Throughout the fall, I have enjoyed being able to spend time in classes and observe students working collaboratively while developing strong relationships. Students have been engaged in a variety of tasks and initial projects that have required both citizenship and personal development. These competencies for learning will be a continued focus for us at QES as we learn throughout this school year. We will also focus on learning excellence across the curriculum with a specific focus for improvement for applying skills using success criteria for writing and for procedural fluency in math. We will focus on providing supports for students in the areas of writing, numeracy and personal growth as each of these goals will support each student to be successful in learning.
At QES we are also committed to making learning visible for our families. As partners in education we welcome parent feedback and input in a variety of ways. Please contact your child’s teacher with any questions you might have or call the office to arrange for a meeting. If your child has an IPP (Individual Program Plan), teachers have collaborated with you about your child’s goals and together we will continue to work on these goals throughout the year. Our student conferences last week were very well attended. The opportunity to learn more about each child’s progress and expand on the learning and collaborating that is occurring amongst all grade teams was a welcome step as we continue with the implementation of Alberta’s new curriculum.
Our School Council and Parent Society (QUEEPS) provide additional opportunities to be part of learning at QES. We want to extend our thanks to our School Council/QUEEPS and the volunteers who participated in many school events this fall. One such event was the Terry Fox Run. It was a success and as a school we raised over $12 000. Thank you for your donations. Teachers would also like to thank the QES parent population for recognizing their hard work on World Teacher’s Day. The snacks and treats were very much appreciated. We welcome parents to become involved in our School Council and Parent Society. We will have some upcoming vacancies and would like to support interested parents to learn about the roles. Please join our council at the upcoming meeting October 29, 2024 at 6:30pm to hear about our School Development Plan and fundraising events. We would like to invite any interested parents to consider taking on a role in either our School Council or Parent Society. For any other School Council and QUEEPS initiatives please access their pages on our school website.
We also wanted to share a few upcoming and important dates:
- October 29- School Council/QEEPES meeting 6:30pm
- October 31- Halloween
- Costumes are not necessary but welcome. Please do not send weapons, masks or include gore. Please do not send candy or treats.
- November 5- Life Touch Photo Retakes
- November 7- Remembrance Day Assembly for Students
- November 8- Maatoomsii’Pookaiks- Professional Development Day- No school for students
- November 8-13- Fall Break
- November 14- School Resumes
We look forward to all these upcoming events. As we head into the winter months, many will notice that student patrols have started at the cross-walk. We ask all community members to respect our patrollers to support safe crossing at the intersection. The City of Calgary has shared that the cross-walk lines will be painted in the spring. We also kindly ask that parents ensure safety during drop-off and pick-up times and on school grounds. Students should not be dropped off or picked up from the parking lots at Queen Elizabeth High School or at Queen Elizabeth School. The parking lots are hazardous at all times of day and are reserved for school staff parking. There is a temporary loading zone at the front of the school to use which will likely be expanded in the spring with new city signage. School grounds are reserved for school staff and students during school hours and are publicly available after school hours. We also ask that families ensure that dogs are not on the school grounds.
Thank you for your support to ensure our school is a safe place for students to develop the academic skills they need in life and learning.
Sincerely,
Lisa McConnell