Dear Parents & Guardians:
In this post you will find information for the following:
· Important Dates
· Hats & Sunscreen Next Week (PE Class)
· Let’s Talk About Racism
· Student Clubs: Art and The Giving Club
· Parent Appreciation Tea – RSVP
· Request: Centennial Committee
· Next Year Class Placement
· Next Year Grade Configurations
· AHS – Community Education Sessions
Important Dates –
· May 23 – Teacher’s Pet Science in Kindergarten
· May 26-29 – Frisbee Golf PE Residency
· May 28 – Grade 6 PAT – Language Arts Pt. A
· June 6 – Parent Appreciation Tea (10:00-11:00 a.m.) RSVP
· June 12 Next Year Kindergarten Student Orientation (9-10 a.m.)
· Subscribe to our Web Calendar (link on bottom left)
Hats & Sunscreen Next Week (PE Classes Outdoors)
We are hosting Frisbee Rob next week for our Ultimate Frisbee physical education unit. Given the warm and sunny forecast, please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately. Consider sunscreen and a hat please.
Last week when we had inclement weather, many children came to school without rain jackets or appropriate footwear. We do go outside everyday unless it is absolutely pouring rain and/or it is -20C including wind chill.
Let’s Talk About Racism
In the coming weeks, our Grade 1–6 students will begin exploring the topic of racism through age-appropriate lessons that build on one another across the grades. These lessons are designed to help students understand key ideas such as fairness, kindness, bias, microaggressions, and what it means to stand up for others. Through homeroom conversations and story-based learning, students will be encouraged to think critically, ask questions, and develop empathy as they learn how to be upstanders—not bystanders—in their communities.
Children naturally notice differences, including race, and it's important they have a safe space to talk about what they see and feel. Our goal is to nurture open-mindedness, curiosity, and kindness in a way that celebrates diversity and helps every student feel seen, respected, and valued.
We invite you, as parents and guardians, to continue these conversations at home. Below are some of the high-quality resources we’re drawing from in classrooms—many of which are available online through the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, various children’s books that explore related topics, and Sesame Street’s workshop about race, ethnicity and culture:
· Explaining Race with Elmo and Wes, Sesame Street
· Sesame Street: What is Racism?
· Being Upstanders (Grade 1-2)
· Standing Up for Social Justice (Grades 3-6)
· Sesame Street: Spanish Is My Superpower (Grades 3-4)
· Talking About Race: The Christoffersons (Grades 5-6)
· Talking About Race: The Preston Foster Ogletrees (Grades 5-6)
· Talking About Race: The Lee Family (Grades 5-6)
Picture Books (available as YouTube read-alouds):
· Introduce the idea of racism: making assumptions, being hateful, or treating someone differently than others based on their race because you believe your race is better:
o I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët. This book helps introduce the idea that treating others unfairly based on differences, including race, is never okay. While it’s often read as a story about bullying, it can open the door to important conversations about inclusion.
· Say Something!, by Peter H. Reynolds. This story introduces the concept of activism and encourages students to use their voices for good. An activist is someone who takes action when they see social injustice; in this case, racism.
· Learning about anti-racism, these books explore the beauty and value of different skin tones and racial identities:
o Skin Like Mine, by Latashia M. Perry.
o Let’s Talk about Race, by Julius Lester.
· These titles help students recognize and understand microaggressions, which are small or subtle actions or comments that can be hurtful to others, often without the intent to harm:
o Ouch! Moments – When Words Are Used In Hurtful Ways, by Michael Genhart
o The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi
As a school community, we are committed to upholding the CBE Code of Conduct, which emphasizes creating positive and inclusive learning environments. We are helping students grow into citizens who:
· are kind, compassionate, helpful and courteous to others
· recognize the dignity and worth of others
· welcome and include those around them
Recently, we have observed some students using words or actions that could be considered microaggressions—for example, commenting on how someone looks or how they speak. We understand that these comments often come from a place of curiosity or unfamiliarity rather than intentional harm, especially given our students' young age and limited exposure to diversity. Still, these are important learning moments, and we want to guide students to better understand the impact of their words and to celebrate differences, not diminish them.
These are complex and sometimes emotional topics, but they are essential to helping children become empathetic, inclusive, and socially aware. We’re here to support you and your children throughout this learning journey. If you have questions or would like to learn more about how we’re approaching these discussions in class, please reach out to your child’s teacher or the school administration. We value your partnership in building a school culture where every child feels they belong.
Art Club and The Giving Club
· The weekly art club will be held over lunchtime, starting next week on Wednesday May 28th. All students are welcome to participate. On Wednesdays, students can bring their lunch and meet in Mr.Daga’s classroom.
· The Giving Club is excited to kick off our Book Drive starting Monday, May 26! We are inviting students to choose gently used children’s book from their own collection to donate. This small act of personal generosity can make a big difference, as all donated books will be shared with families in need. The final day to bring in donations is Thursday, June 13. Thank you for helping us spread the love of reading and care for others in our community!
