October - Calgary Board of Education

Piitoayis Family School October 2014 

Piitoayis Family School 

1921—9 Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB T2G 0V3 t | 403-777-7860 f | 403-7869 | piitoayis@cbe.ab.ca 

http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b244 

Principal’s Message 

Teaching Staff 

Newsletter | October 2014 

Michelle Ranger 

Principal 

Stephanie Jones 

Asst Principal 

Stephanie Anastasiadis 

Learning Leader Rm 34 

Jackie Warbeck 

Kindergarten Rm 24 

Jessica Greig 

Grade 1/2 Rm 22 

Adrien Dhanraj 


Kelly Post 


Ruby Kane 


Mackenzie Macleod 


Tammy Parent Rm 32 

Grade 5/6 

Hidesh Bhardwaj 

Ph Ed, Literacy Rm 31 

Oki, Tansi, Bonjour, Hello! 

Happy October! The students have been working on our own PFS Happiness Project, thinking 

and talking about what makes us happy. There were countless happy moments throughout September 

start up at PFS. 

Thank you to all families who came out to Meet the Teacher, we had over 100 participants 

and shared some yummy chilli 

Thank you to parents who took time to attend our school council, we need your voice and 

input 

Thank you to staff who planned engaging teaching and learning strategies around our 

school wide monthly focus and initiatives 

Thank you to Peer Leadership students for their commitment to enhance what we do at 

PFS this year 

Thank you to our office team for all your hard work as we move forward together this year 

Thank you to our students who are modelling school and bus rules and expectations 

Always, special thanks to our community partners for your ongoing support (listed in school 

handbook) 

This month our learning focus will be to understand each student, and the learning task we are 

asking them to do. We will be asking students these questions all year: 

What is the purpose of the task What are you doing Why are you doing it What are you doing 

next 

What can you do if you need help 

Students are working at completing learning goals they will share with you at scheduled student – 

parent - teacher – conferences at the end of the month (see calendar). 

Grade 3 students are writing Student Learning Assessments (SLA’s) September 29 – October 24 

. SLA’s are in place of Provincial Achievement Examinations for all grade 3 students in 

Alberta. The assessment has a focus on literacy and numeracy. Please view the link for more 

information on Alberta Education website. 

http://education.alberta.ca/admin/testing/student-learning-assessments.aspx 

LIKE us on Facebook! 

The Piitoayis Family School Page will provide regular 

updates on school events and important dates. 

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Support Staff 

Principal’s Message Continued 

Terry LeClair 

Ed Assistant 

Audrey O’Neil 

Ed Assistant 

Sharon Sinclair 

Administrative 

Secretary 

Amal Soboh 

School Assistant 

Lynne Potts 

Library Assistant 

Exciting New Initiative! 

Ghost River Rediscovery in Schools will be working with our grades 3/4 & 5/6 classrooms from 

October to December by offering a culturally based outdoor education program based on Indigenous 

ways of knowing and being, here at the school. Please check out their website for more information 

about what they have to offer. 

http://ghostriverrediscovery.com/ 

Elder Leonard Bastien will be in to facilitate our School Blessing Ceremony on October 9. If you 

would like to join us please contact Ms. Michelle directly. Sorry, younger children are not advised 

to attend due to space and time, parents / guardians only. 

Many Thanks, Happy Thanksgiving and Halloween. 

Ms. Michelle 

Bonita Noble 

Peace Coordinator 

Stacy Da Silva 

Family and Community 

Liaison 

Denise Nowell 

Lunchroom 

Laura Higgens 

Breakfast Program 

Al Thompson 

Caretaker 

Martin Ferre 

Caretaker 

Assistant Principal’s Message 

September has been a busy and exciting month. I have enjoyed getting to know all of our 

students, staff and many of our families. Piitoayis Family School truly feels like family, I am so 

thankful to be part of. 

Thank you to all of the families who have returned the forms sent home. Please remember if 

you have not sent them back to do so as soon as possible to inform the office and your child 

(ren)’s teacher. If you need another set of the forms, please let us know. 

Thank you to all of the students who have been so respectful and thoughtful on the buses. 

