Good afternoon, Colonel Irvine School community,   

下午好! 学文学校社区, 

We had our first principal/administrator advisor council on Thursday. We had 2 meetings, one with our grade 5/6’s and one with the 7-9's. We had over fifty students join us. It was good to hear the thoughts and ideas of our students.  

On Monday we will meet with the grade 9’s to discuss high school and what they can expect over the next few months with respect to tours, open houses and course selection. 

On Tuesday we will have an activity afternoon to celebrate Hallowe’en. We will be hosting the first dance of the year in support of Terry Fox Foundation. STUCO (student council) will be selling treats and snacks to also support our Terry Fox Fundraiser. Students also have the option to pick other activities (Games room, cooking). If students wish to dress-up Tuesday, please remember that face masks cannot be worn at school, that pretend weapons need to stay at home, and that costumes must be in line with the school dress code and be safe, caring, and welcoming (no cultural stereotyping).  

As we move into November and finalize our Remembrance Day (Nov 8th) assemblies, we have asked for any cadets who’d be interested in supporting us to let us know. There are many already who have volunteered to help. A reminder that they may need to ask their leader for permission to wear the uniform to school. 

School council has organized their first fundraiser of the year. For more information about the Purdy’s chocolate fundraiser, please see their section below or check out their Facebook page.  

Just a reminder that the school doors do not open until 8:05am. We suggest drop off after that time. If in emergent situations you are dropping your students off or they are walking and arriving before this time, they will need to wait outside and are unsupervised during this time. 

We are hearing lots of horns in the morning and also getting complaints from the businesses in the plaza about after school pickup. This is a reminder to not stop or park in our bus loading area in front of the school. Please also be considerate of the community businesses and do not park in their parking lot for pick up and drop off. They have been taking pictures of license plates and if this continues will reach out to by-law enforcement. 

Improving student wellness has positive impacts in all aspects of student life – academics, peer relations, self-confidence, and physical health.  Each week the Week Ahead will highlight current teachings, community supports, strategies, and other resources to improve wellness.  As a collaborative place of learning, we welcome information or suggestions for this section of our weekly update.  Please email Alexis Smith (aesmith@cbe.ab.ca) if you have a wellness suggestion for a program or resource to share with our school community. See ‘Spotlight on Wellness’ section below for this week's resource.  

Lastly, a big shout out to our girls’ soccer team. They had a fantastic season and made the finals, however, with the snow and poor fields this week they were unable to play that game and so finished second based on season of play standings. We are so proud of their teamwork and efforts this season. Thank you to both Ms. Knowles and Mr. Wright for volunteering their time as coaches. 

We hope all our families continue to be safe, well and healthy. Together we can support the ongoing learning and well-being of our students, staff, and community.  

Thank you for your continued support.  

Ms. Ko & Ms. Dalwood  

Dates to Remember:  

Wednesday, November 1 – Grade 6 Vaccines  

Tuesday, November 7 – Picture retakes  

Wednesday, November 8 – Remembrance Day Assembly  

Thursday, November 9 –Non-instructional Day –System Indigenous Professional Development Day for staff - No school for students  

Friday, November 10- Tuesday, November 14 – Fall break – No school  

Wednesday, November 15 – Parent Teacher Interview booking opens at 4pm  

Tuesday, November 21 - School Council 6:30pm  

Wednesday, November 22 – Parent Teacher Interviews – 4-8pm In person  

Thursday, November 23 – Parent Teacher Interviews – 4-8pm In person  

Friday, November 24 – Non-instructional day - Parent Teacher Interviews – 8:30-11:30am and 12:30-3:30pm Online 

School Council 

Purdy’s Fundraiser 

It's that time of the year again! Our annual Purdy's Fundraiser. This is the perfect opportunity for you to stock up on Christmas gifts for friends and family! Colonel Irvine's Chocolate Fundraiser helps with Grade 9 graduation celebration and other student activities. 

Please click on link below to start your order! 

https://fundraising.purdys.com/1783695-110347 

Deadline for orders is December 2, 2023.  

Order pick up will be December 15, 2023. 

