Dear Highwood Families,

We made it through the first couple of days of school with only a few tears from our little ones (and maybe a few parents)!  It was a wonderful school start.  Below are a few reminders for the month of September as well as some important dates.  A similar email will be sent out at the beginning of each month.

  • Volunteer Clearance
  • Help the Environment!
  • Mid-autumn Festival
  • Bussing Information and App
  • Flexible Entry In the Morning
  • Important September Dates


Volunteer Clearance

There are many fieldtrips and in-school activities coming up and WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!  Volunteer Clearance can take weeks, so please complete this ASAP.  We encourage all parents to complete a volunteer clearance.

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:

  • Go to MyCBE SchoolEngage and click on “Volunteer Registration 2024-2025 Form”
  • Complete the form (note that you need to provide one piece of ID such as a driver’s license, Canadian passport, or permanent resident card)
  • Once this is completed, the school will take this information and generate a letter that will be sent home with your child for you to use to complete the clearance process.  It is a personalized letter with a special code on it that can only be used by you.  This letter and code are only good for 90 days.
  • DO NOT DO THE NEXT STEP UNTIL YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM CPS.  The email from CPS will provide you with a voucher to complete the security clearance for free.  If you choose to continue without the voucher, you will pay for the process yourself and the fee WILL NOT be refunded to you.
  • With the letter and personalized code, you need to complete the security clearance either in-person at the police station or online by following these instructions. CPS APPLICANT INSTRUCTIONAL MANUAL  
  • Once this is complete, it can take several weeks to receive the results.  Once you receive the results, you have 90 days to share the results with the school.
  • If you receive clearance, it will be good for 5 years and can be transferred to any CBE school.
  • If you have already received clearance from another CBE school, please call us to transfer this to Highwood School.
  • If you have received clearance from any other organization, unfortunately it cannot be accepted and you must apply for a CBE clearance.
  • Call the office (403-777-6200) if you are unsure if your previous CBE clearance has expired or not.

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.  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 and cup.  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 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.

Mid-Autumn Festival

At Highwood, we try to recognize important Chinese and Canadian cultural events and celebrations.  The Mid-Autumn Festival will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 17.  Your child’s teacher will be providing you with more detailed information as well as food requests for classroom celebrations.  Please ensure that your child and the teacher is aware of any food allergies.

Bussing Information and App

If your child takes the yellow school bus, you can track where the bus is through the MyBusStop App! 

  • Download the MyBusStop app
  • Go to the www.mybusstop.ca (DO NOT GO INTO THE APP), preferable on a desktop computer
  • Log in/ create an account
  • On the top right corner click “My Account” and select “My Routes”
  • Enter the school code (can be found on your mycbe account under “bus routes and stops”)
  • Select the bus letter your child takes, click the right arrow in the middle.  Do this for the bus letter’s AM and PM and Friday schedules.  You should see all of the selected items in the box on the right.
  • When finished, click “Go back to Portal” at the bottom
  • Go to the MyBusStop app and your child’s bus information should be there.

If your regular bus driver is away, this app is unable to track the information about a substitute driver.  We recommend that you check www.myschoolbusmonitor.ca for the most up-to-date information about school busses (even substitute drivers).  If there are severe weather conditions, busses are often late for pick-up and drop-off due to the road conditions.  Please be patient.

Flexible Entry in the Morning

Starting Tuesday, September 3 students will enter the school building when they arrive between 8:05-8:20.  They will not need to line up on the back compound and enter the school together with their entire class.  As students arrive, they can only enter through the front main doors or through the side doors facing the swimming pool.  Students will head straight to their classroom when they arrive.  Students arriving late after 8:20 must enter through the front doors and get a Welcome Slip before heading to their classroom.

It is important to ensure students arrive to school on time EVERY DAY.  Arriving at school on time allows students to experience positive interactions with others and participate more fully in learning activities.  Showing up on time to school every day can help students develop the habit of being punctual, illustrates to them your commitment to their learning and friendships, and helps reduce classroom interruptions and distractions for all students.

Important September Dates

HIGHWOOD 2024-2025 CALENDAR ​​​​​​​

Monday, September 2: NO SCHOOL- Labour Day

Friday, September 6: Early Dismissal- Monday/Wednesday kindergarten attends school

Friday, September 13: Early Dismissal- Tuesday/Thursday kindergarten attends school

Tuesday, September 17: Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations

Friday, September 20: Early Dismissal- Monday/Wednesday kindergarten attends school

Monday, September 23: 7:00pm School Council meeting (more information to come)

Wednesday, September 25: ORANGE SHIRT DAY- in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are asking all students and staff to wear an orange shirt; 1:00pm- Monthly assembly hosted by Grade 3s

Thursday, September 26 (after school): Meet the teacher conferences (more information to come)

Friday, September 27: NO SCHOOL; Meet the teacher conferences (more information to come)

Friday, September 30: NO SCHOOL- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Sincerely,

Highwood School