Principal’s Message The staff and students have been looking forward to a much deserved and well earned break. The Peace Festival was a wonderful way to bring closure to 2011. The theme this year was “All you need is love”; we certainly saw that theme played out in the days leading up to our winter break. On behalf of the whole staff I want to thank those who were able to support any of the three charities the teachers identified as recipients of your generosity in lieu of gifts for teachers. Ours is a tremendously self less school community and this holiday season has certainly seen evidence of your generosity. When we return on January 9 our staff will look a little different. We are saying farewell to Mr. Stephenson and Ms. Vercleyen. I wish them both well on their respective adventures: Mr. Stephenson and his family moving to Vancouver and Ms. Vercleyen anticipating the birth of her baby. Ms. Couillard has stepped into the position that Mr. Stephenson held and is doing a fantastic job. We will also be welcoming Ms. Jessica Kelly as our drama and dance teacher. Ms. Kelly will be a wonderful addition to our staff and we are all looking forward to working with her. Lastly, I want to let everyone know of our upcoming school evaluation. The evaluation is a significant step in charter renewal and we are looking forward to the feedback we receive as a result of
the process. Parents will be given the opportunity to participate through an on-line sur vey as well as focus groups of randomly chosen parents. I encourage you all to prov ide feedback v ia the sur vey when it is made available in late Januar y, and I thank you in advance for your participation. More information
It’s never just an ordinary day!
about the evaluation can be found later in this Spectrum. I wish you all a very happy, restful and rejuvenating holiday season.
Darrell Lonsberry
www.calgaryscienceschool.com
In This Issue: January 2011 3...Highlights from the Board 5...School Council News School Counsellor’s Office
7...How to Listen Actively to your Children 8...Lanterns for Japan Charity 9...This Month’s Physical Activity 10...CSS Peace Festival Up Coming Events
13...January 2012 14...February 2012
A Re min d er fr o m The Sch o o l Office
Attention A d m i s si o n s
Calgary Sc ience Scho ol Parents
fo r G r ad e 4 , 2 01 2
I f yo u r c h i ld h a s a si b l i n g en te r i n g G r h av e n o t re c ad e 4 i n A u g ei ve d a n i n v u st 2 0 1 2 , a n it at io n to si p le a se c a l l K d yo u g n t h em u p fo r at h y i n t h e o a n Ent ra nce f f ic e: 4 0 3 -2 8 2 -2 8 9 Te st , 0 o r em a i l: k at h y. b @ c a l ga ad d t h ei r n a r y sc ie n c e sc h m e to t h e w a o o l .c o m A S A it l i st . P to
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Highlights from the Board of Directors
Members of the Board of Directors
Administrative Team Dr. Garry McKinnon (Superintendent); Myra Penberthy (Secretary Treasurer); Mr. Darrell Lonsberry (Principal), Mr. Phil Butterfield (Assistant Principal); Mr. Scott Petronech (Assistant Principal).
Harold Lemieux (Chair); Lori Wilhelm Einsporn (Vice Chair); Allison Earl (Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee); Wendy Baillie (Parent Council Rep.), Torben Bech-Hansen,
1. Forging Connections 2011
their outstanding leadership as parent volunteer co-chairs of the event.
2. Farewell to Mr. Stephenson
Calgary Science School parents Ms. Jackie Stewart and Ms. Wendy Baillie attended the board meeting to provide a report on the very successful Forging Connections event highlighting the art of science and the science of art. They shared a video clip (which is available on the school website) highlighting the active involvement of students, teachers, parent volunteers and guest experts in the highly engaging learning experiences. Appreciation was expressed on behalf of the board for
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Mr. Neil Stephenson attended the meeting to share some highlights of his work in the position of Professional Development and Collaboration Coordinator over the past 2 1/2 years. The special position, which was created by the board, was designed to promote collaboration among staff members within the school and to connect with educators beyond the school. Mr. Stephenson made reference to accomplishments related to establishing the Calgary Science School as a hub for research and innovation. Members of the school leadership team and board members, in ref lecting on his outstanding work as a teacher and leader over the past 8 1/2 years, expressed appreciation for his legacy to the school and extended best wishes to him for his new role as area
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Lorraine Chan, Stephanie Davis, Tim Edwards, Teri Henderson, Lindsay Hogan, Dale Ronsky, Debra Scott, Dr. Norm Vaughan.
principal in Delta BC.
