Key Communiqué

You can read the last edition of the Key Communiqué for 2009 here. On behalf of the McKenzie Towne School Parent Association, we wish you all happy holidays and a very happy new year. Remember to check out the new bus schedules for January on the McKenzie Towne School CBE website. See you in our new school in January!

Special Announcement

The MTSPA Playground Committee would like to share some terrific news with you. We have recently been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Parks Foundation Calgary! This grant money aids us substantially in reaching our total project cost of $175,000 for our new school playground. Our sincerest thanks to the Parks Foundation Calgary for their support and to Sherry and Tina for all their hard work!

I would also like to mention that we are well on our way to meeting the $35,000 that we as parents are responsible for fundraising. Through corporate donations, the sale of SUTP books and our Dance-a-thon pledges we have currently raised $23,987! Many thanks to the families of McKenzie Towne School, the Fundraising Committee and the Playground Committee for their outstanding achievements thus far!

In early March 2010 we will be applying for a grant worth half the cost of our playground ($87,500), however we need to have $87,500 in our playground account in order to take advantage of this matching grant. Through in-kind volunteer build hours, in-kind services, a negotiated supplier discount and another fundraising event, we hope to meet this deadline. All for a September 2010 playground build!

To track our fundraising progress, two thermometers have been added to our website; one for the total cost of the project ($175,000) and one for the $35,000 that we as parents are responsible for fundraising. Let’s continue to work together and watch those thermometers rise!

If you have any questions, please email playground@mtsparents.com.

Annika Clennan
Playground Committee Chair

School Council & Parent Association Meeting Minutes

You can now view the minutes of the School Council and Parent Association meetings held on October 26, 2009. There is also a School Council page on the CBE's McKenzie Towne School website that you can always go to for meeting minutes.

The next meetings are scheduled for Monday January 18, 2009 beginning at 6:30 pm. Location is in the new school! These meetings are a great opportunity to hear what's happening in the school, learn about fundraising initiatives and get playground updates. If you would like to become involved, we encourage you to attend the next meeting.

McKenzie Towne School Playground Survey

The playground committee has spent many hours learning all we can about playgrounds that are safe, fun, stimulating, and meet CBE regulations. Our goal is to build a unique playground that the children will enjoy throughout their elementary years. After much deliberation we have short listed two suppliers and are pleased to offer you 2 potential playground designs for your consideration. As we value your opinion, it is our hope that you take a moment to view these designs and provide us with your feedback. Please note that these are not final designs and that results from this survey will be taken into consideration when the final decision is made.

Council and Parent Association News

Our council and parent association meetings were held last night and were as productive as always. We even ended on time! Highlights include an update from the grade 3 teachers about the art show that was held recently and we heard that Mr. Snashel is hard at work on the plans for the winter celebration and anticipates that volunteers will be needed to help with this event.

In the leadership report, Annette reminded us about student-led conferences this week and announced a plan for the students to donate this season to Joi to the World. Watch for more information coming home soon about this initiative. There are plans underway to form a group of parents in the new year to participate in determining a positive behavioural plan for our school community. Stay tuned for more information.

Sherri M. spoke about the meeting with MLA Art Johnston that she and I attended on November 10th. During our meeting, we discussed some of the history of our K-4 school and talked about the need for a middle school in our community. Mr. Johnston requested that we send him a letter to be forwarded to the Minister of Education, Dave Hancock. You can read the letter we sent here. We have been in contact with Mr. Johnston’s office since the letter was sent and are anticipating a response any day. We will keep you posted.

Sean T provided an update on behalf of the playground committee. The committee has been meeting almost weekly on this project and he was able to make announcements about some corporate donations we have received thus far. The committee is presenting 2 designs for a survey. The survey will be on-line and in schools from December 2-9th and parents are strongly encouraged to review the designs and provide their feedback.

Meetings scheduled for the new year will be January 18th, February 22nd and March 22nd. These will all begin at 6:30 pm in our new school so mark your calendars!

Check out the the latest edition of the Key Communique. The school calendar and newsletter for December is also available as well as the calendar for January.

Meeting Notice for MTSC and MTSPA

A message from the MTSC and MTSPA Chair


This is to remind you and encourage you to attend the McKenzie Towne School Council (MTSC) and the McKenzie Towne School Parent Association (MTSPA) meeting tonight, Monday November 30 at the Haultain Memorial School Library starting at 6:30pm. These meetings are a great opportunity to hear about the month's activities / achievements and efforts underway. Become informed and get involved. We welcome and encourage all parents/guardians/those involved to attend.

We will start first with the MTSC meeting. We have a guest (Lifetouch) coming to discuss Year Book and Fundraising Picture Opportunities, as well as news from the School Council Executive, the Principal, Vice Principal and a teacher (or two). And then immediately following this will be the MTSPA meeting. This will have news about the Playground, Dance-A-Thon, a Casino update, and an initial Treasurer's Report.

For more details please see the attached agendas for the MTSC and MTSPA. Also, please check out the website www.mtsparents.com. Tiffany has posted some great pictures, highlights and exciting news on the great success of Friday's Dance-A-Thon. On an administrative note, if you have not / were unable to hand in your pledge forms by / at the Dance, you still can.

If you have any questions, comments and/or concerns please feel free contact me.

I look forward to seeing you,

Sherri

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent/Teacher conferences are being held this Thursday and Friday. Beginning this morning, you can book your conference on-line by clicking here. Choose the appropriate teacher to bring up their conference schedule and select the time of your choice. Enter your child's first name and last initial only when booking your conference.

Dance-A-Thon Success!

Over one hundred and thirty people braved the cold weather and icy roads to attend the McKenzie Towne School dance-a-thon on Friday. The evening was a great success with lots of dancing, talking and fun. It was exciting to get an early look at the playground designs in the great display that Annika put together. Patrick Murphy also did a great job on the slide show of our new school. Thank you to both of you for providing those for all of us.

