Important Dates

Jan. 27 Family Literacy Day
Jan. 30 Report Cards live on MyCBE
Feb. 1 Winter Walk to School Day
Feb. 5 Curling Funfit
Feb. 7 World Read Aloud Day
Feb. 10 Lunar New Year
Feb. 15-16 Teachers’ Convention – No School for Students
Feb. 19 Family Day
Feb. 20 Fun Lunch
Feb. 28 Pink Shirt Day

Admin Message

Dear Altadore Families,

It’s been another frigid week with many mixed emotions at Altadore School. Regrettably, we had to cancel the skiing/snowboarding field trip for Grades 4, 5, and 6 to Winsport. We are in the process of figuring out what students may be able to do instead. At the same time, lots of exciting things were going on. The kindergarten students were beyond excited about Popper, a stuffed penguin who came in the mail to help with their study of penguins. Grade 2 students had a wonderful time at Studio Bell and are integrating that experience into their schoolwork. Grade 5 and 6 students welcomed staff and students from Elboya School who were presenting information about Late French Immersion and the Intensive French Program at their school.

Due to the cold weather, traffic issues near the school have increased. Please demonstrate safe, caring, and respectful behaviour for our students. Patience is especially important in the few minutes before school starts and at the end of the day when there is the most congestion. Coming a few minutes early helps a lot! Remember that students may come inside starting at 8:15 when the weather is lower than -20 ℃ including the windchill. We are also hearing from our neighbours that their driveways are often blocked - and that when they ask that a vehicle is moved they are told it’s okay because it’s only for a few minutes, or even that they know who lives there and they don’t mind! Thank you for your
co-operation!

Sincerely,

Kelly Christopher Principal kdchristophe@cbe.ab.ca

Karlee Zelmer Assistant Principal kmzelmer@cbe.ab.ca

Report Cards New Comment Format

This year report cards will become live to parents on the MyCBE on January 30. Please note that you will only be able to access your child’s report card for 30 days if you would like to print a copy.

The CBE has asked schools to make concise, bulleted comments for each student’s areas of strength and next steps. The goal is to increase clarity, make comments easier to understand, and to provide consistency amongst schools. For us at Altadore, you will notice that your child’s report card comments are shorter than they have been in the past.

We do want to make sure you feel fully informed about your child’s learning at school. If you have questions, or would like more information about a particular point, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher at any time.

Recap of our Successful School Fundraisers 

We had an amazing fall, and wanted to give a massive and heartfelt thanks to each and every one of our donors who pitched in to ensure we can continue to offer enriching opportunities for the students at Altadore Elementary.

Our HOOT fundraiser sold out in record time, had an incredibly successful auction, generous sponsors, a dedicated planning committee, and a great time had by all!

The HOOT fundraiser raised a record $34,000!

The Direct Donation Campaign kicked off right as the HOOT wrapped up, and it also saw unwavering support from so many families, thank you!

Direct Donation Campaign raised $37,000!

All of this doesn’t include the countless hours of time many families donate every day to keep these programs going!

This amount is Priceless!

The donations this year have allowed us to offer all of our planned programming, including field trips for every grade, extra support to all of the classrooms, fun fit residencies for the whole school, and so much more! Thank you from the students, the staff, and the Altadore School Council for all that you do!

Fun Lunch - March 20

We have 3 fun lunches left for this school year, so be sure to mark your calendars!

• March 20 (Subway)
• April 24 (Panago Pizza),
• May 15 (Jelly Modern Doughnut)

Orders can be placed on the healthy hunger website HERE!

To order your child’s lunch for our Subway fun lunch on Wednesday, March 20, please place your order by Friday March 15, 2024.

Volunteer to hand out lunches on March 20 HERE!

Smudging

As mentioned in last week’s update, Elder Saa’kokoto has shared the practice of smudging with teachers. Smudging offers a chance for both students and staff to explore Indigenous worldviews. Each classroom explores Indigenous perspectives in a variety of ways in connection with our curriculum. They may be incorporating smudging into this learning as they see fit. Please note that participating in smudging is voluntary. If you have any questions or would like your child to opt out or require accommodations, please contact your child's classroom teacher.

Reading Club

Ms. Christopher will be hosting a reading club for any interested students K-6 on Monday mornigns before school. Students will be able to read on their own, with partners or in small groups, look for new books, talk with other students about books they enjoy, write book reviews, or even write their own books.

If your child is interested, you are welcome to drop them off at the front door between 8:00 and 8:15 on Monday mornings (Unless it is a Blue Day and all students are coming in early).

Volunteers for Field Trips - CBE Security Clearance

Many parents are wanting to volunteer on field trips this year but are not able to come because they do not have CBE Security Clearance. Please make sure you go through the process early so you are able to come with us. If you are unsure if your clearance has expired or if you have any questions about the process please contact Ms. Tori in the office. You must have a CBE Volunteer Clearance (not from other organizations) to volunteer in the school or on field trips.

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 school year started on Monday, January 15, 2024. Children may be registered for kindergarten as long as they turn five years old on or before December 31, 2024. All registration is done online, and is ongoing. There is no need to rush to line up. If you live in our catchment area we will accept your child. If required there will be a draw later in May for morning and afternoon placement. For more information click here.

Notes of Thanks

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

• Parents who joined our School Council Meeting on Wednesday either in person or online.
• Division 2 parents who were willing to volunteer for our planned Winsport trip, and to everyone for their understanding when we weren’t able to go.
• All of the volunteers who accompanied the Grade 2 classes to Studio Bell this week!
• All of the teaching staff for organizing, re-organizing, pivoting, and working hard to make sure that our students continue to receive engaging field trips to support their learning at Altadore 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)