Your bus rides are always more smooth and safe when we remember to remain seated the 

whole time. We will continue to practice our bus rules to keep everyone safe on the bus rides 

to and from school. We are working with the CBE and Southland bussing to help accommodate 

the requests that have been sent in around bus stop changes. I will be sure to let you 

know any changes as soon as I know. 

Ms. Jones 

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Learning Leader 

Hello Families! 

It has been wonderful touching base with so many returning families as well as getting to meet 

and talk with new ones. What a great start to the school year! 

I’d like to first welcome our Mount Royal University nursing students, led by MRU instructor 

Heather Dirks. They have already been supportive around the school, in classrooms, the lunchroom 

and on the playground. On Wednesday we said good-bye to our first cycle of nurses but 

we look forward to all the cycles to come. 

Did you know if you need a doctor you can contact the Primary Care Network Primary Care 

Networks are a made-in-Alberta approach to ensure you receive the right care, from the right 

health professional, at the right time. Led by family doctors, these Networks are improving access 

to, and better co-ordinating, care for Albertans. There are Primary Care Networks for all 

quadrants of the city. 

Find more info at www.needadoctorcalgaryandarea.ca 

Once again we have been adopted by the book store Indigo at West Hills shopping centre. The 

Adopt a school fundraiser runs from September 14 to October 5. You can go to http:// 

adoptaschool.indigo.ca/ and vote for our school everyday. Voting gives us the opportunity to win 

$10 000 in free books for our Learning Commons. Once you are on the website you click on find 

a school and then create an account. Every time you vote you need to log in with you username 

and password. Check it out! 

Ms. Stephanie 

Important Information & Reminders 

A reminder that all parents are welcome and invited to our monthly celebrations. They will usually 

be scheduled the last Thursday afternoon of each month. Due to scheduling concerns, October’s 

celebration of learning will be Thursday October 30 th in the morning and November’s will be during 

the morning of Friday November 7 th . We hope to see you there! 

Indio at Signal Hill is having an event on October 4, 2014 from 6-10pm 

called Octoberfest. It’s a Halloween inspired event. Tickets are $5 donation 

and some of the proceeds will go to buying books for our learning 

commons. There will be local authors, kids’ activities/crafts, gift bag prizes 

and much more. 

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Reminders to Parents 

Please check your child’s backpack regularly for 

important notices and reminders. 

All students under 7 must have an adult pick them up from their bus in the afternoon. 

For student absences: 

Please call the attendance line at 777-7860, then press 1. 

Leave a message with the student’s name, the date, the reason for the absence 

and the name of the person reporting the absence. 

For bus changes: 

If a student is going to be picked up after school, or taking a different bus, please send a note 

with the student to the office or call the office before 2:30 Monday—Thursday or by 11:30 Friday . 

Students without prior notice will be put on their regular bus. 

Please do not call the classroom teacher to leave messages as 

the teachers usually do not check messages until after dismissal. 

For parents/volunteers/visitors to the school: 

Please sign in and out at the office and pick up an ID badge. 

All volunteers must complete the necessary forms 4 to 5 weeks before volunteering. 

For anyone picking up students: 

During school hours, please sign students out at the office. 

After school, students are only to be picked up from the office. 

Only custodial parents, legal guardians or those designated by the 

parent or guardian will be allowed to pick up a student from school. 

For concerns or questions regarding busing: 

Please contact Southland Transportation at 403-253-9323 or check 

www.myschoolbusmonitor.ca for bus delay information. 

School Bell Times 

8:25 – Supervision starts 

8:30 – Start time 

12:00 – 12:45 – Lunch hour 

*3:05 – Dismissal (Mon - Thurs) 

*12:00 – Dismissal (Friday only) 

*If you are picking up a student after school, please be on time. 

We cannot have students waiting in the office for long periods of time. Thank you. 

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Kindergarten 

Kindergarten students have been learning about school/classroom routines and expectations during 

this first month, and are beginning to adjust to our full days at school. We have worked together 

to determine important rules, and why it is necessary to have these rules at school. We have 

also been identifying things we do that help us to be good learners. -Ask your student what helps 

them learn! 

