Dear DGS Families, 

Let’s talk school culture. Last week, I got to spend a lot of time with our InterSchool Athletic Teams. It’s been fascinating to watch our Boys and Girls Soccer teams learn to work together on the field. We have both players with a vast amount of club soccer experience AND students for whom this is their first time in an organized sport. The joy on these kids’ faces says a lot about the coaching they’re receiving and the experiences they are having with each other. We have some athletes involved in all three Fall Sports- next week, we have students who will run their final cross-country meet, play their third and fourth basketball games, have soccer practice and head into their next soccer games. These students are shaking it up! 

It's also club start up season at DGS. Currently, we are prepping for an earlier than previously organized musical season (we can’t wait to share what we will be performing), Jazz Band, a Knit and Crochet Club, Robotics and Coding Club, a GSA and we are hopeful our Chess Club will be off the ground shortly.  

  

Terry Fox Run  

Our Grade 7 and 8 Leadership Students are pleased to present this year’s Terry Fox Run. Our run will be held on the morning of Friday October 6, 2023. Our school-wide fundraising goal is $2000.00. If we start with every student and staff member bringing a toonie, we will be at just over $1400!!!! The top fundraising homeroom will be gifted a lunchtime pizza party. This is possible through an anonymous community donor. THANK YOU! Students will participate in the run during their typical Friday PLC Block that day. Winning homeroom will be announced on Tuesday October 9, with their party taking place on Thursday October 12. #tryforterry 

Bike Racks and Bike Seats 

We are not sure of the reason, but the last week has seen a rash of bike seat thefts from bike racks around our school and in our community. We are walking past the bike racks over the course of the day to try and better monitor the areas. We ask that students not rely on external cameras, as they aren’t always as informative as people think they may be. We know it is not intuitive to do, but we suggest that if your child’s bike seat has a quick release, that they bring it into the school and store it in their locker for the time being.    

Please Don’t Feed the Birds 

We are currently working on thinning out the seagulls who really enjoy their days in our backyard. Please take a moment and talk to your adolescents about NOT feeding the seagulls at lunch. We will be working with homerooms to go outside and use our “picker sticks” to make sure our outdoor spaces are less enticing to birds. 

Child and Youth Well-Being: A Webinar Series for Parents and Guardians  

Dear Parents / Guardians,   

The Calgary Board of Education invites all parents and guardians to join us in an online series focusing on child and youth well-being. These sessions will be hosted in partnership with experts from Alberta Health Services and will explore topics such as vaping, brain development, mental health, and sexual health.  

Click below to learn more:   

Child and Youth Well-Being:   

A Webinar Series for Parents and Guardians  

CBE educators believe that parents and guardians can inspire their kids to make healthy lifestyle choices and increase protective factors – in order to do so, they need the right tools and information.  
 
Well-being is a precondition for learning. As our understanding of student well-being continues to evolve, it is important for those that support children and youth to stay up to date on the same information so everyone can support student success.   

The intention of the series is to advance student well-being by raising family and caregiver’s understanding of a variety of health-related topics.

Thank you for your time and consideration to join us. 

InterSchool Athletics Expectations 

Monday marked the beginning of our first indoor interschool athletics season of play for the year, and we are hosting games every night this week. Please note the following for all games played at Dr. George Stanley School: 

DGS Students: 

• DGS students will be able to view the first home game (4:30pm start) without parent/guardian supervision. Students are to remain in the main gym watching the game. 
• Once the first game is complete, school administration will help all DGS students without a parent/guardian leave the building. 
• DGS students will need to be directly supervised by a parent/guardian if they would like to stay and/or return at any point after the first game is complete. 
• DGS students are expected to be in the main gym watching the game(s) and supporting all players/coaches/referees/parents/guardians in a positive manner. Any student who is not meeting the CBE Student Code of Conduct will be escorted out of the gym and school and may lose future viewing privileges. 

