Month: January 2021

Great Things Seen & Heard

  • Way to go, Team! ALL marks were in at the office on time and things went remarkably smoothly!
  • Got to love it: so many staff members take initiative and pitch in to help all the time!
  • Someone noticed our board’s calendar magnet has another February 29th this year!
  • Overhead: discussion of toilet etiquette suggestions for staff bathroom, including cleaning smears, spraying methods, and the use of a courtesy flush. We can’t wait to see the poster…
  • Overheard: singing “you got to mauve it, mauve it” regarding hall passes this coming week.
  • An Edmonton Oiler’s face covering mask has been ordered in case we need to cover a Calgary Flames nose!
  • Overheard: stop stirring the pot, the recipe’s done!
  • Overhead: can’t find the meeting? Look at the right month on your calendar!
  • Overheard: the cold and the flu don’t exist anymore!

Clips & Tips

Many digital resources are available on the Common Sense website. You can browse a variety of teaching resources and current issues for your personal interest. Resources include informational videos and activities, and it’s possible to sign up for weekly updates. These examples touch on subjects that interest many of your students, such as online tracking, sacrificing privacy for safety’s sake, top tech for ELA, putting a new spin on students’ group work or collaboration, and virtual parent-teacher interviews:

Bits & Pieces

  • Reminder: cell phone policy returns full force but starts over on our shared tracking sheet.
  • Reminder: only one student per class out of the room at a time, and hopefully once per class.
  • Further tweaks to student timetables will take place this week; please remain flexible.
  • Reminder to all staff: please remember to pay for any goods and services you have received. That includes fundraising items you have taken home, for canteen lunches, for IA projects and services, for Fashion projects and services, and for Cosmo products.
  • Term ends April 1st.
  • Next bi-weekly collaborative team meeting on February 8th after school in team locations.
  • All staff invited to a voluntary Discussion with the Board at 3:30 on February 10th (virtual) to discuss items brought up in the online survey. Invitation to be sent by email.
  • Family Day on February 15th.

Events This Week

  • Monday, February 1st: Students return this week to begin Semester Two.
  • Monday, February 1st: Hall passes are light purple this week.
  • Monday, February 1st: Assembly on Staff Google Meet at 9:00 AM.
  • Monday, February 1st: Hot lunch is Chicken Caesar Salad.
  • Tuesday, February 2nd: Hot Lunch is Stew and Biscuits.
  • Wednesday, February 3rd: Morning teachers’ meeting at 9:00 AM for discussing new Ministerial Order and a few final reporting tweaks.
  • Wednesday, February 3rd: Indigenous training online at 10:00 AM.
  • Wednesday, February 3rd: Winter Wellness Walk at 11:30 AM (snowshoes on track out back).
  • Wednesday, February 3rd: HPSD division-wide collaboration starts at 1:00 PM.
  • Wednesday, February 3rd: CTS / CTR / ADLC Planning Meeting with HPSD (EV & TR).
  • Thursday, February 4th: Teachers’ Convention (from home if internet sufficient).
  • Friday, February 5th: Teachers’ Convention (from home if internet sufficient).

Great Things Seen & Heard

  • We have a new Math-Sciences teacher joining us for Semester Two. Welcome, KE!
  • Received compliments from parents for our SS teacher that finds creative ways to engage his students beyond wearing a tin hat. Way to go, BB!
  • We could be offering some kind of coding classes through CTS next semester. That’s exciting!
  • Learned a new expression: lower than a rock (such as student grades).
  • Heard: we have spousal support to prevent overspending in the food lab. Thanks for doing all that shopping, JN!
  • Overheard suggestion: get on the bus or you’ll be under it!

Clips & Tips

Since introspection is a good professional practice for every teacher, the questions raised by the author could be extremely helpful while the options presented could be useful. In addition, this article will serve to kick off our discussion on Friday. We need to adopt a common practice for whether or not to accept Term One assignments after the Term One report card, especially since we need to focus on measuring learning. Find the article here:  

Bits & Pieces

  • Reminder to all staff: please remember to pay for any goods and services you have received. That includes fundraising items you have taken home, for canteen lunches, for IA projects and services, for Fashion projects and services, and for Cosmo products.
  • We expect to distribute the timetable for Semester Two by the end of the day on Monday as student registration must surely be stable by now.
  • Please refer to supervision schedule for exams for those few exceptions when teachers have more than one exam at the same time, or when a student has a separate location.
  • Common PD Day, January 29th (EA’s have CRM training, cooks have PLC, teachers have indigenous training).
  • Second semester begins on February 1st.
  • Reminder for hall passes: only one student per class at a time, with specified colour TBA.
  • Common PD Day, February 3rd (local PD in morning including indigenous training at 10:00 AM, and division-wide collaboration in afternoon).
  • Teachers Convention on February 4th and 5th. Feel free to join online sessions from home or from school, depending on your internet service.
  • Next bi-weekly collaborative team meeting on February 8th after school in team locations.
  • All staff invited to a voluntary Discussion with the Board at 3:30 on February 10th (virtual) to discuss items brought up in the online survey. Invitation to be sent by email.
  • Family Day on February 15th.

Events This Week

  • Monday, January 25th: Bi-weekly meeting after school in our staff Google classroom (convention news, PD, discussions on Friday, cleaning, 2nd semester).
  • Monday, January 25th: Hot lunch is not hot (sandwiches).
  • Tuesday, January 26th: Hot Lunch is not hot (sandwiches).
  • Tuesday, January 26th: Chemistry Diploma exam in Library.
  • Tuesday, January 26th: Marks for all Diploma courses must be in the office today.
  • Tuesday, January 26th: U of C virtual career fair (EV).
  • Wednesday, January 27th: All remaining marks must be in the office by 8:30 AM.
  • Wednesday, January 27th: Highlight any marks that are 25% or less.
  • Wednesday, January 27th: Hot lunch is not hot (sandwiches).
  • Thursday, January 28th: Make sure your final exams (with answer key) has been given to TP for filing.
  • Thursday, January 28th: Hot lunch is not hot (sandwiches).
  • Friday, January 29th: PD Day: EA’s have CRM training division-wide
  • Friday, January 29th: PD Day: Cooks have PLC
  • Friday, January 29th: PD Day, 9:30 AM: Teachers meet in an online gathering room at 9:30 (link to follow by email) to discuss a few routines and principles that will keep us on the same page while we get the semester off to a good start. Please read (or listen to) the article listed in “Clips & Tips” before Friday.
  • Friday, January 29th: PD Day, 10:00 AM: Teachers have indigenous training (location to confirm)
  • Friday, January 29th: PD Day, PM: Teachers have collaborative planning with their teams.
  • Friday, January 29th: Report Cards emailed to parents at end of day (3:30 PM).