Welcome (back) to DGS!

Dear New and Returning DGS Families:

Welcome to our school! For most of you, welcome back! We are very excited for the 2024-2025 school year.

In preparation for the upcoming school year, we want to share some basic information that will help you in planning for September. Please note- this email should contain everything you and your child(ren) need for a successful start up. Please read it in its entirety!

Homeroom Assignments:

On August 26, you will receive a school messenger message from your child’s new key teacher. This email will introduce you to their teacher(s) and help your student to understand where their homeroom is. Due to steadily increasing enrolment numbers, we are NOT able to make changes to student homeroom placements at this time.

First Days of School:

Our main office re-opens for communication and registration on Monday August 26, 2024. Staff are not available before this date.

August 29 and 30 for Grades 5 and 6

The first day of classes for Grade 5 and 6 students is Thursday August 29. This is a full day of school for Grade 5 and 6. This will be a day of getting used to our surroundings, getting to know our teacher, and getting to know one another.  Students are asked to gather in the backyard area of the school for 8:30am. Teachers will gather students from this area and take them to their homerooms. Parents will say goodbye to students here! There is regular school bus transportation this day. There is NO SCHOOL for Grade 5 and 6 students on Friday August 30, 2024.

August 29 and 30 for Grades 7 to 9

There is NO SCHOOL for students in Grades 7-9 on Thursday August 29. The first day of school for students in Grades 7-9 is Friday August 30. There is regular school bus transportation this day. It is a regular Friday schedule from 8:30-11:55am. Students are asked to gather in the backyard area of the school for 8:30am. Teachers will gather students from this area and take them to their homerooms. There is regular school bus transportation this day.

The first full day with all students attending is Tuesday September 3, 2022.

Supplies:

In grade 5 and 6, materials needed for learning are provided for students.

A basic supply list for Grade 7-9 can be found here: 7-9 Supply List.pdf 

Students are welcome to use their own chromebook, laptop or tablet for learning purposes during the day at school. Classroom doors are locked whenever they are not in use.

In terms of personal items, all students need their own backpack, lunch, water bottle, personal care items such as deodorant, hairties, sunscreen, and bug spray. We do not require indoor shoes; we do, however, require the students to wear appropriate footwear for participating in Phys. Ed. and for Construction (i.e.: no slides, crocs, flip-flops, open toe, etc.).

Students should be prepared to go outside each day unless the temperatures are colder than -20c. On those days, students who wish to do so are still allowed outside at lunch.

Meet the Teacher Night

Meet the Teacher Night will be held on September 19 in the backyard area of the school (weather permitting). We are in the midst of planning some different activities for students and their families for this event- stay tuned for more information!

School Hours:

Our school hours are 8:30-2:55 M-R and 8:30-11:55 on Fridays.

Soft Entry and Entry Doors:

Our school supports a soft entry- students are welcome at school from 8:00 onward- this gives students time to organize themselves, go to their lockers, visit with peers and settle themselves into their homerooms before the start of the day. All students are supervised during this time. Students are not permitted in the building before 8:00am. Grades 5 and 6 students are asked to enter the school through the Main Doors and Grades 7-9 students are asked to use the doors on the front side of the school closest to the bike racks. This keeps the flow of students into our building moving. Students arriving to school late will enter the main doors (closest to the flagpole) by buzzing the office using intercom on the LEFT side of the doors. 

Lunchtime on Our Campus:

Our campus is a CLOSED CAMPUS. The student lunch break is 35 minutes long and students are supervised and offered a variety of activities and spaces in the building during this time. We do NOT permit students to be signed out to go off campus or go to friends' houses for lunch. We do NOT allow students to be signed out to walk to Sobey’s, etc.  

Students whose parents have provided a written request to the Office for their student to walk home for lunch every day must leave campus as soon as their lunch hour starts, return no more than 5 minutes before the start of afternoon classes, and must sign in and out of the main office daily. If you are picking your student up for lunch, please let us know when you arrive at the school, and we will have them sign out when we see your vehicle.  

Students need to have their lunch with them each day. If a student has forgotten lunch, we do have emergency supplies in the main office. Students will be able to purchase (cash only) snack items to supplement lunches from the Servery and pre-ordering from Healthy Hunger will be available. There are NO microwaves for students to use. Hot water IS available at the Servery. 

