Seasons Greetings from the Board of Trustees and the Chief Superintendent

From the CBE:

"The holiday season is upon us once again. It’s a time to celebrate and reflect on the year that is ending.

We can’t look back on 2013 without remembering the unprecedented flood that occurred in June. It was a difficult time for so many of our communities and caused disruption to our year-end exams and activities. Yet, our teachers, staff, students, parents and volunteers pulled together as a strong, supportive community to ensure our students, schools and facilities were safe – and to support each other and those impacted by the flood.

The dedication demonstrated at that time was inspiring and continues throughout the year. We value your commitment to our students and schools and we look forward to continuing to work together to support student learning.

Best wishes for a joyous holiday and for the coming new year."

From the CBE: Check upcoming school open houses to see choices to personalize learning

"The CBE has a rich variety of programs to personalize learning for students. A great way to learn more about these programs is to visit the many open houses that take place throughout the year. To see our full calendar of open houses click here."

Grade 3 PAT's Being Replaced with New Assessment Tool

From the CBE:

"Recently, Alberta Education let us know that Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) will be replaced with Student Learning Assessments (SLAs). These new diagnostic assessments will be administered at the beginning of the school year rather than at the end of the school year.

Moving testing to the start of the school year provides students, parents and teachers with timely information about each Grade 3 student.  This information can be used throughout the school year to build on each student’s strengths and address challenges as needed.

Alberta Education is replacing all Grade 3 PATs with Student Learning Assessments (SLAs) in 2015. The plan is for PATs to be phased out gradually as SLAs are phased in. Grade 3 PATs will be phased out first, with SLAs being administered to incoming Grade 3 students as early as September 2014. We are excited to be a part of this pilot opportunity that will help shape this tool for the benefit of students, teachers and parents.

As the 2013-14 school year is a transition year, Alberta Education gave school boards the option of participating in the old PAT testing program for Grade 3.   We have decided CBE students in Grade 3 will not be writing PATs this June. To reach this decision, we worked with principals, school communities, our teacher advisory group, other school jurisdictions and the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Moving to SLAs aligns with the vision outlined in Alberta Education’s Inspiring Education, where education systems are more responsive to the learning needs of individual students. This also aligns with our vision of personalized learning; to adjust learning to the needs of each student.

For more information about SLAs, visit Alberta Education."

Parent Council / Association Meeting 

Are you aware that the next Parent Council Meeting and Parent Association Meeting is just around the corner?
Mark your calendars to attend our next meeting it is at Haultain Memorial School in the Library on December 10th at 6:30pm.  They are open to all and we encourage you to attend.

The agenda for the meetings are as follows:

Agenda Council December 2013

 

Agenda PA December 2013

 Minutes to be ratified are as follows:

 

Minutes Council November 2013

 

Minutes PA November 2013

Urban Coyotes

Last week, I saw a coyote walking on a sidewalk in Queensland in the middle of the afternoon.  It was alarming to me, as the animal was deeply imbedded within the community during school hours.  As a precaution, I phoned the City of Calgary (3-1-1), as well as the two nearby schools (including Haultain).  Here is some information I found on the City of Calgary website regarding urban coyotes:


"Coyotes are common in Calgary. Keep your dog leashed at all times, and pick up children or small dogs if a coyote is spotted. If you are in a remote location and spot a coyote, leave the area immediately. Never leave food in your yard, even pet food, and avoid hanging bird feeders that contain lard or suet.

For more information on coyotes, call the Coyote Hotline at 403-297-7789 or visit the Living with coyotes website.

 

Who should you call regarding coyotes?

• In an emergency situation where there is immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
• For non-emergency situations and to report coyote sightings, please call 3-1-1 (from within Calgary) or 403-268-CITY (2489) (from outside Calgary).
• Calgarians can also report coyote sightings or injured coyotes to the Calgary district office ofAlberta Fish and Wildlife at (403) 297-6423 or 1-80

  Urban coyotes

  Calgary's natural spaces are part of what makes our communities unique. Many of us appreciate the abundance of green spaces within the city limits where we can enjoy nature and for a little while, remove ourselves from the bustle of the city.

  Enjoying those special places brings a responsibility—we must realize we share these spaces with other creatures, some of which can be dangerous on occasion.

  Coyotes are one such species. They exist within Calgary and residents need to be aware of their presence and what to do if they are encountered. Because of several factors, coyotes are not necessarily staying in traditional natural areas—they are present in many urban areas within the city. This may be happening because they are finding food sources within the city and are not discouraged from utilizing those sources.

  Although coyotes mainly feed on small mammals such as mice and rats, they will attack domestic pets. Coyotes are generally no threat to people but should be treated with respect and never approached or fed. People with small children should be especially careful with their children around animals.

  While there have been reports of coyotes attacking people, these attacks are extremely rare.

  Coyotes are part of our urban wildlife and should be enjoyed, but from a safe distance.

   
• The Alberta government is responsible for wildlife management. The City of Calgary is providing this information as a public service.​"

 

 

Canadian parents willing to go into debt to put children in hockey: Are you? (with poll)

From The Calgary Herald:

"A Leger survey commissioned by CST Consultants, an RESP provider, showed that 61 per cent of Canadians say they, or someone they know, have borrowed money or used their retirement savings to put a child through hockey or other extracurricular activities.
The survey said average household spends $1,500 on hockey-related expenses – less than the typical Canadian household invests in

education

savings ($1,455 per year). Fewer than half of Canadian households have a Registered Education Savings Plan or RESP (45 per cent)."

Read the article from The Calgary Herald here.

Police Charge Minor With Online Threats

From the CBE:

"The safety and security of our students and staff is of utmost importance to us at the Calgary Board of Education. To that end, we support the Calgary Police Service in its efforts to serve and protect young people and are circulating the following news media release which police released today, Nov. 25. "

Read the story here.