Dear Woodman Families 

The week was a dynamic one, with basketball teams almost finalized and soccer teams commencing their game season.  More than 15 professional musicians provided personalized coaching to Grade 7 band students on their new instruments. A September highlight is undoubtedly the “Meet Woodman Night”.  Thank you for the impressive turnout of families at our official opening of the 2024-2025 school year yesterday evening!

Take note of a few important messages for the week of Sept.23-26.  Fri. Sept.27 is a CBE professional learning day and Mon. Sept. 30 is a statutory day in which there are no classes: 

Woodman School Council Meeting with CBE Trustee Nancy Close – Tues. Sept. 24, 7pm

Everyone is encouraged to join us at our first School Council meeting on Tuesday evening.  School administrators and CBE Trustee Nancy Close will be there to share important information with families and to answer any questions or concerns that you might have.  Trustee Close will speak to her continued advocacy related to funding and learning spaces at Woodman School. 

Orange Shirt Day – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

We have launched the school year by focusing on classroom learning related to our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation through education.  The TREX art exhibit featuring Indigenous art-as-storytelling has inspired students. Woodman’s commitment this school year is:

“Each student will learn on the land at a site which holds significance for Indigenous peoples. Each student will strengthen literacies that enliven Indigenous voices and perspectives (novels, slam poetry, music, story telling)”

Specific learning related to the significance of Orange Shirt Day will occur on Thursday.  Students are encouraged to wear an orange shirt, as a sign of solidarity. Families may wish to visit the Orange Shirt Society website with their children to learn more about what inspired the movement: https://orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story/

Families and staff are invited to participate in the annual Orange Shirt Day commemoration at The Confluence on Mon. Sept. 30, which is a non-instructional day for students.  Learn more through the website: https://www.theconfluence.ca/events/orange-shirt-day-2024 

IPP Parent/Student Input Meetings: Fri. Sept. 27

Over the next few days, every family of a child on an Individualized Program Plan (IPP) will receive contact from their key IPP teacher.  Flexible meeting times will be arranged and set up by the key teacher. Meetings may occur either in person or through Microsoft Teams. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in these meetings, in order to foster ownership and voice in the learning process. The next Learning Conferences for all students are on Nov. 28-29. 

If you have diagnostic information about your child that you have not yet shared with the school, or if you do not hear back from your child’s IPP key teacher in the upcoming days, please email Ms. Stenhouse, Student Services Learning Leader (tastenhouse@cbe.ab.ca).

Grade 9 Quebec Trip Parent Interest Meeting – Oct. 3, 6:30 pm

Earlier this week, Grade 9 families received an invitation to a Quebec trip interest meeting in the Learning Commons. The meeting is to gauge interest in travelling to Ottawa, Quebec City, and Montreal from April 19 to April 24th, 2024. The meeting will include an overview of the itinerary, the trip cost and expectations, and share some benefits to a student’s French language acquisition and personal growth related to this trip. This trip is open to both French immersion and English program students, as long as they are currently attending and actively participating in their FLA and/or their FSL class.  We look forward to seeing many families in attendance.  

Important Dates

Tues. Sept. 24                       School Council Meeting with CBE Trustee Close, 7:00 pm

Thurs. Sept. 26                      Orange Shirt Day

Fri. Sept. 27                            CBE Non-Instructional Day

                                                            -IPP meetings between parents/teachers/students

Mon. Sept. 30                         National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – No School

Tues. Oct. 1                            Healthy Hunger A&W

Thurs. Oct. 3                           Grade 7 Wellness Day at Calgary Farmland

                                                  Healthy Hunger Opa! (Grade 7 students should not order, due

                                                      to the field trip)

                                                  Grade 9 Quebec Trip Interest Meeting, 6:30 pm

                                                            -More information coming soon!

Fri. Oct. 4                                A Day Option Classes

                                                 Healthy Hunger Booster Juice

Oct. 4-5                                   Jr. Basketball Hoopfest Tournament

                                                            -Mackenzie Highlands School

Oct. 7-19                                 School Council Prairie Gourmet Fundraiser

Tues. Oct. 8                            Healthy Hunger Chachis

Thurs. Oct. 10                         Grade 8 Wellness Day at The Confluence (former Fort Calgary)

                                                  Healthy Hunger Mary Browns (Grade 8 students should not order, due to the field trip)

Fri. Oct. 11                              B Day Option Classes

                                                  Healthy Hunger Kernels

Fri. Oct. 18                              A Day Option Classes

Oct. 18-19                               Sr. Basketball Legends Showdown Tournament

                                                            -Mackenzie Highlands School

Mon. Oct. 21                           School Picture Re-Take Day

Oct. 23-24                               Grade 9 Wellness Day at Kamp Kiwanis

Thurs. Oct. 24                         CBE Horizons Student Leadership Conference

Fri. Oct. 25                              CBE Professional Learning Day, no school for students