Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope you have all had a great week so far! I wanted to start by providing a reminder for families living in Scenic Acres that their students have been redesignated to Twelve Mile Coulee School for 2024-2025. Numerous messages were sent out when this change was initially announced and in the months following. Students currently enrolled at Arbour Lake School (ALS) who wish to remain here had to inform us prior to February 15. If you missed this deadline and would like your child to stay at ALS, please email me directly at nmlisi@cbe.ab.ca as soon as possible.
As we move into the final month of the school year, we have many exciting activities and trips planned. The Grade 9 Farewell is scheduled for June 7, and our Grade 6 and Grade 9 students will be completing their Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs). Additionally, we have a plethora of field trips and special events coming up, including the track and field meet, sports day, bike to school day, spirit week, and many more. Please stay tuned to our weekly updates and pay close attention to the dates provided each week. Tonight is our Band Concert. I hope many of you join us in celebrating the accomplishment of our young musicians.
We are also in the midst of planning for the next school year. Information and instructions for complementary course selection will be sent out next week. Please ensure you review these materials with your child so you can help guide them in making appropriate course choices.
Finally, The Calgary Board of Education strives to ensure that all our schools are safe and caring places for all students and staff. As a public school system, we welcome and celebrate students from diverse backgrounds, perspectives and beliefs.
At Arbour Lake School, we have honoured and recognized our unique school community throughout the school year with events such as Orange Shirt Day, Black History month, etc. June is Pride Month Internationally, a time to recognize the pursuit of equality and rights for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. The CBE reaffirms its commitment to creating safe and caring learning and work environments for 2SLGBTQ+ students and staff. At ALS School, we will recognize this occasion by continuing to support our efforts around ALS Cares and creating a culture of inclusivity. Teachers may take some time to continue to work with students around inclusive language and supporting a sense of belonging. We will also work on a school-wide bulletin display, again promoting belonging, inclusivity and kindness. Finally, we may select a day where students may also be encouraged to wear t-shirts, hoodies, or hats that celebrate inclusivity and kindness. We will provide details when this has been solidified.
We acknowledge that each family and community have unique experiences with different recognitions and celebrations, and any commemorative activities in our schools may be perceived differently. However, classroom-based activities and lessons that promote diversity and inclusion are not subject to exemptions under the Education Act.. If you need anything or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via email at any time. Have a great weekend!
Best regards,
Dr. Nancy Lisi, Principal
nmlisi@cbe.ab.ca
Announcements & Reminders:
Sports Day Sign Up Link
Below you will find the signup link for our Sports Day sessions. Sports day will take place on Thursday, June 6th. The signup will be closing Tuesday, June 4th at noon. Each session has a limited number of spots and is first come, first serve. Please sit down with your child and have them fill it out. Some students may have already filled this out as it can also be accessed on D2L so, if they have, please do not fill it out a second time. Please know that changes and moves will not be accommodated due to the complex nature of coordinating this school-wide event. Any questions about Sports Day can be directed to Aryk Smaniotto at acsmaniotto@cbe.ab.ca
https://forms.gle/tEukyL2A61WGNcoK8
HR Class Composition 2024-2025 – Peer Requests
As has been mentioned previously we feel strongly that student input and voice is important when determining class placements for the next year. It can often make a huge difference in entering a new class if students have at least one other person they feel connected to, and we may not fully understand or know who those individuals may be for each student. So, we give them this chance to weigh in! Students will be asked to select 4 peers with whom they work well in class. We will work to ensure that students have at least ONE of the noted peers. Students are asked to select 4 different peers. When they name the same peer 4 times, this does not increase the chances of them being with that person.
Additionally, Parents are asked to reach out directly to Dr. Lisi if there are any peer interactions, concerns, etc. that we need to be made aware of as we start the work of creating next year’s homerooms.
OurSCHOOL Well-Being Survey | Spring Administration
Arbour Lake School will be participating in an online school perception survey for students called the OurSCHOOL Well-being Survey. This anonymous survey is completely voluntary for all CBE students. Please find the details of the survey implementation below.
CBE’s Education Plan prioritizes student voice and well-being in our decision-making processes. Responses from this survey are used at the system and school level to recognize and improve what is necessary for students to feel safe, welcome, and cared for when at school. We conducted a similar survey in the Fall and will use these results to compare to earlier this year and to previous years.
