Good afternoon, Colonel Irvine School Community, 

下午好! 学文学校社区, 

We’ve had wonderful weather this week. We hope you and your family were able to enjoy the beautiful weather this past week. With the nicer weather, we’d like to remind students to follow the dress code outlined in our student handbook. We’d also like to remind parents/students that it is inappropriate to bring water guns to school, or to use their water bottles to spray other students. We will hold onto any water guns or water bottles used inappropriately for parents/guardians to pick up. 

May is Asian Heritage Month. The theme for Asian Heritage Month 2026 is: “Honouring Asian Canadians: Stories that Built Canada”. This theme recognizes the essential contributions Asian Canadians have made to Canada’s social, cultural, and economic life across generations. It highlights how individuals, families, and communities helped build the country—often while facing exclusion and systemic barriers—and affirms that their histories are a foundational part of Canada’s national story. By centering the theme on lived experiences and community narratives, it supports learning, reflection, and a more inclusive understanding of who we are as Canadians.  

Grade 5 and 6 students will explore a curated selection of short films from the National Film Board of Canada. Through titles such as Have You Eaten?, The Zoo, and The Chinese Violin, students will learn about Asian communities in Canada and the vital contributions of Canadians of Asian descent. In grade 7-9 humanities, we will be honouring Asian Heritage by highlighting Asian Canadians who been pivotal in helping build and support Canada. 

Lastly, each year, teachers and our school leadership team work to balance classes that will ensure that all students’ learning needs can be met. We collaborate and consider all that we know about students, including their learning needs, any special education needs or diagnoses they may have and learning partners that help them do their best learning (not necessarily their preferred friends).  

Current teachers who know students best will work in May and June to create class groupings for the following year, and then the school leadership will do a final review of these groupings. Finally, the school leadership team matches teachers to class groupings to ensure a learning environment where all students can thrive.  

If there is a specific need or challenge that you want us to be aware of because it may impact your child’s learning, please email either Jayme McDonald (Assistant Principal) jcmcdonald@cbe.ab.ca or Nadia Elkhatib (Student Services Learning leader) naelkhatib@cbe.ab.ca to share this with us. We will not be able to take requests for specific teachers. We are glad to know about your child’s learning needs so we can set up class groupings accordingly. 

Thank you for your continued support.  See below for information regarding our upcoming spirit and mental wellness week. 

Ms. Ko and Mr. McDonald 

 

Spirit Week: 

Hey Irvine, are you ready for next week? It'll be Spirit week! Spirit week will be happening on May 4th-8th 

Monday- Wear Green for Mental Health. 

Tuesday- Jersey Day. 

Wednesday- Wear a Hat for Mental Health ($1 donation to wear a hat – all funds raised will go to the Children’s Hospital)  

Thursday- Crazy Hair Day. 

Friday- Pajama Day. 

May 11th-15th, There will be an Inflatable Race between Teachers and Students to raise money for mental health. It is FREE to participate and $2 to WATCH. If you are interested in participating and have an inflatable costume, the signup sheet is on the bulletin board by the Gym.  

 

Dates to Remember:  

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 

(ALL PAT dates below) 

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

Tuesday, May 26 – Grade 9 English Language Arts Part A 

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

 

Lunchroom Specials 

Monday – Potato and Cheese Perogies 

Tuesday – Italian Meatball Sub 

Wednesday – Chicken Fettuccine Pasta 

Thursday – Assorted Pizzas 


School Council 

  • Next meeting will be IN PERSON Tuesday, May 26th, at 6:30 
  • If there is anything you’d like added to the agenda, please email us at colonelirvineschoolcouncil@gmail.com  

 

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  

- Wednesday, May 6 

All Int. Team 

- Monday, May 4 

- Thursday, May 7 

All Sr. Team 

- Tuesday, May 5 

 

 

Grade 9 Big Chief Fundraiser 

The orders should be in by next week some time. We are currently waiting for Big Chief to let me know to pick up the order from their warehouse. Once ready, we will have one person pick up all the orders from Big Chief and deliver them to the school. Students will be notified when the orders are ready to be picked up on the stage.  

Parents of students on the trip: Please do not pay if you fundraised – the amount will be adjusted once the fundraised amount is receieved. 

 

School Fees  

Trimester 3 course fees have been applied to parent accounts. We would like to remind families to please check their MyCBE accounts for any outstanding school fees. Fees can be paid online through MyCBE or in person at the main office. 

Below is a breakdown of what the $30 “Noon Hour Activity” fee supports. Please note, this fee is not for supervision of students during lunch hour. 

The fee helps cover: 

  • School BBQ lunches (September & June) 
  • Sports equipment for student use during lunchtime 
  • Supplies and equipment for lunch‑hour clubs and activities 
  • Chairs, benches, and tables used during the lunch period 
  • June swimming activity 
  • A small contribution toward keeping the cafeteria open to offer hot food options 

 

Baby Photos of the Gr. 9 Students? 

As we begin preparing for graduation, please remind your child to upload a baby photo by May 18 to the PE D2L link, as these photos will be used for special grad features. Click the “Grade 9 Graduation Baby Photos” link on the announcements page and upload your photo before May 18. Be sure to include the student's full name as the photo file name.   

 

Yoga Afterschool 

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

  • 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 – Updated dates  

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 25 – Grade 6 English Language Arts and Literature Part A 

May 26 – Grade 9 English Language Arts Part A 

June 4 – Grade 6 English Language Arts and Literature 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.