During our literacy period, we have been practicing our ordered alphabet, and our phonetic 

(sound) alphabet. We have also been learning some of our letter names and sounds, with a particular 

focus on the letters in our names. We are working on recognizing and naming these letters 

through a variety of activities, such as locating, building and printing our names through use of 

various materials in the classroom. We have begun focused letter work with the letters P and F. 

In math, we have begun learning about how a group of objects may be similar or different, and 

how we can sort objects by one attribute (such as shape, colour or size). The children enjoy these 

activities, and their learning can be extended at home by simply noticing how our daily environment 

is sorted and organized (eg. groceries in the store, items in our cupboards or drawers, collections 

of toys in bins). Sort everyday objects into two groups and see if your child can guess 

your “sorting rule”, or invite them to sort a collection of objects, and have you guess theirs! 

The end of September has us beginning to explore the change of season to fall, and how this 

change impacts our activities, and the daily world around us. 

Ms. Jackie 

Grade 1/2 - Room 22 

Oki, Tansi & Bonjour, 

Hard to believe that September is over, it flew by! How lucky we were to experience such beautiful 

warm weather to end the month. 

We have been working hard on getting to know each other, learning the school rules and routines, 

letter and number review and determining where each student is in their learning. 

It is very important that we personalize literacy and numeracy blocks to try to meet the learning of 

each student. To support each student we will beginning targeted literacy groups in the mornings 

between 10-11am. It is very important that students are on time in the morning as we start our literacy 

block to improve our reading, writing and language skills first thing after our daily smudge. 

New Literacy Activities: 

Literacy groups Mon-Thurs 10-11am 

Reading buddies with older students Friday 9:30am 

Special Activities: 

 

Field trip: Fish Creek Provincial Park to supplement our science program. Please check your 

child’s backpack for the forms. 

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Grade 1/2 - Room 22 Continued 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving activities: Second week of October 

Halloween activities & costumes: Thursday October 30 th in PM 

Medicine wheel teachings – ongoing throughout the month 

All students will benefit from nightly reading with an adult. 

Grade 1 

Grade 2 

Learn letter names 

Learn letter sounds 

Print letters 

Follow 1-3 step directions 

Understand terms: first, middle, last 

Count to 100 

Print numbers 0-20 

Order and recognize numbers 0-20 

Any of the listed grade one skills 

Recognize and read more words by sight 

Spelling more words by memory 

Counting to 100 by 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, 25s 

Print numbers 0-100 

Order, recognize, estimate numbers 0-100 

For additional support your child in grade one or two would benefit the following: 


Oki, Tansi and Hello, 

September has flown by and the students of Room 23 have been learning all about the school and 

classroom rules and expectations. They are adjusting nicely to the social and academic demands 

of grade 1/2 and come to school bright eyed and ready to learn. Students have selected learning 

goals and are learning to assess these goals on a daily basis. Each day we have been learning our 

letter names and sounds and have been actively focussing on syllables, rhyming, segmentation, 

printing and beginning reading strategies. In math we have focussed on calendar with students 

learning the days of the week, months of the year and number concepts to 20. Parents/caregivers 

can support their child’s success by ensuring their child: 

 

 

 

 

brings a backpack to school each day 

practices reviewing letter sounds 

understands school and classroom expectations 

practices home reading and writing 15 to 30 minutes each night. 

On Thursday October 9 th we will be going on a fieldtrip to Fish Creek Park’s Environmental Learning 

Center to participate in the Fabulous Fall program. This hands on program has many curricular 

connections to the grade 1 and 2 science program. Caregivers that are interested in volunteering 

for this field trip are encouraged to contact the Piitoayis office. 

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at the school. 

Mr. D 

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Oki, Tansi, Hello and Happy October! 

We had a busy, but wonderful first month of the school year! In September we focused on choosing good 

fit books for reading, sight words, sentence structure, using upper case letters properly, place value for 

numbers up to 10,000, even and odd numbers, calendar and rocks and minerals. We have established 

rules and routines that will enable us to have a successful school year. Each student has set a learning 

goal to address the question – what do I need to do to be ready to learn We are tracking these goals 

and will continue to set learning goals throughout the school year. 

