Greetings, Grizzly Families!

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year!  I have much to share with you in the coming weeks and throughout the year. Please make reading the weekly message a part of your Sunday—it will help you stay apprised of the goings on at school all year.  


First day of classes

ONLY Grade 6 and 7 – Thursday, August 29 – 8:00 a.m. start and 2:35 dismissal 

Grade 8 and 9 – Friday, August 30 (ALL students attend) – 8:00 a.m. start and 12:00 dismissal


We welcome our newest students (Grade 6 and Grade 7) to school on Thursday, August 29.  On this day these students will be served a BBQ lunch to welcome them to Annie Gale.  The day will be used to help them get acquainted with their homeroom teacher and their class as well as the building itself.  We will provide a tour inside and outside the building as part of our day and we have some fun activities thrown in as well.

On Friday, August 30, all students will attend, including Grade 8 and 9 students who will have their first day on that day.  On this day, which includes dismissal at noon, students will have a chance to continue to get to know their homeroom teacher and will have a mini-timetable run-through.  We will have students walk through their Tuesday schedule so that they can see all of their classrooms.  Of course, the weekend is a long one, as Monday is Labour Day and we will not have classes.  Students will move directly into their Tuesday schedules, which they will have practiced on Friday.

The end of August is when we welcome incoming staff as well.  We welcome Mr. Barisow (Assistant Principal), Ms. Boyd (Learning Leader—Student Services), Ms. Drefko (Learning Leader—Literacy and Learning), Ms. McLaughlin (Learning Leader—English as an Additional Language), Ms. Wong (Learning Leader—Well-being and Complementary Courses), and we add Mr. Nguyen to our administrative team as he is taking on the Learning Leader role for Mathematics.  Mr. Wttewaall-Arteaga (Humanities) will be joining us again this year.  Teachers new to our school are Ms. Abu Farah (Math/Science—in for Ms. Easton), Ms. Elnazali (French), Mr. LaDuke (Math), Mr. Li (Math), and Ms. St. Dennis (Humanities—in for Ms. Hansen).  The staff is eager to start their work with your children.

Accurate attendance is crucial as the school year begins and it supports our ability to staff the school adequately.  If you have moved and your child will not be attending Annie Gale, please contact the school to let us know.  If your child will not be attending in the first few days, but will be a student with us, please let us know.  Please keep us updated as to the status of your child, including any absences related to illness or appointment or long absences you may plan throughout the year.

Volunteering Information:

Last year there were some major changes to the process for volunteering at your child’s school.  Since the implementation of a new electronic Police Information Check (ePIC) system in June 2023, CBE volunteers have been required to cover the costs of their own Police Information Check. 

For the 2024-25 school year, the CBE, in partnership with Calgary Police Services (CPS), has implemented a solution to have the full cost of the application covered by a voucher system which is funded by Volunteer Alberta.

Upon receipt of the volunteer application form from the applicant, the school will generate an ePic letter. The CBE, through Corporate Security, will send a weekly report to CPS with a list of names and email addresses of volunteer applicants. CPS will then load a voucher code directly to the ePIC system for that name and email address.

Volunteers should wait to submit their request until they receive an email from PoliceSoluntions.ca – Calgary Police Service Record Check inviting them to apply for their Police Information Check with the Vulnerable Sector (VS) for Volunteer. This will ensure the voucher is ready to be redeemed by the volunteer.

If a volunteer submits their own payment, there is no option for a refund. Additionally, there is no refund option for volunteers who have previously submitted and paid for ePIC applications.

We hope these changes will help eliminate financial barriers for volunteers.  

Did you know?

  • Each Sunday you will receive a message from the school with a variety of updates/information.  Please read them!
  • Annie Gale uses video surveillance technology.  We want you to be aware that we use this technology to maintain a safe and secure environment and to help control vandalism and criminal activity on school property.  Personal information gathered by video surveillance is collected under the authority of the Education Act and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) section 33(b). The users of this information are the Principal or designate (the Assistant Principal) and law enforcement personnel in the case of reported incidents that would require an investigation. Only authorized persons will review video surveillance information.  This technology is considered a complement to, and not a replacement for, CBE's strategies in supporting a welcoming, caring, safe, and respectful learning and work environment for students and staff.  Approval, installation and use of video surveillance technology will comply with Administrative Regulation 1066.
  • We had some flooding damage to the school in this summer’s largest hail event which will impact operations during September.  Our gym floor is currently being redone so all PE classes will meet and work in an alternate location.  We will share more with you when we learn more about the impact to students and athletic programs.
  • Please label your student’s belongings with their name.  Each day we have many items added to our lost and found and a labeled item has a better chance to get back to its owner.
  • In the next few days and weeks we may be making some changes to students’ timetables to balance classes and ensure that everyone is enrolled in the correct classes, so we want you and our students to be aware that this may take place.  
  • Annie Gale has a website with much information for you to access.  Please check it out here:  https://anniegale.cbe.ab.ca/
  • Grizzlies are COURAGE!  Last year we proudly created our COURAGE acronym.  Watch our upcoming messages for more details.
  • Students are welcome to ride bikes and scooters to school; however, they must be locked to our bike racks.  Please ensure that your child has a good quality lock and that they know how to use it.  Each year bikes go missing because they were unlocked or locked with an insufficient lock.  Skateboards, inline skates, or shoes with wheels (Wheelies) are not permitted on school property.
  • Students should be in class, ready to learn for our first bell at 8:00 a.m.  If you drop your child off, please ensure that you leave enough time to navigate the traffic and number of vehicles dropping off and picking up.  The parking lot is off limits for drop-offs and pickups.  We have a late policy which I will share with you next week.
  • As of today, we haven’t heard from the CBE regarding the implementation of the Alberta Government’s policy related to cell phones in schools.  Until we receive that information, we will use our Away for the Day Policy, which asks that all students lock away their phones and personal devices or does not bring them to school.  We should not see students with personal devices in classes.  More information to come.
  • ALL grade seven students share lockers; Grades 6, 8 and 9 students have their own personal locker.  More information in coming weeks.
  • September 18 is our first council meeting.  We encourage you to get involved and learn more about the school.
  • September 26 is Meet the Teacher Night.  Please mark it on your calendar so that you can be a part of the evening.
  • If you have questions about any of the information provided here, please contact the school at 403-777-7680.

Week at a Glance:  August 26 to August 30

Monday, August 26

7:30 – 3:00 | the office is open to the public

Tuesday, August 27

7:30 – 3:00 | the office is open to the public

Wednesday, August 28

7:30 – 3:00 | the office is open to the public

Thursday, August 29

7:45 | doors open to students

8:00 – 2:35 | First day for Grade 6 and Grade 7 ONLY

12:00 | BBQ lunch for Grade 6 and Grade 7

Friday, August 30

7:45 | doors open to students

8:00 – 12:00 | ALL students attend (first day for Grade 8 and Grade 9)

Sincerely,

Tammy Quiring

(proud) Principal