WELCOME TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

Telephone: (403) 500-2101 Fax: (403) 500-2301

https://www.cssd.ab.ca/schools/holyangels

NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Welcome Back!

Dear Parents, Students and Friends of Holy Angels School, Welcome to the new school year!

We hope that you all had a safe, happy and enjoyable summer. Hello again to our returning families

and a special welcome to the new families at Holy Angels School this year. We are looking forward

to a wonderful and rewarding year and are committed to working together to make our school a

special place to learn, play and grow.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome some new staff to Holy Angels. Joining us this

year are, Ms. Marcelo (Diverse Learning) and Mrs. Thomas-Holtman (Gr. 4). They are already well

into the planning of some great things for us this year and they are excited to begin working with

their students.

On behalf of the entire staff of Holy Angels School we wish you many blessings on the start of this

new school year and look forward to working with you and your children in supporting their

education.

Please feel free to contact us at the office if you have any questions or concerns or just stop in to say

hello. We look forward to an exciting and rewarding year as we continue to build on the

wonderful spirit at Holy Angels School!

Mark Macgillivray Susan Belkie

Principal Assistant Principal

IMPORTANT DATES:

Parent/Teacher Meetings – Thursday, September 15 (4:00 – 7:00) and Friday, September 18 (8:45 – 11:30 & 1:00 – 2:30) Students will receive a sheet for parental input on their child as well as instructions on how to book an appointment on-line.

School Council Meeting Wednesday, September 14 at 6:30 p.m.

School opening Mass - Thursday September 15th at 10:30 at St. Bernadette Church.

Julia - Pink and Purple Day/Play Day – Friday, September 23rd

Picture Day – Thursday, September 29th

Professional Development Day is Friday, October 7th

School Feast Day/Thanksgiving Liturgy – Friday, October 11th – 1:30 a. m. HOLY ANGELS GOES LITTER LESS!!!! Once again this year Holy Angels School will be running a litter less lunch room. Students will be bringing home all of their wrappings, trash and unfinished food. What does this mean to our school community? First and most importantly parents will see which parts of their children’s lunch have been consumed and which parts are not being eaten. We are concerned with the amount of uneaten food turning up in the garbage at lunch and our student’s nutrition is too important to ignore this trend. Secondly we hope to cut down on our school’s ecological footprint by reducing the amount of packaging sent to landfills. We had a chance to see this in action last year and we believe it is something we can continue to do this year. SPARK - EXERCISE TO ENHANCE LEARNING

Holy Angels School will be implementing a program called SPARK to begin each school day. There is a great deal of research that suggests that the best way to optimize learning is

to begin the day with exercise. One of the main proponents of this approach is Dr. John Ratey. Dr. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard, begins his book, Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by making a strong argument for teaching students fitness - not just in high school, but for life. Dr. Ratey suggests that exercise is the single most powerful tool to optimize your brain function. He says “The point I’ve tried to make — that exercise is the single most powerful tool to optimize your brain function — is based on evidence I’ve gathered from hundreds and hundreds of research papers, most of them published only within the last decade.” This year at Holy Angels, we will begin our school day with 15-20 minutes of exercise to stimulate brain activity and get it ready for learning. Students will be divided into three groupings and will cycle through activities in the gym, in the hallways, or in the classroom – depending on the day. Every Tuesday will be designated “Trek Tuesday” and students will walk outside, weather permitting. They will begin the walk directly from their line-up before they enter the building. We would encourage parents to join us for the walk each Tuesday. Not only will it get you ready for your day, it will also set a good example for the students.

TERRY FOX RUN / WALK EVENT – As part of our Phys. Ed. / Active Living and Health programs we will be holding our annual Terry Fox Run/Walk event during the afternoon of Friday, September 30th. All students and staff will be running/walking our school field loop starting at 1:00 p. m. We would like to invite family members (parents, grandparents, etc.) to join our school community as we show our support for this wonderful foundation. More information about our Terry Fox Run/Walk event will be sent home with students throughout the month of September. AGENDAS Once again your child will be bringing home a school agenda. This important book provides a quick and consistent means of communication between you and your child’s teacher. Please take the time to read through the first section containing our school handbook. Information provided in the handbook will address many questions you may have. Your child’s teacher is the first line of communication for any issue or concern that may arise during the school year. Please contact your child’s teacher using the agenda or by phoning our school during office hours. If you would like to order milk/juice tickets for your child please fill out the following form and

return it to the school with payment (cash or cheque only please):

HOLY ANGELS SCHOOL

MILK/JUICE ORDER FORM

I would like to order milk/juice tickets for my child/children.

