Being Prepared for our Cold Calgary Weather

0. At Beddington Heights School and throughout all CBE schools, we are very concerned about the well-being of our students during frigid weather. At –20° C or colder (including wind chill), students are asked to come into the school when they arrive and remain inside during morning and lunch recesses. We use the Environment Canada, Weather Network and City of Calgary Websites to check the weather. 
   
   For days warmer than –20° C, make sure that you send your children with clothes that are warm enough for them to play outside for one half hour.
   
   COLD WEATHER ADVISORY
   The cold, windy weather has already shown itself and will be with us again on occasion in the months to come. On these occasions:
   
• Children should be well prepared for extreme cold and not left unattended at bus stops for any period of time, under any circumstances.
  
• Parents/guardians should provide alternate arrangements for their child(ren) that provide timely shelter, if required (for example: a neighbour who will be at home during the day).
  
• If parents/guardians cannot ensure the safety of their children to and from school, the child should be kept at home or other arrangements made for the daily supervision of the child.
  
• All CBE schools will remain open to provide a safe, warm and secure environment for attending students.
• The CBE and its chartered bus carriers always monitor the weather for developments and will keep parents/guardians and media informed of any decisions. 
  

The Last Week of School Before Winter Break!

Winter break has come around quickly!  Next week, students have three full days of school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Thursday will be an early dismissal day and students will be out of school at 11:15 am.  There is no school for students on Friday, but teachers will be participating in a Math focussed Professional Development Day with David DeCoste over at Panorama Hills School.

On Thursday, students in grades 1 to 6 will enjoy our pajama, popcorn, and movie morning.  If all goes as planned, they will be watching the movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2"...a movie that is not scheduled to be released until January 28, 2014!  (Thanks to Mrs. Cumming for getting an early release from Columbia Pictures!!!)

We remind students that pajamas need to be appropriate for school and students need to be as covered as we would expect with our regular dress code.  (No spaghetti strap tops, short shorts, etc.)

Kindergarten will be watching their own movie within their classroom spaces.  PM Kindergarten classes will have their popcorn/movie/pajama day on Wednesday afternoon since there is no school on Thursday afternoon.

Grade 3 PATs Being Replaced with New Assessment Tool

On the Calgary Board of Education's home page, you may have read the newly posted information about Grade 3 Provincial Achievement Tests being replaced with a new assessment tool:

Recently, Alberta Education let us know that Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) will be replaced with Student Learning Assessments (SLAs).  These new diagnostic assessments will be administered at the beginning of the school year rather than at the end of the school year.

Moving testing to the start of the school year provides students, parents and teachers with timely information about each Grade 3 student.  This information can be used throughout the school year to build on each student's strengths and address challenges as needed.

Alberta Education is replacing all Grade 3 PATs with Student Learning Assessments (SLAs) in 2015. The plan is for PATs to be phased out gradually as SLAs are phased in. Grade 3 PATs will be phased out first, with SLAs being administered to incoming Grade 3 students as early as September 2014. We are excited to be a part of this pilot opportunity that will help shape this tool for the benefit of students, teachers and parents.

As the 2013-14 school year is a transition year, Alberta Education gave school boards the option of participating in the old PAT testing program for Grade 3.   We have decided CBE students in Grade 3 will not be writing PATs this June. To reach this decision, we worked with principals, school communities, our teacher advisory group, other school jurisdictions and the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Moving to SLAs aligns with the vision outlined in Alberta Education’s Inspiring Education, where education systems are more responsive to the learning needs of individual students. This also aligns with our vision of personalized learning; to adjust learning to the needs of each student.

For more information about SLAs (Student Learning Assessments), click HERE to visit the Alberta Education site.

Parking and Traffic Update

You may have noticed today that the Calgary Police Service was out beside the school issuing speeding tickets.  We hope that it will remind people driving past the school that the speed limit is 30 km per hour between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm.  Please click HERE to access the City of Calgary's webpage on School Zone and Playground Zone FAQs.

To reduce double parking, jaywalking, and overall stress during the morning drop off, Beddington Heights School will be having new "HUG & GO" signs installed on several posts along Bermuda Drive and Bermuda Road in the next few weeks.  These signs will help remind parents there is no parking in these areas between 7:30 and 9:00 on school days.  Parents will have the opportunity to pull in to an open spot, give a quick hug goodbye, and have their child go onto the school grounds so another car can pull in to do the same.  We truly appreciate your cooperation in this matter as we all work together to make sure students are getting to school safely.

Does Your Child Need Winter Boots?

Boots for Kids

Are you needing winter boots for your child?  Boots for Kids might be able to help!

Boots for Kids was started by a woman named Rhonda who had seen a boy without proper winter footwear walking to school.  She decided that something needed to be done to help out the children in our city whose families might not be able to buy the items needed for our cold Calgary winters and started this charitable organization.  

With generous donations from various clubs such as The Stampede City Kinsmen & the Kinnettes, the North Hill Lions, Life Touch Photography, and the Senior Pro Rodeo, Boots for Kids is able to offer free winter boots to elementary school students whose families are financially unable to purchase a pair.  If you are interested, please call us at the school (403-777-6610) and we will add your name to the list!

Helping Kids Eat Better!

Helping kids eat well can be a challenge!  To help, we've found some great tips:      

***Click on the boxes below to make them bigger and easier to read.***

(Courtesy of Maya Paul and Lawrence Robinson)

How is Math Different Than When I Was a Child?

How teachers teach Math, and how students think about Math tasks have changed a lot from when we were kids.  Sometimes, this can be difficult for us to understand.  We want to help with that!  Please click on the following link: How is Math Different Than When I Was a Child? to read a document from the Alberta Education site that helps to explain things a little more clearly.

The Alberta Education website also has several short videos about problem solving, reasoning, technology, mental math/estimation, connections, and visualization that will show how students learn in today's classrooms.  Please click HERE and my blog will take you to the page where you can view these videos and find more information!

STREET SAFETY

Keeping students safe when coming and going to and from school requires teamwork.  It is critical that parents follow road safety rules when driving around the school. We ask that you keep the following things in mind to help keep ALL of our students safe:

• Drop off only in the marked areas when there is space available.  If there is not space, please circle the block, or drop students off a bit further from the school and walk with them if they are not able to walk alone.

• Do not park or drop off students in (or between) the marked crosswalk areas.

•  Ensure you are not doing U-turns when around the school.

• Drive 30 km per hour or slower.

• Only cross in the crosswalks...resist crossing in the middle of the road, even when it might me easier or more convenient.

• Do not use the staff parking lot to pick up or drop off students.  We have cars pulling in and out at all times of the day, so students should not be near this lot.

On a regular basis, we talk with students about how to take care of themselves and others when crossing the street or getting dropped off by their parents.  As part of our ongoing work, we will be teaching our students to "Point, Pause, and Proceed" when crossing the street in marked crosswalks.  Please click here to view a short Calgary School Traffic Safety vide called "Point, Pause, Proceed".

We truly thank you with your support in this area...and the students thank you too!  Together, we can ensure all students get to and from school safely!!!