Jennie Elliott School 3031 Lindsay Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2E 6A9

t | 403-777-8350 f | 403-777-8352 | [email protected]

http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b103

Newsletter | September 2016 Welcome to a new school year.

Important September Dates: September 6 – First Day September 8 – Welcome Back Assembly 12:45 PM September 19 – School Council @ 7 pm September 22 Kindergarten Parent/Teacher/Student Conference (8:30 – 7:30) Gr 1 – 6 Parent Teacher/Student Conference (3:30 – 7:30) September 23 – Parent/Teacher/Student Conference (8 – 1) September 26 Gr 5, Rm 12, 13, to Fish Creek Park September 28 Gr 5, Rm 33 to Fish Creek Park September 29 – Terry Fox Run

All of us at Jennie Elliott School are excited about the 2016/17 school year. Our population continues to grow and we will have approximately 580 students. To start the year we will be a school within a school. Dr. Roberta School is slated to open in January 2017 and we will have 2.5 of their classes here. Our main challenge is space, both classroom and storage. A lot of excess furniture needs to be moved to the CBE storage facility and has not yet been picked up. Please bear with us as we address some of our pressure points. It has been all hands on deck to get things ready for the first day. Along with new students comes new staff and we have a lot of talented people joining the Jennie Elliott School community. In morning Kindergarten we have Leah Holub, in Gr.1 we have Holly Elzinga, in Gr. 3 we have Michelle Walker, in Gr.4 we have Katie Lemke, in Gr. 6 we have Julie Lopez and in TASC we have Ashley Tiller. Kara Sagness will be teaching music. Returning from leave we have Holly Rand-Chisholm in Gr. 3 and Blaire Semko in Gr. 5. To those of you who are new to Jennie Elliott School you have joined a supportive, dynamic school community. We have involved parents, lovely students, a talented, dedicated staff and a wonderful facility. The recent provincial Accountability Pillar Survey results rated us as excellent in education quality, safe and caring, program delivery, achievement test results, parental involvement and school improvement. We continue to try new things and are responsive to change. The first day of school is often filled with energy and emotion and we are delighted to celebrate this milestone with you. All of us want your child to thrive and be happy at Jennie Elliott. Classes for the 2016/17 school year were thoughtfully created by teachers last June and reviewed again in August. Teachers look at special needs, friendships, gender, social groupings, learner profiles, behaviour and consider parent input while keeping the big picture in mind. Students always adapt quickly, make new friends and go with the flow. We ask that you honour their placement decisions. We value the relationships we have with our families and are looking forward to our important work together in the coming months.

Chris Aylesworth, Principal [email protected] For complete newsletter please go to: www.cbe.ab.ca/b103

School News Staffing We are welcoming several new staff members to our family this year. Holly Elzinga Hi! I am Miss Elzinga, and I am a new teacher here at Jennie Elliott in Grade 1. I am a graduate of the Mount Royal University Elementary Education program, and was lucky enough to do my practicum here at the school last year in Kindergarten. One of my favourite things to do in the world is read stories, and my favourite books are the Harry Potter series. I love these books so much that I named my dog after one of the characters – Dobby the house elf! I also love to travel, and had the fortune of traveling throughout Europe this past summer. I am so excited to be here at Jennie Elliott teaching Grade 1! Leah Holeb Hello my name is Leah Holub and I am excited to be joining the Kindergarten team at Jennie Elliott. I have been with the Calgary Board of Education since 1998 teaching Kindergarten to grade three. My last teaching assignment was at Riverbend Elementary where I taught for five years, teaching one year of grade two and four years of Kindergarten. I am thrilled to be taking on this new endeavor and I am looking forward to meeting my new students and their families. Katie Lemke My name is Katie Lemke. I am teaching Grade Four in room 14. I am a recent graduate from Mount Royal University‟s Education program and this is my first year teaching. Last year, I was a student teacher at this school in Miss Dreyer‟s Grade Two classroom. I am involved in youth organizations through the Calgary Stampede and I teach at marching bands in Calgary. I love to travel, drink coffee and try new food! I am very excited to be working with the amazing community at Jennie Elliott School this year! Julie Lopez Hi! My name is Julie Lopez. This is my third year as a grade 6 teacher. I have been a teacher with the CBE since 2002 and have also taught grade 7-9. Before coming to Jennie Elliott, I worked at RT Alderman but have also taught at Fairview Junior High and Sir John A. Macdonald. I am excited to be at Jennie Elliott and am looking forward to a great year! Kara Sagness Do you like to sing in the shower? Well, I do (and everywhere else too). Hello parents and students! My name is Kara Sagness and I am so thrilled to be teaching music this year at Jennie Elliott School. I have been teaching elementary music for 11 years and I am excited to share my passion for singing and making music. When I am not singing and teaching, I am a busy mom of three children. I am looking forward to meeting everyone. Ashley Tiller Hello Jennie Elliott families! My name is Ashley Tiller and I am excited to be teaching TASC this year. I am a recent grad from Queen‟s University in Kingston Ontario, with a background in supporting students with special educational needs in a therapeutic setting. I‟m looking forward to being a part of the amazing Jennie Elliott community and supporting my students in achieving their highest potential as we learn and explore together. Michelle Walker Hello Jennie Elliot! I‟m Michelle Walker. I have recently returned back from Maternity Leave to teach Grade 3. I have taught K-6 at different schools around the city for the past 5 years, and was most recently a