3. Our children, Our Future: Getting it Right
Minister’s Forum- A report was presented to the board regarding the December 1 Minister’s Forum, hosted by the Hon. Thomas Lukaszuk. The Minister’s forum was designed to invite feedback through a consultative process before finalizing the Education Act and having it adopted at the Spring session of the legislature. There was very good representation
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of the Calgary Science School at the forum including Mr. Harold Lemieux who attended as board chair, Dr. Garry McKinnon as superintendent, Ms. Denise Kitagawa as Chair of the School Council, two teacher representatives– Mr. Jon Hoyt Hallet and Ms. Carolyn Armstrong– as well as four grade 9 students. The opportunity to hear the student voice was a definite highlight of the forum. There were a number of points raised through the dialogue which supported the work of the Calgary Science School as a charter school. Alberta Education will be preparing a summary of the key points from the series of six consultation sessions.
4. School Evaluation Information was presented to the board in regard to the school evaluation which will take place during the week of February 27 to March 2. The chair of the evaluation team, Mr. Bill Hoppins, will attend the meeting of the Board of Directors on February 21 to observe the meeting and conduct an interview of the board members.
5. Calgary Science School Research Initiative Plans to conduct a research study in the Calgary Science School which would focus on best practices and strategies for building on the work that has been done in promoting exemplary teaching, student learning and school leadership were presented and discussed. Calgary Science School in keeping with its mandate as a charter school, places a high priority on conducting research and sharing best practices.
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6. Peace Festival The board was informed of plans for the annual CSS Peace Festival which will begin with a number of presentations and activities on December 21 and will end with the special Peace Festival Assembly on December 23 at 1 PM. The theme this year is “All You Need is Love”. Students will be participating in a number of activities and events that encourage them to develop a greater love for themselves, for each other and for the spaces they are fortunate enough to have.
7. Fund Development The Board of Directors will have a special meeting on January 10 to receive a consultant’s report dealing with fund development processes and action strategies.
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On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish all Staff, Administration, Students and Parents a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the Holidays!
Lori Wilhelm Vice Chair
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School Council News At least twice during the December School Council meeting, I leaned back in my chair and took a moment to appreciate the open and wide-ranging dialogue taking place. Over the course of the evening, topics ranged from how best to purchase and manage a large set of cross-country ski equipment, to student drug use, to snowball fights, to the ethics of casino fundraisers. At some point, pretty much every parent in the room joined the conversation; Darrell, Scott and Shannon asked their own questions, responded to comments and joined the always-respectful exchange. So in keeping with the spirit of this season of ref lection, I’d like to thank all of the parents who regularly or occasionally come out to School Council meetings. Your energetic participation ensures that it’s “never just an ordinary meeting”! School Council hosted a pre-meeting wine and cheese beginning at 6:30. As attendees arrived and enjoyed the refreshments, they swapped stories of wind storm damage, compared holiday plans and shared their hopes for the
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ski season just getting underway. The regular monthly meeting was called to order at 7:05 and we covered a lot of ground over the next 90 minutes: Darrell started the formal portion of the meeting by outlining three student-led fundraising initiatives related to the holiday season and the theme for the 2011 Peace Festival. Congratulations to the CSS student body for continuing to show such strong leadership in terms of citizenship – both locally and across the globe! On a similar note, the Fundraising Committee reported that approximately $18,000 has been raised so far this school year, from SUTP ticket sales and the first Balzac Meats sale.
