Weekly Update: September 22 to September 26

Happy Sunday, Grizzly families! 

It’s been another busy week at Annie Gale!  This week we held our first of six planned fire drills for the year.  By all accounts, the drill was performed well and set the stage for future success for a drill or a real evacuation. We have another one scheduled this week.

Paul Davis was here on Wednesday, and in two separate student presentations and an evening parent/guardian presentation, shared resources and information about Internet and social media safety for adolescents and their families.  Look for more information from him in the Connecting Home and School section below.  Davis’ presentations were sponsored by our School Council. 

Our first School Council meeting took place last Thursday and we had a large group who set the stage for this year’s goals, which include recruiting volunteer support from parents and guardians to work at the casino in early January.  Members of our council continually stress the importance of volunteer engagement in this way, because of the financial impact it has on the school.  For instance, School Council has used this money to support our Welcome Back BBQ, purchase technology and equipment such as a SmartBoard and musical instruments, reduce the costs of field trips and the Grade 9 celebration, fund our upcoming in-school drama performance of Where Have All the Buffalo Gone, and fund guest speakers such as Paul Davis, among other things.  Our staff and students appreciate their efforts and the funds that come from their volunteering!  If being involved interests you, even if it means attending one meeting to find out what goes on, then we encourage you to take 90 minutes out of your month to join a meeting. 

In Grizzly Den this week, our students learned about the history of the Metis people, Orange Shirt Day, and they started work on a collective art project.  This is in preparation for Orange Shirt Day and a theatrical performance called Where Have All the Buffalo Gone.  Next Friday, all our students will see the play in one of the two performances taking place in our school gym.  We encourage our Grizzlies to wear their orange shirts on that day.   

CONNECTING HOME AND SCHOOL:   Here are just a few ideas that come from Paul Davis.   

  1. No technology in the bedroom.  The way to protect your child is to know what they are doing on their technology.  Parent and guardians don’t know what they can’t see. 
  2. No Smartphone until middle to end of Grade 8 (unless medically required). 
  3. No social media until at least 13 years old. 

DID YOU KNOW?  

NEW:  Home Basketball Games expectations for student spectators

As a school, we love to have Grizzly student fans support our teams as spectators.  We have some qualifications they must meet to attend.  Note that these qualifications exist to bring out the best in our students and to reinforce our focus on the business of learning and basic school expectations. 

  1. On the day of the game, the student must have perfect attendance (no unexcused lates or absences).  If they have a late (L) or absent (A) listed by their name on our attendance list, they will not be permitted to attend.  If they know in advance that an error was made, then they must have it fixed prior to the doors opening for the game.  We only have the attendance sheets to reference, and we do not have time to confirm or debate an L or and A on the sheet.   This means that it’s up to the student to ensure that the attendance sheet is cleared by the day’s end.   
  2. Students who were paged to the office at any time during the week of the game are not permitted to attend that week.   Students are paged to the office when they are out of their classroom without permission or longer than five minutes.   
  3. NEW THIS YEAR:  TLC students who have had uniform infractions during the week of the game will not be permitted to attend that week’s games.   
  4. Students will not be permitted entry after the game starts.  This allows the administration to focus supervision on the athletes and spectators in the gym.  The doors open for student spectators approximately 10 minutes before the game begins.  Students are not permitted to remain in the school waiting for the game unless they are under the direct supervision of a teacher.
  5. Our home games are only for parents and legal guardians and our current students.  Older siblings and other family members will not be permitted unless they are attending with a parent or legal guardian.   
  6. Students who attend other schools will also not be permitted to enter unless they are playing or with their parent or legal guardian.  This expectation exists at all schools in our division, including Annie Gale.  This is because our home games are NOT public events.  

NEW:  As I shared last week while discussing executive functioning as part of Grizzly Den and Connecting Home and School, in order to set up our students for success, all students were given a homework calendar for the months of September and October to keep in their binder. If your child brings their binder home regularly, this calendar is a great way for parents and guardians to know upcoming important due dates and events.  Checking this calendar every day with your child is one way to start a conversation about what they have been learning in school! 

NEW:  We thank you for your patience and for communicating with the school about your child’s absences.  When you call or email the school to notify us about your child’s absence, we can accurately record the absence; however, sometimes we can’t keep up with your calls and emails.  On some days, we have dozens of phone messages and emails, and we can’t process them until we finish working with students and parents who are physically in the office.  It’s for this reason that you receive a notice about your child’s unexcused absence even though you notified us.  Give us some time; if in a day the absence is still not recorded, then call or email again and we can take care of it.   