Special thanks go out to Chris from Wild Bill’s DJ Services for providing our musical entertainment for the evening and to Sobeys McKenzie Towne and Tim Hortons in Douglas Glen for donating all of the refreshments. The fundraising committee would also like to thank all of the people and businesses that donated items for our silent auction and to Haultain for the use of their school for our event.

We were able to raise approximately $6100 towards our playground with over $700 of that amount being raised by grade 1 student Eloise. Great job Eloise! In addition, our silent auction was successful in raising approximately $800. To date, we have raised over $23,000.00 towards the playground project.

Many thanks to all of the school staff, students and parents who supported this important fundraiser. The dance moves were excellent and there was some great school spirit on display. I hope everyone had a fun time and will look forward to the next event, in our new school!

School Council and Parent Association Meeting

Our school council meeting is being held on Monday November 30th, beginning at 6:30 pm in the Haultain Memorial School library. This is likely to be the last meeting we ever hold in this location, and we encourage all parents to attend. The McKenzie Towne School Parent Association will hold its meeting directly following the council meeting.

Hope to see you all at the Dance-a-Thon tonight and at the meetings on Monday!

The Dance-A-Thon is just around the corner!

We are excited to be holding the first ever McKenzie Towne School dance-a-thon on Friday November 27th from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm in the Haultain Memorial School gymnasium. If you haven't yet RSVP'd for this fabulous event, it's not too late! You can still complete the RSVP form on the left side of this screen.

We've got a great professional DJ and our special guest entertainment is sure to delight parents and students alike. There will also be some amazing items up for auction, such as tickets to a Calgary Flames game, products and services from local businesses and a family movie basket. Those attending the dance-a-thon will also get an early glimpse at possible playground designs
for our new school.

The dance-a-thon is a great opportunity to get to know other parents, teachers and staff of our new school. So bring your family for an evening of fun and fundraising!

Hope to see you there,

Tina Pratt
Fundraising Director
McKenzie Towne School Parent Association

Key Communiqué

This bulletin comes from the CBE's Communications Advisor and is to be shared with the school council and parent community.

System Orientation Session - Follow Up:

Thank you to all who participated in the webinar. If you missed it you can check it out here. It was a great opportunity to try something new and we hope you found it useful. I am working on getting written answers to a few more questions that were asked using the chat feature, and will post them online next week.

The details for the next System Session are as follows:

• When: January 27, 2010
• Where: Central Memorial High School
• Time: 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00)

Area Meetings:

Area	Date/Time	Location	Topic
I	TBA	TBA	TBA
II	Thursday, January 21 & Monday April 19 with	Mountview Centre 2004 - 4 Street N.E.	TBA
III	TBA	TBA	TBA
IV	TBA	TBA	TBA
V	TBA	TBA	TBA

Fine Arts Curriculum:

Alberta Education is revising the Fine Arts programs of study. A K–12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework will provide vision and direction for new programs of study. The draft K–12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework proposes a unified vision for Arts Education in Alberta, across the four arts disciplines from elementary through senior high. It outlines opportunities for learning in, about and through the arts.

Alberta Education has been gathering feedback from interested Albertans and have decided that more time is needed to respond to the draft framework, so the timeline for feedback has been extended to January 31, 2010.

You have the opportunity to add your feedback, suggestions and comments to the online discussion questions here. Two new questions have been added.

Read the Arts Education Fact Sheet or visit the Alberta Education Website for more information.

Stakeholder Consultations on School and Playground Zones:

Alberta Transportation is conducting stakeholder consultations regarding School and Playground Zones. They are proposing to initiate changes to standardize the start and end times for school and playground zones and increase safety across the province by providing consistency for motorists, parents and children.

Click here to see the stakeholder letter from the department that includes their schedule of consultation dates.

Changes to Diploma Exam Dates in January/June 2010:

Click here to see the changes to the Diploma Exam dates, and click here for more information on Diploma Exams from Alberta Education.

Removal of Written Response in Math/Science Diploma Exams:

In Alberta, the mathematics and science diploma exams will no longer include a written component. The exams in these subjects will be composed of multiple choice and numerical response questions. Students in math and science 30 classes this year will be affected by this change.

if you have any questions about this change, you can contact Ken Marcellus, Director of Mathematics and Science Diploma Examinations at (780)427-0010 (toll-free in Alberta) or ken.marcellus@gov.ab.ca.

Key Communicator Steering Committee:

There are some vacancies (Areas I, II & IV) for the Key Communicator Steering Committee this year. We are meeting Friday November 20th for our first meeting of the year to evaluate the System Meeting and help plan the next one in January. If you are interested, please email me for details.

CBE's 125th Anniversary:

On March 2, 2010, the Calgary Board of Education will reach a remarkable milestone as it proudly celebrates the 125th anniversary of its constitution as a public school board.

Throughout the 2009-2010 school year, the CBE will be honouring the significance of the anniversary with a variety of activities.

We invite everyone to celebrate in the way that means most to you. Dust off your fond memories of teachers or students who made a difference in your life, dig out your school year books and take a moment to chuckle at your hair and clothes, tell your children about when you were in school, touch base with the school(s) you attended, or participate in one or more of the activities and check out the 125 Website to keep up-to-date on the activities.

Excellence in Teaching Awards:

Nominations are open for the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Awards.
Albertans are urged to recognize dedicated teachers and principals for the exceptional work they do with K-12 students across the province. Nominations for the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Awards are now being accepted.

A nomination package, including details of eligibility and selection criteria, is available at www.education.alberta.ca by clicking on the “Teachers” tab and then on “Excellence in Teaching Awards.”

Nominations can be submitted to Alberta Education until February 5, 2010.

