Upcoming

  • Report Cards, viewable from January 27 – May 30, 2025
  • Feb 7 - PM kindergarten students attend

Helpful links

Thank You

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who help in the school.  This past week, we have had volunteers who helped with Healthy Hunger, purchased Healthy Hunger lunches, read with students and helped with classroom events, etc.  We would not be able to offer students the variety of activities we do without your help – thank you!

Partners in Learning: Respectful, Ongoing & Effective Communication

As we begin a new semester, we want to ensure that parents and guardians always feel welcome to reach out and communicate with the school. As partners in support of your child(ren) and their education, we welcome respectful dialogue about your child’s academic achievement, social-emotional well-being, and any inquiries you may have regarding process and policy at VAS and within the CBE.

Communication about your child begins in the classroom by reaching out to the classroom teacher. Mme Brooke and Mme Courtney are always available to provide support as required. Formal communication occurs 4 times per year: report cards in January and June, parent conferences in November and March. However, parents and guardians are always welcome to email, call or meet with teachers and administration to collaborate, inquire and connect.

In all communication between school and families, all individuals should be treated with dignity and respect in every form of communication, whether in person, over the phone, or via email. We have a common goal to ensure your child is successful. Thank you for your thoughtful communication and for contributing to a welcoming, caring, safe, and respectful working and learning environment for all.

School Development Planning- Annual Survey

Parents/guardians, 

Please review the attached School Development Plan presentation and School Budget and Fees information. This was presented at our January 21, 2025 School Council meeting. Once you have reviewed the information, please complete the below survey (13 min) with your feedback on the SDP and Budget/Fees for future planning.  We appreciate your feedback, as this helps us with our future planning.

A PDF of the presentation is available here: SDP Parent Council Presentation Jan 21, 2025

*Please note- this survey can be translated into several languages when you click on the "globe symbol" before you start the survey.

Music Note

Hello Families and Guardians!

I often have parents asking about music lessons for their children. I always recommend piano as one of the best first instruments for children to learn, as it teaches so many transferable skills.

For those of you who have asked me for recommendations for piano teachers, or anyone who might be looking, the ARMTA is a group of registered, certified piano teachers.

The website is:  https://armta.ca/find-a-teacher/#!directory/map/ord=lnm

Have a musical day!

Mme Forbes

Physical Education

Thank you for your support during our gymnastics unit! The students did an amazing job working safely while challenging themselves to grow their skills—way to go, everyone!

Next, we’re sliding into one of Canada’s favorite sports: curling!  This unit will give students a chance to explore the sport just in time to appreciate its strategy and excitement before the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (Women's National Championship from February 14–23) and the Montana's Brier (Men's National Championship from February 28–March 9).

Using our school’s Rocks & Rings equipment, students will learn to count points, adjust their speed and accuracy, and practice using different types of brooms while understanding their roles. It’s going to be a blast throwing some rocks at houses (don’t worry—it’s curling lingo!).

Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to see the students sweep into this next unit!

Warm regards,

David Pakosh (he/him), dapakosh@cbe.ab.ca

Grade 4 Clay for Kids

Clay for Kids will be visiting

  • Mme Lypka (Rm 14) and Mme Amanda’s (Room 13) classes on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
  • Mme Finlay’s class (Room 15) will have this program on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.

Lost and Found

We have a lot of single gloves, mittens, snow pants and sweaters in our lost and found.  You are welcome to come to the school to look for missing items.  Please remember to label all of your children’s belongings so we can return items to their owners.

Report Cards

  • Report Cards came out on Monday, January 27, 2025
  • You can view, download, or print online report cards from Monday, Jan. 27 until May 30, 2025, through your parent MyCBE account
  • How is My Child Doing in School

Timbernook Residency this February!

  • Please see both letters for information and stay tuned to your child's Google Classroom for specifics.

Outdoor Play Residency February 2025

What is Nature Play? Nature Play is all about enhancing and promoting healthy child development. We use the inherently therapeutic qualities of nature to support children in both our therapy stream (outdoor occupational therapy, social skills, and physiotherapy groups) and our general enrichment stream (TimberNook). We also offer school residencies, where we provide play experiences for the children, professional learning for the teachers, and guidance for how to use the power of nature play to support learning and wellness for the entire school population. School Residency- what to expect During our winter residency, classes will get the opportunity to engage in outdoor play experiences at the school. The sessions are designed to encourage creativity, problem solving, resilience, and teamwork, as well as developmentally appropriate gross motor, ne motor, and social skills. Teachers will have lots of opportunities to learn as well, and our hope is that the ideas and learning experiences can continue to resonate in the school, long after the residency wraps up! What to pack We are an all-weather program (with the exception of extreme cold (below -15C with windchill). Your child’s teacher will be in touch about their scheduled days with Nature Play.

On these days, please send your child with the following to ensure they can have a safe and enjoyable experience with Nature Play!

  • Warm, well-tting winter boots (no fashion boots please!)
  • Non-cotton socks if possible (Hot Chilly’s from Costco are a great and affordable option!)
  • Snowpants
  • Warm winter jacket
  • Mitts (NOT gloves!)
  • Buff or balaclava
  • Toque If you need assistance in gathering any of those items, please talk to your classroom teacher or get in touch with me directly and we can help to source some winter gear for you!

We can’t wait to get outside and play with your kids this winter! Sincerely, Devon Karchut, Physiotherapist and owner of Nature Play Ltd www.natureplaykids.ca devonkarchut@natureplaykids.ca

Dear parents and guardians,  

We are pleased to share that we are welcoming Timbernook, a loose parts nature play residency, to Varsity Acres School in February. Timbernook facilitators will be here on February 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 2025.  Your child’s teacher will communicate with you via Google Classroom about the day that your child’s class will attend their session. Each class will attend once. If it is too cold on the day your child’s class is participating, the Timbernook team will return on a different day to make up the day for those classes. Timbernook’s threshold for cold weather is minus 15 degree Celsius because students will be outdoors for 50‐60 minutes and we want to ensure students enjoy themselves while outdoors. Please see the Timbernook letter directly from Devon Karchut, Timbernook physiotherapist and owner of Nature Play Ltd for more details. In her letter, she outlines what students need for their day, and the list is here as well:

  • Warm, well‐fitting winter boots (no fashion boots please!)  
  • Non‐cotton socks if possible (Hot Chilly’s from Costco are a great and affordable option!)  
  • Snowpants  
  • Warm winter jacket  
  • Mitts (NOT gloves!)  
  • Buff or balaclava  
  • Toque The cost per student is $5.60.

This is a non‐refundable fee. This fee will be applied to your MyCBE account. If your child is absent on the day of their session, every effort will be made to have your child participate with another class on a different day.   We look forward to some meaningful outdoor learning through nature play! If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher or Mme Brooke. Sincerely,   Brooke Reilly Principal, Varsity Acres School

Outdoor Learning Committee

Please take a moment to share your ideas with the OLC to inform our next steps. This survey can be answered by your child or as a family. Thank you!