Admin Message
Oki Hello Altadore Families
The first week of May was filled with exciting learning opportunities! Students painted fish for Stream of Dreams, walked to Glenmore Park for Survivor Swimming, and had their first lesson in the edible garden. A heartfelt thank you to Christiana Mueller, Dan Hikita, and all the volunteers who made this week so special. A reminder that swimming continues this week as well.
May is Jewish Heritage Month—a time to recognize and celebrate the significant contributions of Jewish Canadians in areas such as law, politics, culture, and sports.
A reminder that the Altadore School Council meeting is on Wednesday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. Please join us online or in person. We’re excited to share a video from the Grade 4 land acknowledgment and a presentation from the Grade 2 teachers on our writing SDP goal.
Wishing you a wonderful Sunday and a Happy Mother’s Day!
Iikiinayookaa M. Yellow Horn Karlee Zelmer
Principal Assistant Principal
mfyellowhorn@cbe.ab. kmzelmer@cbe.ab.ca
Parent Appreciation Tea
The Altadore School volunteer tea will be held on Thursday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m., with the door opening at 9:45 a.m. Please RSVP by May 19 by emailing Ms. Catherine Brown-Wolfe at cabrownwolfe@cbe.ab.ca
We are thrilled to invite you to our Parent Appreciation Tea—our special way of saying thank you for everything you do to make Altadore a wonderful place to learn and grow.
Altadore is known for its thriving, inclusive school culture, and that’s because of all of you. This event isn’t just for formal volunteers—it’s a celebration of everyone who contributes in so many ways, including:
- coming to the school council
- volunteering for field trips
- helping your child to read at home
- getting your child to school on the days they want to stay in bed
- coming to conferences
- working with teachers to determine the next steps for your child
- advocating for your child if something is not going the way you think it should
We hope you all see yourselves reflected in this invitation, and we warmly encourage you to come out to the tea. Hope to see you there!
School Council Meeting (May 14 at 6:30pm)
We invite all Altadore parents and guardians to attend our School Council Meeting on May 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Altadore School. If you cannot attend in person, a Microsoft Teams link will be sent out the day of for you to join us online!
We welcome anyone interested, and childcare will be provided for all school-aged kids!
Meeting Minutes from our April 9 meeting can be found HERE.
Personal Sports Equipment
We thank the Altadore School Council for providing each class with recess equipment. To ensure student safety and consistency, we kindly ask that students do NOT bring personal outdoor equipment to school—this includes tennis balls, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, baseballs, bats, and similar items.
Neighbours Nursery Plant Sale (May 15)
Please join us for our Plant Sale!
Neighbours Nursery will be taking over the Altadore School parking lot on Thursday, May 15, from 3:00 to 7:30 p.m. Come grab everything you need for your garden from our local nursery!
Spring Concert
Wednesday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.: Due to safety regulations, only two parents and/or guardians are welcome to the evening performance. We ask that all guests exit using the front door immediately after the performance. Childcare will not be provided.
Wednesday, May 21, 1:30: Due to safety regulations, only two guests are welcome to the afternoon performance. Please arrive at 1:15 and exit using the front door immediately after the performance.
Students will watch the afternoon concert on Tuesday, May 20.
Bikes and Scooters at School
We are excited to see an increase in the number of bikes and scooters being used by students! Just a few reminders:
- Bike and scooter racks are provided in the schoolyard for parking.
- Please remember that students cannot ride bikes or scooters in the schoolyard or courtyard.
Let’s keep our school grounds safe for everyone! Thank you for your cooperation.
School Council Volunteer Opportunities
Join Our School Council and Make a Difference! Are you passionate about education and community involvement? Do you want to play a key role in shaping the future of our school? We're looking for dedicated volunteers to join our School Council!
As a council member, you'll:
- Collaborate with teachers, parents, and students to improve our school environment.
- Provide valuable input on school policies and programs.
- Help organize events and initiatives that benefit our students and community.
No prior experience is necessary—just a commitment to making our school the best it can be. Whether you're a parent, guardian, or community member, your voice matters!
Get Involved Today! Contact altadoreparentcouncil@gmail.com to learn more and sign up.
Together, we can create a brighter future for our students! Currently looking for volunteers for the following roles:
Altadore School Council is looking for parents to fill the following roles. Please email altadoreparentcouncil@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering or if
you would like more information about any of these positions.
Vice Chair
- Role: Supports the Chair throughout the school year as needed, and often, but not required, becomes the Chair the following year. Coordinates staff appreciation events with Administration.
- Time Commitment: ~2-4 hours/months
Casino Chair
- Role: The Casino Chair is responsible for coordinating our casino fundraiser and for maintaining the communication with Alberta Gaming, filing all required paperwork, ensuring casino license remains intact, and communicating with volunteers. Casinos are scheduled approximately every 18 months (next Casino is planned for fall 2026). The Association works with a Casino Advisor to help with the process.
- Time Commitment:
○ 2025: ~1 hour/month (maximum)
○ August-September, 2026: ~5-10 hours total
○ October until the Casino, 2026: ~5 hours/week
The Hoot Committee Chair
- Role: The Hoot Chair leads the organizing committee for our bi-annual parent social night and FUNdraiser The Hoot. The next Hoot is planned for Fall 2025.
- Time Commitment: ~10-12 hours/month September-November
Edible Garden and Owl's Nest Committee Chair
- Role: The Edible Garden and Owl's Nest Chair leads the Edible Garden and Owl's Nest Committee. The committee is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the Edible Garden and Owl's nest.
- Time Commitment: ~2-3 hours per week during March-September, then sporadically over the winter season.
Owls Nest Garden Update
This week we reacquainted ourselves with the garden and got ready for the next few weeks of learning and growing. Students in kindergarten to grade 3 explored areas in the garden while older kids prepared their soil for some early planting.
Everyone created decorations for their class garden beds.
For parents to ask their students: it’s starting to get very warm outside, but can still be quite windy and cold at night. Do you think that all plants are ready to grow right now?
Spring Speaker Series
In case you missed it… here is the link to the presentation from Dr Cheryl Gilbert MacLeod on “The Effects of Screen Time and Social Media on Children’s Mental Health”.
In her presentation, Dr Cheryl talked about:
- Consequences of excessive screen time
- Consequences of Social Media use
- Tips on what caregivers can do to manage
The link to this informative presentation can be found HERE.
School Engagement Survey
Thank you to the parents who participated in the School Engagement Survey. To review the results, click here.
Bell Time Change (2025-26 School Year)
In response to Alberta Education’s School Transportation Amendment Regulation, CBE is expanding yellow school bus service and adjusting walk zones starting on
September 1, 2025. As bell times are closely linked to transportation schedules,
these changes will affect many schools, including Altadore School. The new bell times for next year will be 8:42 AM to 3:15 PM, with early dismissal on Fridays ending at 12:45 PM.
Aligning bell times across schools improves transportation efficiency, allowing each bus to run multiple routes. This helps create a reliable system, ensuring students arrive at school safely, on time, and ready to learn. For more information, click here.
Notes of Thanks
Thank you to the following individuals for their recent contributions to our school…
- Thank you to all the amazing volunteers who came out to help with the garden clean up on April 27 and May 3!
- Thanks to all of those who helped with our last fun lunch of the year on May 6.
Looking for school information you can’t find here? Please contact:
Iikiinayookaa M. Yellow Horn, Principal (mfyellowhorn@cbe.ab.ca)
Karlee Zelmer, Assistant Principal (kmzelmer@cbe.ab.ca)
Julia Hikita, Altadore School Council Chair (altadoreparentcouncil@gmail.com)