Bon vendredi
Happy Friday!
We have had a great first full week of learning new routines and beginning instruction here at our school. Assessment and activities are well underway, and we are getting to know our students so we can meet them where they are at in their learning progression. We had our first Fire Drill this week and we will continue to practice this throughout the year. Great job students! We want to welcome Mme Julie Kim our new Music teacher from Westgate School and Mme Kristin Eeles our new temporary Physical Education teacher while Mme Puchalski is away on her maternity leave.
Alberta Education Assessments
All K-3 students in Alberta will be doing universal screening assessments in literacy and numeracy. These mandatory screening assessments are completed at the start of the school year in Grade 1, 2 and 3 and in January for Kindergarten.
The following types of assessments will be completed by each student in Grades K-3:
The Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) Digits test requires naming digits as quickly as possible, thus revealing the automaticity of many of the same cognitive and linguistic skills central to reading.
The Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) purpose is to assess phonemic awareness. Phonological awareness, or the awareness of and ability to work with sounds in spoken language is foundational for decoding, blending, and word reading.
Letter Name and Sound Test (LeNS), assesses knowledge of the names and sounds of letters, and common multi-letter graphemes. The LeNS is designed to screen learners for foundational phonics skills to develop into independent readers.
The Castles and Coltheart Reading Test 3 (CC3) is a word reading test of single word reading (decoding and whole word recognition). It is designed to identify the nature of reading difficulties and provides next steps for instruction and intervention.
Provincial Numeracy Screening Assessments look at knowledge of symbolic numbers. Results of the assessment can be used to help teachers identify and address gaps in foundational understanding of numbers.
These universal screeners do not replace day-to-day teacher observations and classroom assessment and do not have any impact on formal reporting processes such as report cards. Rather, the results of universal screeners help inform planning for next steps such as targeted interventions or instructional planning and are not used to determine grades. Students in Grades 4 are completing other teacher assessments to gather this type of information.
School Council
Thank you to all who attended School Council and thank you to all the parents who make up this group! The minutes will be posted on our school website under School Council.
Reminder William Reid Casino Fundraiser (Nov. 20 and Nov. 21)
Mark your calendars! The William Reid School Casino Fundraiser is happening on November 20 and 21, and we will need volunteers to cover shifts at a nearby casino to pull it off! This fundraising event brings in a third of our total fundraising dollars for the year, so it is particularly important to all our school programs that it is successful! Please keep these dates in mind as you start planning into the Fall, and we look forward to seeing you then!
Reminder Fall Fling on Thursday September 19 from 5-7pm
Join us for the School Council annual year launch party on Thursday September 19 from 5-7pm. Bring the family, picnic gear, and your dancing shoes and mix and mingle with our school community. All family members welcome to join the fun including treats, farm animals, DJ Dance party, food trucks and picnics and more. School Council needs your help make the event a success - sign up here!
Reminder Terry Fox Run
This is a reminder that you are all invited to participate in the Terry Fox Run on Monday, September 16 at 11 am. All classes will meet in the field and run together to raise money for cancer research. Our school goal is to raise $3,500.00 and we have raised $475.00 so far. Thank you for the donations! If you wish to donate, please follow the link below. We will also be collecting ‘Toonies for Terry’ at the office all next week. https://schools.terryfox.ca/71646
Thank you for your support! Kathryn Ferguson
Reminder Special Lunch – Healthy Hunger
We are pleased to continue to bring Healthy Hunger Special Lunches to William Reid for the Grade 1-4 classes and Seeds of Spice children! We will be having our FIRST special lunch on SEPTEMBER 25. All orders must be entered by Friday, September 20. Ordering and payment use Healthy Hunger website: https://healthyhunger.ca. This link is also on our school website: https://williamreid.cbe.ab.ca/lunchtime.
Healthy Hunger Special Lunch Volunteers
Volunteers must have their Police Check and be cleared by the school. Volunteer! Please email forms to nmsorensen@cbe.ab.ca
We are asking for three parent volunteers each month to come to help distribute the special lunches to each classroom. This year, there is one lunch time for all classes from 11:35 AM to 11:55 AM. The time expected for parent volunteers is from 11:15am to approximately 12pm. Please click on the Sign-Up Genius link to view the volunteer sign up for each month. If you have any questions, please contact our School Council representative Sarah Simms on our lunchtime page.
AHS and Grade 1
Health and Education have a long history of working together to ensure that children in Alberta are healthy and protected from vaccine preventable diseases. Alberta Health Services (AHS) provides the School Immunization Program under policies set out by Alberta Health. We appreciate your support in communicating details of the School Immunization Program to principals and school staff. The 2024 - 2025 School Immunization Program is as follows: Grade 1: Review immunization records of all students and offer relevant vaccines to all children who are not up to date according to the Alberta Health recommendations.
National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
The 4th annual City of Calgary, Calgary Board of Education, and Calgary Catholic School District ceremonial opening of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day will be held on Monday, Sept. 30 from 9 - 10:30 a.m. at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland (750 9th Ave. S.E.).
All CBE staff, students, families, friends, and neighbours are invited to attend to commemorate Indian residential school victims, honour survivors, and commit to Truth & ReconciliACTION.
Important Links
Bottle Drive - Manchester Bottle Depot – 410 – 38aAve SE – Donate your bottles here for William Reid School
Upcoming
Sept 16 Terry Fox Run 11am (parents welcome)
Sept 17 Tie Dye Day (Wear your coolest tie dye colours)
Sept 18 Grade 3 – 4 Dance Club
Sept 19 Fall Fling 5-7pm
Sept 20 Last day to order special lunch
Sept 24 Fall Picture Day
Sept 25 Healthy Hunger / Grade 3 – 4 Dance Club
Sept 26 Kindergarten No School
Meet the Teacher 4-6pm
Sept 27 Non-Instructional Day
Meet the Teacher 8-1pm
If you have any questions, please call the school at 403-777- 6940 or email us at williamreid@cbe.ab.ca.
Hand to heart,
Mme Christine Stiles and Mme Sheri Bullough
William Reid School