kindergarten teacher at Nellie McClung School. I have a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son who both keep me on my toes. This is going to be a fabulous year, and I look forward to meeting you!

Welcome to New Families We wish to warmly welcome newcomers to Jennie Elliott School. We have new students in every class, and we want them and their families to feel very welcome here. We welcome all new (and continuing) families to be actively involved in the life of the school. It is a rewarding experience. Of course, we wish all our returning families and staff a hearty welcome back. We are looking forward to a fabulous year.

Welcome Back Assembly At 12:45 on Thursday, September 8th, the school welcomes parents to our Welcome Back Assembly. We will be introducing all of the staff, welcoming new students and singing a few songs together. Classrooms will not be doing individual performances; however it will be a short and fun get together. Chairs will be set up in the gym for parents who would like to join us.

Supplies at School Classroom purchases are paid for with the annual instructional fee, so students do not need to bring additional supplies from home. We ask that students not bring toys from home, as we cannot be responsible for items that are broken or lost. We do however ask that every child have an indoor pair of shoes for the gym. The school has a „shoes off at the door policy‟ (students carry shoes and boots to their classroom) which is very helpful in keeping hallways clean. When a child is at school, shoes must be worn at all times for safe movement and in the event of a fire drill.

Student Placements Questions inevitably arise in September as to how class lists were generated. Teachers spend a great deal of time working with their grade team colleagues to create strong learning teams based on students‟ skills and abilities, social factors, special needs and gender. Teachers try to ensure that there are a few familiar faces in class, but they also want students to make new friendships. With smaller class sizes as the goal, the number of friends who can move on together is of course lower. All of the teachers at Jennie Elliott School have strong instructional and classroom management practices and they all work to create trusting relationships with students. We respectfully ask that parents not advocate for a specific teacher. Changes often have a domino effect and will only be considered in extreme circumstances.

Newsletter The monthly newsletter is full of information about our school. We highly recommend that you read it from cover-to-cover each month. In keeping with our policy of reducing our paper consumption, our complete newsletter is emailed and posted online. If you would like a hard copy of the newsletter in future months, please let the office know. This year, we are aiming to put all forms that need to be returned on blue paper.

Severe Allergies at the School We have a number of students across our grade levels that are deathly allergic to peanuts. Eating a product that contains peanuts can lead to a severe anaphylactic reaction. Teachers will be sending notices home to classmates and grade mates to inform parents of these allergies. There are constant risks to these children that a snack or treat that contains peanuts will be shared. It is very hard for a young child to resist an offer to share candy or granola bars at lunch or when they are outside for recess breaks. We want all of our students to arrive at school knowing that they are safe.

