Admin Message
Oki Hello Altadore Parents,
What a lovely week we’ve had together at Altadore School. I had the opportunity to read My Suitcase: Nii Sookayis by Elder Dr. Christina Fox, which shares the perspective of a residential school survivor. Through her story, she gently reflects on her experiences and how her love of music and storytelling has provided a way to move forward in a good way.
We also came together on Friday to honour National Truth and Reconciliation Day with our Every Child Matters assembly. Students watched a short video featuring Phyllis Webstad’s book, "Every Child Matters," which honours the history and resilience of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island and helps move us all forward on a path toward Truth and Reconciliation.
There is a great deal of wonderful learning taking place across Altadore School. Ms. B. Miller’s Grade 3 students began exploring “Government” and the three levels of government. Ask them if they can recall each one and explain what they are responsible for! Mr. Mitchelson’s Grade 5 class dove into paragraph writing this week with a fun “My New Job” assignment. Students chose a job they would enjoy doing right now and wrote a paragraph explaining why.
Division I classes focused on completing the Early Years Assessments. Thank you to our teachers for ensuring all students were assessed in a timely and thoughtful manner.
A reminder, Monday, Sept. 29, is a non-instructional day, and Tuesday, Sept. 30th, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We will return to school on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Our next bi-weekly Parent/Guardian School Message will be shared on October 12, 2025.
Take care,
Iikiinayookaa M. Yellow Horn
Principal
Karlee Zelmer
Assistant Principal
Staffing Update
We are pleased to announce that Ms. Brianna Miller, Grade 3 Teacher, will join our Altadore School Family. She moves from a temporary contract to a probationary contract. Welcome, Ms. B. Miller.
Who Are We? School-wide Inquiry
This year, Altadore School is engaging in a schoolwide inquiry focused on connection and belonging. Together, we are exploring the question: “Who are we?”
As part of this work, we are encouraging students to share their diverse perspectives and backgrounds as we celebrate culture and diversity. To support this at home, we invite you to talk with your child(ren) about:
- Your family’s culture and traditions
- What makes you and your family special and unique
- How can we make space for everyone to feel included
We want Altadore School to reflect all of our families. In recent student surveys, about 4 out of 5 students said they see their culture reflected at school, and only 1 in 4 felt their culture influences their learning. At Altadore School, every student matters, and we want to feel like an extended family.
There are two things you can do to help with this.
- We are creating a Welcome Wall at the entrance of our school, featuring messages in all the languages spoken by our students. Help us celebrate culture and belonging at Altadore School by sharing how to say ‘welcome’ in your language in this form.
- We are creating a Student Family Wall. If you would like to participate, please send in a 4x6 photo of your family to the office by October 3rd, and we will proudly add it to our wall.
We hope this project will help:
- Spark curiosity and inquiry into our diverse backgrounds
- Amplify student voices and stories
- Build a strong sense of community and belonging
- Encourage shared experiences and dialogue
- Connect students and teachers across all grades
- Celebrate culture and diversity
- Inspire meaningful conversations about inclusion
Thank you for helping us make Altadore a place where everyone feels seen, valued, and connected.
CBE Child & Youth Family and Caregiver Series
The Calgary Board of Education invites all parents and guardians to join a live online series on supporting child and youth well-being. The series is hosted by the Recovery Alberta Community Education Service (CES) Program in collaboration with local experts from the Calgary community.
These sessions are designed to provide families with knowledge, tools, and strategies to help navigate the challenges and opportunities of raising children and teens today.Session details are available on the Child and Youth Family and Caregiver Series public facing page.
Playground Access
A gentle reminder that the playground area is not available to the public during school hours, Monday - Friday. Please remind grandparents, caregivers, and nannies.
One and Done
At Altadore, we keep fundraising simple. Instead of selling products or running multiple fundraisers, we do One & Done: one annual donation that directly supports programs and experiences for our kids.
Thanks to families who have already contributed, we’ve raised 42% of our goal. The sooner donations come in, the better we can plan for field trips, residencies, and enrichment programs that make the school year special for every child.
- Suggested: $200 per child (give what feels right for your family)
- Tax receipts provided
- Monthly giving available (spread the cost across the year)
- Many employers will match your donation
If you haven’t already, please donate here or follow this link.
Edible Garden & Owls Nest Clean Up (Oct 5, 9-1pm)
Come join us as we get the garden and Owls Nest cleaned up for winter. Lots of hands means less work for all! Drop in at any time and stay for as long as you’d like! Any and all help is appreciated.
School Council Meeting (Oct 8, 6:30 pm)
Please join us for our School Council Meeting on Wednesday, October 8 at 6:30pm. All parents and guardians of Altadore students are welcome! An online option is available for those unable to attend in person via MS Teams (another Teams Meeting invite will be shared the day of). Childcare for all school-aged children will be available!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Fun Lunch
The Fun Lunch program is back at Altadore School and once again, we will be using the Healthy Hunger system. You will need to create or go into your previous account to register your student(s) in their correct class for the 2025/26 school year. Please note that the lunch times are no longer organized by division and instead by:
- Lunch Time 1 (Grades 1, 3 and 5 and Seeds of Spice)
- Lunch Time 2 (Grades 2, 4 and 6)
You will be able to locate your student’s teacher under the correct lunch time group.
The following Fun Lunches have been scheduled until the end of 2025:
- Wednesday, October 15 – Panago Pizza (order deadline Thursday, Oct 9)
- Wednesday, November 5 – The Lunch Lady
- Friday, November 21 – The Saucy Bread Co. Soft Pretzels (this will be a trial of our first “fun snack”)
- Wednesday, December 10 – A&W
Volunteering - The Fun Lunch program relies heavily on volunteers. Thank you to all of the volunteers who signed up for the first fun lunch on October 15th! Please watch the newsletter for the sign ups for the next fun lunch on November 5th!
If you have any questions or need help with ordering please contact altadorefunlunch@gmail.com.
Notes of Thanks
Thank you to the following individuals for their recent contributions to our school.
- Thanks to everyone who helped organize and participate in the Terry Fox run on Sept 16.
- Thank you to Randy Fagan for fixing the garden shed in the Owl’s Nest. Hand to heart in gratitude.
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)
Adam Revay, Altadore School Council Chair(altadoreparentcouncil@gmail.com)