February Updates
Check back weekly to see updates to the monthly messages.
A HUGE thank you to our Fun Lunch Volunteers!
A heartfelt thank you to our amazing Fun Lunch parent volunteers! The Subway lunch this week was a huge success, and it wouldn’t have been possible without your time, effort, and organization. Your dedication brings so much joy to our students, making these special moments at school even more memorable.
Fittingly, on Pink Shirt Day—a day all about kindness—you showed exactly that through your generosity and care. We are so grateful for everything you do to help create a welcoming and fun school community. Thank you for making a difference! 💕👏
Welcome Home Upstairs Learners!
After nearly three months of learning in different spaces, Rooms 10, 11, 12, and 3 have finally returned upstairs, and the excitement is real! Students walked into their freshly restored classrooms on Wednesday, greeted by the sights, sounds, and memories of their familiar learning spaces. Among the oohs and ahhs, we heard joyful exclamations like, "It’s so clean!" "It smells so new!" "We have windows again!" and "It’s so bright!" Their enthusiasm was a true celebration of resilience, patience, and the joy of coming home to their learning environment.
This is a celebration for these classrooms and for our entire school community! With their return, our additional learning spaces—the music room, Ms. Shim’s English Additional Language room, and the Gathering Space—are open and ready to be used. While some hallway and bathroom flooring still need replacing, those final touches will be completed over spring break. We are incredibly grateful for the hard work that went into restoring these spaces and, most importantly, for the flexibility of our students and staff throughout this journey. Welcome back, upstairs learners! 🎉
No Squid Games
Parents, we need to bring to your attention a growing concern we have observed during recess: some of our younger students have been reenacting scenes from the TV show Squid Game. As many of you may know, Squid Game is a violent series with themes and content that are not appropriate for children. It's disturbing nature is particularly difficult for young students to understand the real-life consequences of violence.
Research consistently shows that exposure to media violence can contribute to increased aggression in children. Even if your child has not watched the show, they may still hear about it from friends, older siblings, or media discussions. This exposure can lead to misunderstandings, imitation of harmful behaviors, or the sharing of negative ideas that may influence their interactions with others.
As we strive to maintain a welcoming, respectful, and safe school environment, we kindly ask for parent support in redirecting students toward kind, positive, inclusive play.
Dialogue: Your Voice Matters! 📢
Our Annual School Development Plan, Budget, and Fees Engagement opens February 28th – March 14th! Click this link to get started.
Your feedback helps shape decisions for the 2025-2026 school year, alongside budget realities, student learning results, and other key data. We truly value your input—when families, students, and staff collaborate, great things happen!
Take a few minutes to share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you! 💬✨
More information can be found on the School Dialogue News Item on the Edgemont School Website.
Planning for Next Year – We Need Your Input! 📣
As we start looking ahead to the 2025-2026 school year, we need your help! Each year, the CBE provides schools with projected student numbers, which play a big role in determining our classrooms, staffing, and resources. To make sure we’re planning as accurately as possible, we ask all families to complete the Annual Student Notice of Intent Form.
Even if you’re unsure about your plans, that’s valuable information too! Just let us know, and we can check in with you later. Thank you for helping us prepare for another great year! 🏫✏️
Please fill out one form for each child that you will have attending Edgemont School in the 2025-2026 School Year.
Pink Shirt Day – Thursday February 27
This Thursday, February 27th, we will be observing Pink Shirt Day alongside our Fun Lunch! Pink Shirt Day is a powerful reminder of the importance of kindness, inclusion, and standing up against bullying. By wearing pink, we show our commitment to creating a safe, respectful, and supportive community for everyone. Let’s make kindness go viral—wear pink and stand strong together! 💗
Practice Lockdown Drill – Monday, February 24th
On Monday at approximately 10:30 AM, we will be conducting a practice lockdown drill in partnership with the Calgary Police Service, who will be on-site to support and guide us. These drills, held twice each school year, are important learning opportunities to ensure our students and staff are prepared in the event of an emergency.
During the drill, we will not be answering the front doors or telephones, and we kindly ask that you avoid drop-off and pick-up between 10:15 and 10:45 AM.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and prepared school environment.
Mark Your Calendar:
February 27: Pink Shirt Day
February 27: Fun Lunch
February 28: Non-instructional day, no school
Please note: No school Thursday, Feb. 13, Friday, Feb. 14, Monday, Feb. 17.
Return to school Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Annual Student Notice of Intent Form
It is the time of year that we are starting to make plans next year. Each year at this time the CBE gives schools information about the number of students the system believes will be attending our school next year. The accuracy of this information is vitally important when we consider the number of classrooms and number of staff that we will have next year. With that in mind we are asking families to let us know their intentions for the 2025-2026 school year. Should you be unsure about your plans for next year that is important information for us to know as well. Please indicate that you are unsure and we can follow up with you at a later date.
Please fill out one form for each child that you will have attending Edgemont School in the 2025-2026 School Year.
Thank you for your help in providing us the most up to date and accurate information possible.
Subject: Adjusted School Schedule Starting After Spring Break
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As you know, the December flood caused our school to miss two days of instruction. While our yearly plans included a buffer for one missed day, we still need to recover additional instructional time to meet the required minutes for the year.
To address this, we will add 5 minutes to our school day starting immediately after spring break for the remainder of the school year. This time will come from adjusting our "soft entry" period in the morning.
Starting after spring break:
- Classes will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m.