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Combined with the unspent funds raised in past years, approximately $32,000 has been accumulated. Based on input from CSS staff and administration, the Fundraising Committee recommended funding the following: up to $3,000 for Outdoor Education (repair and replacement of tents and teepees, etc.); $1,000 for additional band vests (required by year-over-year growth in the grade 7 to 9 band program); up to $5,000 for radio microphones and transmitters (for Fine A rts performances, assemblies, etc.); and up to $20,000 for cross-country ski equipment. The ensuing discussion covered things like cross-country skiing skills development, equipment usage (grade 6 winter camp, DPA on the school grounds and in North Glenmore park), how best to manage the widerange of required sizing, equipment storage and how to get the best possible pricing. Following these discussions, attendees unanimously approved the expenditures recommended by the Fundraising Committee. A lthough it may take several months to source and purchase the cross-country ski equipment, we’re very excited to be able to
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support this outdoor activity at CSS and would like to thank everyone for supporting the fundraising activities that made this possible. Have you heard that the Calgary Science School will be evaluated in February / March? The 2012 evaluation is one aspect of the five-year charter renewal cycle and will be completed by 3 people who will report back to A lberta Education. A ll CSS parents will have the opportunity to provide feedback via a survey and the evaluation process includes interviews with randomly selected parents. If you are not one of those randomly selected parents but would like to meet with the evaluators, please email school council at schoolcouncil@calgaryscienceschool.com or contact Darrell or any other member of the CSS leadership team. The evaluation provides recommendations,
commendations and needed changes and will become part of the Charter Renewal process for CSS. In addition to School Council’s commitment to improve communication through maintaining more up-to-date content on the CSS website and posting information on the Parents’ Corner bulletin board outside the main office, we have created a Twitter account. Over the balance of the school year, we’ll tweet reminders of meetings, special events at CSS, and links to interesting websites, articles and resources. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow us at “CSSCouncil”. We look forward to collecting feedback on how this is working through the annual parent survey in the spring of 2012.
followed the School Council meeting. In the 2012, planning will get underway for our first casino fundraiser, which we currently expect will be held in the first half of 2013. The next School Council meeting will be Wednesday, February 1. Meeting details will be distributed in January. As always, if there is a topic you’d like to see discussed, please send an email to schoolcouncil@calgaryscienceschool.com. A nd finally, on behalf of School Council, enjoy a restful winter break and Happy New Year!
Denise Kitagawa, School Council President
A brief meeting of the CSS Parent Fundraising Society immediately
Transportation Analyst Financial Outlook for CSS Transportation
CSS Transportation is on solid ground for the first time in a few years. We have 430 registered riders, the highest number ever and more than budgeted for. As well, the province has reintroduced the Fuel Price Contingency Funding, a program that protects CSS from rising diesel fuel costs. The return of this program is most welcome as the average cost of diesel has already exceeded the budgeted amount of $1.00 per litre. Fuel costs for 2012
are as unpredictable as ever. At this time CSS’s yearly fuel cost and yearly fuel subsidy cannot be calculated. It is likely that CSS Transportation will finish this school year with an operating surplus. As always, any surplus would be retained for the future use of the CSS Transportation system.
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Looking ahead to the 2012-2013 school year, it is possible that the transportation fee could be reduced from its current level of $830 per student. Any
reduction is dependant on the continuation of the fuel subsidy program. As with any government funding there is no certainty that the program will be maintained under its current parameters. Setting the fee will take into account this uncertainty as well as the need to run CSS transportation on a sustainable basis.
Margaret Mills CSS Transportation Analyst
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How to Listen Actively to your Children Kids need to feel heard. Sometimes it may be difficult to hear what they have to say. Other times it may be hard to get them to talk about their thoughts at all. They may think you won’t understand. They may be afraid to share their feelings because they think someone may make fun of them.
If you practise being open and honest with your children and make it easy for them to talk to you, you will build a stronger relationship with them. This process works in two ways: hearing what your children are saying and talking about your own thoughts and feelings with them.
Four ways to improve communication with your kids: • Ask open-ended questions, such as “Tell me about your day” or “W hat did you do today?” These allow your children to tell you about what’s happening in their lives. These questions also require more than a one-word answer.
• Affirm your children’s feelings. This makes children feel supported and will make it easier for them to talk to you in the future. An example of this would be: “I understand that it must have been hard for you to come to me about this. I really appreciate your openness.” • Summarize what you’ve heard. This reinforces what your children have said and shows that you have been listening to them. A lso, keep in mind that there are non-verbal ways of communicating that can also help with open communication. Making eye contact and nodding your head while they are talking are effective ways of helping your children feel heard.
