Looking back to December, we are thankful for the memorable events that brought joy and belonging to all of us at MTS. Everyone is excited to be back at school as we welcome the New Year. Students shared many stories of holiday happenings and happiness on their return to school.
Cold Weather Reminders
The New Year has arrived with the expected colder weather of the season. Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather with warm coats, hats, mitts and boots. It is important to have all items labelled with your child's name. Dressing in layers and packing warm winter gear is a good practice for us all. As a general rule, students will be outdoors for recess if the weather is above –20 degrees with the wind chill. Out first week back brought with it the need for “blue days" when we needed to stay indoors because of the extreme weather conditions.
We also know that snow, cold temperatures and wind chill make getting to and from school challenging. Families are reminded to prepare and take extra caution during the winter months and periods of extreme weather. It is important that families plan for longer travel times to and from school each day. This supports safe travel for both vehicles and pedestrians. Families are reminded to respect all traffic safety rules and expectations for parking at the school during the winter months.
Staffing Update- Learning Disruption Support
CBE received funds from the provincial government to provide additional support for students identified as at risk in their learning based on Alberta Education Literacy assessment data gathered in the fall of 2023 (students currently in grades1, 2, 3 and 4). These funds will be utilized for learning intervention commencing Jan. 16, 2024 and continuing until the end of this school year.
McKenzie Towne School received a part time teacher allocation to support this learning intervention. We are pleased to announce that we were able to hire Breanna Massey, who supported the intervention work last year at our school. Ms. Massey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (Honours), from Mount Royal University and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Lethbridge. She has experience teaching K- grade 12, and is also fluent in French. Obviously, literacy and language are a passion and area of expertise for Ms. Massey. We are thrilled to have her involved in the literacy intervention support again this year.
Parents of students in grades 1-3 will be informed if their child will be receiving this intervention. Ms. Massey will be providing the support in an 8 week cycle per grade- beginning with grade 3. Our grade 4 students have already received this additional support from our Resource teacher, Ms. Blake, in the fall term.
Report Cards
Report Cards will be available online through your MyCBE account on January 30. Report cards are for Grades K-4 and EES. As a note, Kindergarten teachers will report progress to parents/legal guardians via January and June report cards. In January, progress in ELAL and Math will be communicated via the report card. In June, progress in all discipline areas will be communicated to parents/legal guardians via the report card. Please follow up with your child's teacher should you have questions.
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 school year began on Jan. 15, 2024. Please go to the CBE registration link https://cbe.ab.ca/registration to register for kindergarten. Registrations are completed online.
Kindergarten at MTS is a half-day program. At the time of registration, you will be asked to indicate a preference for a morning or afternoon class. Your preference will be considered when we assign students to a class in our spring organization and staffing process. Every attempt will be made to honor parent requests while recognizing the organizational needs of the school. All registrations received by March 1, 2024 will be considered equally – registrations are not numbered or ordered in terms of registration date. If a lottery is needed for determining AM or PM, students who already have siblings at our school will have first choice. Any families registering after March 1, 2024 will be placed in the program with lower numbers.
Student Attendance
Finally, I would like to stress once again the importance of your child's regular attendance at school and arrival on time. Please continue to call the school if your child will be absent and provide reason for the absence, examples- illness, appointment, travel out of country. This information is documented at the school for each student in terms of attendance and late arrival.
With the return to school in the New Year our hope is that everyone will remain healthy and care for each other as we continue the learning journey in our positive and inspiring school.
Dr. Lorraine Slater, Principal