Weekly Update: September 1 to September 5
Happy Sunday, Grizzly families!
I hope you are enjoying your long weekend with your families. For a few of you, this is the first message you are receiving from me and for others, it’s the second message. If this is the first message for you, it means that your child has recently registered at Annie Gale. Welcome! Please check our website for the last message I sent on Wednesday. Our website publishes this weekly message a day or two after it is sent so if you ever miss the message or misplace the email, you can refer to it here https://anniegale.cbe.ab.ca/ You can also refer to previous messages if needed on that website. For ease of reading, the items in the “Did You Know” section of this message are labeled “NEW”, “REPEAT”, OR “UPDATED”. Expect to see a lot of information in the “Did You Know” section, especially in September as this is yet another way for us to share school expectations with families.
By now you should have received an email introduction from your child’s homeroom teacher, as teachers sent the messages by the end of the day on Friday. The staff enjoyed spending three days together last week meeting and preparing our classrooms and the school for the upcoming school year. We are ready and excited to start our work with students, which we will do on Tuesday, for Grade 6 and Grade 7, and Wednesday for all students, including those in Grade 8 and Grade 9.
Here is a summary of the first few days:
- Tuesday, September 2, 2025 First day for Grade 6 and 7 students only
- BBQ lunch will be provided (options include beef and vegetarian)
- Wednesday, September 3, 2025 First day for Grade 8 and 9 students
- All students should attend
School starts at 8:00 a.m. and the dismissal bell for the end of the day (Monday through Thursday) is 2:35. Buses leave promptly at 2:45.
Information about the upcoming athletics seasons (soccer, cross country, and basketball) will be out in the next few days. Students must listen to morning announcements for information about tryouts. At the time of this message, the tryout schedule has not been confirmed.
CONNECTING HOME AND SCHOOL: I’d like to further develop an idea from the list included below, which was sent last Wednesday. This list includes some things parents and guardians can consider when helping their child prepare for school. I want to expand on point number 5, which is to “support emotional readiness” of your child.
By junior high school, most parents and guardians are experts when it comes to their children returning to school. However, I thought that it might be helpful to provide a list of some items as you all prepare for the upcoming days.
- Establish a back-to-school routine early (Gradually adjust sleep schedules and practice the morning routine)
- Organize school supplies and materials (Label everything and complete a backpack check to ensure all items are included)
- Plan routines and schedules (Finalize bus or transit plans and map out arrival and dismissal transitions)
- Help students navigate social adjustments (Talk through what to expect and reinforce social skills)
- Support emotional readiness (Normalize nerves and set check-in routines to talk with your child about how things are going)
- Stay connected with teachers and school staff (Read emails and check the school website; watch for open houses and orientation events and plan to attend; ask about support services, should your child need them)
- Emphasize healthy habits (Focus on balanced lunches and hydration and add movement to daily events; plan for time away from screens)
NEW: Some parents, especially those who have children new to junior high/middle school, have worries about their child settling in, which is quite normal. What I want parents and guardians to remember, however, is the messaging we may inadvertently send our children. As parents/guardians, our main goal is to prepare our children for adult life. We do this by modeling positive behaviours, encouraging age-appropriate problem solving, and showing our children through our words and actions that we believe that they are capable of success. Anxiety about new situations and school start up is totally normal and expected. It is our response to our children’s anxiety that supports their social emotional development. If we are anxious, we may need to keep it in check so that we don’t telegraph our worries onto children who may not be as anxious as we are. We need to send messages such as, “I know you’ve got this”.
In the first few days and weeks of school, many students will lose their schedules, forget where to go, arrive late for class, forget their locker combination, etc. These things are all normal and school staff is ready to support those needs. If those are some of the things your child is talking about at home, remind them that we are here to help—no one is going to get into trouble for making a mistake. Ask your child what they would do if any one of those things were to happen and let them tell you that they have people to go to for help. Sometimes children say, “I don’t know” when asked a question about what to do. If that’s the case, encourage them to think and give them some more time to respond. I see many parents who jump in to save the day or answer a question before a child can even consider an answer. The message we send, in that case, is that we don’t think they are capable which reinforces their need for us and limits their independence. When children figure it out, we can celebrate with them and praise them for their problem-solving. Let’s show our students that they are capable! If a problem is too big for them to solve on their own, then they can ask for adult help. It’s that simple.
Thanks, in advance, for all that you do to help your child and the school. We are a team helping our wonderful crew of Grizzlies find success at Annie Gale School. Here’s to a great year!
DID YOU KNOW?
