Weekly Update: June 9 to June 13

Happy Sunday, Grizzly families! 

We are proud to share some exciting news—Annie Gale School has been selected as a recipient of a generous $50,000 grant from the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation! 

This funding represents a significant investment in our students and school community over the next three years. It will allow us to make meaningful upgrades to our school learning commons, transforming it into a more inviting and inclusive space that encourages a lifelong love of reading. 

With this grant, we will: 

  • Expand our fiction collection to include a wide range of voices, cultures, and experiences that reflect our diverse student body 
  • Update our non-fiction section to ensure it is current, relevant, and engaging 
  • Purchase novel sets for small group reading, strengthening literacy support across Grades 6–9 

This grant will directly support our commitment to literacy, equity, and student engagement. We are deeply grateful to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation for this incredible opportunity and their belief in the power of books to change lives.  We also want to thank Ms. Schievink, Ms. Donahue, and Ms. McLaughlin for their efforts in championing this grant; it would not have come to be without their time and effort. 

Be sure to follow our school Instagram page (@grizzlygreatreads_cbe) for updates and news. Check out the staff photo with the giant cheque! 

Here are some more badminton updates: 

Grade 6:   

  • Mixed doubles – 6th 
  • Boys singles – 5th  
  • Girls Doubles – 4th  

We had a very busy week at school, and Thursday was no exception.  Grade 9s were treated to a photo booth, and of course many of them were dressed in cultural clothing or formal wear.  We also had snack sales in the foyer to raise money for the Grade 9 celebration at Calaway Park.  It was at this busy time that we received two visitors from the Indigo store supporting our winning grant.  They had a chance to explore our library/learning commons and shared a gift basket as well as some great ideas related to our grant.  They were very proud to be supporting our school and are excited to see how our students benefit from this funding.  Stay tuned—we will keep you updated.   

CONNECTING HOME AND SCHOOL:   

I thought that since we are highlighting reading, this information will give families some ideas to encourage reading at home. Thousands of Calgarians are gearing up to participate in Calgary Public Library’s annual reading challenge this summer. Registration for the Ultimate Summer Challenge is open and the challenge kicks off July 1 with one simple task: read every day this summer.  

The Challenge is free summer fun for readers of all ages, encouraging young families, kids, teens, and adults to log their reading every day and participate in activities and programs from July 1 – August 31.   

"The Ultimate Summer Challenge is one of the Library’s largest programs and is a fun and engaging way to build healthy reading habits both as individuals and families,” says Allison Comrie, Librarian and project lead for the Challenge. “When a child sees their family members and friends reading, they are often encouraged to do the same. This shared reading adventure helps instill a lifelong love of reading.” 

The 2025 Challenge is built around growth and imagination. With a clever garden-themed map and book-loving insects popping up throughout all 22 Library locations, participants can get the latest insect or gardening sticker to fill out their Challenge map as their reading progresses through the summer. 

The Ultimate Summer Challenge is also a useful tool to combat summer learning loss, the concept that students lose some of the learning they achieve in school through the lengthy summer break. By creating a daily reading habit, the Challenge can help children continue progressing with their learning and head back to class in September feeling confident and successful.  

“Creating a daily reading habit doesn’t mean you have to sit down for one or two hours a day or focus on the number of pages you’re getting through,” says Comrie. “Participating in the Ultimate Summer Challenge can look like a lot of things — it can be listening to an audiobook on a family road trip or morning commute, reading with friends in a park, or even simply reading through a recipe with your kids while you make dinner.”  

With over 1.35 million items in the Library's physical collections and thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines available with your free Library card, there are plenty of options to keep you going. The Library also hosts a wide-range of virtual and in-person programs throughout the summer to keep brains firing. Settle in for a Family Storytime, improve your art skills from the comfort of your own home with Art Night In, or encourage your teen to participate in the Drop-In Teen Writing Café.  

Registration for the Challenge is free and easy — just visit your local Library or calgarylibrary.ca/summer to sign up on Beanstack and be eligible for prizes. You can track your reading right in the app or on one of our Challenge maps available at all 22 Library locations. Bring your map back to any location each week for a progress sticker.  

