August 31 - September 4, 2026

Hello families,

 

We are so excited to have your children in our grade one class this year! We have enjoyed the first week of getting to know your children and we look forward to spending the rest of the school year with them.  Grade one is an important year for setting a foundation for reading, writing and numeracy to 100. We hope you see as much growth in your children as we will see at school! If you have any questions throughout the year, please email us and we will get back to you! Please check this blog at the end of each week to find out about what your child is learning, important school and classroom reminders/dates as well as things you can do at home to help your child with their learning.

Important Reminders

Please make sure your child has:

• a pair of indoor runners that stay at school (no laces) and outside shoes (no laces)

 

• a change of clothes in their backpack (in case of accidents or spills)

• a healthy lunch, full water bottle and a separate healthy snack (students eat their snack in the afternoon so they need to know exactly what to eat for lunch and what to eat for snack). Please make sure your child can open ALL of their snack and drink containers all by themselves.  Have them practice at home with you to make sure they can. NO GLASS CONTAINERS PLEASE!

 

• gone to the bathroom right before coming to school as we have many students who need to go to the bathroom within the first 30 minutes of school

• eaten a nutritious breakfast within an hour of coming to school. Some children are saying they are hungry as soon as they get to school. Lunchtime doesn’t begin until 12:15pm.

• left all toys at home. Toys brought to school distract students from their learning and tend to get lost or broken. 

ALLERGIES

We have a number of severe allergies in our classroom, including peanuts, tree nuts and bananas. Please consider sending a lunch/snack that does not contain these ingredients as it would make our classroom much safer for some of our students. We do understand that some children only eat specific foods with peanut butter and bananas being a staple for many families. If you choose to send these foods with your child, we will just ensure that your child gives an extra wash to their hands are eating!

Thank you to everyone who has returned the 'orange button' folder with the parent questionnaire. If you haven't already, please return it as soon as possible so we can learn important information about your child.

 

 

This week we:

• went on a tour of the inside of the school to see the bathrooms, gym, and music room

• went on a tour outside to learn about playground boundaries, how to get into the building if we are late for school and where to line up outside in case the fire alarm rings

• practiced many routines such as entry into the school and classroom, lining up, washing/sanitizing hands, eating and cleaning up from lunch and snack and transitioning from one activity to another

• got to know some of our classmates by building with them and playing with playdoh

• read the story 'We Don't Eat Our Classmates' and brainstormed a list of classroom expectations

• read the story 'What I Like About Me' and drew a self-portrait.  Our teachers were so impressed with our first drawing!

• went to gym and learned how to play the game Gaga Ball. Ask your child how to play it.

• went to music! Ask your child what they did in music class.

• finished off the week using glue and pieces of paper to create name art.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Right away – Ensure you have completed (in your MyCBE Parent Account):

·        Demographic Verification forms

·        Annual Authorization forms

·        Lunch Registration forms (if staying for lunch)

September 7 – NO SCHOOL – Labour Day

September 10 – Terry Fox Fundraising Begins

September 11 - Completed Parent Questionnaires due back to the school

September 11 – Completed Digital Citizenship Forms due back to school with signatures (for Grades 2, 3, 4, 5)

September 17 – Terry Fox Run

PICK UP IS AT 3:44 MONDAYS TO THURSDAYS AND 1:14 FRIDAYS

Thank you to all the families that are working so hard to pick their child up on time each day! We appreciate you more than you know!

It is imperative that ALL families pick up ON TIME. There is no supervision after school and staff have meetings, classes, and family commitments to attend to.

NO PARKING IN THE HUG & GO LOOP OR STAFF PARKING LOT

Parking or leaving your vehicle unattended is not permitted in the Hug & Go loop (or bus zone) at any time during peak drop-off and pick-up periods.

Morning: 8:55 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Afternoon: 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Hug & Go loop is designed for a quick drop-off only. Parents should remain in their vehicles, allow their child to exit safely, and then proceed out of the loop immediately. If you would like to walk your child onto the playground, please park legally on a nearby street and accompany them from there.

After school, parents must not double park, wait in the loop, or leave their vehicles unattended. When vehicles stop or park in the loop, traffic backs up quickly and creates unsafe conditions for students, families, and buses. We all share a responsibility to follow these procedures so everyone can arrive and depart safely and efficiently.

Staff Parking Lot

Parents and guardians are not permitted to enter, park in, or drop off students in the staff parking lot.

Yesterday, one of our students had a parent car back into them while running through the parking lot to reach their parents' cars. The staff parking lot is not designed for student drop-off or pick-up and presents significant safety risks.

We also ask that families respect our neighbours by never blocking driveways, garage entrances, or access points.

Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and commitment to keeping our students safe. By following these expectations, we can ensure a safer and smoother experience for everyone in our school community. It takes EVERYONE to follow the expectations for things to work!

MEDICATION TAKEN AT SCHOOL  

If your child has any medications that must be administered / stored at school, any medical needs, or any severe allergies, we require you to fill in the Student Health Plan and return it to the school, either in paper form or electronically to northernlights@cbe.ab.ca.  If the Student Health Emergency Response Protocol also applies to your child, please send the forms in with the medications as soon as possible.  

IMPORTANT ACTION: TO-DO LIST FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS

All forms are now available. Please log in to your MyCBE account and complete the following forms:

1. Demographic Verification Form
   Even if nothing has changed (phone numbers, email addresses, etc.), you must submit this form. This confirms that the school has your most up-to-date contact information in case of an emergency.
2. Annual Authorization Form
   Teachers regularly post photos on their agenda blogs. If you would like your child to be included in these photos, you must complete the Consent for CBE Use of Student Information form.  If you DO NOT want your child to be included in these photos, you must complete the Consent for CBE Use of Student Information form. This year there are also additional permissions required so please read carefully
3. Lunchroom Supervision Form
   All students who stay at school for lunch must have this form completed. The form is available in your MyCBE account. After you register, CBE will process the form and add any applicable fees at a later date. Please note that you will not see a fee added immediately after registering.

ANNUAL VOLUNTEER FORMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN MYCBE

If you plan to volunteer at the school, you must complete the Annual Volunteer Registration Form through your MyCBE account. This form must be completed every school year.

As part of the registration process, you will need to upload a photo of yourself holding your ID beside your face. Please refer to the cartoon example shown within the form.