Admin Message
Oki, Hello, Altadore Families
February brings many exciting events and important reminders for our school community!
🎉 Chinese New Year – Year of the Snake – We welcome the Year of the Snake and celebrate the traditions, culture, and history of Chinese New Year. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and appreciate the significance of this festival.
❄ Cold Weather Reminder – We will likely be having a few blue (inside) days next week. As temperatures drop, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for winter with warm jackets, gloves, hats, and boots. Proper winter gear is essential for staying comfortable and safe during outdoor activities. Students in the Polar Bear Club will only go outside if: they are properly dressed for the cold, parents have given permission via their classroom teacher, the child wishes to go outside, and adult supervisors are available and deem the weather conditions manageable.
Walk to School Day – Postponed – Walk to School Day is usually held on February 5, but due to the extreme cold, we will postpone the event until the weather improves. Stay tuned for a new date!
📚 Family Literacy Week – Last week, we celebrated Family Literacy Week, emphasizing the importance of reading and writing at home. For great ideas on supporting literacy with your child, visit CBE Family Literacy Week.
Black History Month – February is Black History Month, a time to honor and learn about the achievements, contributions, and history of Black individuals and communities. Throughout the month, we will engage in meaningful discussions and activities to promote awareness and understanding.
Warm Regards,
Rolf Haensel Karlee Zelmer
Acting Principal Assistant Principal
rehaensel@cbe.ab.ca kmzelmer@cbe.ab.ca
Board Game Club
Ms. Zelmer and Ms. Mackenzie will be hosting a board game club for any interested students in any grade after school on Mondays. This time will focus on having fun, taking turns and playing fairly. The club will take place in the learning commons/library. Students are welcome to bring their own board game or use ours and can be picked up on the compound afterwards. Based on Feedback from last week we will extend this time until 4 PM. Students should come directly to the learning commons after school.
Valentines Day at Altadore (Feb 12)
Many families celebrate Valentine’s Day at Altadore School and we strive to promote the values of care, kindness and empathy every day. Students who wish to may bring Valentine’s for their classmates on Feb 12. To ensure inclusivity, please provide cards for the entire class. We prefer cards over treats and will have students save any treats they get for home, where you can monitor dietary needs and sugar intake 🙂. Check teacher communication coming this week for classroom-specific details. If your family does not celebrate Valentine’s Day, alternative activities can be arranged just let your teacher know.
Valentines Treats for Teachers (Feb 12)
With Valentine’s Day falling on a PD day this year we are going to provide some yummy treats for our teachers a couple days early. We will be collecting treats at the main office on February 12 at 8:30 am. If you are able to contribute something please sign up using the signup genius HERE. Thank you to all who are able to provide some delicious snacks for the hardworking team at Altadore!
Fun Lunch (Feb 18)
February's Fun Lunch is Jelly Modern Doughnut on February 18. Don't forget to order by February 13 to have your child receive a fun lunch! Orders can be placed HERE.
Volunteers are still needed and appreciated! If interested, please sign up here!
Kindergarten Registration 2025-26
Kindergarten registration for the 2025-26 school year is open. Children can be registered for kindergarten if they turn five years old on or before Dec. 31, 2025. We will have an orientation for new kindergarten families on May 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM.
Registration is done online and you can find information on kindergarten registration on the public CBE website.
Grade 7 - 2025-26 Information
Altadore Grade 6 students will be moving on to Junior High for the 2025-26 school year. There are three CBE schools where students might attend:
1. Mount Royal School (our current designated school)
2. A.E. Cross School (overflow school to Mount Royal)
3. Elboya School (Late French Immersion school)
Here is some information about open houses and informational presentations being offered by each school:
Mount Royal School The open house has passed, however if you would like any additional information or have questions, please contact mountroyal@cbe.ab.ca Please note that Mount Royal School has been over capacity since 2022. Although Altadore students are currently designated to Mount Royal School they have not been able to accommodate all students who live within their boundaries and there is a lottery in place. Students unsuccessful in the lottery will be sent to A.E. Cross as the designated overflow school. (This information is subject to change).
Open House for Elboya School will take place from 6:00-7:30 pm on Thursday, February 6, 2024. If you are interested in learning more about the Late French Immersion Program (Grades 7 & 8) or the Intensive French Program (Grade 6), we encourage you to attend with your child. Student representatives, teachers, and administration will be available to answer your questions. Please contact elboya@cbe.ab.ca for more information regarding this program. Link: Open House
Open House at A.E. Cross School will take place in April. Staff are also planning a visit to the grade 6 students here at Altadore. We will send more information about this when it is available. For more information please contact aecross@cbe.ab.ca .
Grade 6 - 2025-26 Intensive French Program Information
Altadore Grade 5 students have the option of attending an Intensive French program at Elboya School for Grade 6. This program is for students who eventually would transition to their Late Immersion program in Gr. 7. Grade 5 students will be shown a video in class about this program and interested families are invited to join
the Open House at Elboya School on February 6 along with our Grade 6s (see information above or email elboya@cbe.ab.ca for more information).
Grade 4,5 & 6 Surveys
In February, our division 2 students will be participating in online school perception surveys. Grade 4 students will be participating in the Alberta Education Assurance Survey and Grade 5 and 6 students will complete the CBE Student Survey. Please note that Grade 4 parents will also be asked to complete the Alberta Education Assurance survey and will be sent more information and a random access code through Canada Post.
These surveys are anonymous and allow students to voice their feedback on their experiences at school, the school environment and a variety of learning and well-being topics.
In alignment with CBE’s Education Plan, the results are used in school and district reports and planning so that students are at the centre of all CBE decisions; able to integrate and apply the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies they are acquiring across all academic disciplines; and demonstrating Citizenship, Personal Development and Character in and through learning.
If you have questions or would like to request more information about the upcoming implementation of these surveys, please contact the school.
Don’t forget to check out our Altadore_School_Parents instagram account for friendly reminders of upcoming school events, fun lunch updates, council meetings, and so much more!
Notes of Thanks
Thank you to the following individuals for their recent contributions to our school…
- Thank you to Amy Close for working on the updates with us while Katie Mellon is away!
- Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped ensure a fun and exciting field trip for the classes that attended Telus Spark last week!
- Thank you to Ms. Zelmer and Ms. Mackenzie for hosting our Board Game Club on Mondays after school!
- Larissa Kennedy-Chan for bringing Fun Lunches to the students at Altadore this school year!
Questions
Looking for school information you can’t find here? Please contact:
Rolf Haensel, Acting Principal (rehaensel@cbe.ab.ca)
Karlee Zelmer, Assistant Principal (kmzelmer@cbe.ab.ca)
Julia Hikita, Altadore School Council Chair (altadoreparentcouncil@gmail.com