Registration Forms:

Thank you for submitting your forms. I have received forms from the majority of schools. If you still need to submit yours, here is the form. Please ensure that it is filled out and faxed to 403-294-8172 Attn: Katie.

CAPSC:

CAPSC is Calgary’s city-wide, public school parent association. CAPSC’s primary goal is to keep parents up to date and involved in their children’s education, and to help make individual school’s Parent Councils as effective as possible. CAPSC provides parents with resources, learning and sharing opportunities. They represent parent concerns to the CBE and all levels of government. For more information or to subscribe to their newsletter, visit www.capsc.ca.

School Council Development

School Council Development (SCD) provides workshops and resource materials to assist school councils.

School Council Development provides the following services:

• Workshops for school councils anywhere in Alberta
• Toll Free School Council Consultation Line - 1-800-661-3470
• Instructor training to deliver workshops to school councils
• Resource manual and materials for school council

Alberta Education

School Council Resource Manual

Minutes of School Council and Parent Association Meetings of Sept. 14, 2009

The minutes of the McKenzie Towne School Council establishment meeting that was held on September 14th were ratified during the Council meeting on October 26th and can be viewed here. The minutes of the first Parent Association meeting held that night can be viewed here.

Our next School Council and Parent Association meetings are scheduled for November 30th beginning at 6:30 pm in the Haultain Memorial School library. We encourage all parents to attend.

McKenzie Towne School Dance-A-Thon

Join us for our first ever dance-a-thon fundraiser! We’ll have great music from a professional DJ, refreshments and activities for the whole family! There will also be some great items up for bid and a sneak peek at some potential playground designs. A special prize will be awarded to the student who raises the most money in pledges. Come on out and have some dancing fun and raise some money towards a school playground!

When: Friday November 27, 2009

What Time: 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Where: Haultain Memorial School gymnasium, 605 Queensland Dr. SE

Theme: School Spirit – come dressed in the McKenzie Towne School colours!
(school colours are cranberry and dark grey)

Pledge forms will be sent home next week and should be used to record donations received in support of our playground dance-a-thon. Additional forms can be downloaded here. All pledge funds raised will go directly to the building of a playground at our new school. If each family is able to raise $250 for this event, we will be able to achieve our goal for the playground very quickly. Everyone is welcome; donations will be accepted at the door for anyone who wishes to attend but has not collected pledges.

Remember, any pledge or donation of $25.00 or more will receive a tax receipt. Pledge forms and raised funds will be collected at the dance-a-thon or can be returned to Haultain School by Nov. 27, 2009. Cheques should be made payable to: Parks Foundation-McKenzie Towne School.

Email fundraising@mtsparents.com with any questions or if you would like to donate an item for bid.

November Newsletter and Calendar

The November school newsletter is out and can be read on-line by clicking here. You can find the November calendar here. Please note the next gabuccino is scheduled for Novemer 12th from 2:00-3:00 pm at Haultain Memorial School staff room.

Dear Parents,

If you haven’t thought about it already, you certainly will when the children move to the new school and there is no playground. Many of you like us, may have assumed that building a playground at the school is the CBE’s responsibility. In fact, it is the responsibility of the parents, though we are supported (not financially) in our efforts by the CBE and the Parks Foundation Calgary. We’re sure you will be pleased to hear that a playground committee was officially formed in September, though work has been underway since May. We have a dedicated team of 8 people who have accomplished much already:
· initial designs have been requested and received
· grant research and applications are underway
· requests for corporate donations are underway
· a fund for managing playground monies is in the process of being setup

As well, the students of the school have participated in a survey, many thanks to the Grade 3 students for handling this! Ask your child about it and get excited, you too will receive a survey later this year.

Accomplishments aside, our playground build goal of September 2010 is proving to be ambitious, particularly with regards to securing money. As many of the same faces on the playground committee also appear on the fundraising committee, we are lacking the bodies required to achieve two big goals:
· fundraising $35, 000 by December 31, 2009
· a September 2010 playground build

We encourage you to participate wherever possible. Notices will go home requesting donations from your employer, in-kind donations and your participation in fundraising events. Please consider helping out in any one of these manners or joining the playground or fundraising committee. Together we can accomplish our goals!

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind Regards,

Annika Clennan
Playground Committee Chair
playground@mtsparents.com

Tina Pratt
Fundraising Director
fundraising@mtsparents.com

Key Communiqué

This bulletin comes from the CBE's Communications Advisor and is to be shared with the school council and parent community.

System Orientation Session - Important Update:

The System Orientation Session webinar is scheduled for November 4, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

I will send out a link to the session once it is made available along with further instructions on when and how to log into it.

After the session is over, everyone who was invited to the session will receive an email link with a recorded version of the webinar in case you wanted to share the information with other council members.

This is a new approach that we are trying; however, we will still be having face-to-face system meetings throughout the year as well as Area meetings. As soon as the dates for the Area meetings are made available, I will include them in this newsletter.

We hope you will join us for the session and welcome your feedback on the effectiveness of this new communications approach.

Board Chair and Vice Chair Named for 2009-2010

Pat Cochrane returns as Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Calgary Board of Education, and Lynn Ferguson was acclaimed Vice-Chair at the public Board meeting on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. The elections were part of the annual organizational meeting of the Board of Trustees. This is the time when Trustees traditionally reconfigure their governance and committee responsibilities in order to fine-tune their contributions to the system.

Our Board of Trustees brings tremendous personal and collective resources to the task of stewarding and developing public education in Calgary. They have demonstrated an unshakable commitment to public education and advocated tirelessly for its effective and equitable delivery.

For more information about our Board, please visit the CBE Board of Trustees' webpage.

Key Communicator Steering Committee:

There are some vacancies for the Key Communicator Steering Committee this year. If you are interested, please email me for details.

Registration Forms:

Thank you for submitting your forms. I have received forms from the majority of schools. If you still need to submit yours, here is the form. Please ensure that it is filled out and faxed to 403-294-8172 Attn: Katie.