NEW: Our parking lot has a change this year—the entrance/exit from Whiteridge Way is now blocked off. This means that the only entrance and exit is the one closest to the Whitehorn Community Centre. The school parking lot remains out of bounds for student drop off and pick up and does not have any spaces for visitors. The parking lot for the community centre typically has a few spots open, but access remains limited. Please choose to park in appropriate places on street and remember to follow all rules of the road. Speed should be limited to a maximum of 30 km/h and u-turns are illegal in school zones. Parking, including a brief stop in the bus zone, is not permitted. Please do your part to keep all students safe.
NEW: For safety reasons, our school does not permit students to bring spray perfumes, colognes, or body spray. Squirting water bottles and water guns should also be left at home as they, too, create a safety hazard. Should these items be brought to school, they will be confiscated.
NEW: Last year the Alberta government made some changes to policies related to cell phones and personal devices. In our school, we prefer that students leave their devices at home; however, if they bring them to school, we ask that they remain turned off and locked in a locker. Should students have their personal devices on their person at times other than entering or leaving the school, we will store the device in the office for the remainder of the day. Parents and guardians will be notified the first two times this occurs. Should it happen a third time in the school year, we will ask a parent or guardian come to the school to pick the device up and we will discuss a plan to support compliance with this important government legislation.
NEW: Students in Grades 6, 8, and 9 are all assigned a personal hallway locker to store their personal belongings, and they are responsible for the lock provided to them. Grade 7 students share lockers with a locker partner. Students may not use any other lock or locker other than the ones assigned to them, nor should they share their locker combination with others. Students are also assigned a locker in the PE change rooms and the same expectations about sharing lockers and locks apply. Replacing a lost lock is $13.50. The lockers are considered a space shared with the school so should the need arise, administration has access at all times. If students believe their combination is known by others, they can easily exchange their lock in the office.
NEW: Backpacks, purses, side bags, hats (non-religious), coats, and puffy vests need to be stored in lockers throughout the day. Hoodies are acceptable but hoods need to be kept down while students are in the building. Exceptions happen during special Spirit Days, when we dress up in different attire. Spirit Days are advertised in advance.
REPEAT: The first day of school for Grade 6 and 7 students at Annie Gale is Tuesday, September 2, 2025. On that day students will be treated to a BBQ lunch! Grade 8 and 9 students will start on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
REPEAT: Last spring, Annie Gale had some flooding in the gym. Our gym is repaired and refinished and it looks great! We are excited to start using it right away.
REPEAT: If you plan on having your child away for a family trip in the upcoming school year, especially in September, you MUST connect with the school to inform us of your intentions. This is IMPERATIVE as funding for your child rests on them being present in September, and for TLC students, their attendance on the first week of school confirms their spot in the program.
REPEAT: To make our four Friday schedules easier for students and families to remember, we have labeled each Friday schedule with a colour (Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green). Parents and guardians need to know that we share this information in the “Weekly Events” section at the end of the weekly update. Students will be completing blank forms of their Friday schedules to post in their lockers so they can be prepared for the Friday schedule each week.
REPEAT: Thanks to our School Council, we will be hosting Paul Davis for a parent event on Wednesday, September 17, at 6:00 p.m. Paul will be speaking about Internet safety, and we are told that his presentation is outstanding and will help you better protect your children. Students in Grades 7-9 will see him speak on during the day and Grade 6 students will see a recorded message from him. Please mark this date on your calendars.
UPDATE: Our first School Council meeting is Thursday, September 18, at 6:00 p.m. Consider joining this group of parents and guardians supporting their children by being involved in decision making and the first to hear about the “why” related to decisions made at the school.
WEEKLY EVENTS: SEPTEMBER 2 TO SEPTEMBER 5
Monday, September 1 – Labour Day – NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, September 2 – Grade 6 and 7 students ONLY (TLC students in formal uniforms)
- 8:00 – 2:35 | Homeroom and welcome back activities; Full day with BBQ lunch served (beef and vegetarian burgers will be served)
Wednesday, September 3 – First Day for Grade 8 and 9 students (Grade 8 and 9 TLC students in formal uniforms)
- 8:00 – 2:35 | Homeroom and welcome back activities; mini timetable in afternoon; all students attend school
Thursday, September 4
- 8:00 – 2:35 | students follow regular Thursday schedule from their timetables
Friday, September 5 – RED Even A Day
- 8:00 – 12:00 | Early dismissal like all Fridays (buses depart at 12:10)
Sincerely,
Tammy Quiring
(proud) Principal