Some tips for listening and understanding: • It is important to listen to both the spoken word and the unspoken feelings. For example, if your child says “I hate my friends and never want to see them again,” the unspoken feelings might be hurt, loneliness or rejection. These feelings may be what your child is really trying to communicate. Encourage them to talk about their feelings by leading with statements like “you must be feeling sad” or “how did you feel when he said that?” • Avoid judgment. If your child knows they can talk to you about their feelings without you saying “Oh – that’s silly” or getting angry, they’ll be more likely to open up and let you into their world. • Use phrases like “tell me more” and show them you really want to know about what is important to them. Actively listening to your kids can take a lot of practice. The rewards of open communication include identifying problems while they are small and getting to know your child as a person. For more information and to find an addiction services office near you, please call the 24-hour Helpline at 1-866-332-2322. Permission to reproduce granted by Alberta Health Services. This is an abbreviated version of an article in the Parent Information Series.
• Listen ref lectively. You can do this by simply repeating what your children have said or by saying it back to them in your own words. This will make sure that you truly understand what your children are trying to tell you.
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Double your holiday giving with this unique gift Help us reach our goal of $12,000. Following the devastating earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, Calgary Science School teacher, Mike Neufeld, began a unique fundraising initiative. Using his interest in woodworking, Mike designed a small decorative lantern that would be suitable for mass production. On the weekend of June 4th-5th over twenty volunteers were assembled to help create pieces for the lanterns. By the end of June, 250 lanterns were made.
Purchase a handcrafted lantern for $60 Made from cedar, decorative rice paper aluminum and acrylic. All Proceeds go to the Red Cross for Tsunami relief. If interested, please contact Mr. Neufeld mike.n@calgaryscienceschool.com To learn more about this initiative, visit our website: https://sites.google.com/site/lanternsforjapan/ The Spectr u m
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This Month’s
Physical Activity
All information on PE is now posted on the following website: https://sites.google.com/site/cssathletics/ Check it out!
Fitness days are in the gym ever y second week on days 3 and 4. Dodgeball intramurals are now complete! Special thanks to our intramural leaders for being amazing at refereeing the intramurals!
P ic t u red here i s ou r Fit ne s s c i rc u it , a nd t he g rade 8 .4 a nd 9.4 doi ng K a rate w it h ou r Spec i a l Gue s t M i ke Urqu h a r t (t h a n k s M i ke! It w a s awe some!)
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Floor hockey was a blast in grade 4, 6 and 8 this term! Way to go
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January 2011 1
3
2
4
5
6
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13– Day 4
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SCHOOL CLOSED
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10– Day 1
9– Day 6
11– Day 2
12– Day 3
Classes Resume
WINTER CAMP 6.1 15
16– Day 5
17– Day 6
18– Day 1
19– Day 2
vaccinations(all)
Grade 9 girls PD Day– vaccinations No Classes 9:00am – 1200pm
Sibling Entrance Testing 10:00am – 12:00pm
WINTER CAMP 6.2 WINTER CAMP 6.3 22
23– Day 3
24– Day 4 Band Committee Meeting 8:30am – 9:30am
25– Day 5
26– Day 6
27– Day 1
28
6:30pm – 8:30pm Kids & Drugs Parent Session 1(for those who pre–registered)
WINTER CAMP 6.4
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February 2011 29
30– Day 2
31– Day 3
New Parent Information Sessions– 7:00pm – 8:00pm
New Parent Information Sessions– 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Feb. 1– Day 4
2– Day 5
3
4
PD Day– No Classes
Non – Sibling Entrance Testing 10:00am – 12:00pm
10– Day 4
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WINTER CAMP 6.4 5
6– Day 6
7– Day 1
8– Day 2
9– Day 3
Non – Sibling Entrance Testing 10:00am – 12:00pm
CSS School– Wide Science Fair 8:00am – 3:30pm
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13– Day 5
14– Day 6
15– Day 1
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vaccinations(all)
STAFF RETREAT– NO CLASSES
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Family Day– School Closed
PD Day– No Classes
27 – Day 5
28– Day 6
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22– Day 2
23– Day 3
24– Day 4
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2– Day 3
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6:30pm – 8:30pm Kids & Drugs Session 2 (for those who pre–registered)
29– Day 1
March 1– Day 2
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