CAPSC:

CAPSC is Calgary’s city-wide, public school parent association. CAPSC’s primary goal is to keep parents up to date and involved in their children’s education, and to help make individual school’s Parent Councils as effective as possible. CAPSC provides parents with resources, learning and sharing opportunities. They represent parent concerns to the CBE and all levels of government. For more information or to subscribe to their newsletter, visit www.capsc.ca.

School Council Development

School Council Development (SCD) provides workshops and resource materials to assist school councils.

School Council Development provides the following services:

• Workshops for school councils anywhere in Alberta
• Toll Free School Council Consultation Line - 1-800-661-3470
• Instructor training to deliver workshops to school councils
• Resource manual and materials for school council

Alberta Education

School Council Resource Manual

Meeting Notice from MTSC and MTSPA Chair

A message from the MTSC and MTSPA Chair

It is hard to believe that almost two months of school has passed. Although two months does not seem like a lot, I find myself already reflecting back on the significant progress we have made with our new school.

This is to remind you and encourage you to attend the McKenzie Towne School Council (MTSC) and the McKenzie Towne School Parent's Association (MTSPA) meeting on Monday (October 26) at the Haultain Memorial School Library starting at 6:30pm. These meetings are a great opportunity to hear about the efforts underway, become informed and get involved. We welcome and encourage all parents/guardians/those involved to attend.

We will start first with the MTSC meeting. This will have news about and from our newly Established School Council Executive, the Principal, Vice Principal and a
teacher (or two). And then immediately following this will be the MTSPA meeting.
This will have news about the significant efforts being made toward a Playground, Fundraising and involve making decisions on how some initial funds will be spent.

For more details please see the MTSC and MTSPA agendas. If you have any questions, comments and/or concerns please feel free contact me.

I look forward to seeing you on Monday,

Sherri

Stop the Cuts

The Alberta School Councils Association, Alberta Teachers' Association and the Alberta School Boards Association are trying to raise awareness about the potential funding cuts to public education and the impact of these cuts to students and schools. $80 million in funding cuts is being considered this year and another $300 million in potential cuts for 2010. Go to www.stopthecuts.ca to learn more. You can also find a link to contact your MLA and the Minister of Education to voice your opinion.

Final Annoucement for the Student Union Ticket Pak Fundraiser

It’s the last week . . . Don’t Forget!!!

We need some initial funds to start the grant and application process for our playground project. We are halfway through selling our S.U.T.P. books and would like to reach our goal of selling 300 books. The MTSPA needs to raise approximately $35,000 by December 2009 in order to meet goals for a September 2010 playground.

The SUTP books are sold for $20 with $10 staying with McKenzie Towne School Parent Association, helping reach this goal. This is a great time to get family and friends on board with our new school and playground endeavors.

Additional forms are available by clicking here. Please ensure that you fill in your students name and grade so we can get the books back to you. Please note, payment is required for all orders before books can be issued.

Cheques can be made out to M.T.S.P.A. or McKenzie Towne School Parent Association.

Please have all orders returned to the school by Wednesday, October 14.
Orders will be processed and back to you within 4-5 days.
If you have any questions, please e-mail fundraising@mtsparents.com

Kindergarten PM Bus Route Changes

For all parents of afternoon kindergarten students: there have been some updates made to the kindergarten PM bus routes. Changes take place effective October 14th. Click here for the updated maps.

Upcoming Meetings

Our next school council and parent association meetings have been scheduled. Please join us in the Haultain Memorial School library on October 26th at 6:30 pm for the school council meeting. The parent association meeting will take place immediately following.

The November council and parent association meetings are scheduled for November 30th. A reminder will be sent out prior to these meetings. In addition, The Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils (CAPSC) is holding their monthly meeting on Wednesday, October 21st, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm at AE Cross Junior High School in the SW. All parents are welcome to attend this free meeting.

October News

The school newsletter is out for October. Click here to view it. You can also click here to open the school calendar for October. Please note, the first Gabuccino is being held on October 15th from 2:15-3:15 at Haultain Memorial School. This is your chance to meet with the principals in an informal setting and talk about topics of interest.

Parent Survey 1 Results

In our first parent survey, we asked you about your preferences regarding fundraising. We had 40 responses to the two questions in the survey.

The first question was, "The MTSPA needs to raise approximately $35,000 by December in order to meet goals for a September 2010 playground. To help achieve this goal, we will be focusing on one big event this fall. What type of event would you most likely participate in." Here are the results:

1. Silent Auction - 28%
2. A family/community fundraising event (e.g. walk-a-thon) - 48%
3. A family/community paid event (e.g. amazing race/rally) - 20%
4. Other - 5%, with suggestions of Donations and Business Solicitation tied into fundraising activity

The second question in the survey was, "To supplement the above goal and/or provide much needed general funds, what type of fundraising activity would you most likely participate in." Results are as follows:

1. In school ordering (eg. basket raffle, catalogue sales) - 28%
2. School activity (eg. book sale, ice cream social, in-line-skating) - 43%
3. Family/community paid activity (eg. corn maze) - 20%
4. Other - 10%, with suggestions of Bottle collection, Selling blitz, and a School Fair

The fundraising committee will be meeting next week to develop a plan using this feedback. Thanks to everyone who completed the survey. Keep checking back for our next one!

Key Communiqué

This bulletin comes from the CBE's Communications Advisor and is to be shared with the school council and parent community.

Registration Forms:

Thank you to everyone who submitted their registration forms to me and my apologies for not providing the link to the registration form in the previous edition of the Key Communiqué. Here is the form. Please ensure that it is filled out and faxed to 403-294-8172 Attn: Katie at your earliest convenience.

