Dear Woodman Families: 

Welcome to 2024!  The reunions with classmates and teachers - as well as the return to more normal routines – were well received following the winter break.

We are proud of the Student Holiday Market student vendors, who donated $738.00 of their total proceeds to the Calgary Humane Society this week.  Their donation will arrive just in time to support additional animal food and shelter needs during the cold weather.

Take note of the messages regarding the week ahead, Jan. 15-19.  There is no school in the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) on Mon. Jan. 15.  Woodman teachers will be working on Semester 1 report cards.

Woodman Processes for Cold Weather

We acknowledge the many challenges that the sudden drop in temperatures have created for everyone. We thank parents for the responsible, careful drop-off and pick up of students around the school this week, despite increased congestion and poor road conditions. Over and above the CBE key messages that were circulated earlier this week, we wish to also share how we adjust plans at Woodman:

• School doors open earlier, at 8:45 am
• Alternate noon hour plans are launched, and students are provided with indoor spaces to socialize and keep physically active
• Daily, school-wide messaging around safety measures are increased

If logistical or safety reasons lead families to decide to keep their children home during extreme weather conditions, please inform the school via email (woodmanattendance@cbe.ab.ca). We experience high call volumes in the main office, and thus the preference for email as a more efficient way to communicate regarding school attendance.

Healthy Hunger – Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays

The lunch hour at Woodman is 40 minutes and allows for only minimal time to walk to local restaurants to purchase food.  For this reason, and particularly in winter, we encourage students to bring their own packed lunch, or participate in the Healthy Hunger program.  Healthy Hunger is a convenient way to provide choice to students, and may alleviate lunch preparations at home.  Log on to www.healthyhunger.ca to register and order for January and February.  Vendors include:

Jan. 16   A&W
Jan. 18   Subway
Jan.19    Booster Juice
Jan. 23   Opa!
Jan. 24   Wok Box
Jan. 26   Jelly Donuts
Jan. 30   A&W

The school is not permitted to store food overnight.  Please check the Woodman calendar to ensure that orders are not made on days when students may be on field trips. Unclaimed orders are donated to students in need at the end of each day.

Preparing for Semester 1 Report Cards

January is an important month for concluding Semester 1 learning and assessment. Please verify your child’s completion of tasks through PowerSchool and work together with the teacher if there is lack of clarity on whether work has been completed and graded. Report cards for Semester 1 will be viewable in electronic format on Jan. 30th. Plan to attend the Woodman School Council meeting on Tues. Jan. 16 to gain more understanding of assessment and reporting processes in the CBE.

Note that Semester 2 commences on Wed. Jan. 31 with the launch of new option classes for Grade 7-9 students.

Health and Life Skills Instruction

To ensure that students are well supported in living a healthy life, we initiated an additional Health class on Fridays at the start of the 2023-2024 school year. Positive results are emerging, given that adolescents benefit from regular learning about social, emotional and physical health. Later in January, teachers will commence instruction on the components of human relationships and sexuality within the Alberta Education Health and Life Skills program of studies. Information and parent consent letters will be circulated via email early next week.

Adolescent Brain Development | Family & Caregiver Well-Being Session

As part of a continued effort to support the well-being of students, CBE is committed to sharing valuable information about child and youth well-being with families and caregivers. This is the second (of five) sessions available for families and caregivers, this time focusing on 'brain development in adolescence'. 
Date: Thursday, Jan. 18 
Time: 6:30 - 8 p.m. 
Link: Child & Youth Well-Being Family & Caregiver Series

Western Canada High School French Immersion IB Program – Jan. 30

For Grade 9 students looking for a challenge in their French academic trajectory, we recommend considering the French Immersion International Baccalaureate program at Western Canada High School. Woodman students are invited to tours during the morning (individual parent transportation is required).  A follow up Open House for students and parents is scheduled for 6:30 pm. See the Grade 9 High School Transition D2L shell for more information.

Woodman School Council News and Tuesday Meeting

Woodman School Council is a group of Woodman families and staff that work collaboratively together to have a positive impact on student success.  We encourage everyone to become involved in Woodman School Council.  

We are actively looking for a Volunteer Coordinator.  Filling this volunteer position would be a great help to the Woodman office staff.  Any questions can be directed to Tara at ParentCouncilWoodman@gmail.com. 

Our next meeting will be held virtually through Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, January 16 at 7pm. See the agenda for discussion items, including a valuable presentation on the vision for revitalizing the Woodman Fitness Centre: Agenda Jan. 24

Thank You - Woodman Casino Fundraiser Volunteers

We thank all the responsive parents for committing to volunteering their time on Jan. 19-20.  The casino fundraiser provides great benefits to schools, with proceeds ranging from $65,000.00-75,000.00.  We could still benefit form one backup volunteer.  Should you be available, please email woodmanvolunteers@gmail.com.

