School Newsletter Template - Calgary Board of Education

Thomas B. Riley School
3915 – 69 St. N.W., Calgary, AB T3B 2J9 t | 403-777-7260 f | 403-777-7266 email | ThomasBRiley@cbe.ab.ca
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b000
Newsletter | April 2014
Principal’s Message
Important Dates
April
08 School Council
Meeting 7:00 pm
18 No School – Good
Friday
19 Science Fair
U of C (Olympic Oval)
21 No School – Parent
Teacher Conferences
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
24 Talent Show
7:00 pm
May
08 Spring Concert
7:00 pm
12 Gr. 9 Achievement
Test – LA Part A
Gr. 7/8 Written ELA
Exam
13 School Council
Meeting 7:00 pm
14 Gr. 6 Achievement
Test - LA Part A
17 No School –
PD/Organizational Day
20 No School –
Victoria Day
Hello Parents! I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break and that you were able to
have some fun playing in the snow! (That just doesn’t seem right!).
Term three has begun and we are excited about the Career and Technology Foundations
modules our grade 7-9 students are engaged in. Students are busy creating rocket cars,
building cardboard furniture, designing their dream restaurant and blocking out short
films. Each module will be one month in length and students will rotate through three
different modules.
Now that the drama production is over we look forward to showcasing student talent at our
yearly Talent Show. Auditions are about to begin and the curtain goes up on Thursday,
April 24 th at 7 pm. All parents are invited to attend and see our Raider talent.
Our third set of parent-student-teacher conferences is Monday, April 21 st . We invite parents
to come and find out about their child’s learning and visit the staff one last time. Booking
sheets will be sent home on April 11 th for you to book a time. Pease return these to the
school by Monday, April 14 th . Conferences will run from 1 pm through 6 pm.
Believe it or not we are also beginning our planning for next year. It looks like our student
population will rise to over 400 students. If you are moving or your child is not planning to
attend TB Riley next year please ensure that the office has been made aware of this
change.
Other events that are coming up include the badminton and track and field seasons, our
spring concert (May 8), the Science Fair (April 19), and grade 6 and 9 English Language
Arts Provincial Achievement Tests (May 14 th and 12 th respectively).
Ryan O’Shaughnessy
Principal

Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
Cell Phones At School
Student cell phones are not to be used except at lunch time and after school. We find that
the use of cell phones during class time is disruptive to our learning environment and
encourage all students to leave their cell phones in their locker when they come to
school. If you have an emergency and need to reach your child during the school day
please call the main office and we will get the message to your child. Students are able to
use school phones with teacher permission to call a parent if necessary throughout the
school day. Thank you for your understanding!
Attendance
Please call the school by 8 am if your child is going to be absent or late to school. The
school absence line is 777-7260 ext. 1. Your promptness in letting us know helps our office
procedures run smoothly and is greatly appreciated.
Next Year Plans
We are currently determining the number of students that will be coming to TB Riley next
school year. This helps us plan for staff and programming needs. If your child will not be
coming to TB Riley next year (you are moving, your child will be attending another school,
etc.), please call the office and let us know. We appreciate your consideration.
Hoodlums of Justice
Before Spring Break, the Hoodlums of Justice raised money for Free the Children through
our concession at the winter carnival. We raised $435 at this event bringing our total for the
year to $1276.40. We would like to acknowledge Cineplex Odeon Crowfoot Crossing
Cinemas for their generous donation of popcorn for this event. Thank you to our Raider
community as we have surpassed our $1000 goal! Our next event will be a bake sale
during intermission at the Talent Show evening performance. Come out and show your
support by purchasing baked goods or coffee on April 24.
Talent Show
Our annual TB Riley Talent Show is approaching quickly. Auditions to participate will be at
lunch and afterschool from April 7-10. We will be performing for parents on Thursday,
April 24 at 7 pm and we perform for the school on Friday, April 28. Come out and show
your Raider Talent.
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Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
Spirit Day
This month, our Student Council has chosen Wacky Hair Day for our spirit event. On
April 29, wear your hair every which way to show your Raider Pride.
Science Fair
The Annual Calgary Youth Science Fair is fast approaching. This year we have several
eager grade 5, 6 and 7 students who have been working hard on their projects. We have
many interesting projects being entered this year, from the study of neuroblastoma to
fighting obesity. We are excited to see the results. The Science Fair is Saturday, April 19
starting at 9 am at the University of Calgary (Olympic Oval). It is open to the public if you
want to check out impressive projects from students all over the city.
Grade 6 In-school Field Trip
On April 17 th , the grade 6 students will be participating in an in-school field trip for their
Social Studies unit on the Haudenosaunee. Through a number of activities and art
projects, they will be exploring the Iroquois Confederacy and their system of government
called consensus.