System Orientation Session - Important Update:

This year we are going to try a new approach to the System Orientation Session. We are going to organize it as a webinar. You will be able to ask questions, interact with speakers virtually and view their presentations on your screen as we progress through the session. It will take place at the end of October and I will finalize the date ASAP.

After the session is over, we will send a recorded version to your schools in case you wanted to share the information with other council members.

Key Communicator Steering Committee:

There are some vacancies for the Key Communicator Steering Committee this year. If you are interested, please email me for details.

Area Meetings:

If you are a returning Key Communicator or School Council Chair, I would really appreciate your input with regard to Area Meetings. If you could please take a moment to fill out this brief survey it will assist us greatly moving forward.

Three-Year Education Plan:

The CBE's Three-Year Education Plan is like the compass that guides the strategic direction for the system. All school boards in Alberta are required to maintain a three-year timeframe for their plans and all plans must be updated annually. As one year is completed, another is added, rolling the plan forward. The plan is revised and adjusted based on performance and changes in the operating environment.

Click here to read the CBE's plan and get an in depth look at where we our system is headed in the future.

Provincial Achievement Test Results:

The results are in and there is much to celebrate. Recently, the results from the Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma exams were released and CBE students displayed results well above the provincial standards as well as improved results locally.

In the PAT’s, Math scores for Grades 3, 6 and 9 have all gone up in the acceptable and excellence categories over last year’s results. Our students have also made gains in Language Arts in the acceptable and excellence categories.

In Diploma exams, CBE students improved in the excellence category in Pure Math 30 over last year. Applied Math 30 has shown improvement since the 2007/2008 school year in both the acceptable and excellence categories. CBE students improved in both categories in Biology 30 over last year.

Student Enrolment:

CBE Chief Superintendent of Schools Naomi Johnson announced some extremely good news about the latest enrolment figures during a public board meeting last night. She revealed that student enrolment at the CBE has increased for the new school year, according to figures submitted to Alberta Education on September 30th.

The number of students enrolled in CBE schools for the 2009 / 2010 school year is 102 413. That’s an increase of 591 students from the previous school year.

Board chair Pat Cochrane thanked Calgary parents for choosing the Calgary Board of Education as their first choice for their children’s education.

Report to the Community:

We are currently starting to work on our Report to the Community for the 2008/09 school year. If you have not seen last year's report, you can read it here.

Your input on this publication is most welcome. Do you find the stories interesting? Are there areas you'd like to see less of, or expanded? What would you like to see in a report from the CBE? We would greatly appreciate your thoughts and feedback on this publication. Please email me.

WorldSkills Calgary 2009:

We are very interested in your perspective on the impact of WorldSkills on your child. We would appreciate if you would take a few minutes to complete this anonymous online survey to provide us with data that will be presented to our CBE Superintendents’ Team and to the Trustees. Please feel free to send the link to other parents who would be interested in giving us their opinions on this event. The deadline for completing the survey is October 16.

Please click on the following link and answer the questions, then click DONE to submit your answers.

CAPSC:

CAPSC is Calgary’s city-wide, public school parent association. CAPSC’s primary goal is to keep parents up to date and involved in their children’s education, and to help make individual school’s Parent Councils as effective as possible. CAPSC provides parents with resources, learning and sharing opportunities. They represent parent concerns to the CBE and all levels of government. For more information or to subscribe to their newsletter, visit www.capsc.ca.

School Council Development

School Council Development (SCD) provides workshops and resource materials to assist school councils.

School Council Development provides the following services:

Workshops for school councils anywhere in Alberta
Toll Free School Council Consultation Line - 1-800-661-3470
Instructor training to deliver workshops to school councils
Resource manual and materials for school council

Alberta Education

School Council Resource Manual

Fundraising Survey

McKenzie Towne School Council Establishment Meeting & MTSPA AGM

On Monday September 14th, the McKenzie Towne School Council was established in a meeting held at the Haultain library. The attendance for the meeting was quite good and we thank everyone who took time out to come for this important meeting. There was a lot of rather formal, but necessary business to attend to in order to establish the school council, specifically, discussions and decisions on Membership, Governance, and the Executive. Future meetings will utilize and build on this foundation.

The executive positions were voted in as follows:

Chair – Sherri M.
Vice Chair – Sean T.
Secretary – Jamie N.
Key Communicator – Tiffany V.
Volunteer Coordinators – Kerrie S. and Jenn H.

It was determined that the executive positions will be held for a period of two years.

Annette Sarginson and Patrick Murphy provided an informative leadership report. Highlights included an update regarding school enrollment and a reminder of upcoming events such as the Terry Fox run happening at Acadia and Haultain. The school is looking for feedback as to interest for an in-line skating program and regular gabuccino times where parents can meet with Annette and Patrick to discuss topics of interest. Patrick talked about the change to Lifetouch Photographs for the upcoming school pictures and a possibility of some fundraising opportunities with this company.

We were also informed of the generous donation from the Haultain Memorial School Parent Association of $5000 for McKenzie Towne students as well as a fieldtrip bus for every class at Haultain. The McKenzie Towne School can provide a fieldtrip bus to the children at Acadia. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Haultain Memorial School Parent Association for this donation. It is greatly and truly appreciated.

The McKenzie Towne School Parent Association (MTSPA) also held its AGM following the school council meeting. The MTSPA was officially registered and received its certificate of incorporation June 5, 2009, enabling work to occur over the summer. A few areas of the bylaws were reviewed, specifically with respect to the Membership and Executive. It was agreed that the MTSPA executive be per the MTSC (and existing MTSPA bylaws). The additional/unique MTSPA executive members voted in are:

Treasurer – Sherry T.
Fundraising Director – Tina P.
Casino Director – Jenn H.
Playground Chair – Annika C.

Annika C. provided an update regarding the playground. The playground committee has been busy over the summer obtaining site approval, researching grants and generally preparing for the work that needs to be done to start the playground process. There are plans to begin requesting corporate donations and applying for funding grants. The playground is estimated to cost $200,000 and the goal is to build in September 2010.
Sherri M and Sherry T discussed the current SUTP fundraiser (details can be found on our website).

