Principal's Weekly Message - October 6, 2023
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Good evening, I hope everyone has had a lovely week and that you are well into your long weekend. I just have a few things to share this week. Yesterday was World Teacher’s Day, and I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our teachers at ALS. I am fortunate to be able to work alongside such remarkable practitioners and educators. Thank you for all you do for our students. Today was our first pep rally of the year and it was awesome to see the kids to excited and full of school spirit. We were fortunate this year to have the support of few local businesses. We would like to thank YYC Food Trucks, Arbour Lake Dental, Crowfoot Dominos Pizza, Crowfoot Booster Juice, New Natural You Aesthetics, Meredith Lettich, and Heather Cahill for donating a variety of generous raffle prizes. I would also like to thank Ms. MacDougall, Ms. McKeon, Mr. Smaniotto and of course our Leadership students for putting together such a fun event for us today – thank you all! As mentioned last week, we are adding an additional grade 9 homeroom. We have hired Mr. Andrew Hicks who will start with us next Tuesday. Mr. Hicks is an experienced educator having previously worked with Rockyview School Division and most recently has been at HD Cartwright. We are excited to have him join our team. The new class list will be finalized early next week, we will then contact parents of students who will be joining the new homeroom, and we will start with the new classes next Friday. We have selected Friday as it offers us an opportunity to work in our homerooms and get settled before the weekend, so that our students are coming back to us on the Monday knowing what to expect. Please know that students will either remain in their current homeroom, or move to the new homeroom, there will be NO other changes and shifts between the already established homerooms. As a parent, my own child went through something very similar last year, so I lived the experience and I know that it is not ideal and can be unsettling. We are trying to mitigate the discomfort and disruption as best we can. I am very thankful to those parents that reached out to provide us with information that has been helpful to us in making this transition, and I also appreciate the varied perspectives on the reconfiguration. Thank you so much for notes of support and for understanding that while not what we wanted to be doing this month, this transition will serve our students better for the duration of the year. There are a few announcements below that I would like to draw your attention to. There is information for grade 7 parents, and information for all parents around the OurSCHOOL Survey that will be administer this month. Please do take a quick look. Also, I want to share that we have only ONE social media account on Instagram. I know there was concern around a fake account being created. Please know that we have no reason to create a second account, and our original will remain the one and only official Arbour Lake School social media account. The account is noted at the end of this message. Please reach out if there’s anything I can help you with. I wish you a wonderful weekend, and from my family to yours, happy Thanksgiving to you all. I feel very fortunate and thankful for so many things, one of which is being a part of this school community. Sincerely, Nancy Lisi, Principal Announcements & Reminders: Grade 7s ONLY – PAT Results Please note that PAT results for spring 2023 will be sent home with students on Tuesday, October 10th. OurSCHOOL Student Survey Administration Arbour Lake School will be participating in an online school perception survey for students called the OurSCHOOL Student 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. Grades 4-12 students provide feedback on:
Additionally, Grades 6-12 students provide feedback on:
Demographic questions are also asked on this survey for norming purposes. These are: Grades 4-12 general
Grades 6-12 specific
At Arbour Lake School our OurSCHOOL Student Survey administration plan is as follows: Who: All students Grade 6-9 When: October 10th -17th Where: Teachers will coordinate with their grade team to find a time that best fits with their schedules.
Scholastic Book Fair Thank you to everyone who came out to support our Scholastic Book Fair during our school's Orientation night. Our total sale earned us 38 new books, valued at $513. Along with this we acquired another 31 books, valued at $443 via our Reward Dollars. Congratulations to Kaeden A. from Ms. Tompkins' grade 8 class for winning the Book Fair Draw of $25 in books for both of them. Congratulations to all the second prize winners who won posters. Thank you again for your support in providing our students with a rich and diverse literary experience! The Coyotes Canteen The Coyotes Canteen is open. All sales are CASH ONLY.
Extra-curricular Activities Schedule
Upcoming Events & Important Dates October 9 Thanksgiving – School closed October 11 School Photos October 12 Grade 6 Immunizations – AHS October 17 School Council 6:30PM – Virtual October 20 Non-instructional Day – No School 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’re interested in taking advantage of getting a break from making lunches 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. https://healthyhunger.ca/parent-help Oct 11 Tim Horton’s Treat Oct 12 Stuffies Pastries Oct 19 Pizza 73 Oct 25 Kernels Popcorn Snack Oct 26 Subway Nov 2 McDonalds Nov 8 Kernels Popcorn Snack Nov 16 Coco Brooks Nov 22 Kernels Popcorn Snack Nov 23 Mary Brown’s Nov 30 Subway Dec 6 Tim Horton's Treat Dec 7 Pizza 73 Dec 14 Subway Dec 20 Kernels Popcorn Snack Dec 21 Tim Horton's Lunch Arbour Lake School Social Media Accounts Instagram: arbourlake_cbe |
If you have questions or would like to request more information about Arbour Lake School’s upcoming implementation of the OurSCHOOL Student Survey, please contact our Assistant Principal, Matt Sloane at