Important Information

Meet the Teacher Open House

Our Meet the Teacher Open House is on Thursday September 18 from 5:00pm-8:00pm.  We welcome all families to come to the school, meet the staff and see your child’s classroom.  It is a come and go event, so please come for a short time if that is all you are available for.  In order to ensure we are done at 8:00pm, we will be closing the front door at 7:45pm.  Thank you for understanding. 

Communication

Communication with our school community is very important to us.  As such, there will be a weekly update sent every weekend for the upcoming week.  In addition, a monthly calendar will be sent at the beginning of each month.  It will highlight the events that are known at the beginning of the month.  Since there can be additions to the calendar, families are asked to check our website regularly for any changes. 

Some families have indicated that they are not receiving our messages.  If you are not, please ensure you have signed up to receive messages from the school in your SchoolEngage or MyCBE account.  Additionally, please ensure that you have selected to receive commercial content.  This will allow you to receive emails that discuss money.  This may include field trips, fun lunches, fundraising, extra-curricular activities.  We are unable to send these emails to you if you have not selected to accept them.  We do not want you to miss out. Subscribe to School Messages

Since communication is critical for us, it is also very important that any concerns or questions come to us to have them answered.  We have heard that there are many who seek this information from the Facebook group.  We would like to ensure that you get the accurate response, so please direct your questions to us directly.  We always appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to our families, rather than trying to navigate a social media platform that we are not connected to.  

Traffic Safety

This is a friendly reminder to be mindful of the traffic laws in the school zone.  The front of the school (at the doors) is a bus loading and unloading zone.  Please DO NOT stop in this area.  Additionally, please use the front street as a Kiss and Go zone.  Students are able to enter the school through any of the doors.  We do ask that the Kindergarten doors be reserved for Kindergarten though as they are very small and still adjusting to coming to school.

We remind all families to use the crosswalks and the patrols.  We have already seen many people jaywalking and are concerned for the role modelling this gives our students as well as the safety of those crossing in the middle of the street.

There have been some near misses with the patrols and this is VERY concerning.  These students are trained and extremely careful.  They do not need the extra pressure of worrying about drivers who are not watching for them.  Please be mindful of the crossing signs, stop when they are guiding others to cross and DO NOT pass on the outside to get around cars that are turning.  This puts everyone at risk.  We will be asking bylaw officers to support us when available as Safety is Paramount!!  Thank you for doing your part in keeping our students safe. 

Lunches and Snacks

We have been fortunate enough to have the supports of Brown Bagging for Kids.  This means that students who require lunch supports are able to have some food.  It is important that those who are experiencing food insecurities be able to access this food. 

If you are a family who needs this service, we ask that you contact Mrs. Robinson or Ms. Bratko to ensure your child is prioritized.  We will be letting families know if your child is accessing this service.  By contacting you, we only wish to inform you that your child may need more lunch or snack each day.

Backpacks

We have been gifted some backpacks.  If your child needs a backpack, please contact Mrs. Robinson or Ms. Bratko if your child could use one of them.  They are new and large enough for a library book. 

From the Office

Lunch Supervision and Bus Registration

If your child is staying for lunch or riding the bus, you must register online on your MyCBE account.  In addition, if your information has changed, you will need to update it and re-subscribe to CASL on the same site to ensure you continue to get messages from the school.

Snack & Lunches

Please ensure your child brings a healthy snack and lunch to school each day.  If you require support with food insecurities, please contact either Mrs. Robinson or Ms. Bratko to arrange this support for you child.  We will be contacting families when students are accessing extra food from the office, to ensure that you are aware that additional food may be necessary each day.  It is intended as an informational email, not as punitive.

Cell Phone Policy

The cell phone policy continues to be in effect for all Alberta schools.  We are following the “Away for the Day” guideline for all K-9 schools.  As such, students are required to put their phones, smart watches, other devices, away before they enter the school.  They are to remain in their backpacks for the entirety of the day.  Thank you for your support and talking about the importance of this with your child. More Information

Spare Clothing

We would appreciate parents having an extra change of clothes in your child’s backpack in the event of and accident or spill at school.  Children are often more comfortable changing into something of their own rather than something from the school.  Additionally, our sizes are limited and we may not be able to accommodate all students’ needs.  This is especially important in the younger grades.

Busing Assignments

We have 2 buses at Chaparral School.  Students are assigned by the CBE Transportation department, not the school.  We are unable to switch your child’s assigned bus.  This needs to be done by parents in contact with transportation.  We are required to put students on the bus they are assigned to. It is important to note, both buses have stops in Chaparral Valley as well as the on top of the hill in Chaparral.  Please direct all transportation queries to CBETransportationServices@cbe.ab.ca

From School Council

We have had our first School Council meeting of the year!  Thank you to everyone who came out and participated.  We had many familiar and new faces … we love having the opportunity to discuss the plans of the school with you.  The next meeting will be Oct 9 at 6:30pm – Grade 1 is presenting.  This is our AGM also.  We will be voting in the new executive.  Quorum is needed (25 people minimum) Please plan to attend and help support the learning of your children. 

Fun Snack is on Sept 25.  It is Kernels Popcorn 

Our next Spirit Day will be on Thursday October 9.  We will announce what the next day is very soon.

Month at a Glance

We have a Month at a glance calendar that will be distributed at the beginning of each month. Updates will be posted on our website as they occur. 

Please check our website for calendar updates. You can subscribe to it and the updates will go straight to your phone!!  You will always be in the know! 

Families are reminded that our website should always be your first point of information updates as it is consistent for the whole school. 

Monthly Mantra

We are moving to a monthly mantra this year, to allow us to spend more time focusing on the learning connected to it.  For the month of September, the mantra is:

Imagine a World … where the words you share with others can bring them warmth and light. 

This month’s mantra comes from our anchor book for this year titled: Imagine a World by Ron Gonsalves. This illustration is from the book and page that our mantra is connected to.