Good afternoon Colonel Irvine School Community, 

下午好! 学文学校社区   

Today was a non-instructional day for CBE students. For teachers, it was our System Indigenous Professional learning day called Maatoomsii’Pookaiks (Children First). Staff heard from Elders, Indigenous students, and CBE leadership about how we develop and apply foundational knowledge of Indigenous Education in the CBE, regardless of role. We are committed to acknowledging and responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action, which includes providing education on the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Indigenous rights, Indigenous law, and Indigenous-Crown relations (TRC Call to Action #57).  Teachers spent most of the day looking at how they can embed Indigenous ways of knowing into their unit and lesson planning. Teachers are looking at how we can make genuine connections between Indigenous ways of knowing connections and curriculum. 

The Grade 9 Mandarin students returned from Vancouver yesterday and by all accounts it was a huge success. Thank you to Mr. Chang and Ms. Jin for going on the trip to support the students' experience. 

We are starting to receive questions about the Provincial Achievement Tests for Grade 6 and 9 students. We want parents/guardians to understand that these exams do not count toward a student's report card grades. We do still encourage students to practice and try their best on these as it can provide them with some insight into their learning successes and gaps. It can also help them to better understand what preparing for exams in high school will be like. Parents/guardians will be able to get marks from these tests in the Fall which will provide you with an indication of how your student did in comparison to other grade 9 students in the province. Importantly, for us as a staff, these exams provide information on how the students at our school and in specific classes are doing and this allows us to identify areas of strength and improvement in our teaching. Please also understand that if you are planning to be away, students cannot write these tests ahead of time. There might be an opportunity to write them after.  

If you are interested in Math 15 this summer for your student who is moving to high school, please see the updated information below. 

We hope you enjoy the lovely weather this weekend and thank you for your continued support. 

Ms. Ko and Mr. McDonald

 

Dates to Remember:  

Monday, Apr 27 – Gr 7-9 Mandarin students writing the HSK 

Wednesday, May 6 – Gr. 7 Calgary Zoo  

Friday, May 15 – Non-instructional Day (no classes for students)  

Monday, May 18 – Victoria Day – no school 

Tuesday, May 19 – Friday May 22 – Gr 9 Outdoor Experiential Trip 

Thursday, May 21 – Grade 9 English Language Arts Part A 

Monday, May 25 – Grade 6 English Language Arts Part A  

 

Lunchroom Specials 

Monday – Taco Salad 

Tuesday – BBQ Chicken Quesadillas  

Wednesday – Lasagna 

Thursday – Burger and Fries 

 

School Council 

 

Athletics 

Badminton: 

Div Dates:  

Jr. Team – Monday, May 11, 4 pm – 9:00~ pm 

Int. Team – Tuesday, May 12, 4 pm – 9:00~ pm 

Sr. Team – Thursday, May 14, 4 pm – 9:00~ pm 

Coaches 

Mr. Luu 

Ms. Yeo 

Ms. Vo 

Mr. Prather 

Mr. Mills 

Ms. Tan 

All Jr. Team  

- Monday, April 27 

-Thursday, April 30 

- Wednesday, May 6 

All Int. Team 

- Tuesday, April 28 

- Monday, May 4 

- Thursday, May 7 

All Sr. Team 

- Wednesday, April 29 

- Tuesday, May 5 

 

Grade 9 Outdoor Experiential Trip   

We are running a fundraiser to help students pay for their Outdoor Experiential Trip in May. Please use the link to put in an order to support one of the students! If you do not have any specific students to support, please choose “Jin Yeo” and we will distribute the funds to all the students who participated in the fundraiser. 

Today is the last day to get your order in! The order will be given to the student you have emailed me about or the student you supported. We are hoping to have these in school by the end of April.  

https://fundraisers.bigchiefmeatsnacks.com/register?page=a14a8a37-4ec4-4a01-b6ad-f419f45acec6  

Please email Ms. Yeo at yoyeo@cbe.ab.ca if you have any questions.   