Finally, Sherry T. provided a Treasurers report including some discussion about budget, banking and the wish lists of parents and the school. The budget will be built as revenue sources are identified and come in and expenditure items are prioritized. Items will be brought forward at future monthly meetings.

Future meetings of the school council and the parent association will be held monthly on Monday evenings beginning at 6:30 pm. Meetings will be held in the Haultain library until such time as we can begin to hold them in our own school. Please watch the website calendar for updates regarding meeting dates. For those that were unable to attend this meeting, minutes will be approved at the next meeting and then posted on our website.

Key Communiqué

This bulletin comes from the CBE's Communications Advisor and is to be shared with the school council and parent community.

Welcome Back!

I hope you had a rejuvenating and relaxing summer. As you're aware, the school year is in full swing, so welcome back! I look forward to working with you this year.

If you are no longer taking on the position you held last school year, could you please ensure that either a staff member, or school council member fills out this form and fax it to 403-294-8172 Attn: Katie

System Orientation Session - Update

Every year the CBE organizes a System Orientation Session for Key Communicators and School Council Chairs. I am in the process of securing a new date for the System Orientation Session as there is a conflicting event on October 28th, the date it had originally been scheduled.

I will send out information on the meeting as soon as it is rescheduled.

Area Meetings

If you are a returning Key Communicator or School Council Chair, I would really appreciate your input with regard to Area Meetings. If you could please take a moment to fill out this brief survey it will assist us greatly moving forward.

Report to the Community

We are currently starting to work on our Report to the Community for the 2008/09 school year. If you have not seen last year's report, you can read it here. Your input on this publication is most welcome. Do you find the stories interesting? Are there areas you'd like to see less of, or expanded? What would you like to see in a report from the CBE? We would greatly appreciate your thoughts and feedback on this publication. Please email me.

Key Communicator Steering Committee

There are some vacancies for the Key Communicator Steering Committee this year. If you are interested, please email me for details.

Public Board Meetings:

All parents are welcome to attend public board meetings, held every second Tuesday from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the CBE Education Centre (515 Macleod Trail SE). The next meeting is Tuesday, October 5th. If you've never been to a Board meeting, you may find it very interesting to see how decisions are made about your child's education. Agendas and minutes and all reports are available online here. Check it out!

YMCA Peace Medals:

Do you know someone making a difference?
Since 1991, YMCA Calgary has been acknowledging local peacemakers who inspire and impact others. The 2009 YMCA Calgary Peace Medals will honour young people & adults from all walks of life who commit time to advancing peace in their own community or abroad.

Students, teachers, parents, schools, and community groups have been honoured with Peace Medal nominations. Click on the links to see nominees from the last two years or to view all past Peace Medal recipients.
We would love to receive nominations from CBE staff, students, and parents again this year. If you know an individual or group deserving recognition, visit www.ymcacalgary.org to learn more, submit an online nomination form, or download a copy to print or email. Nomination deadline is October 1.

Please forward this email to others in your school or community. For more information, contact:
Dan Taubensee
International Manager, YMCA Calgary
403-531-1655
dtaubens@calgary.ymca.ca

Resources:

CAPSC:

CAPSC is Calgary’s city-wide, public school parent association. CAPSC’s primary goal is to keep parents up to date and involved in their children’s education, and to help make individual school’s Parent Councils as effective as possible. CAPSC provides parents with resources, learning and sharing opportunities. They represent parent concerns to the CBE and all levels of government. For more information or to subscribe to their newsletter, visit www.capsc.ca.

School Council Development

School Council Development (SCD) provides workshops and resource materials to assist school councils.

School Council Development provides the following services:

• Workshops for school councils anywhere in Alberta
• Toll Free School Council Consultation Line - 1-800-661-3470
• Instructor training to deliver workshops to school councils
• Resource manual and materials for school council

Alberta Education

School Council Resource Manual

Student Union Ticket Pak Fundraiser

The McKenzie Towne School Parent Association is having its first fundraiser with sales of Student Union Ticket Pak coupon books. This is an important fundraiser for the MTSPA as we look towards providing such things as a playground, field trips and other priorities. If you were not able to purchase yours at your parent/teacher conference or are interested in ordering these valuable books, click here to download an order form. Simply complete the form and send it along with your payment to school with your child. Orders will be filled within 4-5 days.

Volunteers Needed

This is a call out for volunteers to assist with selling Student Union Ticket Paks at Parent/Teacher conferences this week. This is an important fundraiser for the McKenzie Towne School Parent Association. We will have tables set up at both Acadia and Haultain during P/T conferences to sell
the ticket paks and need volunteers to work the tables. Any and all help would be appreciated, so even if the time you can give to do this is short, please put your name forward by emailing volunteer@mtsparents.com.

Once we have a list and schedule of volunteers in place, we will send an email out on Wednesday confirming times and any other details.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up this week on Thursday and Friday. Classes will be dismissed at 12:15 on Thursday to accommodate this. Kindergarten students do not have class on Sept 17th or 18th. You can book your appointment with your child's teacher here.

The Calgary Board of Education puts out a publication about Parent/Teacher conferences which gives some ideas as to what questions parents may want to ask. You can link to this publication here.

Student/Parent Handbook

The 2009-2010 Student/Parent Handbook can be viewed on-line here. The handbook contains important information pertaining to McKenzie Towne School, such as busing and lunch information, staff names, school expectations, agendas and homework, etc.. Parents are encouraged to review the handbook with their children.

As we go through this year of transition, communication between parents, students and school staff will be more important than ever. Please read the notices and other forms of communication that go home with your children or are found on the school or MTSPA website and feel free to ask questions or voice your opinion at school council and parent association meetings.