• Please note that DGS students should not attend games at any other school without a parent present. 

Students From Other Schools: 

• Will not be admitted into the school, for any game(s), unless accompanied by a parent/guardian who stays for the duration of the time the student is in the building. 
• Once teams from other schools have completed their games for the evening, all players must exit the building, unless accompanied by a parent/guardian who stays for the duration of the time the student is in the building. 
• Student athletes who arrive before their coaches will be asked to wait at the tables in the main hall until their coach arrives. 

All Parents and Guardians: 

• All parents/guardians are welcome to attend all games at DGS. 
• Parents/guardians who bring family members under the age of 18 are expected to supervise their child(ren) in the main gym. 
• All parents/guardians are expected to cheer/support all payers/coaches/referees/parents/guardians in a positive manner. 
• If parents/guardians are engaging in any inappropriate behaviour directed towards players/coaches/referees/other parents/guardians/school staff or school administration, the game will be paused, and the parent/guardian will be asked to stop. If the inappropriate behaviour continues, the game will be stopped again and will not re-start until the parent/guardian leaves the gym and school property. If removed, the parent/guardian may lose future viewing privileges at DGS. 

Our main goal is to provide a safe and fun opportunity for students. 

• The players are kids. 
• The coaches are volunteers. 
• The referees are human. 

Come Volunteer At DGS  

We welcome volunteers on field trips and with certain tasks at school or at home. Many activities or field trips would not be possible without the active participation of our volunteers. Follow this link for steps to volunteer with the CBE. As a CBE volunteer, you must have completed the Annual-Volunteer-Registration-Form.pdf and have a current police information check (PIC) to volunteer in the school CPS Vulnerable Police Information Check. If your PIC is not up to date you will need a volunteer letter. If you need to check if your clearance is still valid, please complete the registration form and send it to the office, so that we can look it up. 

New this school year: the fee for a Police Information Check is no longer paid for by the CBE. The cost is $21.25.   

Please note- from the CPIC website main page:  

"Processing: Police Information Checks are processed in date order. We are currently experiencing high volumes. We will not respond to status inquiries unless a full month has passed from the date your application was submitted. Once you have applied, please be sure to follow any further instructions you receive. Your patience is appreciated while we process your application. Results are available in your account for 60 days from completion. Please make sure you download and save a copy within this timeframe if desired. Your certificate will not be accessible in your account past 60 days, however will be accessible if saved to a personal desktop or folder. Applications will not be processed immediately or expedited. We process all applications in date order of being received." 

  

DGS Parent Fundraising Society  

We are very excited about our upcoming Casino on December 9 and 10 at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. We need approximately 50 people to be able to cover our shifts. This is a high value fundraiser that has afforded our students access to additional chrome books, learning commons materials, and fieldtrip busses. Click here to volunteer!! 

Casino Flyer 2023.bmp 

Important Upcoming Dates:   

Thursday October 5                       

• Grade 7 Band Clinic (afternoon) 

Friday October 6 

• Deadline to return paper photo orders to the Office 

Monday October 9                         

• Thanksgiving Monday (School Closed) 

Tuesday October 10 

• Grade 6 Routine Childhood Immunizations (please see Immunization – School Services for more information) 

Friday October 13                           

• IPPs go home to families 

Friday October 20                           

• Non-Instructional Day (No School for Students) 

Tuesday October 24                       

• Picture Retakes 

Tuesday October 24                       

• School Council and Parent Fundraising Society Meeting (evening) 

Tuesday October 31                       

• Hallowe’en (activities TBA) 

Wednesday November 8              

• Remembrance Day Ceremonies 

Thursday November 9                   

• Non-Instructional Day (No School for Students) 

Friday November 10-14                

• Fall Break (School Closed) 

As always, I am available to answer questions- csmalette@cbe.ab.ca 

 

 

Chantal Malette  

Principal, Dr. George Stanley Schoo