Date of Order: ________________________________

_________ x $ 1.00 each = ____________

_________ x $9.00 (10 tickets) = ____________

_________ x $18.00 (20 tickets) = ___________

TOTAL ____________

PAYMENT: Cheque.# Cash

Please enclose money with this order form and return to the school.

Please send the tickets home with: Student ______________________ Homeroom________

BACK TO SCHOOL — SAFELY!

As children of all ages head to the classroom – some of them for the

very first time – let’s start the school year off by keeping them safe on

our roads. Below are some Safety Reminders provided by the Calgary

City Police Service. Please review them to ensure we have another accident

free school year.

Use caution on the roads

When you’re driving, please watch carefully for children as they make their way to

and from school. Kids can appear suddenly from behind a parked car, seeming to come from

nowhere. Being alert and following the posted speed in school and playground zones will

improve your reaction time:

School zone and Playground zone times are now consolidated at 30 km/h from 7:30 am

to 9:00 pm every day. Passing another vehicle is prohibited in all school zones and

playground zones during this 7:30 am and 9:00 pm time every day.

Teach lifesaving traffic tips

Parents can use the “3 Ps” method – Point, Pause and Proceed – to teach children how to

cross the street safely:

Point – indicate the road you would like to cross by extending your arm to show drivers.

Pause – before proceeding, ensure vehicles have come to a complete stop or are back

far enough, and make eye contact with drivers to ensure they have seen you; and only

then

Proceed – with your arm still extended, proceed to cross the street, continuing to check

for other vehicles, as drivers may have not realized pedestrians are crossing.

Parents should teach children to cross at marked crosswalks with traffic signals, flashing lights,

and/or school patrollers and never to jaywalk or step out between parked cars.

Lead by example

Please park in our assigned drop-off and pick-up area east of the school. This helps to reduce

traffic in and around our school and playground, while at the same time, increasing visibility for

pedestrians and motorists. Please do not drop off students in the staff parking lot.

Please set a good example by adhering to proper safety practices. Keep an eye out for people

waiting to cross the street and yield to school patrollers. Slow down as you approach the

crosswalk or intersection and anticipate that people waiting there may want to cross in front of

you.

For more back-to-school safety and other traffic tips, please visit http://www.calgarypolice.ca

BUS ZONE

No parking or drop offs are permitted in the bus zone in front of our school. This will assist our bus drivers and ensure student safety.

PARKING LOT

Please do not enter the Holy Angels parking lot before or after school to pick up students.

Students are reminded to use the sidewalk at all times. Please ensure your child does not cut through the busy parking lot on foot or with his or her bicycle.

CROSSWALK

Please show your child good habits and use the crosswalk. Ms. MacPhie is working hard to train patrollers this year. Please be respectful and appreciative of the work these individuals do to keep our students and families safe. Remember to stand on the sidewalk and behind the patrollers when waiting to cross. When signaled to cross please walk between the patrollers on each side of the street and stay within the marked crosswalk. Please be diligent about having your child cross while the patrollers are still on duty. If you and/or your child have not crossed and hear the patrollers indicate, “LAST CROSSING” please proceed to the crosswalk and enable the patrollers to cross you safely. Patrol times are from 8:10 - 8:25 am and 2:55 - 3:10pm Monday to Friday.

Holy Angels School Bell Times GR. 1 – 6 KINDERGARTEN

8:25 School Starts 8:25 Morning K Starts 10:15 – 10:30 Recess 11:03 Morning K Dismissed 12:00 – 12:50 Lunchtime 12:50 Afternoon Entry Bell 12:15 Afternoon K Starts 2:55 Dismissal Bell 2:55 Afternoon K Dismissed

Calgary Stampeders Coat Drive Below is some information about the Calgary Stampeders Coat Drive. Last year Holy Angels’ community did a fantastic job supporting this worthy cause. Once again, we would like to come together as a community to support the homeless and less fortunate. We will be collecting new or gently used winter coats between September 6th and October 28th. Thank you in advance for your support.

HOLY ANGELS NEWSLETTER

COMMUNICATION / FEEDBACK

September 2016

Administration and teachers encourage and welcome phone calls with any valuable

comments you may have concerning school operations. If you are unable to call, please

use this form to convey your suggestions or concerns. Thank you.

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Student Name: ___________________________ Class: ____________

Parent Signature _________________________________ Date _________________