October 3-7 We always expect the best but prepare for the unexpected when doing something for the first time – and this is especially true in a new school. We are happy to report – that even with several Guest Teachers and fences where we wish there weren’t fences – our first evacuation (fire drill) went very well. Evacuating close to 600 students – almost ½ of which are 6 years old or younger may sound easy and perhaps it is with the right preparation. In just a couple of minutes we were all on the field and every student and adult was accounted for. We’ll be practicing our evacuation 5 more times throughout the year for an event we never hope to have to actually do – but we prepare for just in case. We also prepared in classrooms, the gym and as a school for our first Terry Fox Run. We were thrilled with the turnout of parents and family members and look forward to sharing with you the total distance we ran and the amount collected for the Terry Fox Foundation. It was a great first school wide event. We are looking forward to the next one. If you were fortunate enough to be in the gym for the kick off you know our school has lots of energy and enthusiasm all ready. Our next big event involves you. On October 6 and 7 we look forward to meeting you at our first set of Parent Conferences. This conference provides an opportunity for teachers to share their current knowledge about your child and the instructional plans going forward. 15 minutes is not a lot of time but it is quality time and we feel it is an important opportunity for some 1 on 1 time, face to face with teachers, focused solely on your child. Please book an appointment if you haven’t done so already. Have you heard about Tommi? Some of you have and some – maybe not yet. In partnership with ACAD, Education Matters and the CBE, New Brighton School has welcomed Tommi Watts as our resident Studio Artist. We provide studio space for Tommi to do her work as an artist and Tommi provides students an opportunity to see a professional artist in action. Over the course of the year our work with Tommi will continue to grow. Save the Date and watch for the invitation but our first School Council Meeting is on Wednesday October 12 @6:00PM. All parents are invited and we look forward to sharing our first School Report with you. We’ll share our report on the school website afterwards so all parents have access to the information shared. Finally – the fences are gone and our fields and compound just became a whole lot more fun. We look forward to students being able to enjoy more places to play and easier, greater access coming to and going from school. And the grass and the grounds look great. Have a great week, Jeff What are we reading right now: There are lots of things students need to learn about in school and the volume can sometimes seems daunting. As a staff we have been talking about the purposefulness and "staying power" of the most important parts of schooling - from some basic skills, to helping solve some serious and significant local and global problems to being a contributing member of a group and valuing the contribution of each group member. It is incomplete - but the Continuity of Purpose below provides some context for the staying power of what we expect students to learn while at school.
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Jeff HuttonNew Brighton School Principal, CBE graduate, native Calgarian, husband and father of two CBE students. Archives
June 2018
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