Admin Message

As we are headed into Spring Break, there will not be a Weekly Update until April 10, when we have been back in school for a week. Happy St. Patrick’s Day for those of you who are hunting for leprechauns! Things are always busy at Altadore School, but this coming week is going to be crazy! Good Crazy! We have a pulse hip hop dance residency, a special lunch, the Rock Your Locks fundraiser, a Scholastic book fair and Conferences. The spring equinox will be on Tuesday. This is a very important day for our Indigenous families as well as those who celebrate the Persian New Year. Please read below for more information about many of these events.

We are so proud of our students, who have been the driving force behind our Rock Your Locks fundraiser for Kids Cancer Care. We were not planning to do this event for two years in a row, but it is truly back by popular demand. Many of our students have been highly engaged in building excitement throughout the school and our community. The Grade 5 Bake Sale was a hit with students of all ages and made over $1800. A group of grade six students made sure everyone who came in the front door for Sharing Night knew about the event. To date we have over 70 students who will be shaving, cutting or colouring their hair. Ms. Bigelow will be cutting her long locks and donating them to make a wig. What a wonderful example. The two of us have agreed to have our hair dyed multiple colours - 1 colour for every $10,000 raised. So far we have three colours and will see if there will be any more. Stay tuned to find out how clown-y we will look that day.

A big thank you to Mr. Johnson, Ms. Mackenzie, Mr. Fraser and Candace Inkpen, who have been taking care of so many of the behind the scenes details. If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Kelly Christopher, Principal - kdchristophe@cbe.ab.ca

Karlee Zelmer, Assistant Principal - kmzelmer@cbe.ab.ca 

Conferences (March 21 & 22)

We will have Conferences on Thursday, March 21 from 4:00pm - 8:00 pm and on Friday, March 22 from 8:00am- 12:00pm. The Thursday conferences will be in person and the Friday conferences will be virtual via MS Teams.

You will be sent a link about an hour before your conference.

Ms. Wrightson will have additional Kindergarten conferences on Wednesday morning. We hope that as many kindergarten families as possible book this alternative Wednesday morning time. Booking will open at noon on Sunday, March 17 through your MyCBE account. 

Book Fair (March 18-21) 

We are having the Book Fair at Altadore School from March 18-21! A colorful flyer with some of the awesome titles available at the fair will be sent home with your child’s wish list on his/her preview day. You can also see what books are coming by watching one of the videos on the Scholastic Book Fair Website. Below is the schedule for this event. 

The book fair will not be open on Fri. March 22. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email Mrs. Watson at alwatson@cbe.ab.ca 

Rock Your Locks

Join the Rock Your Locks fundraiser where you can shave, cut, or colour your hair to help raise money for Kids Cancer Care, an organization that gives kids opportunities to have fun at special events that they may not be able to do otherwise. If you want to donate to this cause, please sign up. So far we have raised over $32, 000.

We have met our goal of $20,000 but will be challenged to come close to the record we set last year of $60,000. If your child would like to participate by shaving, cutting or colouring their hair please sign them up on the website by 9:00am on Tuesday morning. This will allow us time to make sure we have enough stylists and hair colour.

Fun Lunch (March 20) 

Subway (March 20) This Wednesday, March 20, is our Subway Fun Lunch! If you purchased lunch for your child, it will be delivered to their class on Wednesday, but be sure to supplement your child’s lunch with drinks or snacks as needed.

Panago Pizza (April 24) Panago is coming after spring break on Wednesday, April 24! Place your order by Friday, April 19. Volunteers can sign up for the April 24 Panago lunch!

Parent Feedback Engagement Survey (Closes Friday!)

We know we make better decisions to support student learning when we build understanding and work together. That’s why we are asking you to share your perspectives about our school development plan, school budget and school fees.

• We shared information about these items at our School Council meeting on February 21. You can find the presentation slides on our School Engagement page.
• Please complete the survey.
• The survey is open from February 21 to March 22, 2024 Your input is important to us, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your perspectives.

School Council

Our next School Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:30. We are hoping for a great turnout so it will be a hybrid meeting you can attend online or in person.

• The Grade 3 teachers will be talking about what is involved in implementing a new curriculum, using examples from the science curriculum that is new this year. You might be surprised.
• Help make decisions about how to allocate some of the higher than anticipated funding that was raised through the Direct Donation Campaign and the Hoot!
• Hear about the feedback that was provided to the school through the Parent Engagement Feedback Survey. (As mentioned above, you can still respond this week)
• There will be babysitting provided, snacks, the opportunity to meet new people, lots of fun, and a chance to learn much more about what is happening at the school.

Notes of Thanks

Thank you to the following individuals for their recent contributions to our school…

• School Council who brought in supper for the teachers so they could eat before Sharing Night!
• The teachers for their hard work putting together a great opportunity for students and parents to connect in the classroom at Sharing Night!
• To all of the families who came out to support our students and school at Sharing Night!
• Everyone who has signed up or contributed to the Rock your Locks fundraiser. You are helping us build momentum!
• Will Vandekraatz who has removed the Christmas Trees we had in front of the school.

Questions?                                                                       

Looking for school information you can’t find here? Please contact:

Kelly Christopher, Principal (kdchristophe@cbe.ab.ca)

Karlee Zelmer, Assistant Principal (kmzelmer@cbe.ab.ca)

Julia Hikita, Altadore School Council Chair (altadoreparentcouncil@gmail.com)

Important Dates

March 18 - 21

• Pulse Hip Hop Dance Residency

March 18 - 21

• Book Fair

March 20

• Fun Lunch - Subway

March 21

• Conferences (4pm - 8pm)

March 22

• Conferences (No School for Students)

March 25 - April 1

• Spring Break (No School)

April 10

• School Council (6:30pm)