Upcoming School Council Establishment Meeting and MTSPA AGM

The McKenzie Towne School Council establishment meeting will be held on Monday September 14th, beginning at 6:30 pm in the Haultain Memorial School library. This meeting will form the school council and its members and we encourage all parents of McKenzie Towne School students to attend. The McKenzie Towne School Parent Association will hold its annual general meeting immediately following the school council meeting.

Our first fundraiser, Student Union Ticket Paks will also begin at the meeting on September 14th. Ticket Paks for Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton will be available for sale at a cost of $20 per book. $10 from the sale of each book goes directly to the McKenzie Towne School Parent Association for its fundraising goals.

Please support your children, school and community by attending these important meetings on September 14th!

Bus Schedules & Calendar Update

The McKenzie Towne School bus schedules are now posted on the CBE's McKenzie Towne School website. Click here to view the schedules for students being housed at Acadia and Haultain.

The school calendar is also available on the website as well as information about school hours. Parents of children attending kindergarten will be interested in the pdf about the first days of school for kindergarten students.

Bussing Schedules Posted at School

The bussing schedules have been posted at the main entrance of McKenzie Towne School. The destination school is listed at the bottom of each map. There are maps for each Acadia and Haultain school.

It's Almost Here!

That's right; back to school is just about here! It's a little earlier than usual this year due to the WorldSkills Competition. The first day of school is Thursday August 27th. Hopefully you have received your school information by now, with a letter of welcome from your child's teacher.

WorldSkills 2009 is being held at the Stampede grounds and will feature over 900 international competitors competing in 45 skill categories. It promises to be an amazing event. Click here for more information about WorldSkills 2009 or check out this great video on youtube.

Enjoy the last few days of summer and see you all next week!

Back to School Information

The CBE has posted a presentation on their website entitled "Back 2 School". The slide show has information about many topics relating to back to school for the 2009-2010 school year, including the school calendar, fees, school hours, supplies and more. You can check it out at this link.

We have updated the calendar on the mtsparents.com website to reflect the calendar provided in the school package for McKenzie Towne School.

General Update

I drove past the school the other day to take a look at how things are coming along. The outside looked pretty much done to me; they have even laid sod, which gives the school a real look of completion.

School packages are being mailed out this week, so keep your eye out for them. The school address and phone number are listed on the left hand side of the home page for your information.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and stay tuned for further details regarding the McKenzie Towne School Parent Association AGM and School Council establishment meeting in September.

McKenzie Towne School Website

The CBE has posted its website for the McKenzie Towne School. We've added a link to it in our Useful Links section on the left. The site is still under development, so keep checking back to http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b396/.

New Pictures of McKenzie Towne School

Not only do we have a name, but we have a sign and a number of new pictures of the school as well! Construction seems to be moving along nicely. Some highlights include a nearly completed gym, painted walls, flooring and furniture! Click here to see the pictures.

Thanks again to Mrs. Sarginson for sending these photos our way.

McKenzie Towne School Virtual Tour

Mrs. Sarginson has kindly provided us with a copy of the powerpoint presentation she showed at the meeting on May 25th. To download this presentation, click here.

Assistant Principal Appointed

Thanks to Mrs. Sarginson for sending us this notice to post:

Assistant Principal Appointment is Official!

We are delighted to have Patrick Murphy join our team at McKenzie Towne School as Assistant Principal. I know that many of you have had the wonderful opportunity to work alongside him over the last number of years at Haultain School. He will be also be fulfilling the role of Informational Literacy and planning with teachers to connect curriculum and technology together. He has a wide breath of experience to bring to the school as we build our community. Please welcome him to MTS. The following is a message from Patrick.

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing a very similar introduction to the families and staff of Haultain Memorial. I came to Haultain with the knowledge that my stay would be short lived but that the few years I would have here would no doubt prove to be a valuable learning experience for myself as an assistant principal. What I had not anticipated was the warm welcome that immediately made me feel appreciated and an instant member of the community.

For the past two years I have tried to earn this regard that I was fortunate enough to have bestowed upon myself and my family. For me, the news of McKenzie Towne school opening came earlier than I would have liked, as it is never easy to part ways when what has been built here has been so wonderful. I looked forward to the future and the challenges it held, but felt a sense of remorse that we often do when great partnerships come to an end (Mckenzie Towne and Queensland, not Barkley and I).

As the saying goes, “as one door closes, another opens” and to my great fortune I was chosen to be the new assistant principal of McKenzie Towne School. This opportunity will help to preserve and develop those relationships that have already begun as well as foster new ones as we welcome families from Acadia school as well. The excitement of opening a new school and the adventures that we will go through together has us all dreaming of the possibilities.

McKenzie Towne will be my third school in which I have been in the assistant principal role and my fifth school in the 12 years I have been with the Calgary Board of Education. My teaching experience has had me teaching every grade from kindergarten to grade six, and I can truly say every grade level has its unique and wonderful aspects. I thrive on exploring and discovering with students and staff while bringing learning to life for them in the classroom and beyond.

It will be a true honour to serve as you new assistant principal and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting down to work with you all in the coming months.

Yours truly,

Patrick Murphy

We Have a Name!

We have received notice that the Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the naming of the new school McKenzie Towne School.

It's another exciting step as the school comes closer to completion. Thanks to all involved on the naming committee and those parents who completed the naming survey.

Meet the Principal Night/MTSPA Executive Evening

We'd like to extend a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came out to meet the new principal of our McKenzie Towne School and to get involved in the Parent Association. Parent involvement plays such a large role in the success of the school and its students!

We would especially like to thank Annette Sarginson for taking the time to meet with parents and answer their many questions. It is a challenge to move and set up a home, one can’t even begin to imagine what it is going to take to move and set up a school. However, from our conversations with Mrs. Sarginson, we know the right person has accepted this challenge!

