Weekly Update:  February 3 to February 7

Happy Sunday, Grizzly families! 

Semester two started last week and students in the regular program were getting settled in their new option courses.  We ask parents and guardians to ensure that they take care of course fees as soon as possible.  Please log into your account to take care of payment. 

We need your help!  Historically, Annie Gale has been fortunate to receive lunches from a lunch program and our students have benefitted from this.  Unfortunately, the number of lunches and snacks provided to us has decreased significantly.  Though we know that some of our students and their families are in need, most of the students taking food tell us that they are taking it because they don’t like what was provided from home or they simply didn’t make the effort to bring food to school.  We are no longer able to give those students food.  Here’s how you can help:  if you are able to provide your students lunch and a snack, please do so.  Check out “Connecting Home and School” below for some ideas about school lunches.  My second request is this:  If your family needs support regarding lunches or snacks for your child, please call the office and ask for Mrs. Loewen or Ms. MacMurdo.  All you need to do is say, “I read Principal Quiring’s message in the weekly update and I’m calling to ask about lunches for my child.”  Ms. Mac and Mrs. Loewen know what to do next.  

CONNECTING HOME AND SCHOOL:  Set a good example for your child when it comes to a healthy diet.  Children spend a large portion of their day at school. Making healthy food choices while at school is important because school lunches and snacks provide children with the energy and nutrients they need throughout the day.  Healthy choices are a major source of the essential vitamins and minerals children need to grow and develop.  There are a lot of healthy choices—be sure to consider taste, culture, and of course your budget.   

Make lunches part of the meal plan for the week.  This helps to save time and keeps you organized.  On the weekend, plan school lunches with your child for the week ahead.  Get their input on foods they like, including, vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods.  If you can, stock up on healthy on-the-go snacks you can add to their main meal.  Think about what you will be making for dinner during the week. Some of the leftovers could be used to make quick and easy lunches the next day. 

Don’t forget to consider your schedule. Think about whether you can easily prepare items in the morning. If not, wash, chop or pack the night before to make mornings easier. Choose what works best for you.   

Involving your child in planning and packing their own lunches for school can help them improve their food skills, try new foods, empower them, and decrease the amount of wasted food.  Make sure you include everything they need—the school does not supply napkins or cutlery.   

Sometimes children complain about having too much food or too little food in their lunch.  Sometimes they don’t eat their food at all.  If this happens, ask them about when they eat each item and why they avoid others. It could be that they don’t have enough time to eat, eat their lunch during wellness break, have trouble opening the packaging of a lunch or snack item, or perhaps they find the food either too warm or too cold by the time they eat it.  Finding the reason they are not eating their lunch can help you pack healthy lunches they will enjoy eating. 

Don’t forget to pack water. Include a reusable bottle so they can fill it up throughout the day. 

(Adapted from an article retrieved on February 1, 2025, from:  https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/tips-for-healthy-eating/school/) 

Did you know? 

  • NEW:  Eight students from our SWAT Team (Student Well-being Action Team), with over 350 others, attended a well-being symposium on Monday at Mount Royal University.  This large group of middle/junior high school students were challenged to be champions in their schools.  They learned about different dimensions of well-being and were reminded that taking one small step can make a huge difference.  They were also reminded that student voice matters, and that well-being is a shared responsibility.  The SWAT team will continue actioning their plan and garnering support from other students starting tomorrow after school.  Stay tuned for more updates—the initial steps of their plan include focusing on each letter of our COURAGE model.  It’s timely that the first two weeks will focus on CARING, just in time for Valentine’s Day.   
  • NEW:  Do you want to find other ways to connect your child’s learning to what’s being taught in school?  Our COURAGE model is one way you can do that—we use the student-created COURAGE model in our Grizzly Den on Fridays and when we focus on character education with our students.  The COURAGE model uses these words:  CARING, OPTIMISTIC, UNIQUE, RESPONSIBLE, ACCEPTING, GRATEFUL, and EXCELLENT.  When it comes to excellence, we believe that it’s not about being the best, but about doing our best. 
  • NEW:  Did you know that we have many lunchtime clubs running each day?  For example, chess, anime, dungeons and dragons, fitness, and board game clubs, not to mention weekly open gym spots are all available to students.  Drop in visits by students are perfectly acceptable; weekly attendance is not required.  In other words, if a student has never gone to a club before, they are welcome to stop by and see what it is all about.  During lunch time our hallways are open as are the Library/Learning Commons and lunchroom. This is especially important on cold weather days.  We declare a “blue day” when the temperature, including wind chill, is below –20 degrees Celsius, and we open more classrooms as well.  We want students to have a safe, welcoming place to be any day, and that includes blue days. 
  • NEW:  Teachers’ Convention and Family Day are rapidly approaching.  THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL on Thursday, Friday, and Monday, February 13, 14, and 17.  The office will be closed on these dates as well. 
  • REPEAT:  Report cards from semester one are now available to families in PowerSchool. 
  • REPEAT:  If you are interested in moving your child from the regular program to the TLC, now is the time to express your interest online.  Note that an expression of interest does not guarantee placement.  Spots are limited so we use a lottery system.  If you have questions, please contact the office. 
  • REPEAT:  We have added more dates to Fun Lunches.  Log in to healthyhunger.ca to participate.   
  • REPEAT:  Our next school council is Wednesday, February 18, at 6:00 p.m.  At this meeting I will be presenting information on school fees and our school development plan.  The presentation includes a follow up survey for parents and guardians so that you can share your opinions.   
  • REPEAT:  March’s School Council Meeting is Wednesday, March 19.    
  • UPDATE:  Parents and Guardians of Grade 9 students should be aware that students need to register for the school that they are designated to.  CBE high schools are continuing to experience enrolment growth and consequently, many schools have limited or closed status for transfers for the 2025-26 school year. 
    • The CBE’s priorities are to manage this growth equitably and ensure that schools have enough spaces for students who live in the communities designated to our schools. This means schools identified as being open or limited must consider school capacity and enrolment in programs or courses for students designated to attend a high school, before we can accept transfers from out-of-attendance students. 
    • CBE schools identified as open or limited will only be able to accept transfers for the 2025-26 school year once they ensure space exists for out-of-attendance students.   
    • Students interested in academic credentialed learning, such as the International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP), will be able to request this at their designated high school that offers these options.  
    • There are five (5) IB Programme schools in the CBE. Students who are not designated to one of these schools for the regular program will be required to submit a transfer for the IB-designated school in their Area. After March 15, the IB Programme school will determine how many spaces are available for students requiring a transfer and communicate acceptance to families by April 11. 

WEEKLY EVENTS:  FEBRUARY 3 TO FEBRUARY 7 

Monday, February 3  

  • 2:40 – 3:30 | SWAT Meeting 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Senior Girls Volleyball Practice 
  • 3:45 – 4:45 | Junior Girls Volleyball Practice  
  • 4:15 – 5:15 | Senior Boys Volleyball Game @ Dr. Gordon Higgins School 

Tuesday, February 4 

  • 11:00 – 12:00 | Fowler High School Registration @ Annie Gale School 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Senior Boys Volleyball Practice 
  • 3:45 – 4:45 | Junior Boys Volleyball Practice 
  • 4:15 – 5:15 | Senior Girls Volleyball Game @ Dr. Gordon Higgins School 

Wednesday, February 5 

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Senior Girls and Junior Girls Combined Volleyball Practice 

Thursday, February 6 

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Junior Boys Volleyball Practice 
  • 3:45 – 4:45 | Senior Boys Volleyball Practice 

Friday, February 7 – ODD B Day 

Sincerely, 

Tammy Quiring 

(proud) Principal