Reminders: 

Every Monday your child will take home their homework folder which will contain reading, math and 

other literacy homework and ideas that you can do together. Please ensure that your child completes all 

of the homework and returns their folder to school every Friday. It is expected that your child reads every 

night for 15 minutes. 

Special Events: 

Thursday October 16 th - Ghost River Rediscovery (at school) 

Wednesday October 15 th - It’s a Crime Not to Read (at school) 

 

Curriculum Focus for October: 

Writing – Punctuation, sequencing, sentence starters and organizing ideas 

Math – Addition of 2 and 3 digit numbers, place value for numbers to 10,000 and rounding 

Social – Alberta: A sense of the Land 

Science – Rocks and Minerals 

Health – Relationships 

Art – Colour 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to volunteer in our classroom or 

school! 

Love, Ms. Kelly 


Hello to all the family and friends of Ms. Ruby’s Grade 3/4 class! September has quickly become a 

busy month for all of us in room 35. We have been learning a lot about identifying rocks and minerals, 

and the rock cycle. Ask your child if they know of any rocks that float! Everyone at Piitoayis 

Family School has set goals for improving some aspect of their learning. Some students in room 35 

are self-monitoring to ensure they use their good listening skills, while others are making efforts to 

become better writers or readers. Many students have chosen improve their healthy eating habits 

by making informed choices and focusing on eating all their lunches. Ask your child what their goal 

is, and how they are planning on achieving it! A homework program will begin early October, so 

look forward to home spelling challenges, and math practice. If you haven’t yet done so, please 

remember to send in your child’s Student Information forms. Hope everyone is having a great start 

to their fall! 

Ms. Ruby 

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Oki, Tansi, Bonjour, Hello! 

It is hard to believe September has come and gone already. This month has been a busy and exciting 

one! I have enjoyed getting to know each student and learning with them each day. Our main 

focus this month was organization for learning. To meet this focus as a class we created a “Room 

30 Pledge”, discussed rules and expectations in school, on the bus, and outside at lunch. We explored 

the questions “What helps me learn” and “what makes a good learner” Students were 

encouraged to self-reflect on the ways they learn and share them with the class. 

In the early weeks of school the grade 5/6s had the opportunity to take part in a live videoconference 

with Commander John Herrington who was the world’s first Aboriginal astronaut. We were 

given the chance to ask him questions in advance which he then answered in the videoconference. 

This past week we had fun running laps around the school field in memory of Terry Fox. Our class 

managed to run 47 laps combined! 

This month’s Focus: 

Literacy: Comprehension, Checking for understanding 

Writing: Capitals, plurals, punctuation 

Spelling: Compound words 

Math: Place Value, Basic facts 

Science (grade 5): Electricity – building simple circuits 

Art: Lines 

Health: All about me! 

Next month’s Focus: 

Literacy: Predictions, Reading with expression 

Writing: Expository writing 

Math: 4-digit facts 

Science: Electricity 

Each week your child is given spelling homework. Please support them with this homework. It is 

due back to me every Friday (or the last day of the week). Beginning in October students will also 

begin a home reading program. This will involve reading with your child every night for 20 minutes. 

It was a pleasure meeting some of you at the Meet the Teacher event! What a huge success that 

was. I look forward to meeting for of you October 30 th and/or 31 st for student conferences. 

Love, Ms. MacKenzie 

School Council Meetings 

This year’s monthly School Council meetings will take place on the Third Thursday of each month at 1:30 – 2:45 

in the Family Room. We call these meetings “Tea & Bannock”. During these meetings 

we talk about our dreams for your children, share ideas, and plan events. Our 

approach is family-style where we sit around the table, eat some food, talk, and 

laugh. All parents and caregivers are always welcome to attend. I hope to see you 

there… 

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 16: 1:30—2:45 

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Hello and welcome to our second edition of the September newsletter! 

September has been an exciting month for our grade 5/6 students. 

