HOJA at MTS!

Students and parents were treated this morning at school to a performance by HOJA.  For those of you who haven't heard of HOJA, they are a Canadian acappella group.  Each member of HOJA sings a variety of different voice parts including bass lines, lead vocals, tenor and baritone parts, instrument sounds such as guitars and trumpets, beatboxing and drum noises, and assorted sound effects.  The music was amazing, the students were enthusiastic and we even got a special performance by our very own Mr. Snashel! 

Thanks to McKenzie Towne School staff for making this presentation possible for our kids. 

Playground Grand Opening Celebration

The parent association would like to invite everyone to attend our playground grand opening celebration on Saturday October 23rd, from 1 – 4 pm at McKenzie Towne School.  The grand opening will take place rain or shine, with a brief opening ceremony and ribbon cutting beginning at 1:10pm.  Enjoy great entertainment including Froot-Loop the Clown and Diggety Dawg, fun activities such as face painting, mini golf, and bean bag toss.  You might even win a prize!  Representatives from Child Find Alberta and AMA Safety Patrol will be on hand as well as Calgary Police Services.  And, of course, who can have a celebration without cupcakes!

So bring your friends and family and come out to celebrate the achievement of this latest milestone for our school! 

We will also be looking for a number of volunteers to help with this event with set up, clean up, running games, etc.  If you can spare some time to help, please email Jaime at mtsplay@gmail.com.

Key Communiqué - October 8th Issue

The latest edition of the Key Communiqué is now available.  There are links to the presentations from the September 30th system meeting as well as information about the new Inspiring Action survey and grade level achievement assessment and reporting news.

Playground Build a Huge Success!

The playground build was a huge success last weekend!  We were fortunate to have such good weather and so many volunteers.  A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped out - we couldn't have done it without you!  Many hands made light work, everyone was well fed and fun was had by all.  We are currently in the process of installing the pour 'n place rubber surface.  This should be complete by Oct. 8th, weather permitting.  We will finish with some site reclamation and by late next week the playground should be ready for use!  Students will be introduced to the playground by our Admin Team, a couple of classes at a time.  Finally, on Sat. Oct. 23rd, from 1-4pm, we will celebrate the Grand Opening of our playground.  Stay tuned for more information...

You can see more pictures of the build by clicking on the link on the left hand side of your screen.

Fundraising Committee Members Needed

Are you interested in playing an active role in your school community?  Are school field trips, fun lunches, artists in residency, etc. important to you and your family?  Parent Associations support these activities through volunteering and fundraising.  Without fundraising, these types of activities may not occur.  The fundraising committee is looking for volunteers to help plan and implement its fundraising activities.  This could include attending fundraising committee meetings to help with the planning process or volunteering for any one of the fundraisers, such as SUTP book sales, November trade show, Fundscrip gift cards, etc.

Our next fundraising committee meeting with be held on October 4th, beginning at 6:30 pm at the school.  Please consider joining us for this meeting or email fundraising@mtsparents.com for more information.

Meetings Recap

Thank you to all who came out to the MTSC meeting and MTSPA AGM on Monday evening.  We had a great turn out and it was wonderful to see so many interested parents.  Thanks as well to Malik Amery, Carol Bazinet and Wendi Moore for speaking to us as candidates for trustee in the upcoming election.  If you'd like an opportunity to hear more from each candidate, you can attend the forum tonight at Lord Beaverbrook High School.  Check our calendar for details.

Another thank you goes out to Nicole D for volunteering for the role of Co-Volunteer Coordinator.  Our other co coordinator, Kerrie provided an update and advised that classroom parents will soon be in the process of meeting with teachers and making arrangements for classroom volunteers.

The Grade 4 teachers were able to give us an update about how their classes are learning about the concept of story; something each grade is learning about in their own way.   In the leadership report, Mrs. Sarginson announced the next gabbucino is scheduled for November 16th from 2-3pm at the school.  All parents are welcome to attend.  Director's Cut residency will be starting in October; each student will have an opportunity to create their own video as part of this residency.  It was also announced that the school will be holding a mad science themed celebration on October 29th. 

In the MTSPA AGM, we heard that at the next meeting there will be an opportunity to establish some  committees such as fun lunch, yearbook, events and schoolyard naturalization.  If you are interested in joining a committee, please consider attending the next meeting.

We received a report from our Treasurer, Sherry T. and were able to review the school's wish list provided by Mrs. Sarginson.  A motion was passed to financially support the Director's Cut residency program to reduce the fee for parents.  Spending decisions are made in the parent association; if you would like to be involved in these decisions, please attend a meeting.

Our Fundraising Director, Tina, provided a report regarding last year's fundraising successes and the plan for this year's activities.  Stay tuned for more information coming soon about Fundscrip gift cards, litterless lunch products and a trade show at the school. 

Annika, our playground Chair provided an update about the playground.  About 150 volunteers will be helping with the build this week and it is expected that the playground will be ready for use October 15th.  The grand opening is scheduled for October 23rd with exciting activities and entertainment planned. 

The next meetings will be held on October 25th beginning with a meet and greet at 6:15pm at the school.  Starbucks in Copperfield has generously offered to support our school meetings and events, so please come out to meet other parents, learn and make decisions about what is happening at the school and enjoy some free hot chocolate or coffee!

CAPSC/PAC Public Service Annoucement

A public service announcement received regarding the upcoming trustee election.

23 September, 2010

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils and Calgary Public Teachers ATA Local 38 are encouraging all members of the school community to cast an informed vote for their public school in the upcoming October 18 municipal election. Now, more than ever, your vote counts!

•Our educational system is experiencing transformational change.
•Inspiring Action and Setting the Direction are moving forward.
•The Education Minister is opening up the School Act.
•The Calgary Board of Education works with a budget of just over $1B.
•The board of trustees make decisions that impact over 100,000 students and 9,000 employees.
•Education is facing challenging economic times.

We need to ensure the best candidates are elected to our board!

CAPSC and ATA Local 38 have collaborated on a candidate questionnaire. Trustee candidates’ responses to that questionnaire will be available on line at www.calgarytrusteeelections.com beginning Monday, September 27.

CAPSC is sponsoring forums in all city ward pairings beginning Monday, September 27. The complete forum schedule can be found online at www.capsc.ca. 

The Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils is an incorporated non-profit society whose membership consists mainly of public school councils. We meet monthly to learn about and discuss a variety of educational issues with expert and informed guest speakers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Leslie Newton Fern Schmidt Heide Doppmeier
Vice President Public School Trustee Forum Coordinator Political Action Chair
CAPSC CAPSC Calgary Public TeachersLeslie.Newton@capsc.ca Fern.Schmidt@capsc.ca ATA Local 38
HEDoppmeier@cbe.ab.ca