Questions asked at the meeting will be posted shortly in the Q&A section of the blog. If you have additional questions, please click on the “Let us know what you Think” link to the left and submit your question. They will then be forwarded onto Mrs. Sarginson for her response.

Interim elections for the Parent Association were held and the executive was established. We will be working together over the next few months to further the groundwork that has already been started so that when the new school year begins, we too, will be off and running.

Official term elections will be held at the AGM in September (date TBA). The Association bylaws will also be reviewed and officially voted on at that time.

The elected interim executive is as follows:
Chair – Sherri M
Vice-Chair – Sean T
Secretary – Jaime N
Treasurer – Sherry T
*Playground Director – Annika C
*Fundraising Director – Tammy S
Volunteer Coordinator – vacant
Key Communicator – Tiffany V

* Playground and fundraising committees have also been established. The directors will meet with these committees separately from the main executive. Once again, thank you to everyone who volunteered to be a part of these committees. Your director will be in touch with you via email to arrange meeting dates. We would like to get at least one meeting in before the end of the current school year.

Email addresses that were collected at the meeting Monday evening will only be used for the purposes of the Parent Association; primarily to relay information to parents. If you did not submit your email, or would like to be included on the list, please add it to the mailing list on the left or via the comment link.

Our next MTSPA meeting will be held Monday, June 22, 2009 at the McKenzie Towne Fire Hall at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to come and be a part of our children’s future.

Meet the Principal & MTSPA Organization Meeting

Join us on May 25th at 6:30 at the Acadia School gym to meet the principal of the McKenzie Towne School and attend the McKenzie Towne School Parent Association Organization meeting. Click here or on the image for details about the meeting. For information regarding the elections for Acting Executive, please see the post from May 14th.

School Naming Survey

The Calgary Board of Education is asking for parent input in naming the new school in McKenzie Towne. A survey has been posted on the CBE's site; click here to find it. You have until Friday May 22nd to complete the survey and provide your input into the naming of our new school.

Q & A With Mrs. Sarginson: Imagine, Inquire, Inspire

This post comes from the Haultain Parent Association blog and has been re-posted with permission as it will be of interest to parents of McKenzie Towne students.

The CBE has hired a principal for McKenzie Towne. Shane, from the Haultain School Council, had a chance to meet with Mrs. Annette Sarginson through email and she was kind enough to do a short Question and Answer for their blog. Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Sarginson to Haultain and McKenzie Towne.

1) How long have you been a principal and where was that experience?

I have had the privilege of being the principal for 11 years at three different locations. Each experience has been rewarding with children learning, parents involved and staff focused on keeping children at the centre. I began at Maple Ridge school, moved to James Short Memorial and then on to Janet Johnstone School. Each was unique and an inspiring opportunity.

2) Before that, how long and where were you teaching?

I taught at a number of schools before becoming an administrator. I taught kindergarten, grade 1 and 2, in James Short and Ramsay. I was a specialist for Kindergarten and Language Arts for three years. I was fortunate to teach art, drama, physical education, and library skills to Division II at Mountain View as an AP. During my first principalship, I taught art and drama to two special education classes in Division I and II. I believe it is my 23rd year of teaching.

3) Do you have children of your own?

We have two adorable children who now have their own children. Yes, I am a grandmother to three grandchildren, ages 2, 4 and 6 years. Until I became a grandmother, I didn't realize it is "the best of the best".

4) Where did you go to university?

I attended the University of Calgary for my undergraduate and graduate work. My emphasis was on Early Childhood. I went to university after I was married and had two children during that time period.

5) If you had to sum up your teaching philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?

That is an excellent question as it causes me to reflect on my beliefs and values. First and foremost, "Every child matters". If I envision for a moment it is about living together in a democratic community where children are actively engaged in meaningful learning. Here's a motto that captures the celebration of children learning and may read something like "Imagine. Inquire. Inspire."

6) How do you feel about fund raising using casinos?

Although I don't gamble, I respect that for our school, having a casino is the most effective and efficient way to raise money for our children and their learning. Extra resources are a support and an asset to a school climate. In thinking what is significant is the ability for our children to be critical thinkers and with that having a strong connection with technology, curriculum and the arts. Technology is ever changing and with that comes expenditure....

7) What role do you see parents fulfilling in today's public education system?

I see parents having a number of different roles in a school community. The traditional roles of volunteering in the classroom or learning commons (library), helping out with field trips, being involved in School Council, are invaluable. I purport that embracing the sense of mutual respect between us and having conversations and exploring questions that matter will extend our notion of what is important to our children and their learning.

8) What do you see as the biggest challenge faced by McKenzie Towne Elementary School (name TBD) for the 2009/2010 year?

I could concur there will most certainly be hiccups along the way. It will be as much how we face the problems and think deeply about how to solve them as the challenges themselves. It may require us to 'think out of the box'. It will be paramount to take the time to build a spirit of community and form relationships of students, staff and parents. That will keep us focused on what's significant. Together we will be able to solve the challenges and find results. Change is ever present - it is providing the time, quality time to work as a team.

9) In your past school(s), was the Council/Parent Association active and collaborative?

Very much collaboration and team work are at the forefront. I am delighted to work alongside the School Council for the betterment of our children and their learning.

10) Can you tell us your favourite moments as a teacher and/or principal?

I am energized when I hear the everyday stories regarding students and their learning. It is about children stopping me in the halls and showing their work. It is a sense of wonder to hear their excitement. When I visit classrooms it is seeing all children engrossed in learning. It is the reward of learning! It heartens me that we have such outstanding and blossoming citizens.

Another favourite moment is when I hear staff talking about working with all their children in eloquent ways and having success with a most high spirited child. I have a great interest in living in a just and equitable world. To that end, much of my life has been invested in the development of our young children. May we do so together.

Thanks to Mrs. Sarginson for her time and for her thoughtful answers.