Parents, please also reinforce to your child that food items should never be shared as we also have children with severe allergic reactions to all nut products and milk. At the school level, we are asking that all parents please „rethink their lunch bag purchases‟ and not to send peanut products to school. There are many safe and healthy lunch time alternatives. The school thanks you for your cooperation. Allergy Information At Jennie Elliott School several students have allergic sensitivities and in some cases, life-threatening allergies. During occasions such as special celebrations (IE.: Hallowe‟en parties) when food may be brought in to the school as treats, we ask for extra-thorough vigilance. Please be aware of the following severe allergies: Mrs. Holub Mrs. Hercun Ms. Burge Ms. Burge Mrs. Davey Mrs. Davey

1A: 1P: 2A: 2P: 3A: 3P:

Mrs. Wick Mrs. D.D. Ms. Dreyer Mrs. Cass

4: 5: 6: 7:

Ms. Sheyka Ms. Dolph Mr. Welsh Mr. Clarke

8: 9: 10: 11:

Ms. Fyfe Mrs. Semko Ms. Lemke Mrs. O.

12: 13: 14: 15:

Ms. Huntington Mrs. RC/Walker Ms. Wildman

16: 17: 18:

Ms. Gosse Ms. Elzinga Mrs. Troyer Ms. Perry

19: 20: 21: 22:

Shellfish

Mrs. Palmer Mrs. Burge Mrs. Drinkwater Mrs. S. Davey Ms. Dabrensky Ms. Tiller

23: 24: 32: 33: 34: 35:

All Nuts/kiwi/

Allergy to peanuts Nuts, Fish, Eggs All Nuts/Cows Milk/

All nuts Pineapple/Red Food Dye/Penicillin All Nuts/Dogs and Cats Grass and Pollen/All Nuts All Nuts

All Nuts

Shrimp All Nuts

All Nuts, gluten All Nuts/Kettlecorn

Because of allergies, we ask children not to share snacks or lunches. Also, we ask that parents be sensitive to the danger to others‟ children. Please be vigilant and allergy aware when sending products with common allergens to school, even if they are not intended for consumption by others. Lastly, parents of children with life

threatening allergies are required to inform the school and take necessary precautions (epipens, allergy information sheets, etc).

Good Housekeeping Award The floors are gleaming and everything is set for the new school year. Thank you to our facility operators.

School Pictures The photographer is scheduled for October 6. Details to follow.

School Routines: Busses, picking your child up at school, attendance reporting, lunchroom Bussing: Just a reminder to parents, if you are picking your child up rather than using bus service, you must contact the office (403-777-8350 - ext. 1). A change in schedule should also be noted in your child‟s agenda. We do attendance prior to bus departure and we will hold up the entire bus if we cannot account for a child. Please call before 2:00 pm. Arrangements for play dates after school should be made the day before. Students are asked not to come to the office at the end of the day to try and contact parents to change their bussing/walking routines. Our office and phone lines tend to be extremely busy at that time of day. Encourage your child to plan ahead. To find out the school bus routes please go to the school website and click on the “Find My Bus” icon. All school bus routes are listed here. Select Jennie Elliott School. Currently we have 5 busses.

Can my friend join me on the bus? Our buses are very full and Southland has reminded us that their policy is not to allow riders to switch buses at the end of the day, so that they can go to a friend‟s home.

School pick-up If you are picking your child up from class, we ask that you refrain from going to the classroom door until the bell has rung as the hallways are very congested for children being escorted to buses and at times very noisy for the students who are completing their learning day. The best places to wait are in the school foyers. We encourage all of our children to be independent in their routines and they should learn to meet parents in these locations, unless of course you need to meet with the teacher at the end of the day.

Attendance reporting If your child will not be in school, please remember to give the school a call. We welcome short messages left on our answering machine (403 777 8350 – ext 1). An absence not reported means time spent by our office staff to call out to your home. Thank you for your cooperation.

Illness at School When a child becomes ill at school, we immediately contact the parent and ask for pick-up. We do not have a sick room at the school, so it is very difficult for us to accommodate a child for any length of time. We also know that it can be very hard for a parent to simply pick up and leave work. Do you have another contact person who could help you out with an emergency? Please ensure that you update your demographic and emergency contact throughout the school year. A simple call to the office will ensure that changes are made.

Punctuality To reduce the secretarial workload and maintain a respectful environment, please do your best to get your children to school on time. Also, students who are picked up after school need to be met promptly. If there is a possibility you will be late due to weather, etc. you should establish a safety plan.

Lunchroom Routines Hot lunches are a great break from sandwiches; however we are asking that parents please make use of thermoses instead, since hot water and microwaves are not available.