 

Yoga Afterschool 

Yoga is offered after school by Ms. Smith on these dates: 

  • Monday April 27th 3:15-4:00pm 
  • Monday May 4th 3:15-4:00 LAST YOGA CLUB for the school year 🙂 

Free, mats provided.  All student participants must have a signed permission form. See the SSC for details 🙂 

 

Math 15 Summer School 

Please read the details below 

  • Math 15 may be a good option for students who: 
  • Are entering Math 10C - not for students recommended for Math 15* or Math 10-3 
  • Would benefit from extra practice with math skills 
  • Are motivated to improve their math skills 
  • Can work independently in an online environment 
  • Have parent/guardian support at home 
  • Strong EAL learners – LP4 and 5 
  • Important Points about the Course: 
    • Math 15 is not a prerequisite for Math 10C. 
    • The course focuses on strengthening core algebra skills and reviewing junior high 
    • math topics (exponents, fractions, polynomials, linear patterns and equations, measurement) 
    • The goal is to fill gaps in preparation for Math 10C. 
    • Math 10C combines –1 and –2 streams. 
    • Math 15 is a 3-credit high school course and will appear on the student’s transcript. 
    • Math 15 does not teach new math concepts. Instead, it supports students who would benefit from additional practice and review before starting Math 10C 
    • Will need to complete "Essentials Course" prior to Math 15. This teaches how to navigate D2L 
    • Students will gain access to this online course on June 24 but will not have access to teachers until June 26 
    • Every student must confirm that they are able to access the Math 15 course shell (in Brightspace/D2L) by June 26 
  • This course is an asynchronous course: 
    • This means there are no mandatory online meetings/classes with the teacher 
    • Teachers will send a schedule for when they will meet and offer office hours 
    • Communication with the teacher, through the D2L shell is critical to a student’s success 
    • Need to engage daily for 2-3 hours 
  • Math 15 may not be appropriate for students who: 
    • Are significantly behind in foundational math skills 
    • Have large gaps in prerequisite knowledge 
    • Struggle with attendance or engagement 
    • Require daily teacher support 
    • Have difficulty working independently online 
  • Colonel Irvine will register students. Registration will take place from May 4th to May 8th 
  • If your child meets the criteria and you would like to register your Gr 9 student for Math 15, please email Ms. Elkhatib (naelkhatib@cbe.ab.ca) with the following information by May 1st: 
    • Name & CBE ID 
    • High school the student will attend next year 
    • Confirmation that parent contact information in PowerSchool is correct 
    • Best email address to contact the student 
    • Legal guardian email address (and second guardian if applicable) 
    • Confirmation that parents/guardians agree with the student taking Math 15 
    • Confirmation the student can access D2L/Brightspace and knows how to log in 
  • * If your student is attending John G. Diefenbaker and was recommended for Math 15, they are able to sign up for Math15 Summer School as John G. Diefenbaker will not be offering Math 15 


Parking  

We kindly ask parents and guardians to please refrain from parking or entering the FFCA Elementary School parking lot. Keeping this area clear helps ensure that staff are able to access the school safely and efficiently. 

We also ask families to avoid parking in the bus pick‑up and drop‑off zone at dismissal. This area, located directly in front of the school, is reserved for school buses to support safe and orderly student arrival and departure. 

We truly appreciate your understanding and cooperation and thank you for helping us maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all members of our school community. 

 

Provincial Achievement Tests 

We want to confirm that Grade 6 and 9 students will write Provincial Achievement Tests in May and June. The dates of these exams are below. Please be aware that students cannot write these exams ahead of time. We will share many more details closer to the May writing date. During these tests, no phones or wearable technology (watches, earbuds, smart glasses) are permitted in the exam rooms.  

May 21 – Grade 9 English Language Arts Part A 

May 25 – Grade 6 English Language Arts Part A 

June 4 – Grade 6 English Language Arts Part B 

June 9 – Grade 9 English Language Arts Part B 

June 11 – Grade 6 Social Studies 

June 12 – Grade 6 Science 

June 15 – Grade 6 Mathematics Part A 

June 16 – Grade 9 Mathematics Part A 

June 18 – Grade 6 Mathematics Part B 

June 19 – Grade 9 Mathematics Part B 

June 22 – Grade 9 Social Studies  

June 23 – Grade 9 Science 

Students who are new to the country this year, or whose mental health may be adversely impacted by writing the PAT’s can request an exemption to writing the PATs. Please contact Mr. Jayme McDonald @ jcmcdonald@cbe.ab.ca 

 

Attendance 

If your child is missing school, please leave a message on the attendance line prior to 9 am or email colonelirvine@cbe.ab.ca.