Important Dates 

November 7 – Remembrance Day Assembly 

November 6/7 - Grade 5 Celebration of Learning is cancelled. More information is coming soon. 

November 11 – Remembrance Day  (All schools in the CBE observe Remembrance Day) 

Fall Break – November 10 – 12 All CBE schools are closed. 

November 20 – School Council Meeting 

November 24 – Fun Lunch 

To be rescheduled – An presentation and discussion with Psychologist Samira.  

Dance Residency – Anticipated to be rescheduled for the end of November/ early December 

Dear Chris Akkerman Families, 

As we prepare for the upcoming Remembrance Day, we want to share with you the meaningful ways our school community will be honouring this important occasion. 

On Friday, November 7, we will gather as a school for our annual Remembrance Day Ceremony.This special assembly will include honoured guests—former students of Chris Akkerman School—who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces. These individuals represent the rich diversity of our community and bring powerful stories of service, peacekeeping, and resilience. Their presence offers our students a unique opportunity to connect with the real-life experiences of those who have served our country. 

In the days leading up to the ceremony, students will begin to notice people wearing red poppies. We will be teaching them about the significance of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance—honouring those who have sacrificed for the peace and freedoms we enjoy today. 

This week is a time for reflection, learning, and gratitude. We look forward to sharing this experience with our students and hope it inspires thoughtful conversations at home as well. 

Yours in learning,

Dr Bettesworth - Principal

Remembrance Day Assembly & Grade 5 Celebration of Learning 

As we prepare for our Remembrance Day Assembly on Friday, November 7, we want to share a few important details with our families. 

This year’s assembly will include special invited guests—former students of Chris Akkerman School who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces. Their presence offers a meaningful opportunity for our students to learn about service, peacekeeping, and the importance of remembrance. 

While we had originally planned to welcome Grade 5 families to this assembly as part of a Celebration of Learning, we are not able to accommodate guests this year due to space limitations. Additionally, due to recent disruptions to our regular school schedule, students and staff have not had the time needed to prepare for this event in the way we had envisioned. 

We are currently exploring options to reschedule the Grade 5 Celebration of Learning. One possibility is to hold this special event in June as part of our year-end assembly. We will share more details with families as plans are confirmed. 

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. 

Demographic Forms 

Our main office has worked tirelessly over the last month to ensure all of our families have completed their demographic forms. Unfortunately, there continues to be a small number of families who have not completed these important annual forms. Not engaging in your MyCBE account and verifying the forms can impact funding to the school. This will be an unfortunate impact to all of our families for a few who do not check and review the forms. Kindly ensure you have reviewed your demographic forms for all of your children.   

Welcoming Our New Student Teacher 

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Elesar Ngateb to our Grade 5 team, where he will be working closely with Ms. Pereira’s class. Elesar is a student teacher from the University of Calgary, and we are excited to have him join our school community. 

Elesar is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines and has called Calgary home since 2008. He holds a degree in History and has spent four years supporting adults with developmental disabilities. He enjoys reading—especially fantasy stories filled with magic and monsters—plays the drums, and loves cooking for his family. 

Having student teachers in our building is a wonderful opportunity for reciprocal learning. They bring fresh perspectives, current research, and best practices from their university studies, while gaining valuable experience from our students and staff. The work of mentoring and inspiring future educators is a noble part of the teaching profession, and we are proud to be part of that journey. 

We also hope that our students are inspired by seeing new teachers in action—perhaps imagining themselves as future educators who will one day make a difference in the lives of others. 

Welcome, Mr. Ngateb! We’re so glad you’re here 

Fire Drill Safety at Chris Akkerman School 

This week, our school practiced a fire drill. All 655 students and about 50 staff safely exited the building and gathered in our designated area on the field. The entire process took about five minutes, and we were able to quickly take attendance and confirm that everyone was safe. 

We practice fire drills several times each year to make sure our students and staff know what to do in an emergency. These drills help us stay calm and safe. 

We encourage all families to talk about emergency plans at home. Do you have a meeting spot if you need to leave your house quickly? Do your children know how to contact you? Do they know your phone numbers by heart? 

We hope we never need to use these skills in real life—but it’s important to be prepared, just in case. 

Thank you for helping us keep our community safe. 

Welcome Back Ms. Haikal 

Please join us in welcoming back Ms. Haikal, who will be teaching in Ms. Eyk’s class through the end of this month. Ms. Haikal brings great care and experience to our school, and we are confident that students are in excellent hands during this time. 

Ms. Eyk is currently away, and we are grateful to have Ms. Haikal supporting our Grade 3 team in her absence.