Athletic Updates

Wrestling

We look forward to hosting the first wrestling quad meet at Woodman on Jan. 25th, 4:00 pm. At this time, we will be showcasing the new wrestling mats that were generously funded by the Woodman Parent Educational Society. 

After-school practices will continue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We wish to keep up the positive momentum, despite the cancelled meet this week.

Volleyball Season

Large numbers of students demonstrated positive risk-taking through participation in volleyball try-outs this week.  Try-outs for next week continue, as follows:

Jr. Boys                       Tues. Jan. 16 7:45 AM
                                    Thurs. Jan. 18, 3:45 PM

Jr. Girls                        Wed. Jan. 17, 7:45 AM

Sr. Boys                      Tues. Jan. 16, 3:45 PM
                                    Thurs. Jan. 18, 7:30 AM

Sr. Girls                       Wed. Jan. 17, 3:45-5:00 PM
                                   

Our teacher coaches for the season are:

Junior Boys:                Ms. Jones
Junior Girls:                 Mme. Gill
Senior Boys:               Mr. Heron
Senior Girls:                Ms. Middleton

Important Dates

Mon. Jan. 15                           CBE Non-Instructional Day
                                                CBE Registration Commences 2024-2025
Tues. Jan. 16                          Woodman School Council Meeting, 7:00 pm (Virtual)
Wed. Jan. 17                           AHS School Nurse Drop In Q&A – Grade 9 Students
Thurs. Jan. 18                         Grade 9 Quebec Trip Parent Meeting, 6:30 PM
Fri. Jan. 19                              A Day
Jan. 19-20                               Parent Educational Society Casino Nights
Mon. Jan. 22                           Jr Boys Volleyball Game at Woodman, 4:15
                                                Sr. Boys Volleyball Game at Woodman, 5:15
Tues. Jan. 23                          AHS Grade 9 Immunizations
                                                Jr. Girls Volleyball Game at Woodman, 4:15
                                                Sr. Girls Volleyball Game at Woodman, 5:15
Wed. Jan. 24                           Dr. EP Scarlett Guidance Counsellors, Registration Info, 9:30 am
Thurs. Jan. 25                         Wrestling Quad Meet at Woodman School, 4:00
                                                WMPA Virtual Meeting, 6:30 pm
Fri. Jan. 26                              B Day
                                                Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth After School Program
Mon. Jan. 29                           Henry Wise Wood High School
-Student tours AM, Open House, 6:00 pm
                                                Dr. EP Scarlett High School
                                                            -Student tours PM, Open House, 5:30-7:30
Tues. Jan. 30                          Semester 1 Report Cards
                                                Western Canada 9:00-12:00 French IB (only) Student Tours
                                                            -Parents arrange their own transportation
                                                Western Canada High School Open House 6:30 pm
                                                Wrestling Divisional Finals (9:00-1:00 pm)
Wed. Jan. 31                           Semester 2 Commences
                                                Sr. Boys Volleyball Game at Woodman, 4:15
                                                Jr. Boys Volleyball Game at Woodman, 5:15
Thurs. Feb. 1                          TREX Art Exhibit “Land Eater”
Fri. Feb. 2                               A Day
Tues. Feb. 6                            Sr. Band Clinics, 3:45
Wed. Feb. 7                            Jazz on Canterbury (at Dr. EP Scarlett High School), 6:30-8:30
Thurs. Feb. 8                          Sailing Trip Parent Meeting, 6:30-7:30 pm
Fri. Feb. 9                               B Day
Tues. Feb. 13                          Woodman Virtual School Council Meeting, 7:00 pm
Feb. 15-16                               Calgary City Teachers’ Convention (No School)
Mon. Feb. 19                           Family Day (No School)
Wed. Feb. 21                          Grade 7A/B Journey 2050 Field Trip
Thurs. Feb. 22                        Grade 7 Alberta International Band Festival, 2:45 -7:00 pm
                                               Woodman Open House, 6:30-8:00 pm
Fri. Feb. 23                             Grade 8/9 Alberta International Band Festival, 1:15-7:00 pm
Mon. Feb. 26                           Grade 7D/F Journey 2050 Field Trip
Thurs. Feb. 29                        Grade 7C/E Journey 2050 Field Trip
Fri. March 1                             Breakfast With the Wolves, 8:00 am
                                                Woodman Wellness Day