Play With The All-Stars
Legendary CFL Quarterback Henry Burris and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area
are excited to announce the 9 th Annual Henry Burris Football Camp at SAIT Cohos Stadium
on Saturday, May 10, 2014. CFL All-Stars and Olympians from across the country will work
with camp participants to hone their football, teamwork and sportsmanship skills in a noncontact
camp. At a cost of $55, each participant will receive lunch, a camp T-shirt and an
autograph poster. Registration is now open at www.allstarweekend.ca.
TB Riley Athletics
Track and Field will begin during the month of April. Track and Field is an excellent
opportunity for students to be involved in the athletic program at TB Riley as typically a
track team has room for over 100 students. We will be working hard in PE to teach
students all the skills they need to be ready to compete in the events. We will build our
track team through our Phys. Ed. Program and are looking forward to fielding a strong
team. Our divisional track meet is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13 th at Foothills Athletic
Park. We will once again be requiring some parent volunteers to help work events at the
meet. Volunteers would need to be available from 8:15 am to 3:00 pm and have CBE
volunteer clearance. If you are interested in volunteering during the day, please contact
Mr. Shellenberg (wcshellenber@cbe.ab.ca) or Mr. Parent (jlparent@cbe.ab.ca) at the
school by email.
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Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
With the arrival of spring comes Badminton season at TB Riley. Badminton tryouts began
before Spring Break and are now continuing. We have been thrilled with the number of
students who have been at tryouts and impressed by their hard work and efforts. We hope
to have the teams made by the end of the second week of April. This year we will be
fielding 2 teams of 22 players: a junior team for students in Gr. 6-8 and a senior team from
students in Gr. 8 & 9. Our divisional tournaments are coming up quickly.
Dates for the tournaments are:
Senior Team: Tuesday, April 22 @ Crescent Heights High School
4:00 – 6:30 pm
Junior Team: Wednesday, April 23 @ Crescent Heights High School
4:00 – 6:30 pm
We look forward to a great season of badminton! Thanks to Mr. Parent, Ms. Lang, and
Mr. Betke for helping to coach the teams.
WANTED – West Coast Sailors!
We are launching an exceptional educational
opportunity next year at TB Riley. Next spring, we are
hoping to offer Gr. 9 students the chance to be
involved in a 5 day off-site sailing excursion to the
Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia. This is a
fantastic program that allows students to be involved in
an experiential learning opportunity outside of the
school.
The trip would
utilize the
services of
Sailing Educational Adventures (SEA) Programs.
SEA Programs is an authorized service provider
who has a Master Agreement with the Calgary
Board of Education to conduct sailing trips with
CBE students on the West Coast. A number of
Calgary Board of Education schools have utilized
SEA Programs for many years to offer this
excursion to students. SEA Programs operates two
vessels, “Duen” and “A Fine Madness”, which the
students crew through the Southern Gulf Islands.
We have sent home interest notices with all current Grade 8 students. If you and your
son/daughter feel that they might be or are interested in participating in a Grade 9 West
Coast Sailing trip next year, please sign and return this form to Mr. O’Shaughnessy or
Mr. Parent at the school by Monday, April 7 th . If the level of interest is high enough, a
parent information meeting will be organized to provide families with more information
regarding the trip.
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Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
Princess Who
Thanks to all students and staff who made Princess Who a huge success!!
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Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
Alberta Health Services – Youth Addiction Services
10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12
1. Rapid brain growth
2. Delayed development
3. Epidemic obesity
4. Sleep Deprivation
5. Mental Illness
6. Aggression
7. Digital dementia
8. Addictions
9. Radiation emission
10. Unsustainable
The following Technology Use Guidelines for children and youth were developed by Cris
Rowan, pediatric occupational therapist and author of Virtual Child; Dr. Andrew Doan,
neuroscientist and author of Hooked on Games; and Dr. Hilarie Cash, Director of reSTART
Internet Addiction Recovery Program and author of Video Games and Your Kids, with
contribution from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society
in an effort to ensure sustainable futures for all children.
Technology Use Guidelines for Children and Youth
Resource: website http://huff.to/1g3wUby
Jennifer Robson
Alberta Health Services
Youth Addiction Services
403.297.4664
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Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
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Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
PLEASE SEE THE SCHOOL WEBPAGE FOR THE
CAFETERIA MENU
“PUNCH ‘N’LUNCH” CARDS
AVAILABLE NOW!!!
The convenient cafeteria “Punch and Lunch” cards are for sale in the office. There are two
options available:
a $20 – 5 lunch entrée card ($4.00 each)
a $40 – 11 lunch entrée card ($4.00 each)
Each ‘punch’ will entitle the student to the TBR cafeteria’s “daily special”. If the daily
special is less than $4.00 that day, additions such as a drink or dessert will be added. The
homeroom teachers of Grade Five and Six students will hold their “Punch ’n’ Lunch” cards
and all higher grades will be responsible for their own cards.
The Teaming-Up Committee hopes that this will make the morning lunch scramble in your
homes easier, and ensure that your child’s lunch money is being spent on a nutritious meal.
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Thomas B. Riley School April 2014
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