Welcome Back!

I hope your children have had a smooth return to the routines of school as we settle into the new academic year. It's been wonderful to see our students back in the halls, ready to learn and engage.

Enrollment and Homeroom Adjustments

Our enrollment continues to grow, and we anticipate the arrival of students from Tom Baines School as their overflow begins in the coming weeks. To ensure a seamless transition, we’ve made provisions to accommodate additional homerooms if needed. Our first priority will be adding a homeroom to Grade 9, followed by Grade 8, as these are our current pressure points.

We’ve adjusted our master schedule to facilitate this, and you may notice some classroom moves in the coming week as we prepare for the possibility of an additional homeroom. New registrations in Grade 9 are being accommodated in existing homerooms, with the understanding that they may move to a new homeroom if enrollment allows. This may result in a few staffing changes, but rest assured, it will not disrupt current cohorts or classes. Should we create a new Grade 9 class, any other students wishing to move will have the opportunity to do so as well.

Complementary Courses and PE Classes

Complementary courses and PE classes will begin next week. We’ve held off starting these classes this week to ensure everything is in place. As a result, what students see on PowerSchool may not be accurate until next week, and we ask that they refrain from fixating on the current schedule. Students were asked to select six complementary courses, and were told they would be assigned four of these (Grades 7-9 – Grade 6 receives 2 of 4). We will not be making changes to complementary courses based on preference; however, students with gaps in their schedules, those repeating a course, or those with enrollment concerns around Band and French (both year long courses) will be addressed.

Peer Requests and Homeroom Placements

As previously communicated, we are not accommodating any further homeroom changes based on peer requests. We provided the opportunity for this in the 2 | 4 spring, and we have used this data to ensure that every student has at least one requested peer in their homeroom. There are many factors we must consider when creating programs for all grades, and we cannot accommodate every friendship in homeroom assignments. We remind students that they may be with their friends in complementary courses, PE, or during lunch and school activities. While I am always here to support where I can, peer requests for homerooms are not an area we will be revisiting. It’s important to note that most schools do not offer this option.

Parking and Traffic Reminders

Finally, I would like to remind parents that there is no parking in the bus zones. These areas are clearly marked, and we ask that you respect these signs. Additionally, please avoid making U-turns where signs indicate they are prohibited, and do not enter the staff parking lot to drop off your child. This causes traffic congestion and poses a hazard to children in the parking lot. Please take a moment to plan your mornings accordingly to ensure you can drop off your child in the designated areas, keeping all our students safe. While it may seem like a minor inconvenience, it’s vital that we all work together to ensure safety in areas where we do not have jurisdiction, such as on the roads and around traffic.

I hope you all enjoy the upcoming long weekend. Please note that there will be no school on Monday, September 2nd. Please also note that we invite you to join us in our Welcome Back BBQ next Friday, September 6th. Parents are welcomed to join us at 12pm in the back field. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday, September 3rd, as we continue our journey into the school year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nancy Lisi Principal

nmlisi@cbe.ab.ca