- Soft entry will be shortened to 8:50 to 9:00 a.m., from the current 8:50 to 9:05 a.m.
We anticipate this change will cause minimal disruption for families, as most students already arrive early during soft entry. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work together to ensure that all students receive the instructional time they need this year. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your continued support.
Warm regards,
Lori
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are needed for a variety of upcoming events. Please add your name to the volunteer database indicating what areas you are interested in volunteering.
Parent Council
The next Edgemont School Council meeting is on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 in the school learning commons. All parents and guardians of Edgemont School students are members of school council and welcome to attend any meetings. The February meeting includes a presentation from the school administration on the school development plan and school fees and an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and provide feedback.
The minutes from the January meeting and the agenda for Feb. 19 are attached.
Sincerely,
Heather Whelan DuJohn
Chair, Edgemont School Council
Chair, Edgemont Parent School Association
edgemontschoolcouncil@gmail.com
Mark Your Calendar:
February 13-14: Teacher's Convention, no school
February 17: Family Day, no school
February 19: School Council meeting, 6:30pm
February 26: Pink Shirt Day
February 27: Fun Lunch
February 28: Non-instructional day, no school
Supporting Student Well-Being with the Incredible 5-Point Scale
As part of our School Development Plan focus on Well-Being, we are implementing the Incredible 5-Point Scale school-wide. This framework helps students build resilience, communication skills, and self-regulation by recognizing and managing their emotions.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the 5 levels:
1 – Calm & Ready to Learn 😊 (Feeling good, focused, and engaged)
2 – A Little Off 🤔 (Experiencing some minor challenges but able to overcome difficulties)
3 – Struggling 😕 (Noticeably upset, difficulty focusing, needs strategies to regulate)
4 – Big Emotions 😣 (Overwhelmed, may need support to regain control)
5 – Crisis Mode 😡 (Out of control, needs immediate help and a safe space)
We encourage you to talk with your child about what they are learning, how they identify their own emotions, and how they can support others in recognizing and managing feelings. You may even find using this language at home helpful in daily conversations!
By working together, we can help our students develop the skills they need to navigate challenges with confidence and care. Thank you for your support in fostering a resilient and emotionally aware school community!
Drop-Off Reminders – Safety & Patience Required 🚗⚠️
We know mornings can be a rush, and we appreciate everyone doing their best to get students to school on time. However, we need to address a few creative driving habits that have made drop-off more chaotic than necessary.
🚗 There are two lanes. Not three. Some folks have decided to invent a third lane down the middle. This is not Formula 1—please stick to the existing lanes.
🚫 Driving lanes are not parking spots. If you’re stopped in a driving lane, you’re not parked—if you decide to let your child out of the car from this position you’re blocking traffic. Please use designated drop of areas or parking lots if you need to leave your vehicle.
🛑 Drop-off happens ONLY at the CURB in the traffic circle. Staff are there to assist students safely out of cars. Do not let your child out in the middle of the circle. It is too dangerous for children to cross in front of drivers who may not see them.
⏳ Patience is key. If you’re waiting in a side lot, we will direct you to exit when it is safe for you AND our staff. Cutting in front of staff directing traffic is not only frustrating—it’s dangerous. We promise we’re not here to ruin your day, but we must insist that staff safety is respected.
🔄 Top lot drop-offs after traffic direction has started: If you’re dropping off in the top lot after staff have begun directing traffic, please loop around the circle and enter by turning right before the exit.
💙 A little kindness goes a long way. We see your waves and hear your "thank yous"—it truly makes a difference as we do this less-than-glamorous job every morning. Your cooperation helps keep all our students and staff safe, and for that, we are grateful!
Thank you for your patience and for helping us create a safe and smooth drop-off for everyone! 🚦😊
Cold Weather & Canadian Toughness 🇨🇦❄️
As proud, tough Canadians, we know that a little cold won’t stop us—but let’s make sure our kids are ready for it! 🧣🧤
📢 Outdoor Recess Rules:
- We stay inside when the wind chill hits -20°C or colder.
- We go outside if it’s warmer than -20°C. (Yes, even if it feels cold. Fresh air does wonders!)
This means students must come to school dressed for the weather every day. Even on indoor recess days, we will head outside if temperatures rise enough—even briefly.
🚍 Bus Students, This Means You Too!
If something were to happen and a bus couldn’t run, students need to be properly dressed—hats, gloves, warm coats, and boots aren’t just for style; they’re for safety!
🎒 Pro Tip for Extra Preparedness:
Consider packing an extra set of clothing (especially warm socks and dry gloves) in a plastic bag at the bottom of the backpack. The plastic bag is key—it keeps wet, icy gear from soaking everything else!
Calgary weather is unpredictable, but with the right gear, we’ll be ready for whatever comes our way! Stay warm and stay Canadian-tough! 🇨🇦💪❄️
No School – Teachers’ Convention & Family Day Reminder
Just a quick reminder that Teachers' Convention is coming up on February 13 & 14, and Monday, February 17 is Family Day. There will be no school for students on these days, and the school will be closed.
We hope everyone enjoys the extra time together, and we’ll see students back on Tuesday, February 18!
Mark Your Calendar:
February 13-14: Teacher's Convention, no school
February 17: Family Day, no school
February 19: School Council meeting, 6:30pm
February 26: Pink Shirt Day
February 27: Fun Lunch
February 28: Non-instructional day, no school