Dear Grant MacEwan Families,
Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year at Grant MacEwan School!
We are excited to welcome new and returning families and are looking forward to a great year of learning together.
Please see important information below to assist the transition back to school. Should you have questions, please contact the main office at 403-777-6930.
Inform| This Week
School begins for students on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 8:55. Kindergarten students will be introduced through a staggered start. Kindergarten families have been sent a separate email indicated the time they should arrive at school.
Homeroom teachers will contact families via email prior to the first day of school to welcome students to their class and identify your meeting spot on the first day of school. If you did not receive an email, please call the school or come to the office on the first day of school.
Please note, we are not accepting student class change requests at this time. Students have been placed into classes through a thoughtful process by last year's teaching team.
Inform | Busing Update
Parents/guardians need to register for busing every year. Please check your child’s busing information in your MyCBE account to ensure they have the correct stop and assigned/route. Please ensure your child knows their bus letter prior to Thursday.
For families taking transportation, you are encouraged to check each morning to make sure your child’s bus is on time and has no delays. If you do not remember your child’s bus route letter, you can look on your MyCBE account for that information. You can track bus delays using www.myschoolbusmonitor.ca.
Families should contact their bus provider or CBE Transportation for support and concerns. Southland can be reached at 403-726-5963.
Pick-up and drop-off
The first day of school brings lots of excitement with many families finding their way to their meeting spots. Please be kind and patient with one another and with school staff as students and families find their way to their meeting spots. We are all role models in this learning community.
Please do not park in the bus zone in front of the school. If you are driving to the school, please arrive early in order to find an appropriate and safe parking spot.
Please model for your children to use the cross walk so that our students are safe when crossing the road.
Reminder | Absences and Lates
There is a strong correlation between attendance and effective education. The CBE Administrative Regulation 6020 - Attendance of Students applies to all students, and outlines the responsibilities for students, parents/guardians and school staff. Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring compliance with this legal requirement and schools' responsibility for ensuring that parents are informed promptly when a student's attendance is not satisfactory.
Reminder to call the absence line when your child is late or absent. Emailing teachers or administration may result in a delay in attendance reporting. Call 403-777-6930 and press 1.
Inform | Forms
Demographic, Citizenship and Annual Authorization are found in PowerSchool in SchoolEngage. Please review and complete these forms. These will show up on the first day of school.
Request | Volunteers
We welcome volunteers on field trips and with certain tasks at school. Certain activities or field trips would not be possible without the active participation of volunteers. As a CBE volunteer, you are placed in a position of trust with students, staff or property. All adult volunteers require a valid security clearance - no exceptions.
Please visit the CBE website for more information regarding the Volunteer Security/Registration process.
Supplies
All school supplies will be provided at school. There is no need to purchase or send any school supplies with your child.
Inform| Student Code of Conduct
Grant MacEwan School strives to create a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment. CBE employs a practice of Progressive Student Discipline. This means a whole school approach that utilizes a continuum of intervention, support, and consequences to address inappropriate and unacceptable student behavior and builds upon strategies that promote positive behaviors.
Update| Personal Mobile Devices
In accordance with Alberta Education Ministerial Order, possession and use of personal mobile devices is not permitted during the school day.
More information to be provided later this week.
Inform| Fees and Waivers
School fees will be charged to families starting in October. Online fee payment is the simplest and most convenient way to pay school fees. Parents can use their MyCBE account to pay fees or apply for a waiver.
You can find more information regarding school fees and waivers on the CBE website.
Important Dates
We follow the CBE traditional calendar. The calendar follows common start and end days, non-instructional days and holidays. Our 2024-2025 school specific calendar can be found on our website.
· August 29 First Day of School
· September 2: Labour Day (no school for students/staff)
· September 12: Meet the Teacher 5:30-7:30PM)
· September 27: Non-Instructional Day (no school for students)
· September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no school for students)
Sincerely,
Grant McPhail
Principal, Grant MacEwan School