Weekly Update: September 29 to October 3
Happy Sunday, Grizzly families!
It’s been another busy week at Annie Gale! This week we observed Orange Shirt Day, watched Where Have All the Buffalo Gone, a theatre performance, had the our second of six planned fire drills for the year, hosted our first home basketball game, hosted a home soccer game, and hosted Meet the Teacher Night. I’m overjoyed to tell you how well each of those events went. We had over 400 students, parents, and guardians join us for Meet the Teacher and everyone I talked to expressed their gratitude about the event—how well it was organized and how pleased they were to experience a little bit of what their child experiences on a typical Monday. Our School Council played a part in that—they sold popcorn as a fundraiser, and had several adults volunteer to help them as they support the school. Their fundraising efforts also paid for the theatre performance of Where Have All the Buffalo Gone. We are grateful! Ask your child about what they thought of the play--from those that I talked to I can say it was a success.
In Grizzly Den this week, our students wrote their commitments to Reconciliaction and were given information about Truth and Reconciliation events taking place in Calgary on Tuesday.
CONNECTING HOME AND SCHOOL: At Meet the Teacher night, I shared some information with families that will help us all support our students. Here is what I asked of parents and guardians:
- Engage with learning at home (through D2L, Google Classroom, and dialogue about current events or what you and your child are readying for fun;
- Monitor your child’s online activity (this means keeping devices out of their bedrooms and out in the open where you can see what they are using it for)
- Limit screen time and help your child get enough sleep to be ready to learn (this also means keeping devices out of their bedrooms)
- Stay connected with teachers and PowerSchool (to monitor attendance, progress, and missing assignments)
- Read the weekly messages from school (and share them with your child)
- Get your child to school and on time (lates and absences detract from our ability to fully support your child and their ability to maximize the learning opportunities we provide)
- Keep your school payments up to date (note that waivers do not cover everything—if the fee is there, it means that it is not covered by waivers. Please speak with the Principal if you need support)
DID YOU KNOW?
NEW: Are you looking for opportunities to learn more about being a parent of a teenager? Click the link at the end of the paragraph to find a poster with sessions designed to provide families with knowledge, tools, and strategies to help navigate the challenges and opportunities of raising children and teens today. Session details are available here: Child and Youth Family and Caregiver Series public facing page.
NEW: Have you ever wondered what happens at the school during non-instruction days? This week our staff will be completing first aid training on your child’s day off.
NEW: Our neighbours are watching! Annie Gale Grizzlies are expected to behave appropriately when out in the community. This means that they should use sidewalks and not trespass on private property. It also means putting trash or recycling in appropriate containers. Each week we receive calls from neighbours with questions about how our students behave and interact with them and each other. Please remind your children to always put their best forward, so that our neighbours can compliment our behaviour rather than complain about it. Grizzly COURAGE plays its part here—GRIZZLIES ARE COURAGE! More on COURAGE next week!
NEW: Silent reading at home is considered homework and offers so many benefits! By reading 20 minutes per day, the reader is exposed to 1.8 million words per year. Reading can relieve stress by 68% in a lot less than 20 minutes. Taking 20 minutes to ready per day can boost mental health. Reading slows down mental decline in lates stages of life. Reading 20 minutes before bed can alleviate insomnia. Become a more empathetic person through 20 minutes of reading a day!
REPEAT: 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Students will not be permitted entry after the game starts. This allows the administration present 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.
- 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.
- 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.
REPEAT: 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!
REPEAT: 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 reason for 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.
REPEAT: 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.
REPEAT: We do our best to keep extra fees as low as possible when it comes to CTF courses, PE clothing, sports teams, 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.
REPEAT: 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: School Photo Day is Monday, October 6, 2025.
UPDATE: Our first Fun Lunch is October 29. More information is coming.
WEEKLY EVENTS: SEPTEMBER 29 TO OCTOBER 3
Monday, September 29 – Non-instruction Day: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Tuesday, September 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: SCHOOL CLOSED
Wednesday, October 1 - TLC Students in formal uniforms
- 2:45 – 3:45 | Junior Girls Basketball Practice
- 2:45 – 3:45 | Boys Soccer Practice
- 3:45 – 4:45 | Senior Girls Basketball Practice
- 4:30 – 6:00 | Girls Soccer Game @ Annie Gale
Thursday, October 2
- 2:45 – 3:45 | Junior Boys Basketball Practice
- 4:30 – 6:00 | Boys Soccer Game vs. Terry Fox School @ Annie Gale
- 4:30 – 6:00 | Senior Girls Basketball Games @ Ted Harrison School
Friday, October 3 – RED DAY
Sincerely,
Tammy Quiring
(proud) Principal
REPEAT: 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