Good afternoon, Colonel Irvine School Community, 

下午好! 学文学校社区, 

As you may be aware, teachers across the province will begin strike action starting Monday, October 6. This means there will be no classes for students until further notice. Transportation will be cancelled. Do not leave your child at a bus stop. We know this creates challenges for families, and we appreciate your flexibility and support during this time.  

 While we await a resolution, this unexpected break can also be a chance for students to recharge, explore, and learn in new ways outside the classroom. Students will be able to access their D2L shells. However, teachers will not be updating them during the labour strike.  Teachers and administrators will not be able to communicate with families for the duration of the strike. Please visit the CBE Labour Action page for all the information you need to know. 

 We met with students for a check-in today to remind them that there is no school for them on Monday. We know that there will be a lot of mixed emotions from students. I shared that staff is also feeling the same way. We encouraged our students to stay active and to look after themselves and each other. Below is a list of mental wellness resources for students if they need someone to talk with if an adult or friends are not available.  

We’d like to thank families and students for participating in our Terry Fox fundraisers so far. Our toonies for Terry and bubble tea fundraiser today have been well received. We raised over $850 from the bubble tea fundraiser. We’ll continue to the end of December to hopefully reach our goal of $4500 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Thank you for also donating online at https://schools.terryfox.ca/97402. 

Lastly, it is the hope from our staff that this labour strike will be short-lived and that we can resume the important work of teaching and learning.  

As always, thank you for your continued support. 

Ms. Ko and Mr. Ferguson 

 Resources 

As the strike begins, we know this may be a challenging time for students and families. Teachers will not be available for support during this period. If your child or family needs mental health support, please consider the following resources: 

  • Distress Centre Calgary (24/7): 403-266-HELP (4357) or text 403-266-4357 
  • ConnectTeen (youth support line 24/7): Call 403-264-TEEN (8336) or text 587-333-2724 
  • The Summit: Marian & Jim Sinneave Centre for Youth Resilience: 587-534-7200  
  • Eastside Community Mental Health Services: Call: 403-299-9699 | 8 a.m. - 11 p.m. Text: 587-315-5000 | 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 
  • Alberta Health Services Mental Health Helpline – 1-877-303-2642 
  • 211 – Call connects to a live professional who can access a network of available community, social, health, and government services, programs, and supports.  

If there is ever an immediate safety concern, please call 911. 

Dates to Remember: 

Note: Any events the occur during the labour action are cancelled. 

Wednesday October 8 – Grade 6 Vaccination Presentation  

Thursday October 9 - Individual Picture Day 

Monday October 13 – Thanksgiving Day – No School  

Wednesday October 15 – Grade 7 Calgary Zoo 

Monday October 20 – Non-Instructional Day – No School for Students 

Tuesday October 21 – School Council - 6:30pm  

Monday October 20 – Non-Instructional Day – No School for Students 

Friday November 7 – Last day of classes 

November 10 – 12 – Fall Break – No School  

November 13 – Classes Resume  

November 14 – Individual Picture Retakes 

Friday November 28 – Non-Instructional Day – No School for Students 

CISC/CIPAA: CI School Council / Parent Advisory Association  

Thank you to all the parents that joined our meeting this week. We will include a list of our executives in the coming weeks. Our next meeting will be online, Tuesday, October 21 at 6:30pm and all are welcome to attend. 

To stay informed, please join our Facebook 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   

School Fees 

We recognize that affordability is a key issue for families these days — and that includes the cost of system and school fees. Please find a new information page below.  

Link: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/registration/fees-and-waivers/Pages/school-fees-overview.aspx 

Athletics 

There are no athletics during the labour action. All athletic practices, games and tournaments will be cancelled from Oct 6 – 31st even if the labour strike ends early.  

 Cafeteria Menu 

Monday – Chicken and/or Cheese Quesadillas $5 

Tuesday – Sloppy Joe Sandwich $5 

Wednesday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce $5 

Thursday – Assorted Pizza $5 

Our School Survey 

Thank you to our students for participating in Our School Survey on Thursday. Students will have an opportunity to take the survey later.  

Emergency Lunches 

We’d like to thank Brown Bagging Calgary’s Kids and President’s Choice Children’s Charity for supplying us with funds to provide emergency lunches for students. Please share with your child that we do have emergency lunches available in the main office. 

If a school strike occurs, resulting in the closure of all or some of the schools accessing the Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK) School Lunch program, we are committed to continuing to provide lunches to kids who need them via a lunch-pickup model at designated sites in Calgary. As this is an evolving situation, we will be keeping this webpage updated with further details and with the locations at which your family will be able to access BB4CK lunches. https://bb4ck.org/strike-response/ 

School Fees 

We recognize that affordability is a key issue for families these days — and that includes the cost of system and school fees. Please find a new information page below.  

Link: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/registration/fees-and-waivers/Pages/school-fees-overview.aspx 

Option School Fees are now posted into MyCBE Parent PowerSchool. We recognize that affordability is a key issue for families these days — and that includes the cost of system and school fees. Please find a new information page below.   

Link: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/registration/fees-and-waivers/Pages/school-fees-overview.aspx  

Please reach out to Ms. Cindy Lau at the school if you have any questions cilau@cbe.ab.ca