Important Dates to Remember

• May 19 - Victoria Day- School's Closed 
• May 21 - Grade 5s to Sir Wilfred Laurier – Middle School Orientation 
• May 26 - Music Monday and Volunteer Appreciation Picnic 
• • Music Monday Performance Time 1:45  
  • Volunteer Picnic Invitations will be sent home soon with details 
• May 26 - Healthy Hunger - Last day to order May 21. 
• May 27- Kindergarten (Tue/Thus) in School Field Trip- Teachers Pet 
• May 28 - Grade 1- Field trip- Zoo 
• May 29 - School Council Meeting – AGM (On Line) 
• May 30 - Kindergarten (Mon/Wed) in School Field Trip- Teachers Pet 
• June 3 - Grade 3 in School Field Trip- Teacher's Pet 
• June 12/13 -  Magic Show 
• June 16- Healthy Hunger - Last day to order June 11.  
• June 20- Sports Day 

Did you know, every Friday is a CAS Spirit Day! Wear your Chris the Cub shirt and uniform bottoms every Friday!  

Happy Victoria Day Weekend! 

This weekend, we celebrate Victoria Day, a Canadian holiday.  It honours Queen Victoria, who was the Queen of the United Kingdom when Canada became a country in 1867. Her leadership helped shape the early history of Canada. 

In Alberta, we feel this connection in many ways. Our province is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, Queen Victoria’s daughter. One of Alberta’s most beautiful places, Lake Louise, is also named after her. These names remind us of our history and the ties Canada has to the British monarchy. 

Victoria Day, in Alberta, is often seen as the start of summer. Many families enjoy the long weekend by spending time outdoors, planting gardens, camping, or visiting parks. It’s also a time to reflect on the past and learn more about the traditions that helped build our province and our country. 

We wish you a safe and happy long weekend! 

Dr. Bettesworth 

New Student and Kindergarten Orientation 

Thank you to all the families who joined us for our Kindergarten and New Student Orientation on Thursday evening. It was a true pleasure to welcome so many new faces to our CAS community. We are excited to have you with us and look forward to the journey ahead together. 

A very special thank you goes out to our incredible Grade 5 leadership students. Your presence, energy, and kindness were a shining example of what makes CAS such a special place. On a Thursday evening, you chose to show up—not just physically, but with heart. You welcomed families with warmth, supported our new Kindergarten students with compassion, and offered help wherever it was needed. 

You wore your uniforms with pride and represented our school with excellence. You were leaders in every sense of the word. You showed our new families what it means to be part of the CAS community, and you made your teachers and parents incredibly proud. 

Thank you for being role models. Thank you for living the values we work so hard to build every day at CAS. 

Volunteers – We Appreciate You! 

If you were a volunteer during the year, then, this coming week you should be receiving an invitation to attend our Volunteer Picnic.  Please keep an eye out for this invitation.  We look forward to showing our appreciation for all our Volunteers do for us! 

Parking and Transportation 

Please do not use the front bus drop off area when bringing your child to school in the morning. Please do not park in these areas. They are clearly marked.  

Did you know, over 500 students every day ride the bus to school at CAS. Buses are very large, much larger than your car. Buses are also carrying 40- 60 students each. They have earned the space allocated to them for dropping off and picking up students. Please respect the signage and the space. There are many other places you and your small vehicle can go to drop your child off or pick your child up.   Thank you for modelling respect at drop off and pick-up.

Also, the staff parking lots have clear signage indicating it is not a drop off area and that the spaces in these locations are for staff to park. This is not a drop- off area as it is an unsafe place for children to be. When you drop your child off in the staff parking lot, they understand that you think it is OK for them to be there. Just being there leaves this impression. This is called modelling. Then, during the day, when their ball or equipment ends up in the parking lot, they do not hesitate to go grab it.  Our garbage trucks, delivery vehicles, and other parents dropping off 🙁 are not expecting random children in the parking lot. Please do your part to keep your children safe.  

Weather 

With winter behind us, many students are arriving at school in their uniform with only a cardigan to keep them warm. All students do remain outside until the morning bell rings. Also, every student has morning recess and lunch recess outside. Students also spend time outside when it rains. Please ensure you send your child to school dressed for the weather. Keeping in mind, the weather in Calgary can change quickly. Layers and a rain coat are great choices this time of year.  Please label everything.  

Bathroom Shenanigans 

At Chris Akkerman School we pride ourselves on having the most respectful students in all of Calgary.  As of late though, our wonderful students have forgotten how to act in and around the bathroom. We are certain the poor behaviours in our bathrooms are not at all what is expected or tolerated in the bathrooms in your homes. We do need your help to assist us in teaching our students respectful bathroom behaviours. Lately, the troubles have been the behaviours of our grade 3,4,5 students, however, from time to time, all of our students need reminders.   

We are kind, respectful, and caring in our bathrooms. This means we don’t stand on toilet seats, look over or under stalls, enter a stall that already has one person in it, fill a stall with as many students as possible. Paper is used to dry our hands and then it is put in the recycle bin. Paper is never dampened with water and then thrown on the ceiling or walls. Toilet paper is used on our bottoms and then put directly into the toilet where it is then flushed. Personal items are never attempted to be flushed down the toilet nor are personal items put into the toilet as a prank. We never bang on stall doors, nor do we tease those who are in a stall looking after their business. Bathrooms are not locations for social interactions, loud voices or screaming.  Bathrooms are not board rooms, soccer pitches or dining halls.  We are hopeful our parents, as our partners in educating our students are able to speak to their children about healthy and safe bathroom behaviorus so we can all use the facilities peacefully and safely. 

Thank you families for reviewing expected bathroom behaviours with your children - often. We believe parents have the same expectations for bathrooms as we do here at CAS. Safe, respectful, and clean. No one wants to have a call from the principal describing what their child did in the bathroom at school. Nor does any student want to be on bathroom duty...as a consequence for poor decisions in the bathroom.