Thank you for those who made it on Friday and got to see the students perform their Dance moves. It was such a great turn out and wonderful to give the students an audience for the hard work they have put in to be ready to perform for you. It was impressive to see how good they have gotten over the weeks and to see the progression over the past 3 years of having the residency with Marcos Ravelo and the Havana Cuban Dance Studio, https://www.havanacubandancestudio.com/

A big thank you to our Phys.Ed teachers for facilitating this and bringing it to our school every year and to our School Council who has covered the fee for the two week residency.

Remember this is a short week for students as teachers have Teacher's Convention on Thursday and Friday, and it's Family Day long weekend.

Celebration of Learning

On Friday March 1 from 1-3pm we invite you to come in with your child to the school to see their learning spaces and to check out the work they have been doing in class. It's an opportunity to see what your child has been working on and to visit their classroom(s). This is not a time to meet/conference with your child's teacher(s) as that will happen during Parent/Teacher Conferences, which happen on Thursday and Friday March 21st and 22nd.

Morning Lates

We are reaching out to our community in hopes that we can help support our students in getting to school on time. Last week we had multiple days of approximately 50+ students who were late and needed to check in at the office prior to going to class. This is not late buses, as those don't get reflected in attendance. Being on time helps set our students up for success and ensures that they are in classrooms when learning begins.
Just a reminder our bell times are:

• 7:50-8:00 - Soft Entry
• 8:00 - Period 1 Begins

Thank you for your support in ensuring our students are successful.

School Planning Survey

This survey is regarding our School Development Plan as well as future planning, and would love your feedback.

• https://griffithwoods.cbedialogue.com/en/projects/2023-2024-school-year/engagements/school-planning-survey-2024-griffith-woods

This survey closes on Feb 19 at 12:00 pm.

Surveys

Speaking of surveys our students Grades 4-9 will be completing some over the next month. The surveys they complete give the school valuable perception data regarding their sense of belonging and engagement here at Griffith Woods. We use this data in our School Development Plan so that we can better support our students. Our Grades 5,6,8 and 9 will complete the CBE student survey between Feb.20 to March 1. The Grades 4 and 7 will be completing the Assurance Survey between March 4 to March 15.

Families in Grade 4 and 7 will be randomly selected by the Alberta Government and sent surveys via mail to complete.

Kindergarten Registration

When you register for Kindergarten you can indicate a preference for morning or afternoon class. We do try to honor as many requests as we can but if we have an overwhelming number of requests for morning we do a random draw of names for the available spaces. Registration for Kindergarten is open. Please see here Kindergarten Registration Process for more information. Once registrations close, we are going to have a community engagement process for next year’s families to determine if we have full day Kindergarten with alternating days instead of half days.

Registration at Griffith Woods for Next Year

• Currently Griffith Woods is at capacity, this means that we have a call back list of students who are currently attending our overflow schools which are Battalion for elementary (1-6) and Bishop Pinkham for Junior High (7-9).
• Please advise the office if there are any plans to move and/or change schools for next September by e-mailing griffithwoods@cbe.ab.ca

Extra Curricular Volleyball

All CBE middle schools have set similar expectations for games that promote safety, respect, and a positive experience for all. They include:

• All student spectators/athletes must be under the direct supervision of a designated adult for the duration of the games
• There are no in an out privileges for spectators
• Student spectators without parental supervision will be directed by the hosting school administration to leave the building
• All spectators - students or adults - are expected to cheer and support players/coaches/referees/parents/guardians in a positive manner
• Disrespectful behaviors will be addressed by school administration promptly and may result in spectators being directed to leave the game and the school building
• Parents/guardians who bring younger children are responsible at all times for their direct supervision. Please ensure that they are not wandering the halls and playing on Phys Ed equipment in the gym/on stage

These expectations have been reviewed with all of our students in school. Please review with your student(s) as well. We thank you in advance for your ongoing support.

Casino Night Sign Up

Our casino’s raise a lot of money for our school that goes directly into supporting students and their learning. We are looking for volunteers to sign up for our next Casino Night at the end of April:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4FAEAD2EA7F5CF8-47275119-griffith

Important Dates

Thursday and Friday February 15 & 16 – Teacher’s Convention (No School for Students)
Monday February 19 – Family Day (No School for Students)
Friday February 23 - Grade 9 Vaccinations
Monday February 26 – Healthy Hunger – Noodle Box
Wednesday February 28 – Pink Shirt Day for Anti-Bullying
Wednesday February 28 - School Council @ 6:30pm
Friday March 1 – K-9 Celebration of Learning 1-3pm
Monday March 4 – Healthy Hunger – Tim Horton’s
Monday March 11 – Healthy Hunger – Wok Box
Monday March 18 – Healthy Hunger – A& W
Wednesday March 20 – Term 3 begins for Grade 5,8, and 9 Complementary Courses
Thursday March 21 – In Person Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:30pm-8pm
Friday March 22 – Virtual Online Parent-Teacher Conferences (No School students) 8am-12pm
March 25 - April 1 – Spring Break
Tuesday April 2 – Classes Resume