Important Information
January 27 is Family Literacy Day. To recognize this day in the calendar, we will be inviting parents, with valid Police Clearance, to join us at the school to read and enjoy books with our students.
Teachers will be sending out more information for their classroom within the next week. There will be an opportunity to come in to read, an opportunity for students to participate in a book swap and also an opportunity to read at home and return a slip for a prize. If your child is bringing a book to swap, please make sure they are aware that they will be trading for a different book and that they won’t be taking their original book home. This is an OPTIONAL activity that we hope will encourage students to read something new.
We have had many inquiries about bringing younger siblings for this connection. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate younger students.
We are asking that AM Kindergarten and Grades 1-4 parents to come in from 8:45am-9:15am and Grades 5 & 6 parents to come in from 1:00pm-1:30pm. PM Kindergarten will be at 1:30pm.
Please watch for further information from your child’s teacher.
Report Cards
Report cards will be available for parents to read on Monday January 27 also. They are available to you on your MyCBE account and will not be sent home as a hard copy document. This is a policy that is now in place for the whole of CBE. Please note that there is a new format for writing these report cards that reads very different to report cards of the past. We hope this format gives families a better understanding of the skills and knowledge that your children have gained.
Dress for the Weather
With the warm weather, we are noticing many students arriving to school without the proper winter clothing. It is important to remember that it is still Winter and proper, warm clothing is necessary as we are outside every day. This includes a warm jacket, mitts or gloves and a hat. If your child likes to play in the snow, we request snow pants also. We do have Phys Ed outside, even in the winter. Additionally, even though they may leave home through a garage and a warm vehicle, they need the warm clothing for recess and lunch recess daily. We do not have the extra clothing at school to support everyone who is coming without warm winter wear. If you need support with this, please contact Mrs. Robinson at agrobinson@cbe.ab.ca for support. This will be kept confidential.
Absences and Late Students
Thank you for your continued efforts in getting your children to school, and on time. There has been a substantial improvement this week with the return to school after the break. We do have a number of students whose absence/late rate is incredibly high. These families will be receiving a letter acknowledging these absences for your awareness of their impact. For example, students whose absence rate is 10% over the year would equate to an entire month of school being missed. Over time, this would equate to 1 full year of school by grade 10 if this occurs yearly. Learning is cumulative; and therefore, the impact is significant.
Please note that we are required, by the government, to inform families of these high absence rates and want to work with you to ensure all students are able to get the most of their learning each year.
Volunteering at Chaparral School
If you have completed your Police Check and our annual volunteer registration you are eligible to volunteer at our school. Please email the school at chaparral@cbe.ab.ca is you would like to come in on a regular basis. We are always looking for support to complete odd tasks throughout the school.
From the Office
Kindergarten Registration 2025-2026
Kindergarten registration for the 2025-26 school year opened on Monday Jan. 13, 2025. Children can be registered for kindergarten if they turn five years old on or before Dec. 31 of the school year they will be in kindergarten.
For example, when registering for the 2025-26 school year, the child must turn five on or before Dec. 31, 2025.
Parents can find information on kindergarten registration on our website at: https://chaparral.cbe.ab.ca/
From School Council
Our next school council meeting is Thursday, February 20 at 6:30pm. Please plan to come out, learn more about what is happening at the school and participate in important decision making.
Teachers will be attending these meetings to give a short update related to what is happening in their grade. February’s teachers will be the Grade 6 team. Also, we will be sharing our School Development Plan information with our school community. We encourage everyone to attend.
Fun Lunch/Fun Snacks & Spirit Days
Our next Fun Lunch day is February 20. It is Subway. This can be purchased on the Healthy hunger website at www.healthyhunger.ca. Order deadline to order lunch is Saturday February 15.
Our next Spirit Day is Thursday, February 20. It is Twin Day! Choose a friend or two and dress alike. It may be called Twin Day but it can be many more if you wish. If you don’t know who you want to dress like, choose a teacher and dress just like them.
Month at a Glance
We have moved to a Month at a glance calendar rather than in the weekly updates. It will be provided at the beginning of the month each month and updates will be posted on our website as they occur.
Families are reminded that our website should always be your first point of information updates as it is consistent for the whole school.
In Recognition of the Multi-Cultural Calendar, we acknowledge the following
Weekly Mantra
Leave This World A Little Better Than You Found It
(SEL Competency – Responsible Decision Making & IELLF – Mind Domain)
Every action we take can make a difference. This mantra encourages us to be Mindful of our impact on the world and strive to make it a better place for everyone.