Sunalta School Visit

Sunalta students and staff were proud to share all of the exciting learning happening at school with two very important people within the CBE. Director David Dyck and Superintendent of School Improvement Joanne Pitman toured our historical school to ask questions and observe what makes our school so special. Thanks and gratitude to Ms Gulewicz, Ms Eakins, and Ms Macaulay’s students for inviting them into their classrooms to participate in some learning activities. They were very impressed!

Reporting

Report cards are available to view online through MyCBE. This is an opportunity to find out more about your child’s progress and next steps for learning. If you are experiencing difficulty accessing the report card, please contact the school office. If you have any questions about your child’s report card, please contact their teachers.

News from the Music Room

The sounds in the music room are delightful! Division 2 students are learning the ukulele and sounding incredible. Ms Irwin will be sending home a letter for Div 1 students interested in an African drumming (djembe) club. After teacher’s convention, Ms McCrory and Ms Irwin intend to start a choir for interested students in grades 3-6. This will be a performance-based opportunity with fun, inspirational songs. All are welcome on Thursday mornings at 8am, the more the merrier! Consent form will be coming home soon.

Physical Education News

What do Canadian egg farmers have to do with curling? Well, they are the proud sponsors of Rocks & Rings, the program that we have had at Sunalta this week. On Tuesday, instructor Willie coached our grade 3-6 students in how to curl and Rocks & Rings supplied the equipment for an entire week. After learning how to curl, the older students paired up with their buddy classes and taught the littles how to roll, curl, raise, hit and counter. They also learned curling vocabulary such as, shot rock, weight, house, and tee-line. It was a great experience and we are encouraging families to consider curling as an activity – fun for the entire family! Thank you to curler Ms Aldridge for organizing this opportunity. Next month we will have Pulse hip hop dance instructors coming for a two-week residency. Thank you to Sunalta School council for supporting our curling residency with $400/funding.

Grade 3 Teachers Pet

Our grade 3 classes experienced some amazing STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) activities this week with an in-school program called Forces Reinforced delivered by Teachers Pet. These hands-on projects were exciting and inspirational. We intend to purchase some new STEM resources to continue the learning. Thank you to School Council for providing the $1000 for this experience.

Leadership Club

Leadership club is comprised of two student ambassadors from each classroom. Once a month they meet with Ms Macaulay and Ms McCrory to provide student voice to the decisions made at Sunalta School, as well as enhance school community to build a strong sense of belonging. This week we met to plan Pink Shirt Day (Feb 28) and talk about what might need improving at Sunalta School. Some suggestions were a visual calendar for students to see upcoming events, supporting a used book sale led by the grade 1 students, setting up a Grow Tower, outdoor benches including a buddy bench, and new phys ed equipment.

Calgary Science Fair

Students in grades 5 and 6 are preparing their home projects for the Calgary Science Fair. They will be setting them up at school for viewing and judging. Several projects will be selected to enter the Calgary Science Fair. It’s very exciting!

Rainbow Trout are Hatching!

Students in Mr Castle’s class are raising 65 rainbow trout in the library as part of the Fish in Schools Program (Fins). Aligned with learning objectives identified in the Alberta Education curriculum, students are learning how to care for fish from egg to fry which they will then take a field trip to Mitford Pond to release them. This is our second year and we were proud to deliver 40 rainbow trout to the pond in Cochrane last year. It is also exciting to listen to special guest presentations on the Alberta’s environment and ecosystems, which is very important for our newest generation of environmentalists. Fish in Schools is a unique education tool supporting the delivery of science and nature topics, including:

• A trout’s life cycle
• Fish adaptations
• Healthy aquatic habitats
• Water quality

Thank you to our School Council for their donation last year of $2000. With all of these supplies we were able to begin this project again with a new set of fish farmers!

Assurance Survey

Each year Alberta Education conducts a survey. The Alberta Education Assurance Survey is now open. Alberta Education uses the Assurance Survey as a way for school authorities to measure their success and assess their progress towards meeting their learning goals.

Parents / Legal Guardians of children in grade 4 will receive their survey in the mail from Alberta Education (likely this week). You are encouraged to complete the survey online. Students in grade 4 and all teachers will complete their surveys online at school.

Your voice matters. Your participation in the survey helps provide important information on the quality of education your child is receiving. Alberta Education and The Calgary Board of Education thank you for returning the parent Assurance Survey promptly. If you have questions, please contact Christine McCrory at cnmccrory@cbe.ab.ca

Black History Month

During the month of February, Calgary Board of Education students and staff will celebrate and explore the many contributions of Black Canadians, peoples, and communities worldwide. Black History Month is an opportunity for schools to amplify and spotlight the innovative, courageous, and inspiring voices, stories, and contributions of Black Canadians and communities. Throughout the month of February, the Calgary Public Library is hosting events dedicated to celebrating the lives, legacies, and voices of Black peoples and communities. Students and classrooms will be sharing their experiences in the Google Classroom digital agenda.

From Sunalta School Council and Parents Society

Notice: The next Annual General Meeting for the Sunalta School Parents Society will be held on Wednesday, February 21st, immediately following the School Council meeting at 6:30pm. Parents/guardians of Sunalta School students are welcome to attend.

Reminder of student safety in the community: Sunalta community wants to remind families to discuss and review safety strategies when walking to and from school and/or within your community.

• Walk with a friend or travel to and from school in a group
• Tell your parents or teacher if you see anything that makes you feel unsafe
• Don’t talk to strangers and stay far enough away that you are safe
• Do NOT go anywhere with anyone you do not know (in a car or on foot)
• If someone you don’t know approaches you, run the other way even if the person claims to know you or your parents
• If a stranger makes an attempt to grab you, pull away and yell “Help, this is not my parent!” Move quickly away from the person.

If students or parents witness any suspicious person(s), please contact the police by calling 911 first and then contact the school.

Upcoming Dates

Feb 9            10:30am Grade 1 Assembly (all welcome)
Feb 15, 16    Teachers Convention (no school)
Feb 19          Family Day (no school)
Feb 20          Sunalta School Council and School Parents Society meetings 6:30pm
Feb 28          Pink Shirt Day

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