Sound Kreations Dance Residency & Showcase

Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 have had the opportunity this past week to engage with a dance residency from Sound Kreations and will continue until next Friday. Students have worked with dance instructor Moi, who has been sharing music and dance from across the world such as Hip Hop, Latin and Afrobeats.

This upcoming Friday, February 9 students will have an opportunity to demonstrate what they learned. This will be an informal showcase highlighting the process of some of their dance sessions over the two week period. Guests are welcome to attend the showcase which will begin at approximately 10:30 am and last between 45 min and one hour.

Slippery Areas

Thank you to all of the families who have expressed concerns about the gated entrance and walk way as well as the compound being slippery. Please know that safety is a top priority at University School. We began the process of exploring what options are available last year and put in another work request this past fall to explore options and try and put a plan in place to improve this area.

Mr. Liu, the Facility Operator at University School, does his best to clear the snow as soon as possible and has been applying gravel and sand on the compound and also the pathway from the gated entrance. He does this before school and also before each recess break as with the foot traffic and warmer temperatures the gravel and sand melt through the top layer making the surfaces slippery again. 

If you have other concerns or suggestions related to this or other areas at University School, please let us know.

Humane Society

Dear University Families,

The Grade 4  students had a wonderful presentation from the Calgary Humane Society two weeks ago. As a result, Room 18 is looking to gather donations for the Calgary Humane Society to support their work. You can bring donations to school from February 1-14 and there are boxes set up in the lobby.

This is what they need:

Cat wands, puzzle toys, cat spring toys, large kongs/ x-large, busy buddy chuckles, busy buddy barnacles, premier biscuit blocks, Holl-ee roller balls, liver treats, cottontail cottages, rope perches, bird toys, crates (36-48 inch) Compostable waste bags, dust free clay based clumping cat litter, telescopic metal back scratchers, treat pouches, flat sheets, fleece and blankets, towels. 

You can check the full list out at the humane society website along with a list of what they don’t want. You also have the ability to donate money online if you would like.  https://www.calgaryhumane.ca/donate/donate-money/

Thank you for your support.

By, E, J, H, and K on behalf of the class

Coding in Grade 1 & 2

Some Grade 1 and 2 students have been exploring coding, which is part of the new Science Curriculum, through the app Scratch Junior. The nice thing about this program is that it is free and you can get it at home. Students have been learning how to move their characters through the drag and drop programming language which makes it much more accessible to many students as they connect puzzle pieces together. 

“Scratch junior is a game that you can move characters by putting the directions. The directions look like puzzle pieces. My character is a black car, it is all black. We use an  iPad to play /or “code”. I like it because they move. And they could talk, they say things like “hi” and you could say what you wanted the characters to say.  We could change the background, my background is the forest.” - E - Grade 2

Fun Snack - Out of Chaos Cookies

The next fun snack is on Monday, February 12 and will be Out of Chaos Cookies. Students can order cookies in various shapes such as a dinosaur, unicorn, Valentine’s Bear, and there is even a gluten free option.

The last day to order your Out of Chaos fun snack is this Wednesday, February 7. Please go to Healthy Hunger to place your order and also see what is available for the rest of the year.

Please note the  change of of day from Thursday to Monday for the distribution of the snack. 

Afternoon Kindergarten students will receive their cookies in the afternoon.

Alleyway Issues

There have been a number of community members who have expressed concerns around safety in the alley ways during school drop-off and pick-up times. This includes vehicles parking for extended periods of time (upwards of 20 minutes) creating congestion and some vehicles are also travelling at inappropriate speeds making it dangerous for students walking through the alleyways or exiting cars. 

Valentine’s Day

The themes of friendship, kindness, generosity and belonging are valued and considered everyday at University School. We will be using the month of February to reflect and focus on these themes as they also relate to Pink Shirt Day which takes place later in the month.

We recognize that there are many important and fun traditions associated with Valentine’s Day. As a result, many classes will be engaging in safe and fun activities that focus on friendship, kindness, generosity, and belonging during this time. It is optional to send in Valentine cards for classmates. If your child is bringing Valentine cards to school, ensure they have one for every child in the class. We are unable to provide student lists so it may be easiest to add who the card is from and not put names on who they are for. As a reminder, we have students in many classes with food related restrictions, sensitivities, allergies and therefore ask you to refrain from sending treats.

This Week

Monday, February 5

• Sound Kreations Dance  Residency Continues

Tuesday, February 6

• Junior Choir (Rooms 1, 5, and 17)
• Grade 5 & 6 Student Council

Wednesday, February 7

• Last Day to Order Fun Snack - Out of Chaos Cookies
• World Read Aloud Day

Thursday, February 8

• Junior Choir (Rooms 2, 3, 4, and 22)

Friday, February 9

• Sound Kreations Dance Showcase - 10:30 am

Month Ahead

Feb 12 - Fun Snack - Out of Chaos Cookies

Feb 15-16 - No School - Teacher and Staff Association Convention

Feb 19 - No School - Family Day

Feb 20 - U of C Practicum Students Return

Feb 26 - Photography Residency Continues

Dates of Significance

Feb - Black History Month

Feb 10 - Lunar New Year - Year of the Dragon

Feb 15 - National Flag of Canada Day

Feb 20 - Family Day

Feb 21 - International Mother Language Day

Feb 28 - Pink Shirt Day