Litterless lunches As we start back to school, please consider the purchase of food containers for your child‟s lunchbox. We have made great gains in reducing the number of lunch time garbage bags and want to continue this very positive trend. If delivery proceeds as expected, the milk program should be commencing on Monday, September 19. We have been unable to find a hot lunch service provider. Lunch Bell no longer exists. Fun lunches are run by our parent volunteers.

Keeping Our Kids Safe Please obey all traffic signs, do not stop or park in the “cross walk” zone, do not drop off (or pick up) students in the parking lot and PLEASE watch for our safety patrols. We also would request that parents and students not jaywalk or cross between buses, as the areas surrounding the school are high traffic areas.

Lakeview United Church Parking The administration of Lakeview United Church is requesting that parents only use their parking lot for picking up and dropping off of students. Their parking lot cannot accommodate large numbers of cars during the day or evening. Spots must be kept available for employees and rental groups using the church.

2016 Achievement Exam Results Results of the June 2016 writing of the Alberta provincial Achievement Exams will be released in October.

Report Cards The CBE has moved to a system-wide, unified approach to reporting for K-9. The report card continues to evolve and will be issued twice. On-going communication between the home and school is the goal.

Volunteering at Jennie Elliott School Last year, hundreds of parents volunteered. The support that volunteers play in the life of this school is enormous and their presence very visibly links the connectedness between the home and school. Whether you have the time to volunteer once or on a regular basis, your presence is always welcome. Volunteering is a two step process – make sure that you have your police clearance in place by coming to the office to begin the process (good for five years) and then complete your CBE Annual Volunteer Form (sent out in the opening package). The police clearance will take close to one month to process and until this is complete, parents are unfortunately not able to volunteer. Volunteers are welcome for specific roles in classrooms, as well as in support roles around the school. Our librarian, Bev Willis, would like to extend a special welcome to all volunteers who have worked in the library in past years and to those who are keen to start this year. If you are in the school and are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please take the time to introduce yourself to Bev.

Playground Rules Jennie Elliott School has many very talented athletes, some of whom are involved in community sports. It is sometimes very difficult for students with these athletic skills to match the non-competitive games that the school supports. Contact play is not allowed. We look forward to a safe and active year with this in mind.

Clubs at Jennie Elliott School Clubs at Jennie Elliott School offer students the opportunity to connect with students from other classes, meet new teachers and learn new skills. We offer both service based and recreational opportunities for our students. We encourage all of our students to join at least one club during the school year. Clubs run either at noon hour or before school starts in the morning. If parents would like to offer a club, your expertise and enthusiasm is always welcome. When a student signs up for a club, we want to ensure that parents are aware of the commitment that is being made, so sign-up forms will be sent home.

Lost and Found We do have a LOST and FOUND in the school that has a reputation for rapid growth. Please encourage your children to look for and claim any of their misplaced belongings. Also, we would encourage you to label your child‟s clothing, lunch kits, backpacks, etc. as found items can be easily returned if they have a name attached to them. Parent Council still has a fundraiser in effect with Mabel‟s Labels. You can check out the site at www.jees,mabel.ca. Thank you for your assistance with this.

Physical Education All students are required to have a pair of running shoes at school for Physical Education. These should be clearly marked with their name. When purchasing runners, please consider buying a non-marking, flat soled runner and avoid the “fashion platform soles” as they present a safety concern. The lace-up runners and velcro straps are preferred over slip-ons as they can be secured on the students‟ feet. Children are not required to change for gym, however it would be appreciated if they could be appropriately dressed (ie. no restrictive clothing). Proper dress will help to ensure your children‟s safety and allow them to enjoy all activities in Physical Education. If the girls wear dresses/skirts to school, having a pair of shorts, sweats, etc. at school for gym would be helpful. Children are encouraged to leave jewellery at home to avoid breakage, loss or injury.

Terry Fox School Run Day - Thursday Sept 29, 2016

Hello Jennie Elliott School. On Thursday September 29, 2016 we will be participating in the Terry Fox run. On this day students will be heading outside at 9:45am and 12:45pm for 15 minutes of running in recognition of Terry’s outstanding work for cancer research. As a participant you will have the opportunity to fundraise for this great cause. This year we are trying to encourage online fundraising. Online fundraising is a great way to increase our schools total and it makes collecting donations easier for parents and students too. It also saves up to 50% in paper and processing costs, which means more money can be spent on research. For more information and to donate, please visit the Jennie Elliott School’s Terry Fox website: http://www.terryfox.ca/JennieElliott

Amazing Savings Ticket Pack (formerly SUTP) on Sale…back by popular demand The school is offering Amazing Savings Ticket Pack books for sale starting this week. This $20.00 purchase will provide you with hundreds of valuable coupons and $10.00 from every book sold will go back to the school.