Parent Appreciation Tea – RSVP
On Friday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m., we will begin our Appreciation Tea. Each homeroom has contributed in some way to this event as an appreciation of thanks for all of the support that our parent community offers in our classrooms and with various events that make this such a wonderful school.
Please RSVP to Mrs. Hodgson (mahodgson@cbe.ab.ca) if you plan to attend our Tea. We need to know how many seats to provide. Please arrive by 9:50 so you can be seated for our presentation
Request: Parent Centennial Committee
As shared at our recent School Council and Parent Society meeting, we are excited to begin planning for a momentous occasion — our school’s 100th anniversary, which we will celebrate in September 2026. Staff have already started designing learning opportunities around this milestone for next school year, and we are now inviting our parent community to be part of the planning process by joining a Centennial Parent Committee.
We are seeking parent volunteers to help envision and implement the legacy side of this project. Potential areas for parent committee involvement include:
- Designing and building a structural feature or landmark on school grounds to house the time capsule or commemorate the Centennial (possibly incorporating original bricks from the historic school building).
- Collaborating with students on the design (with considerations for budget and safety/engineering standards).
- Supporting the Spring 2026 Open House (organization, setup, welcoming guests, etc.).
- Gathering and displaying artifacts or memorabilia for the open house.
- Engaging the wider Elbow Park community in this celebration.
If you're interested in participating, please reply to this message or contact the school office.
Next Year Class Placement
As was shared at our last School Council meeting, we begin creating class lists for next school year through the spring, and it is a very intentional and thoughtful process. We focus on the learning conditions and approach in the classroom that best suit each learner, and work to make the best match possible considering a multitude of variables.
· Your child’s current homeroom teacher makes these decisions along with the teachers from the subsequent grade, the Administration Team, and our Curriculum Specialists for Music and Physical Education. We take into consideration factors such as student’s cognitive ability, gender, social skills, key relationships, second language, special needs, and learning styles.
· If you have an educational or emotional concern about your child that you would like School Administration to consider for your child’s placement next year, please write an email to Mr. Fech (jwfech@cbe.ab.ca). These will be the only two criteria that will be used for special requests. Please do not request a specific teacher. Our intent is to place students in the most appropriate learning environment in which they will meet their best personal potential and achieve academic success.
· We believe all of our teachers are exceptional and truly care about the students. Teachers, administration and support staff are committed to ensure that all students master their learning to their best potential, develop generosity and independence and work at making sure that everyone has a sense of belonging.
Next Year Grade Configurations
We are including this information again to follow up on the email on May 9 titled “Next Year Grades” to ensure all families are aware of upcoming changes to how grades will be organized for the 2025–26 school year.
We know that any shift in class structure—especially involving grade groupings and class sizes—can feel significant to families. Our goal is always to share these updates as clearly and transparently as possible.
What’s Changing:
To better align with class size guidelines, instructional priorities, and overall student needs, we are moving from a multi-age model across all grades to a structure that includes straight grades at Grade 1 and Grade 6, and multi-age combinations in other grades. This change supports smaller class sizes in the early years, clear instructional focus and social connections in Grade 6 as students prepare for junior high, and improved deployment of support staff.
Next Year’s Configuration (2025–26):
- Kindergarten: 23
- Grade 1: two classes of 19
- Grades 2–3: three classes of 25
- Grades 4–5: three classes of 23
- Grade 6: one class of 32
This update was originally shared at our School Council AGM on May 8 and again on the May 9th Friday’s weekly email. The information is also available on our School Council website under the Principal’s Report.
If you did not receive the original message, please check your junk folder and ensure you’ve opted in to receive SchoolMessenger emails: Subscribe to Stay Informed
Thank you for your continued support and engagement in your child’s learning. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
AHS – Community Education Sessions
The following are free online sessions offered by AHS:
- June 5 (Noon-1:30 p.m.) Building Resiliency in Today's Youth. Brought to you by specialists in Girls' Mental Health. Before High School graduation, one-third of adolescent girls will experience depression, anxiety disorders, self-harm or an eating disorder. However, there is an incredible power in caregivers who can support our youth, both young women and men, before they seek therapy. At Juno House®, we believe in the extraordinary healing power of parents, caregivers, coaches, and teachers. In our 1.5 hour workshop presentation, we will share steps and strategies from the Juno House Therapeutic Model® that will provide effective emotional coaching tools for today’s youth as they develop through adolescence and into young adulthood. We believe that talking does not grow neurons; experience grows neurons. This workshop is designed to give caregivers the skills to become their child’s emotional coach. The workshop will provide participants with:
• Basic introduction of interpersonal neurobiology,
• Where emotions live in our brains,
• The essential role emotions play in mental well being,
• How to identify emotions in youth,
• How to become an emotional coach in only five steps