Family Literacy Week

From Jan 20 to Jan 27 is CBE’s family literacy week with Canada’s Family Literacy Day taking place on January 27. The purpose of family literacy day is to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. This year’s theme is “Let’s Have a Party!” which is about having fun together as a family learning.

The CBE Literacy & Early Learning Team has created a week's worth of information and activities to support literacy development at home and at school.  Please take a look at the two links below for ideas & resources to support key areas of literacy development that can be used at home!

Family Literacy Week  Ideas and Resources - Visual Version

Family Literacy Week Ideas and Resources

As a reminder, University School has a Board Game Library where you can sign out literacy and numeracy based board games to use at home. The purpose of the Board Game Library is to provide resources for parents to support student learning at home in a fun way while enhancing family relationships. 

To see what is available and to sign out a game please click on this link and fill out a quick form. Board Games will be signed out for one week. They will be sent home on Tuesdays and returned on Mondays so that we can prepare them for the next family. We ask that you please look after the games and ensure all of the pieces remain with the games when they are returned. If something goes missing, please leave a note with the game so we can try to replace it. 

Currently, we have 15 games and two copies of each to sign out. Though the resources are being categorized into either Literacy or Numeracy games there are elements of both literacy and numeracy in the majority of games. We plan to add even more games to the Board Game Library including cooperative games where everyone has to work together to win. 

Report Cards - January 30

University School continues to support students in developing a growth mindset while enhancing their resiliency in learning. As such, much more emphasis continues to be placed on the process that students go through rather than the final product they produce. Students are encouraged to take risks, push the boundaries, and see what is possible. 

We do our best to focus on student progress and help students see where they were, where they are, and where they are trying to get to in their learning. This way the priority is the learning rather than the “mark” and students’ confidence increases as they begin to take more ownership over their learning.

We hope that you see this reflected in the report card comments, which along with the achievement indicators, provides a better perspective of how your child is progressing in their learning. The area(s) that students see the most progress in and the rate at which they progress are just as unique as each student. We would like you to be proud of and focus on celebrating your child’s successes as we work together to support their learning.

We are continuing to use, “Progress in Learning,” and “Areas for Growth,” as heading titles to reflect this way of thinking about learning.

Please note that the Term 1 Report Cards will be available for viewing in your MyCBE account on Wednesday, January 30. 

If you require any support in ensuring you can access this digital Report Card, please visit the CBE Parent and Student tech support webpage

School Council & Parent Association Meeting - Jan 24

The next School Council and Parent Association meeting of the year is this Wednesday,  January 24 @ 6:45 pm. The meeting will be virtual only so please use the link below to access the meeting. 

The meetings are a great way to find out more about University School, ask questions, and be a part of something bigger. You can be an active participant in the meeting, just listen to what is being said, or find out how you can get involved in making University School an even more amazing place for your children.  It is with the support of University School Families and the community that we can provide such wonderful learning opportunities for students and put on fun events for everyone. 

Click here to attend the meeting (Microsoft Teams) on Wednesday, January 24 at 6:45pm 

Click here for the meeting agenda and minutes from the previous meetings. 

Child and Youth Well-Being Family and Caregiver Series!

The Calgary Board of Education invites all families and caregivers to join us in an online series focusing on child and youth well-being. The Child & Youth Well-Being Family & Caregiver Series is hosted in partnership with experts from Alberta Health Services and will explore topics such as brain development, mental health, and sexual health.

These free sessions provide information, resources, helplines, and services to support healthy child and youth development. They are open to parents and guardians with students in the CBE or other school boards in Calgary and the surrounding Area.

The next session is on Mental Health & Anxiety (Grades K-6) taking place on February 8 from 6:30pm-8:00pm. 

“There is a lot of talk about children feeling stressed and having ‘more anxiety,’ but what does this really mean? As caregivers, it can be confusing to know if our efforts to support children are helping or even making the situation worse.  Join our AHS partners from the mental health literacy team, who will clarify the language around mental health, stress, and anxiety.   From there, learn ways to effectively coach children to understand their stress response and grow more resilient.  Know the signs for when further professional assessment and support may also be needed and what treatment could involve.  Leave with more clarity and strategies for supporting resiliency in elementary-aged children and how to boost your mental health.”

Click here to learn more about the series!

Kindergarten Registration - 2024-25

Kindergarten Registration begins on Monday, January 15. 

Information for registering your child for kindergarten can be found on the CBE website or accessing the following link Kindergarten - Great Learning Starts Here. Beginning on Monday, January 15 registration can be completed online through School Engage.

Or, feel free to call University School for more information. We are planning an open house in later spring for all families interested in attending University School for the 2024-25 school year. More information to follow in the coming weeks.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to University School!

Community Skating Party

University Heights Community Association Skating Party - Weather permitting!

January 21, 2024,  1 to 3 PM

Come to University Heights community skating rink (green space between Utah Crescent and Utah Place, next to the sound wall, see map below) to enjoy a skate with friends and family, some hot chocolate and timbits from Tim Hortons and then warm up by the fire.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Andrea, andrea@uhcacalgary.org. Hope to see you there!

https://goo.gl/maps/WXfxG2977XaVTEpM7

This Week

Monday, January 22

• CBE Family Literacy Week
• Photography Residency Begins

Tuesday, January 23

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

Wednesday, January 24

• School Council & Parent Association Meeting (6:45pm)

Thursday, January 25

• Spirit Day - Backwards Day - Wear your clothes backwards.
• Junior Choir (Rooms 2, 3, 4, and 22)
• Grade 6 - Branton School Presentation

Month Ahead

Jan 27 - Family Literacy Day

Jan 29 - Sound Kreations Dance Residency begins

Jan 30 - Report Cards are viewable online

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

Jan 24 - World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture

Jan 25 - Mahayana New Year

Jan 27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Jan 27 - Family Literacy Day

Jan 29 - National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia

Feb - Black History Month

Feb 1 - Winter Walk Day

Feb 1 - World Hijab Day

Feb 7 - World Read Aloud Day

Feb 10 - Lunar New Year - Year of the Dragon