The students in grade 5/6 enjoyed some special guests and the opportunity to join some of the 

great school clubs! 

Some of the curriculum our class has covered includes: 

 

 

 

 

Science: Grade 6 students started participating in our first unit of Sky Science beginning 

with an examination of the inner and outer planets that make up our solar system. We had 

the privilege of partaking in an interactive presentation with Commander John Herrington 

who has earned the title of becoming the first aboriginal person to fly into space! 

Math: The students in grade 5/6 have started to work in their flexible groups for mathematics 

(and literacy) during the second half of this month. Ms. Tammy’s group has started to 

work to build a conceptual understanding of place value with numbers to 100 000. We 

have begun to look at concepts such as: standard notation, expanded form, written form 

and numbers in the place value table. The students have been working together to identify 

where we use mathematics in our world and why it is important in our lives. 

Literacy: Ms. Tammy’s group have started to establish some strategies to increase their 

comprehension in their reading. They have begun to work on target spelling and word 

work to enhance their writing and reading abilities. Please ensure your child(ren) are reading 

every night for at least 20 minutes to enhance their reading skills. In addition to our 

literacy group, the students have been reviewing punctuation, capitalization and sentence 

structure in their writing. 

Art: Grade 5/6s have been engaging in lessons to increase their understanding of the various 

elements of art. In September they began exploring the concept of lines (and all of the 

variations of lines) through hands-on activities which will assist them in their projects 

through the term. 

 

Health: Students have spent time examining “who they are” as learners and members of a 

learning environment. In addition, students have explored their understanding of self 

through activities such as creating a collage and a timeline of important events in their life. 

The students continue to have access to Raz-Kids, an online reading program that promotes 

readng improvement, comprehension and fluency, all while allowing them to earn cool rewards. 

This program is considered a great home reading program which complements the literacy activities 

we do in the classroom. Please have your children log-in daily and ready for a minimum of 20 

minutes a day. 

The website is: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login 

The teacher name is: piitoayis56 

Thanks for reading! 

Ms. Tammy 

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Physical Education and Literacy 

September was a great month at Piitoayis! We were excited to see so many familiar faces as well 

as welcome lot of new students to the Piitoayis family. 

In PE we spent most of the month learning and practicing different ways of moving and played a 

number of different tag and running games. Students learned about the different reactions their 

bodies have when they are exercising intensely such as increased heart rate, heavier and faster 

breathing and sweating. 

With the help of the MRU nurses, we also kicked off our lunchtime intramural league which will 

continue into October. At the end of the soccer season, the winning team will have a chance to 

take on school staff in a friendly Staff vs. Students match. 

In October, our students will be working on new skills in PE such as passing, catching, dribbling, 

moving to open spaces and team strategy though games like mat ball, monkey in the middle and 

basketball. 

Please remember to send your child with indoor shoes and if they are not able to tie their own laces, 

please try to have them wear shoes with velcro straps. 

Mr. Hidesh 

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PICTURE 

CLASS PHOTOS 

October 20, 2014 

DAY & 

RETAKE DAY: November 13, 2014 

 

 

 

 

Watch for your pose and color background choice flyer which will be sent home prior to photo day. Have your child return 

this flyer to the photographer on photo day. If the flyer is not returned your child will be photographed in a standard pose 

with a standard background. 

The envelope your child will bring home from school approximately 10 days after photo day will contain your child’s proofs and important 

order information. 

Your completed photo order must be returned to the school your child attends by the “IMPORTANT ORDER DUE DATE” stamped in 

red on the order portion of the form. 

Mail LATE ORDERS directly to Lifetouch Canada Inc. or call 1.866.443.9648 to place the order over the phone. 

IF YOU REQUIRE A RETAKE, CHECK THE BOX ON THE ORDER FORM, SIGN IT AND HAVE YOUR CHILD 

RETURN IT THE TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER ON RETAKE DAY NOVEMBER 13 th . 

Please contact Lifetouch if you have questions regarding proof order forms and picture packages. 

Lifetouch Canada Inc. - 1.866.443.9648 

 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW 

Order one package for your child & all additional packages of equal or lesser value for the same child are ½ price! Further 

information will be on the proof order form. 