For any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Clara Wong, our Fundraising Coordinator at: clarawong2411@gmail.com 

Below is a list of our School Council members this year. Thank you to all parents/guardians who volunteered, and who have been joining our meetings. We appreciate and value your support and commitment to our school community. 

Chair                                                           Erin Gagner              

Vice-Chair                                                      Gurtej Sandhu            

Secretary                                                               Nicole Shen              

Treasurer                                                               Dawn Reber            

Social Media and Key Communicator               Claire Kraatz            

Casino Coordinator, Events Coordinator  Mark Tang                

Fundraising Coordinator                                 Clara Wong               

CIBPA Liaison Band                                      Annette Lovan            

Save the date: Mark your calendars for our next meeting, Tuesday Nov. 21st at 6.30pm.  Agenda, meeting link, and supporting documents will be sent out next week. 

To stay informed, please join our FB group.  The process to join is simple and straightforward: 

·         Click the link to request to join: Colonel Irvine Parent Group - Calgary 

·         Answer the security question: "What is our school mascot?” The answer is “roadrunner" 

·         Agree to the group rules 

Any questions / comments / concerns?  Contact us at colonelirvineschoolcouncil@gmail.com  

Cafeteria Menu  

Monday-Perogies $5 

Tuesday-Ginger Beef $5 

November meals will be posted to the school website when available. 

Athletics 

Sports	Practices	Games
Wrestling  Mr. Chang (ydchang@cbe.ab.ca)  Ms. Fan (wefan@cbe.ab.ca)	Tuesday & Thursdays  3:45 – 5:00	Meets TBA
Basketball   Girls:   Ms. Yeo (yoyeo@cbe.ab.ca)   Ms. Vo (kimvo@cbe.ab.ca)   Ms. O’Connell (rjoconnell@cbe.ab.ca)      Jr. Boys   Mr. Luu (vdluu@cbe.ab.ca)   Mr. Prather (wyprather@cbe.ab.ca)      Sr. Boys   Mr. Bester (lrbester@cbe.ab.ca)   Mr. Prather (wyprather@cbe.ab.ca)   Mr. Shi (ruishi@cbe.ab.ca)	Jr. Girls   Oct. 30th, 4:15 – 5:15  Nov. 1st, 3:15 - 5    Sr. Girls   Oct. 30th, 3:15 – 4:15  Nov. 1st, 3:15 - 5     Jr. Boys   Oct. 31st, 3:15 – 4:15   Nov. 2nd, 4:15 – 5:30     Sr. Boys   Oct. 31st, 4:15 – 5:30  Nov. 2nd, 3:15 – 4:15	Jr. Girls:   N/A     Sr. Girls:    Oct. 26 @ Simon Fraser   5:30 & 7:30     Jr. Boys:   Oct. 30 @ G.P Vanier   5:30 & 7:30       Sr. Boys:   Nov. 1 @ H.D. Cartwright 4:30 & 5:30

High School 

We are starting to receive a little bit of information about high school tours and open houses. This will be ongoing between now and the start of March. We will put all information related to high school transitions in this section moving forward. If you have a student in grade 9, please check this information regularly.  

For parents with students going into Gr. 10 next year we will be holding virtual information session for parents during Parent Teacher Interviews in November. Details and links to these meetings will be shared in the Nov. 18th message. In the meantime, the CBE High School website is a great place to learn about high school information. You may also wish to visit the individual high schools’ websites. 

This year our students will transition to 12 different high schools. Open houses and tours usually start in November and continue through January.  

We will post tour dates and open houses here as we are notified of them. 

Spotlight on Wellness – Y Mind 

Y Mind is a FREE 7-week mental wellness program for teenagers (13-18 years old). The program aims to support and provide resources for teenagers experiencing mild to moderate levels of stress and/or anxiety. Y Mind is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness and allows participants to learn more about different ways of how to manage their stress and anxiety.

This program is facilitated by trained mental health professionals and has seen proven results nationally of reduced stress and anxiety related symptoms, increased overall wellbeing, and an increased ability to cope with difficult emotions.  Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a free 2-month YMCA gym membership! To learn more about the program visit the website https://www.ymcacalgary.org/y-mind-mental-wellness-program or contact Y Mind by email  ymind@calgary.ymca.ca.