NEW:  October’s School Council meeting is Wednesday, October 22, at 6:00 p.m.  If you missed the first meeting, never fear, we invite parents and guardians to any meeting, regardless of whether they have attended before. 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.  Our council meetings are in a blended format—in-person and virtual.  The meeting link for the virtual meeting is sent home the same day as the meeting.  If you have questions that you want addressed at the meeting, please send them in advance to anniegalepesa@gmail.com. 

NEW:  We do our best to keep extra fees as low as possible when it comes to CTF courses, PE clothing, and field trips.  Please login to your account to pay school fees as soon as possible.  If you have questions about fees, contact the school office.  Note that waivers do not cover all expenses, including field trips or sports teams—again, if you have questions, please call us.  If your child is on a sports team, payment of fees is expected within a few days of the team being created.  

NEW: Monday, September 29 is a non-instruction day.  School will not be in session on that day.  Tuesday, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and the school is closed on that day as well.  

REPEAT:  Meet the Teacher Night is this week!  We invite parents and guardians to join us on Thursday, September 25, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  Note that we have a scheduled program for this event, and it is NOT a drop-in event.  Please leave enough time to find parking and seating in the gym for a 6:30 start.  It's your chance to hear an opening message from administration and get a sense of what this school year will bring.  After that, parents/guardians will visit their child's classes by following their child's schedule using a mini-timetable format.  Parents and guardians will have a chance to meet most of their child's teachers and hear what their child will experience in each specific class this year.  As the time is limited with each teacher and teachers are still getting to know your child, this evening is not intended for specific questions about your child.  Please note that we do not have a working elevator; if stairs are a concern, then guests may want to stay on the main floor during part of the event. We hope you can join us!  

REPEAT:  School Photo Day is Monday, October 6, 2025. 

UPDATE:  Our first Fun Lunch is October 29.  More information is coming. 

WEEKLY EVENTS*:  SEPTEMBER 22 TO SEPTEMBER 26 

*Please note: Not all dates for practices/games were available at the time of sending this email.  Please check with information from coaches for Senior Girls Basketball, Junior Boys Basketball and Senior Boys Basketball. 

Monday, September 22 (Formal Uniforms for TLC students) 

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Boys Soccer Practice 
  • 3:45 – 4:45 | Junior Girls Basketball Practice 
  • 4:00 – 8:00 | Cross Country Meet (@ Confederation Park) 
  • 4:30 – 6:00 | Girls Soccer Game vs. Terry Fox (@Terry Fox School) 

Tuesday, September 23  

  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Girls Soccer Practice  
  • 4:30 – 6:00 | Boys Soccer Game vs. Dr. Gordon Higgins School (@Annie Gale School)  
  • 5:00 – 8:00 | Junior Girls Basketball Games 

Wednesday, September 24  

  • 8:00 – 2:35 | Terry Fox Run in PE classes 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Junior Girls Basketball Practice 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Boys Soccer Practice 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Last Cross Country Practice 

Thursday, September 25 

  • 9:10 | Fire Drill #2 
  • 2:45 – 3:45 | Girls Soccer Practice 
  • 6:30 – 8:00 | Meet the Teacher Night 

Friday, September 26 – GREEN DAY; ORANGE SHIRT DAY 

  • 8:15 – 9:15 | Theatre Performance Where Have All the Buffalo Gone 
  • 10:00 – 11:00 | Theatre Performance Where Have All the Buffalo Gone 

Sincerely, 

Tammy Quiring 

(proud) Principal 

A MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL 

Dear Annie Gale Families! 

We need your help. Every 18 months Annie Gale is fortunate to participate in a Casino. This is our main fundraiser and it will earn roughly $80,000 for our school. This money goes directly towards things like field trips, library books, sports equipment, technology, and art supplies. We must provide enough parent volunteers for the casino to proceed. Our next Casino is January 5/6. We need you and your family members to join us so that we can earn these crucial funds. No experience is required and you get a free lunch! 

Please join us! You can sign up here: Annie Gale 2026 Casino Sign Up — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com 

Questions? Please connect with anniegalepesa@gmail.com. 

Sincerely,  

Laurel Hatch 

Casino Chair