Weekly Update: September 21 to September 25

Greetings, Grizzly Families! 

We had another busy week at Annie Gale!  SportHub guest instructors were in the building working with students in PE; they will be here this week as well.  Ask your child what these instructors did in their class.  Grade 6 and 8 students had their assemblies, and we successfully completed our first fire drill of the year.   

Friday’s Grizzly Den was all about our Terry Fox Run, and from all accounts, we had many students running rather than walking.  The whole school took part! 

Over the past few weeks, I have been checking in with some students and families, asking them how school start up went from their perspective.  I was pleased to hear that studnets and families are generally happy with how things are going.  Parents and guardians will have a chance to learn more, including matching faces and names during our upcoming Meet the Teacher Night, which is this Thursday, starting at 6:30 p.m.  Families will all gather in the gym for a 6:30 start, and they will hear a presentation from the principal, which will include information on how the evening will be run, as well as information about the modernization.  We want to remind families that we do not have an elevator, so trips upstairs will necessitate the use of the stairs.  The evening will allow parents and guardians to walk through the school, say hello to teachers and check out basic subject-specific information which will be shared using SmartBoards located throughout the school.  Families with students in TLC 6 and TLC 7 will be escorted over to CJFS where they can meet the teachers and see the classroom spaces.  Should any families arrive late, we will offer a second “Principal Talk” at 7:15 in the gym.  Note that this event is not to talk to teachers about your child—but it is a chance to get faces and names, gain some important information, and learn about what your child will experience in their classes this year. 

CONNECTING HOME AND SCHOOL:  How can we work together to support students who experience or participate in negative behaviours? 

At September’s School Council Meeting, a parent asked about what the school does to respond to bullying, and this week we spoke with a few parents who misused the term “bullying”. This makes a lot of sense, considering the attention the word gets in the media.  

Negative behaviours between students sometimes happen at school, and we have many ways in which we respond.  To start, families should know that our focus in on positive behaviours, using Annie Gale’s COURAGE model as a guide.  With concepts like CARING, OPTIMISM, UNIQUENESS, RESPONSIBILITY, ACCEPTANCE, GRATITUDE, AND EXCELLENCE, we have a lot to work with.  Using our COURAGE model gives us all a common language that focuses on what to do and gives us a guide to return to when we stray from it.  We also use the CBE Student Code of Conduct, which we reviewed with students in the first few days of school.  I will have more to say on this topic next week, but between now and then, read the table below to get a better sense of what kinds of behaviors we may need to respond to. 

Continuum of Behaviours 


Conflict 

Rude 

Mean/ Aggressive 

Bullying 

Intention 

No intention to cause harm, both sides want to have their needs met and work things out to solve the problem 

Varies, may indicate attempt to communicate needs, achieve goals 

Cause harm, fear or distress 

May also be used to communicate feelings/needs 

Cause harm, fear or distress 

Gain power/control over the target 

Gain prestige or popularity 

Frequency 

Occasional to ongoing, depending upon the relationship 

Occasional to ongoing  

Does not follow a pattern 

Occasional to ongoing 

Does not follow a pattern 

Repeated and ongoing 

Description 

A disagreement that both parties can work together to solve 

Interactions can be positive or negative 

Impulsive behaviour, apparent selfishness, thoughtlessness or poor manners 

Impulsive behaviour, angry or aggressive outbursts 

Directed at certain individual(s) 

Planned, deliberate, actions 

Targeting of specific individual(s) 

May be verbal, physical, social/ relational, cyber/digital 

DID YOU KNOW?   

NEW: Please ensure that student possessions, including PE clothing, TLC uniform pieces, water bottles, and lunch kits are labeled with student names.  

UPDATE: All guests to Annie Gale are required to buzz at the school entrance and talk to office staff prior to entering.  Walk ins are not permitted without permission, even if they are accompanied by their child. Though we can sometimes help when parents drop in, appointments ensure that we can set aside time to speak with you.  Please call ahead.   

REPEAT: The Calgary Board of Education invites all parents and guardians to join a live online series on supporting child and youth well-being. The series is hosted by the Recovery Alberta Community Education Service (CES) Program in collaboration with local experts from the Calgary community.  The sessions are designed to provide families with knowledge, tools, and strategies to help navigate the challenges and opportunities of raising children and teens today.  To find out more, click on Child and Youth Well-Being Family and Caregiver Series. 

REPEAT:  If you have questions for your School Council, please email them to  anniegalepesa@gmail.com 

REPEAT: Teaching is a busy profession, and teachers have many obligations throughout the school day, beyond the classroom.  Should you need to email or call a teacher, be aware that they may not be able to respond immediately, because of their assigned duties.  However, you can expect that your email or call should be responded to in 24 hours, on a workday.  If your concern is an emergency, please call the office rather than emailing, so that you can be assured we can give it immediate attention.    

REPEAT: Annie Gale students are not permitted to go to other schools to watch a regular interschool athletic event.  The only students permitted to attend are siblings of a player; however, those students MUST be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian.  The exception is for finals, when fans may be allowed to attend. 

REMIND: Mark Thursday, September 24, 2026, on your calendars for Meet the Teacher Night.  The program starts at 6:30 in Annie Gale’s gymnasium. 

REPEAT: Friday, September 25, 2026, is a non-instruction day.  There will be no school for students. 

REPEAT: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.  The school will be closed. 

MODERNIZATION UPDATE 

At this time, there is no new information to report. 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

Monday, September 21 - TLC students in formal uniforms 

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Girls Soccer Practice 
  • 2:45 – 4:00 | Senior Boys Basketball Practice  
  • 4:00 – 6:30 | Cross Country Meet @ Rosemont Community Centre 
  • 4:30 – 5:45 | Boys Soccer Game vs. Ted Harrison School 

Tuesday, September 22  

  • 2:15 | Fire Drill #2 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Boys Soccer Practice 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Senior Girls Basketball Practice 
  • 4:30 – 5:45 | Girls Soccer Game @ Terry Fox School 
  • 6:30 – 7:30 | Senior Boys Basketball Game vs. Peter Lougheed School @ Crossing Park School 

Wednesday, September 23 

  • 2:45 – 4:00 | Senior Boys Basketball Practice 
  • 2:45 – 4:00 | Cross Country Practice 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Girls Soccer Practice 
  • 4:30 – 5:45 | Boys Soccer Game vs. Dr. Gordon Higgins School @ Dr. Gordon Higgins School 
  • 6:30 – 7:30 | Senior Girls Basketball Game vs. Terry Fox School @ Clarence Sansom School 

Thursday, September 24 

  • 8:00 – 2:35 | Nurse teaching about vaccinations with Grade 6 and Grade 9 classes 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Boys Soccer Practice 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Senior Girls Basketball Practice 
  • 6:30 – 8:00 | Meet the Teacher 

Friday, September 25 – Non-instruction Day – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS  

As always, should you have questions or concerns, please call the office.  

Sincerely,  

Tammy Quiring 

(Proud) Principal