Weekly Update: April 28 to May 2

Happy Sunday, Grizzly families! 

Congratulations to students and staff for a successful fire drill last week.  We have two more drills scheduled before the end of the year.  

Student vote took place last week—students in the school had a chance to replicate voting in the federal election.  This is a great opportunity for them to learn how the process works, and they will also get to see if their voting duplicates the outcome that Canadian citizens contribute to tomorrow. Student Vote is also a great opportunity for our students to experience relevant and meaningful learning.  

Ask your child about Pie the Teacher Day!  During Grizzly Den on Friday many of our teachers were “pied” in the face by a variety of students.  This fundraiser raised money for the Grade 9 celebration.  There are still a few more teachers, including me, who were not able to participate on the day of, so we will have a Pie the Teacher Part Two, which we will video and share with students. 

Annie Gale School is a voting place for the federal election so there will be a few changes to student access in the school.  PE classes will not be able to go in the gym which will alter their routines for a day.   

CONNECTING HOME AND SCHOOL:  A few weeks ago, I started a series on Growth Mindset, which will continue this week.  A growth mindset views abilities and intelligent as things which can be developed through dedication, effort, and learning. Challenges are opportunities for growth and development, not reflections of inherent limitations.  Those with a growth mindset are motivated to overcome obstacles, see failure as learning opportunities, and they embrace learning challenges.  So where do parents and guardians fit in?  They can help foster a growth mindset.  Here are two more ways: 

#3 Foster Grit 

Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, former seventh-grade math teacher, and author of the bestselling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, says that having grit is a powerful predictor of both academic and professional success. 

‘“Grit is passion, perseverance for long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your goals day in and day out and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” 

The next time your teen wants to cave in or give up altogether, encourage them to keep going, keep trying and keep their eye on the prize. It’s that “stick-to-itiveness,” that grit, that will set them apart from the rest and ultimately help them reach their goals. 

#4 Praise Pliable Efforts 

We’ve all read about the importance of acknowledging and praising our kids’ efforts. But when we’re fostering a growth mindset in our teens, it goes a bit deeper than that. It’s about praising our kids for their pliable efforts – i.e., efforts that can be manipulated and influenced by their efforts. 

Their persistence in the face of difficulty, their hard work even when they felt like giving up, their ambition to try something new even when they were scared, their determination and progress in school, in sports, or at their job – by praising their pliable efforts, not only will you be acknowledging and applauding efforts that they have full control over, you will also be subtly encouraging them to repeat the behavior by instilling confidence. 

Retrieved on April 19, 2025, from:  Teach Your Teen to Have a Growth Mindset: Why it Matters and Powerful Strategies that Work - Raising Teens Today 

Did you know?   

NEW:  Staffing decision for next year are based on student counts created this year.  If you are not planning on keeping your students at Annie Gale, please let us know as soon as possible.  If you know others who plan on moving to our school, ask them to reach out to us.  The more accurate our numbers are now, the better prepared we are in the fall. 

REPEAT:  We have a few spots open in our TLC program in Grade 6.  If you are interested in registering your child for this program or know someone who has a Grade 6 student who might be interested and they live in our catchment area, reach out to the school and we can help.  This would be on a first come, first serve basis, as there are currently no students on the Grade 6 lottery wait list. 

NEW:  We have a few more fun lunches before the end of the year.  Log in to Healthyhunger.ca to participate.  These fun lunches are organized by School Council, and we appreciate their efforts! 

NEW:  May’s School Council Meeting is Wednesday, May 21, at 6 p.m.   This meeting will be held in person and online.  Look at the end of this message for more information from School Council.  

REPEAT:  As the weather gets better, many of our Grade 7-9 students take advantage of our open campus and leave to purchase lunch at a local establishment.  This is a family decision, as we currently do not track those students.  We keep the hallways open at lunch, provide things to do in the gym and through clubs, because we prefer that students stay at the school where they are safe and supervised.  Those that leave at lunch risk not being back in time for Period 5, which starts at 12:41.  We encourage our students to stay by providing activities and space for them in the school and we deter students from being late by using our late policy.  The late policy gives students two warnings for lates at the beginning of the day and after lunch.  On the third late, the student will be asked to serve a 20-minute detention and on the fourth late, the student will be asked to serve a 30-minute detention and will call home to inform their parents or guardians.  At the fifth late in a month, we ask families to come into the school to work with us on improving attendance.   

REPEAT:  May’s School Council Meeting is Wednesday, May 21, at 6 p.m.   This meeting will be held in person and online.  Look at the end of this message for more information from School Council. 

REPEAT:  June’s School Council Meeting will be in-person only because it is the Annual General Meeting of the Council.  Read the message at the end to learn about some of the roles that make up the council.  If you are interested in filling a role, let us know.  If you just want to join council as a “visitor”, you are certainly welcome!  You will be surprised at what you will learn.  Being a part of school council is informative and supports your child’s school.   

WEEKLY EVENTS:  APRIL 28 TO MAY 2 

Monday, April 28 – FEDERAL ELECTION 

  • 12:00 – 12:30 | Grade 6 Badminton Practice 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | SWAT Meeting 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Grade 9 Badminton Practice 

Tuesday, April 29  

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Grade 6 Badminton Practice 
  • 3:45 – 4:45 | Grade 8 Badminton Practice 

Wednesday, April 30 

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Grade 8 Badminton Practice 
  • 3:45 – 4:45 | Grade 7 Badminton Practice 

Thursday, May 1 

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Grade 9 Badminton Practice 
  • 3:45 – 4:45 | Grade 7 Badminton Practice 

Friday, May 2 – ODD A DAY 

Sincerely, 

Tammy Quiring 

(proud) Principal 

A MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL 

Hello Annie Gale Parents, 

It’s almost time when the school year is ending, and we will be having elections for the executive positions on our school council and fundraising society PESA (PARENTS ENCOURAGING SUCCESS ASSOCIATION) at our AGM (Annual General Meeting) in June. All positions are available to be filled for the 2025-2026 school year. The description of all the roles is provided below, so if this is something that interests you, please send us an email at anniegalepesa@gmail.com or ruminakhan80@yahoo.ca or come join us at our next meeting.  Please send us your request before May 21, 2025, so we can plan accordingly for multiple candidates interested in the same position.  

Chair: It is expected that the school council chairperson will be a parent of a student attending the school. The chair should be someone who can work collaboratively and understands how to organize both programs and people. The chair should actively encourage others to be engaged in meaningful ways. They will chair all meetings of the school council and coordinate with the principal to establish meeting agendas. The chair will also be the official spokesperson of the school council, ensuring regular communication with the whole school community and making sure that the operating procedures are current and followed. They must prepare an annual report that summarizes the school council’s activities for the previous school year, including a financial statement relating to money, if any, handled by the school council.  

Vice-Chair:  On some school councils, the role of chair is shared, either through the creation of co-chairing positions or through the chair’s dependence on the vice-chair to undertake part of the work. Typically, the vice-chair's duties are, in the event of resignation, incapacity or leave of absence of the chair, to fulfill the chair’s responsibilities, and in the absence of the chair, supervise the affairs and preside at meetings of the school council.  

Secretary:  The school council secretary typically acts as a recorder at each meeting and ensures that the minutes are prepared to accurately reflect the directions and decisions agreed to at the meeting.  

Treasurer:  If the school council is handling money, through fundraising activities or donations, the treasurer keeps accurate records of all financial transactions and ensures that records are available upon request of the school board or school community. 

Thank you, 

Rumina Cruz  

Chair (School Council/ PESA) 

Annie Gale School