September Reminders and Dates

Posted on 2023-09-06 11:03:42.842361 +0000 UTC

Dear Highwood Families

We had a great school start with your lovely children.  Here are some 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 (new process)
Help the Environment
Mid-autumn Festival
Busing Information and App
Flexible Entry in the Morning
Important September Dates

Volunteer Clearance

There are many field trips coming up especially at the beginning of the school year and WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!  Volunteer Clearance can take weeks, so please complete this ASAP.  We recommend that all parents complete a security clearance.

All parents wishing to volunteer with in-school and off-site events MUST complete and pass a Calgary Police Services security check. There are changes to Volunteer clearance this year.

Changes to Volunteer Clearance Process for 2023-24

Please note that the volunteer security process has changed. It can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks to process clearances. Please see the process below to apply.

Volunteer Security Clearance Process

Step 1: Prospective volunteers must first register as a volunteer at the school office. School administrators will verify your identity and register you in the CBE volunteer database. The school office will provide you with a letter enabling you to obtain a police information check from the Calgary Police Service (CPS).
Please note, prospective volunteers must reside in Canada for a full year before registering. Police clearances from countries other than Canada are not accepted.
Step 2: Visit the CPS online system, electronic Police Information Check (ePIC), to obtain your police check using your CBE volunteer letter.
If you are unable to complete the process online, you may visit a police information check location instead.
Step 3: Once you have received your clearance document from CPS you will need to share it with the school in-person or by email.
Cost: your security clearance is valid for five years and the cost is $21.25 ($15.00 for police clearance and 5.95+GST service fee) which is charged during the online ePIC application. This fee is not covered by the CBE.

Annual Volunteer Registration

Each school year you must complete the CBE volunteer registration form. By completing the form, you agree to abide by the conditions that protect the safety, confidentiality and working environment of our schools. You also make a signed declaration with regard to criminal charges.

Annual Volunteer Registration Form
Volunteer | Administrative Regulation 5003
Teachers will connect with those parents who have a security clearance for field trips and/or support in the classroom. As these early weeks are a great opportunity for teachers to get to know students, formal classroom volunteering will likely begin sometimes in October.
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, paper, and snack wrappers.  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 workplace 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 Thursday, September 28.   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. Please note that Kindergarten students will have their special celebration as they have a different schedule than the rest of the school.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everybody!

Bussing Information and App

Some parents have requested a change of bus and bus stop location.  Please do not move to the newly requested bus/ bus stop until you have received confirmation from the CBE.  Once it has been approved, please notify the school and teacher.

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 “CBEUYP5M0C” (Note that it is the number 0 and not letter O)
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.

It is important that 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 buses.  If there are severe weather conditions, buses 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 5 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.

Action Required | Complete Online Forms

Each year, schools have a variety of forms that parents / legal guardians are required to complete or review and update, some of which are paper and others online. In CBE, the forms in an online format are:

Demographic Verification - 2023-24 – This form includes your child’s personal information as well as parent / legal guardian contact information.
Citizenship Information Update - 2023-24 – This form becomes available if you change your child’s citizenship information on the Demographic Verification form.
Annual Authorization - 2023-24 – Combines the following forms:

School District Use of Personal Information - explains how CBE uses personal information in providing education services.
Consent for CBE Use of Student Information – provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by school/district and third parties.
Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party) - provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by outside groups and third parties

SchoolEngage is one of the applications found in your MyCBE account. This is the same account that you use to pay fees, view academic information, book school conferences, etc.

If you do not have a MyCBE account, on the MyCBE page click on Create a MyCBE Account. For online help refer, to MyCBE - Creating an Account (includes instructions and a video).

To complete these forms:

Please submit the Demographic Verification and Annual Authorization forms in SchoolEngage for your child by September 22.

If you have any questions, please contact Highwood School.

Important September Dates

Friday, September 8: Early Dismissal- Tuesday/Thursday kindergarten attends school;
Friday, September 15: Early Dismissal- Monday/Wednesday kindergarten attends school;
Thursday, September 21 (after school): Meet the teacher conferences 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM (more information to come)
Friday, September 22: NO SCHOOL: Meet the teacher conferences 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM (more information to come)
Monday, September 25: 7:00pm School Council meeting (more information to come)
Wednesday, September 27: 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;
Wednesday, September 27: 9:00 monthly assembly hosted by Grade 3s. All parents for Grade 3 students are welcome to come to the gym for this assembly.
Thursday, September 28: Mid Autumn Festival Celebration
Friday, September 29: NO SCHOOL: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (in lieu of Saturday, September 30)

It’s been a real pleasure to get to know the children and I am looking forward to meeting more families during my stay here. Have a wonderful month of September!

Sincerely,

Lucie Lejeune
Acting Principal
Highwood School