ in the middle of the intersection/road because he was trying to make a u turn but cars were at all 4 directions and children were trying to cross behind his car now. No one could drive anywhere until this person moved, but he couldn’t move because kids were everywhere. After the kids had crossed, I honked at him and gestured with both hands up, like what are you thinking, and he gave me the middle finger…again…he almost caused multiple accidents and put kids in danger.

Following traffic rules keeps everyone safe. While jaywalking is quicker in the moment, it teaches the children unsafe traffic habits that may cost their life. I urge you to do the right thing. By everyone following traffic rules, everyone will make it to school and work safely. Thank you!

Warm Regards,
Meike Thomsen, Principal

Important Dates

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