Are you eligible for our Family Plan In all Lifetouch photographed schools, your first two children pay full price for their package choice 

and each additional child in the immediate family receives the same package FREE. Further information will be on the proof order 

form. 

Lifetouch & our partners at The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (CCCP) will continue to supply 2 complimentary Pictures 2 Protect 

child safety cards on your proof sheet. If a child is missing, parents can request through the CCCP that a Lifetouch portrait of their child 

be provided to law enforcement to aid search efforts. Lifetouch will respond on a 24/7 basis to aid search efforts. For more details on 

the CCFCP, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=JC4u_YRb3WY & https://protectchildren.ca/app/en/ 

We have expanded our partnership with The CCCP to provide the free phone app Find MEid. Information and a photo of your child is at 

your fingertips in case your child goes missing. Learn more at www.findmeid.ca 

Page 11


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School Bus Safety 

Updates on bus status, delays, etc. may be found at www.myschoolbusmonitor.ca. 

Please review the following bus safety tips with your child. 

Dress for the weather. 

Be at your stop at least 5 minutes before your bus is scheduled to arrive. 

Use the handrail when getting on and off the bus. 

Get on the bus one at a time. 

Take your seat right away and stay seated until you leave the bus. 

Face forward and do not throw things inside the bus or out of the bus winow. 

Talk quietly and keep your head and hands inside the bus. 

ALWAYS listen to the bus driver - they are in charge. 

Monthly Newsletter Quiz 

Monthly Newsletter Quiz 

Answer the question below (the answer is somewhere in this newsletter) 

and return it to the school to be entered in a draw to win a food hamper! 

Answer: 

What are SLA’s 

Name: 

Daytime phone: 

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Page 14


Dear Parents and Guardians, 

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) provides enhanced classroom supports to students. Throughout the year, professionals 

from speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy will be visiting our classrooms. These visits 

may include observing students’ work, interacting with students in large or small groups and working with teachers to support 

all students. 

If our school learning team determines that your child requires additional support, then the teacher, or another member of the 

learning team, will contact you. 

This model of support reflects our belief in the importance of each student’s success throughout their learning journey. You 

and your child are at the center of this journey. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely, 

Michelle Ranger 

Page 15


October 2014 

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 

1 2 3 4 

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 

Thanksgiving 

No School 

Gr 1/2 Fish 

Creek Field Trip 

No School / 

Non instructional 

Day 

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 

Picture Day 

It’s a Crime Not to Read 

Rm 32. Ghost River 

Rediscovery 

SLA’s Gr. 3 End 

26 27 28 29 30 31 

Student Assembly 

2:15 PM 


Rediscovery / Sage 

teachings 

Visit from Hawaiian Elder 

- Auntie Francine 

Teaching of the Month 

Respect 

Medicine Wheel 


Rediscovery 

Gr 5/6 Fish 

Creek Field Trip 


Rediscovery 

School Council 

Meeting1:30-2:45 

pm 

Halloween 

Activities PM 

Student parent 

teacher conference 

4:30—7:00 m 

No School / Non 

Instructional Day 

Student parent 

teacher conference 

9:-00-12:00 

Indigo 

Signal Hill 

October Fest 

6-100PM 

Page 16


November 2014 

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 

1 

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 

9 10 

11 

12 13 14 15 

No School / 

No School 

Picture Retakes 


Non instructional Remembrance 

Rediscovery 

Day 

Day 


Rediscovery / Sage 

16 17 18 19 20 21 

Teaching 

Metis Week 

17th— 21st 

WE DAY Gr. 5/6 

Leadership 

National Bullying 

Prevention Week 

17th—21th 


Rediscovery 


Rediscovery 

Gr. 3/4 Public 

Library Field Trip 

No School / 

Non instructional 

Day 

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 


Rediscovery 

Remembrance 

Day Service 

School Council 

Meeting1:30-2:45 

pm 

22 

30 

Teaching of the Month 

Bravery 

Remembrance Day Service 

Page 17

October - Calgary Board of Education

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