Mobile Devices:

Our school is an “Away for the Day” school, which is further supported with the implementation of provincial legislation. This means that if your child brings a mobile device to school, it is placed in the student locker before 8:30 and does not come back out again until 2:55pm. (Students in Grade 5 who may have a mobile device will be provided with a storage area in their classroom) This includes lunch time. If you need to contact your child at school, please call 403 817 3556.

Lockers:

Grade 5 students will store all personal items in their classrooms.

Students in Grades 6-9 will have an individual locker for their exclusive use. Items are placed in the locker before 8:30 each day. Students should not need to go back to their locker until lunch, and again after school. Learning materials are kept in the classroom. The school provides all locks for lockers.

PE and Wellness:

Students get 40 minutes of PE and Wellness daily. Students do not change for PE and Wellness. Physical education and wellness promotes the development of the whole individual and aims to nurture students in their pursuit of a healthy and active life.

Communication from the School:

I send home a weekly update for families every Wednesday. This update includes messages about school wide initiatives, important reminders and an updated list of dates. Your child’s teacher will use school messenger, email and google classroom to communicate with you. Updated assessment information about student learning can be found in PowerSchool. Your student’s homeroom teacher is your first point of contact for day to day questions, concerns and information sharing. Please allow teachers 24 hours to respond to messages.

Attendance:

If your child is going to be away from school, please email drgeorgestanley@cbe.ab.ca and your child’s homeroom teacher so we can update attendance daily. You can also call the school’s attendance line at 403 817 3556. The PowerSchool App will show you daily attendance in “real time-“ we just ask for your patience each day while we input any reported Absences and update Lates. School messenger contacts all legal guardians daily by email and phone around 10:00am and 2:00pm if a student is late or absent.

Signing Your Child Out for Appointments, etc:

If your young person needs to leave school during the day, we ask that this information is communicated to your child’s homeroom teacher and the main office. It’s best to email both drgeorgestanley@cbe.ab.ca and your child’s homeroom teacher. You can also call the main office at 403 817 3556.

Bikes, Skateboards and Scooters:

We strongly encourage all students to walk, bike, skateboard or scooter their way to school. Bikes, skateboards and scooters MUST be stored in our outside racks (NOT in student lockers)- we do not have the room to store these in lockers, classrooms or main office. All items should be secured with a lock to the racks. Our skateboard and scooter racks work best with a padlock OR a bikelock wound through enough times to take out all of the slack. DGS cannot be responsible for lost or stolen bikes, scooters or skateboards. We recommend that all bikes be registered with Bike Index. Calgary Police Service partners with Bike Index to return lost and stolen bikes. https://www.calgary.ca/cps/public-services/bike-index.html

Exploratories:

Grade 5 and 6 students will experience options and exploratories with their homeroom, on a preset schedule for the year. No additional registration is required.

Exploratories (CTF and Fine Arts) registrations for Grades 7-9  are under way and will appear in PowerSchool in late August. Exploratory courses will start the week of September 9. This allows for community building in homerooms and final adjustments to registrations and course offering updates.

Interschool Athletics:

Grade 5 and 6 students are able to participate in our “Junior 67s” programs for our regular seasons of play. This is a club based experience that allows for fair play, skill development and healthy, active living.

Grade 6-9  students are welcome to try out for all DGS Sports Teams. Cross Country and Wrestling are no-cut teams. All interschool athletics tryouts will be announced via the school’s website.

Dropping Off and Picking Up:

We ask for careful driving habits around the school. Please ensure students use marked cross walks when they exit your vehicle. The parent drop off zone is along Cranston Drive. Please do not stop in the bus zone along Cranston Road, and please do not enter the staff parking lot for any reason.

Traffic Safety:

Students and drivers are reminded of safety related to the two 4 way stops around our building. We do not have School Patrols for a variety of reasons and we ask that everyone share the responsibility for traffic safety.   

School Council and Parent Fundraising Society:

These meetings take place on the last Tuesday of every month, in the evening. Meetings are held in the staff room, with the ability to switch to virtual should weather or other circumstances warrant it. Information is sent out via school messenger in advance of all meetings. Our School Council’s voice is an important stakeholder in student life at DGS.

We know this is a lot of information- I just wanted you to have the basics all in one place as we get ready for the upcoming school year!

If you have any questions that I can answer before August 26, please be in touch and I will do my best to help.

Sincerely,

Chantal Malette 

Principal, Dr. George Stanley School