Everyone who registers for the Ultimate Summer Challenge is entered to win great prizes. Each age group will have their own set of unique prizes, including Calgary Zoo memberships, game prize packs, a ukelele and Long & McQuade lessons, iPads, AirPods, and a PS5 with disc drive and pack.   

Visit calgarylibrary.ca/summer for more information and to register. For a full list of programs, visit calgarylibrary.ca/programs. 

Retrieved on June 8, 2025, from:  https://www.calgarylibrary.ca/library-news/let-your-imagination-grow-this-summer-with-the-ultimate-summer-challenge 

DID YOU KNOW?

NEW:  As this is Provincial Test month, I thought it important to explicitly state that if students write a PAT in the morning, afternoon attendance is expected. 

NEW:  Last week our Leadership 8 students participated in a community cleanup project. Students collected trash at Whitehorn Crossing Playground on May 28th, and at Whitlow Park on June 2nd.  The project was a resounding success as students collected six full sized bags of garbage over the two days.  This message ties in well with some comments received from community members lately, asking for our students to be good stewards by depositing their lunchtime garbage in bins either at school or in local businesses where they purchase them.  Our COURAGE model reminds us that Grizzlies are Caring and Responsible, so we know that this is not a big request for us. 

NEW:  We were excited to host many families last Thursday night for our Open House for incoming Grade 6 and 7 students from Colonel J. Fred Scott School and Chief Justice Milvain School.  Students toured the school during the day and came with their families that night.  They will be treated to a BBQ lunch on their first day of school next year! 

REPEAT:  Later this month we will be hosting a uniform donation drive for our TLC students. This is your chance to give back.  If your child has outgrown their uniform or will be moving to Grade 10 with no need to keep the uniform, please consider donating it to the school.  We can offer these pieces to families who might be struggling to pay for new items.  If students have donated their uniform, they will not be required to be in uniform.   

UPDATE:  Our School Council Annual General Meeting is in person and online this week on Wednesday, June 11, starting at 6:00 p.m.  Look for the link to be sent out late on Wednesday afternoon. 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.  Read to the end of this message for information about a role currently open, called Key Communicator. 

REPEAT:  We have a one more fun lunch 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! 

WEEKLY EVENTS:  JUNE 9 TO JUNE 13 

Monday, June 9  

  • 12:00 – 12:30 | Golf Practice 

Tuesday, June 10  

  • 8:00 – 12:00 | Immunization Catch Up 
  • 12:00 – 12:30 | Golf Practice 

Wednesday, June 11 

  • 8:00 – 12:30 | PAT ELA Part A Makeup Exam 
  • 12:00 – 12:30 | Golf Practice 
  • 6:00 – 7:30 | School Council Annual General Meeting (in person and online) 

Thursday, June 12 

  • 8:00 – 4:00 | Track and Field Meet @ Foothills Athletic Park 
  • 12:00 – 12:30 | Golf Practice 

Friday, June 13 – EVEN B DAY  

  • Library books due 
  • 8:30 – 9:30 | Math 9 Part A PAT 
  • 10:30 – 11:10 | Math 6 Part A PAT 

Sincerely, 

Tammy Quiring 

(proud) Principal 

A MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL 

Hello Annie Gale Parents, 

We are looking for someone to fill the role of Key Communicator on our School Council.  The description is as follows: 

Key Communicator – Key communicators act as a representative of the school council in interactions with the CBE, ensuring information flows effectively in both directions. Some typical duties include:  attending Community of School Councils (COSC) meetings which are held about every two months either in-person or online throughout the year and sharing the meeting information with school council executives and the parent community in our council meetings. Key Communicators may also represent the school council at other meetings or events, such as those held by the Alberta School Councils' Association (ASCA).  

The role is a non-executive role and requires a commitment of mostly 90 minutes every two months either in-person or online. If this is something that interests you then please come to our AGM (Annual General Meeting) that will be held on June 11, 2025, in-person at school and online at 6:00 pm or alternatively you can send us an email at anniegalepesa@gmail.com or at ruminakhan80@yahoo.ca. 

Thank you,

Rumina Cruz  

Chair (School Council/ PESA) 

Annie Gale School