Happy Monday, Grizzly families! 

I hope that this message finds you well, after enjoying a Thanksgiving long weekend with your family.   

We’ve had a busy week at Annie Gale!  On Thursday our Grade 9 classes welcomed Wali Shah--author, poet, and motivational speaker.  We started the day with a Grade 9 assembly in the lunchroom, in which Wali shared his inspirational message.  I’m told that even after an hour, the students wanted more.  They had to wait for breakout sessions with him, in which they were guided to write poetry using alliteration and rhyme.  I was able to stop in several times throughout the day and was impressed with the connection our students made to Wali and in the poetry that they shared at the end of the session.  Students told me that Wali shared his life experiences with them and that he learned from his mistakes and encouraged them to do the same.  It is our hope that the inspiration to write that Wali shared will stay with our students.  If you have a Grade 9 student, please ask them about their impression of the time with Wali.  And if you like the idea of this kind of learning experience, let us know.  These kinds of opportunities have a cost associated with them, and these are the types of experiences that our school council wants to support with some of the funds raised at our casino. 

Who can attend home games?  Last week we hosted our first basketball home game of the season, and we learned some things that we want to share with all families so that they understand what is expected of our students.  As a school, we love to have Grizzly student fans support our teams and we welcome them to join us for games, though we have some qualifications they must meet in order to attend.  To start with, on the day of the game, the student must have perfect attendance (no unexcused lates or absences).  If they have a late (L) or absent (A) listed by their name on our attendance, they will not be permitted to attend.  If they know in advance that an error was made, then they must have it fixed prior to the doors opening for the game.  We only have the attendance sheets to reference and we do not have time to confirm or debate an L or and A on the sheet with individual students.  This means that it’s up to the student to ensure that the attendance sheet is cleared by the day’s end.  New this year, is that we will not be allowing entry to our students who were paged to the office at any time during the week of the game.  Students are paged to the office when they are out of their classroom without permission or out for longer than five minutes.  Another item to note is that students will not be permitted entry after the game starts and they will only be able to attend the first game of the night, unless accompanied by their parent or guardian.  This allows the administration present to focus supervision on the athletes and spectators in the gym.  Minding the door takes us away for our role of supervisors in the gym.  With that in mind, it’s important to note that our games are NOT public events; our games are only for parents/guardians of athletes and our current students.  Older siblings and other family members will not be permitted unless they are attending with a parent or legal guardian.  Students who attend other schools will also not be permitted to enter.  These expectations exist at all schools, including Annie Gale. 

Did you know? 

  • NEW:  Picture retakes are Wednesday.   
  • REPEAT:  Our next council meeting date is Thursday, October 24.   
  • REPEAT:  At the first assemblies of the year, we reminded students about their role in keeping our school safe.  Students should report anything unsafe, including spills, broken or damaged equipment, strangers, weapons, drugs, alcohol, or vapes.  We also reminded them that reporting is NOT “snitching”, but an important part of keeping students and staff safe.  I told them that people who report incidents using 911 call to REPORT a problem, not to “snitch” about a problem.  The mindset of “snitching” or not reporting is one that keeps the wrong people safe from consequences.  We need to protect those who could be hurt—not those who intent to hurt others.  The mindset of reporting is one that keeps people from being hurt and is an essential part of our safety.  We ensure that those who report are kept anonymous and we investigate any report that might affect the safety of others.  I cannot imagine how one might feel if they learn that someone was hurt through a situation that they knew about and did not report.  Reporting problems may take courage, but it is essential.  We also told students that it is unacceptable to allow anyone, even a student, to enter the building through a locked door and not follow protocol to buzz in at the front door and get a late slip.  We keep our doors locked for safety; no one should enter through a locked door. 

WEEKLY EVENTS:  OCTOBER 14 TO OCTOBER 18 

​​​Monday, October 14 – NO SCHOOL – THANKSGIVING 

Tuesday, October 15 

2:45 – 3:45 | Boys Soccer Practice 

2:45 – 3:45 | Junior Girls Basketball Practice 

3:45 – 4:45 | Senior Girls Basketball Practice 

4:30 – 6:30 | Jr. Boys Basketball Games @ Ted Harrison School 

Wednesday, October 16 – PICTURE RETAKE DAY 

2:45 – 3:45 | Junior Boys Basketball Practice 

3:45 – 4:45 | Senior Boys Basketball Practice (subject to change because of home game—please contact the coach for more information) 

4:30 – 5:50 | Boys Soccer Game vs. Clarence Sansom @ Annie Gale 4:30 – 8:30 | Girls Basketball Games @ Annie Gale (student fans can only attend first game unless with a parent/guardian)  

Thursday, October 17 – FUN LUNCH 

2:45 – 3:45 | Junior and Senior Girls Basketball Practice 

4:30 – 5:50 | Girls Soccer Game vs. Clarence Sansom @ Annie Gale School 

5:00 – 8:00 | Senior Boys Basketball Games @ Annie Gale (student fans can only attend first game unless with a parent/guardian) 

Friday, October 18 – EVEN B DAY 

Sincerely, 

Tammy Quiring 

(proud) Principal   

INFORMATION FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL 

Hello Annie Gale Parents, 

We are looking to fill the secretary position on our school council and our fundraising society PESA (PARENTS ENCOURAGING SUCCESS ASSOCIATION) for the current school year of 2024 to June 2025. The description of the secretary role is provided below, so if that is something that interests you, please send us an email at anniegalepesa@gmail.com or ruminakhan80@yahoo.ca; alternatively, you can come join us at our next meeting on Thursday, Oct 24th. 

Secretary role:  

The school council secretary typically acts as a recorder at each meeting and ensures that the meeting minutes are prepared accurately to reflect the directions agreed to at the meeting. They can be handwritten at the meeting and then typed up and sent through email to the executives to view. This is a single volunteer position and only requires an hour and 30 minutes of your time once a month.  

Thank you, 

Rumina Cruz  

Chair (School Council/ PESA) 

Annie Gale School