Dear Highwood Families,
Welcome back… we hope everyone had a relaxing and fun-filled Spring Break! Here are just a few important items and reminders for the month of April:
- Volunteer Clearance- Sports Day
- Accessing the school after the 3:16 bell
- Help the Environment!
- School Development Plan
- Important April Dates
Volunteer Clearance
There are MANY fieldtrips coming up as well as a school-wide Sports Day in June and WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! Volunteer Clearance can take weeks, so please complete this ASAP. We recommend that all parents complete a security clearance since it’s FREE!
All parents wishing to volunteer with in-school and off-site events MUST complete and pass a Calgary Police Services security check. To do so, you no longer need to come to the school to get a letter to bring to the police station. Everything is done online now! Login to your School Engage account. Once you’re logged in, there should be a section in green on the bottom right corner titled ‘Volunteer Forms.’ Click ‘new’ and you will now start the application process. Note that you will be required to upload a photo of yourself (selfie) holding a government issued ID (i.e. driver’s license).
If your application is approved, you will receive an email voucher from PolicingSolutions.ca to proceed with the clearance application through the Calgary Police Service. This email may take up to three weeks to arrive. Once you receive your CPS volunteer clearance letter, you have 60 days to upload it to your SchoolEngage application form or email it to highwood@cbe.ab.ca
More Information: Volunteer
Accessing the School After the 3:16 Bell
After students are dismissed at 3:16, the school is closed to our families, unless a meeting has been pre-arranged with a teacher. As the weather improves, students and families are welcome to stay and play on the playground with parent supervision, however access to the washrooms is unavailable. We do not have adults available to supervise students if they are in the school after dismissal. As well, our evening cleaner starts work at 3:16 and requires uninterrupted access to bathrooms and classrooms in order to complete his work. Thank you for your help!
Help the Environment!
We are proud that Highwood School is one of the most environmentally friendly schools in the CBE. We compost food waste and paper towels, use GOOS paper (Good On One Side), and recycle dried up markers and paper products. We even have solar panels to power up our school. But we still need your help!
- We have quite a few students who forget to bring a fork, spoon or water bottle to school and the school provides them with plastic disposable utensils. These single use plastics are not environmentally friendly, so we encourage you to please ensure that your child has a fork, spoon, and water bottle in their lunch bag every day.
- If you or your work place have any GOOS (Good On One Side) paper that can be donated to the school, we’d love to have it and use the other side that’s blank! Please ensure that what you are donating is flat (not crinkled) and does not contain confidential information on the other side. 8.5” x 11” sized paper would be best.
- Wednesdays during the month of April we will be doing Waste Free Wednesdays. This means we are challenging all students to have no garbage (or as little as possible) during snack and lunch. Students are encouraged to use reusable containers and items that can be recycled or composted.
School Development Plan
For the academic and well-being goal of our School Development Plan, we will continue to work on Zen Zodiac strategies to help with student self-regulation and problem solving through the use of Chinese and English oral language. Teachers will be spending some time with a specialist from the University of Calgary to help with task design, reflection, assessment, and determining next steps. The last three months of school will focus on:
- Relaxing RAM: When should the Calming Corner in the classroom be used, what should be done while there, and how should I express that I need to spend some time there?
- Reach out RAT: Finding an adult for help and support, as well as when it is appropriate to do so, and how it should be done (what words/ phrases should be used to express what help is needed?)
Important April Dates
Friday, April 4: Mon/Wed Kindergarten attends school
Wednesday, April 9: CLASS PHOTO DAY for students
Thursday, April 10: CLASS PHOTO DAY for Tues/Thurs Kindergarten students
Friday, April 11: Tues/Thurs Kindergarten attends school
April 14- April 17: Owl’s Nest Book Fair (at Highwood School Learning Commons)
Monday, April 14: Teacher’s Pet (in-class workshop)- Kindergarten room 107 & 108
Tuesday, April 15: Teacher’s Pet (in-class workshop)- Kindergarten room 108
Wednesday, April 16: Telus Spark Fieldtrip- Grade 2
Friday, April 18: NO SCHOOL- Good Friday
Monday, April 21: NO SCHOOL- Non-Instruction Day
Friday, April 25: Mon/Wed Kindergarten attends school
Tuesday, April 29: AM- YCT exam (Grade 4’s only)
Wednesday, April 30: Spirit Day- Crazy Hair and Hat Day! 9:00am: Monthly Assembly (Hosts: Grade 1)
Sincerely,
Highwood School