The profits from this sale are used to purchase things like pizza parties for our student leaders and volunteers. They can be purchased in the office.

Calgary Reads…a very rewarding volunteer opportunity Calgary Reads is a formal program that trains adults to tutor children in reading. Jennie Elliott School has worked in partnership with this agency for many years and our students have been the winners. After a short formal training program, volunteer tutors work with our grade 2 students to support their reading practice. This individualized program generally runs for 32 lessons – half an hour twice a week for 16 weeks. This individualized support helps many of our grade 2 readers increase their reading proficiency and their confidence in handling text. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, Mrs. Greenlaw would be happy to speak with you.

Parents as Partners-School Council The first meeting of the school year is Monday, September 19 at 7:00 pm in the school library. The Jennie Elliott Parent Council is key to organizing school wide events and is a primary „sounding board‟ for school wide programs and events. Attendance at these meetings offers parents the opportunity to link with other parents and school administration in a very collegial manner. Whether you have the time to attend one meeting this year or want to book it into your calendar for a regular outing, your attendance is appreciated. Meetings are scheduled for the third Monday of every month. Thank you to Sarah Smith and Kathryn Hegan for co-chairing the School Council.

Dogs Just a reminder that dogs are NOT PERMITTED on school grounds at any time, for health and safety reasons. In the past there have been concerns about dog droppings around the school field. It is essential that we all work together to ensure a clean and safe play area for our community.

Cell Phones Students are required to use Jennie Elliott School landlines during regular school hours. Cell phones should be stored in a safe place and turned off during that time. Parents should contact their children through the school office in the event of an emergency.

The door is open… Communication with your child‟s teacher and administration helps to prevent small questions from becoming large issues. Throughout the school year, as questions emerge, stay in close contact with the teacher. Questions can often be answered over the phone, but if a meeting is required, please work to set a time to meet. Setting a time ensures that the teacher does not have conflicting appointments and that the teacher has time to reflect on your concerns or gather the necessary work samples. At the administrative level, both Mrs. Greenlaw and I welcome meetings with parents; however setting a meeting time is very helpful. It ensures that we have had time to do classroom observations, meet with the teacher and set aside the time required.

Meet the new team members JENNIE ELLIOTT TEACHING STAFF Principal Assistant Principal Vice Principal

Mr. Chris Aylesworth Mrs. Tanis Greenlaw Mr. Simon Clarke

Kindergarten Teachers

Mrs. Lisa Holub Ms. Marguerite Burge Mrs. Fawn Davie

Room 1A Room 2 Room 3

Grade 1 Teachers

Ms. Yvonne Sheyka Mrs. Corrie Gosse Miss. Holly Elzinga Mrs. Jan Troyer Mrs. Melanie Palmer

Room 8 Room 19 Room 20 Room 21 Room 23

Grade 2 Teachers

Mrs. Meghan Wick Mrs. Jennifer Deas-Dawlish Miss. Nedra Dreyer Mrs. Laura Cass Ms. Megan Perry

Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 22

Grade 3 Teachers

Mrs. Doreen Huntington Mrs. Holly Rand-Chisholm/Michelle Walker Ms. Dolena Wildman Ms. Laurie Dolph

Room 16 Room 17 Room 18 Room 9

Grade 4 Teachers

Ms. Katie Lemke Mrs. Megan Ozegovic Ms. Robin Drinkwater

Room 14 Room 15 Room 32

Grade 5 Teacher

Ms. Heather Fyfe Mrs. Blaire Semko Mrs. Shawna Davie

Room 12 Room 13 Room 35

Grade 6 Teachers

Mr. Todd Welsh Mr. Simon Clarke Mrs. Julie Lopez 0.5

Room 10 Room 11 Room 20

TASC Teachers

Ms. Ashley Tilley

Room 35

Music Specialist

Ms. Kara Sagness

Phys. Ed. Specialist

Mr. Jeff Parsons

Welcome to the 2016/17 school year! All the best to you and your family.