Important Information
First Week!
It was a great start to our school year!! Ours hearts are full with the bright shining faces and smiles. We have a number of new students to our school, and we are enjoying getting to know everyone. Thank you to our whole school community for coming together for such a positive start!!
Drop Off and Pick Up
Parents are reminded that the front of the school is reserved for busses both in the AM and PM times. You are asked to not stop in this zone to allow for bus access. Additionally, the parking adjacent to the playground is 2 min only. Please use this as a drop and go. If you need to leave your vehicle, please find alternate parking further down or across the street.
For safety, we remind all families to use the crosswalks and the patrols (once they start). We have already seen many people jay-walking 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.
Birthday Treats and Celebrations
At Chaparral School, we celebrate every student’s birthday by announcing their name and giving them a birthday bookmark (last year was a pencil) from the office. As such, we respectfully ask that families please do not send birthday treats, including cake, cupcakes, cookies or treat bags, to school. They are a distraction from the learning and do not follow the guideline set forth by the CBE. Unfortunately, we will have to send them home to you without sharing them, should they arrive at the school.
Any special request for an event involving treats will be communicated and require permissions from families for students to participate.
School Schedule
As a school, we follow a Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 schedule. This means that students will have their PE and Music classes based on this schedule. Additionally, book exchanges are also scheduled according to this. Your child(ren)’s teacher can share the specifics for the class with you if you wish. Fridays are on a rotation for an extra opportunity for PE and Music.
A copy of the Day 1-4 schedule is attached to the Weekly Update email this week. A copy of the whole year calendar is also attached this week.
From the Office
1. Noon 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Bussing 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. Students will be sent home 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
Our School Council dates are set, and we want your participation!!
We meet once per month to set intentions and stay connected throughout the school year. Parent participation is vital as you help decide the “extra” pieces that complement the learning and make student experiences richer!!
The school council dates for this year are:
Sept 11 – 6:30pm
Oct 9 – 6:30pm – Grade 1 presenting
Nov 20 – 6:30pm – Grade 2 presenting
Dec 12 – no meeting
Jan 15 – 6:30pm – Kindergarten presenting
Feb 19 – 6:30pm – Grade 3 presenting
Mar 12 – 6:30pm – SDP & Budget Engagement Presentation
Apr 9 – 6:30pm – Grade 5 presenting
May 14 – 6:30pm – Grade 4 presenting
June 11 – 6:30pm – Grade 6 presenting
Please plan to attend and help support the learning of your children.
Fun Lunches and Fun Snack Days
Days are posted on the Healthy Hunger website (healthyhunger.ca) as shown below. Moving forward, this information will only be shared with families who have subscribed to accept commercial emails on your MyCBE account. Please ensure you have accepted CASL messages to continue to receive email that involve financial pieces, such as field trips, fun lunch, special events, etc. We want every student to have the opportunity to participate should your family choose to.
Sept 11 (lunch) – Subway Sept 25 (snack) - Kernels
Oct 9 (lunch) – OPA Oct 23 (snack) - Cobs
Nov 20 (lunch) – Edo Nov 27 (snack-No Kg at school this day) -Booster Juice
Dec 11 (lunch) - Taco Time Dec 18 (snack) - Winter cookies
Jan 15 (lunch) - A&W Jan 29 (snack) - Kernels
Feb 19 (lunch) - Subway Feb 26 (snack) - Cobs
Mar 12 (lunch) – OPA Mar 19 (snack-No Kg at school this day) -Spring cookies
Apr 9 (lunch) – Edo Apr 23 (snack) - Booster Juice
May 14 (lunch) - A&W May 28 (snack) - Kernels
June 11 (lunch) - Taco Time June 18 (snack) - Harry Potter cookies
Spirit Day
Our first Spirit Day will be on Thursday Sept 11 also. It will be Crazy Hair/Hat Day. Wear your hair in a crazy or fun way. You can also wear a fun or unique hat if you choose.
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.
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.