Grades 4-12 students provide feedback on:
sense of belonging
positive relationships
anxiety
feeling safe at school
life satisfaction
orientation to well-being
goal-oriented
self-regulation
cultural awareness of others
general health
Additionally, Grades 6-12 students provide feedback on:
depression
self-esteem
cultural awareness of self
Demographic questions are also asked on this survey for norming purposes. These are:
Grades 4-12 general
age, gender, Indigenous status, immigrant status, home language.
Grades 6-12 specific
grade repeater, reasons for changing schools, disability or medical conditions that limits participation in school activities or learning.
Teachers will coordinate with their grade team to find a time that best fits with their schedules.
If you have questions or would like to request more information about Arbour Lake School’s upcoming implementation of the OurSCHOOL Well-being Survey, please contact our Assistant Principal, Matt Sloane at mgsloane@cbe.ab.ca
Healthy Hunger – June 27 Rescheduled
The McDonald’s Healthy Hunger scheduled for June 27th has been rescheduled for June 25th. If you have orders in, Healthy Hunger should be in touch with you to let you know that the date has shifted.
Student Enrollment Intentions for 2024-2025
If your child is currently scheduled to return to Arbour Lake School next year, but you know that they will not be returning, please use this link to share your intentions: https://forms.gle/XvbybR3qvQci3R21A
Messages from School Council
Teen Triple P Seminars
Arbour Lake School Council is happy to share a learning opportunity presented for parents and caregivers of Arbour Lake School students. In collaboration with the Trellis Family Resource Network, we have the opportunity to host three seminars aimed at supporting skill development in parenting our teenagers. The teenage years are a time of tremendous change and development for our children and can sometimes be difficult to navigate as we are helping our teens move through puberty, friendships, other relationships, academics, and all the things in between.
We are excited to share these learning opportunities to support and engage our school parent/caregiver community and hope you are able to join us. The attached poster has additional information on each seminar. Please save the date for May 14th, 28th, and June 18th. Teams Virtual event invitations to follow.
Upcoming Events & Important Dates
June 03 Gr. 6 Military Museum Field Trip HR 6.3 6.4 6.5
The Class ROARR Trip
June 04 Track and Field Meet
June 05 Gr. 6 Military Museum Field Trip HR 6.1 6.2
June 06 Sports Day
June 07 Grade 9 Farewell
June 08 The Class ROARR Trip
June 12 Grade 9 EAL Part B PAT
June 13 Grade 9 Math Part A PAT
June 13-14 Grade 8 Natural Resources Camping Trip
June 17-21 Spirit Week
June 17 The Class ROARR Trip
Gr. 7 Movie Field Trip
June 18 Gr. 9 Math Part B PAT
Gr. 7 Movie Field Trip
June 19 Gr. 9 Social Studies PAT
Gr. 6 Social Studies PAT
June 20 Gr. 9 Science PAT
Gr. 6 Science PAT
June 21 National Indigenous Peoples Day
Summer Solstice Celebration
June 24 Gr. 9 Movie Field Trip – Landmark Cinemas
June 25 Gr. 9 Filed Trip to Arbour Lake
June 27 Last Day of School (Early Dismissal)
Report Cards Available on PowerSchool
June 28 Appeals Day 8am – 12pm
Healthy Hunger Dates
Organized by our School Council, Arbour Lake School does offer “Fun Lunches” through Healthy Hunger. Parents can order lunch for their child in advance. It is delivered to the school on the noted date and distributed to students. If you are interested in taking advantage of getting a break from making lunch occasionally this is a nice treat for parents and students. The link to sign up is below. Please scroll down and select “Arbour Lake Middle School” – there are two schools with similar names, this is the one that takes you to our staff selection. ALL Homerooms have now been included!! https://healthyhunger.ca/parent-help
June 6 Subway
June 12 Kernels
June 13 Pizza 73
June 20 Mary Brown’s
June 26 Tim Horton’s
June 27 McDonalds Rescheduled to June 25
Parent Volunteer Sign-Up for Fun Lunch - Thursdays
For parents who wish to volunteer, our Fun Lunch days need some support. If you have completed your police check and requirements for volunteering within CBE and are a quick learner in understanding systems of organization, we would love to have you come join us on Thursdays at lunch to support Fun Lunch distribution. Please use the Sign-up Genius link below to do so:
Sign Up Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4CAEA628A3FDC34-46860288-funlunch/24158094#/
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Arbour Lake School Social Media Accounts
Twitter: @ArbourLake_CBE