Dear Woodman Families:

Today, teachers had a valuable time of professional learning.  We focussed on developing tasks that have multiple entry points for all learners, and that promote student engagement, regardless of language level or learning differences. Professional learning days are vital in ensuring that teachers remain current and responsive in their practices.

Take note of a few important messages for the week of Oct. 23-27:

School Budget and Class Changes

Schools have received their annual budget around which staffing changes are made, based on student enrollment trends.  At Woodman, we are experiencing growth in some of our classes, which has allowed us to reduce class sizes and create three Grade 7 and three Grade 8 English student cohorts. This will very positively improve the learning experiences for students.  Families of affected students have already been notified earlier this week. There will be a number of additional minor changes to student timetables or assignment of teachers for other cohorts as well. All of these changes become effective on Monday.  Despite the fact that change can cause heightened student stress or questioning, we have taken the time in classes this past week to assure them that all will be well. We encourage parents to attend the virtual School Council meeting on Tuesday evening (7:00 pm) in order to discuss these matters further.

New Class Placements Commence Monday

Parents of Grade 7D, 7E, 8D and 8E are requested to remind their children to report to the main gym for Period 1 on Monday, to receive information about their new placement. Yesterday, students were provided with a reflection document that allows them to provide valuable information to their teacher about themselves.  These reflection documents should be given to their new homeroom teacher on Monday.

School Picture Retake Day

Students who joined Woodman after our last picture day on Sep. 18, as well as any students who would like a re-take, are reminded to dress their best on Monday.  Lifetouch Photographers will be taking individual student photos.

Help Needed – Serving Lunch, Friday Wellness Day

We still need to fill 8-10 volunteer positions on Friday, Oct. 27, as we prepare to feed our 500 Wolves.  A CBE police security clearance is needed in order to volunteer at the school. 

Cooler Weather Coming

The current forecast for next week calls for precipitation in the form of rain or snow, with much cooler temperatures.  Students are reminded to wear appropriate outdoor clothing in order to be comfortably spend 20 minutes outside over the lunch hour. Teachers will also provide students with smaller lockers the needed direction regarding accessing additional space to store their winter jackets and footwear.

Provincial Achievement Results

Yesterday, all Grade 7 students that completed Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) in May-June received an envelope with their official results. Students were instructed to place the envelope into their backpacks and take it home to share with parents. These results are different from the raw scores provided in June, and reflect achievement in relation to the entire province of Alberta.  Woodman school wide results will be discussed briefly in the School Council meeting on Tuesday.

Tuesday School Council Meeting

Woodman School Council will be hosting its AGM on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7:00 pm. It will be hosted virtually.

We are actively looking for parents to help with several important roles, including Volunteer Coordinator, Key Communicator, Vice Chair, Fundraising Coordinator, and Staff Appreciation Coordinator.  Any questions, or nominations for a position, can be directed to Tara at ParentCouncilWoodman@gmail.com in advance of the meeting.

See the agenda with important messages and discussion items: Agenda Oct. 24. We hope to see many families at the meeting. 

Halloween Festivities – Tues. Oct. 31 

Leadership 9 students have been busy, organizing several fun Halloween festivities. They are selling Candygrams ($2) every day in the main foyer in advance of Halloween. Students are invited to purchase a small treat for a friend or staff, which will be delivered to them on the 31st. Additionally, the Leadership 9 class is in the process of designing and constructing elements to create a spooky walk experience on the upper and lower stage area. Each homeroom class will be invited to promenade through the walk. Several activity stations geared towards younger grades are also being developed. Students will be expected to respect the Leadership students and their efforts in having created the experience. We thank our students for their creative application of design principles towards our Halloween celebrations this year.  

Students may dress up in costumes if they wish. They may come to school with their costume on, and wear it throughout the whole day. It will still be a regular school day. Please keep a few things in mind: 

• Due to safety and security reasons, full-face masks and toy weapons (swords, rifles, guns, etc.) should be kept at home.  
• Please choose a simple costume that minimizes on slip, trip and fall hazards; students still need to transport their books/binders from class to class, and to do so in an easy manner 
• Costumes should not reflect violent or sexualized imagery, or reflect cultural appropriation of any sort. Cultural appropriation can be described as perpetuating a cultural/ethnic stereotype or trivializing a tradition. 
• Good judgement and decision-making between parent and child is requested 

Thurs. Nov. 2, Grade 9 Take Your Kid to Work Day

The annual Take Your Kid To Work Day is facilitated by the Student Commission of Canada: https://www.studentscommission.ca/en/take-our-kids-to-work

This is not a CBE sanctioned event and teachers will plan regular classes for students who attend school.  However, many corporations plan special events this day for Grade 9 children of employees.  Parents who are employers themselves or work for organizations that would support having a Grade 9 student participate with them at work and to learn more about particular occupations are welcome to do so.  Parents are requested to email woodmanattendance@cbe.ab.ca ; they will receive an excused absence status. In order to assist the main office with accurate and efficient attendance reporting, please follow these requests:

• Send the email permission anytime prior to Thurs. Nov. 2 at 9:00 AM
• Use subject line: Kid Work - [student first last name]
• Refrain from sending phone calls to the office or attendance line for this event  

Athletic Schedule

We congratulate our Girls and Boys soccer teams for a strong season.  Both teams reached their semi-final game and lost in a hard fought effort.  We thank our Wolves and their teacher/parent volunteer-coaches for their investment of time to towards the teams. 

Mon. Oct. 23
Sr Girls BB AM
Jr Girls BB PM
Sr Boys BB Game at Woodman
-Woodman students are invited to remain as spectators for the first game only, after which they must be under the supervision of a responsible adult; space in the main gym is limited

Tues. Oct. 24
Sr Boys BB PM
Jr Boys BB AM
Sr Girls BB Game at John Ware School

Wed. Oct. 25
Jr Girls BB AM
Sr Girls BB PM
Jr Boys BB Game at Mackenzie Highlands School 

Thurs. Oct. 26
Jr Boys BB PM
Sr Boys BB AM
Jr Girls BB at Woodman School

Important Dates

Mon. Oct. 23                           Lifetouch Picture Re-Take Day
Tues. Oct. 24                          Woodman Virtual School Council Meeting, 7:00 pm
Thurs. Oct. 26                         Horizon Leadership Conference
                                                            -Centennial High School
                                                            -Forms are due on Monday!
Fri. Oct. 27                              Breakfast With the Wolves (select students)
                                                Wellness Day
Mon. Oct. 30                           Grade 7 Guest Speaker, Valour Canada
Wed. Nov. 1                            Grade 6 Field Trip to Calgary Police Interpretive Centre (YouthLink)
Fri. Nov. 3                               B Day Option Classes
Wed. Nov. 8                            Remembrance Day Commemoration
Nov. 9-14                                CBE Fall Break – No Classes
Thurs. Nov. 16                        TREX Art Exhibit – Urban Soul (Woodman Learning Commons)
Fri. Nov. 17                             A Day Option Classes
Thurs. Nov. 23                        Learning Conferences, 4:00-8:00 pm
Fri. Nov. 24                             CBE Non-Instructional Day – Learning Conferences, 9:00-2:30

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