Week Ahead

Upcoming Important Dates

Principal’s Message

Aurora had but newly chased the night,
And purpled o'er the sky with blushing light.

(John Dryden)

Last night, the spectacular Aurora Borealis – the northern lights danced across the night sky over Sibylla Kiddle School. But for all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event. The northern lights are created when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere. The northern lights can serve as a beautiful metaphor for learning. Just as the lights are a result of charged particles colliding with the Earth’s atmosphere, learning occurs when new ideas and experiences collide with our existing knowledge.

The northern lights illuminate the night sky, like how learning can brighten our understanding of the world. Each new piece of knowledge adds to our mental landscape. Witnessing the auroras can inspire wonder and curiosity, much like the excitement that comes with discovering something new or mastering a challenging concept.

In essence, both the northern lights and learning remind us of the beauty and complexity of the world around us, encouraging us to explore, reflect, and grow. We hope you had the opportunity to witness this wonder of nature this week.

Lisa and Denise

Staffing Update

As our school community continues to grow, we have seen a significant rise in the number of students at the Grade 2 level. After finalizing our September student funding, we have been able to add a 5th Grade 2 classroom at Sibylla Kiddle.

We would like to welcome Mrs. Brieanne Anderson as our new Grade 2 teacher. Mrs. Anderson previously worked at our school last year supporting small literacy groups. Additionally, she has been working alongside our classes since the beginning of September.

Picture Day

Picture Day is coming! School Picture Day will take place on October 15 and October 16.

On October 15, Tuesday/Thursday Kindergarten classes and grades 1-3 classes will have their individual and class photos taken.

On October 16, Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten classes and grades 4-5 classes will have their individual and class photos taken. Any students (Grade 1-5) that missed photos the previous day, will be photographed on October 16.

We are also looking for 2-3 volunteers to help with Picture Day. If you are available to help with bringing classes to get their pictures, please e-mail sibyllakiddle@cbe.ab.ca

Lunchroom Supervision

Please ensure you register your child(ren) for lunchroom supervision in your CBE PowerSchool Account.

Halloween at Sibylla Kiddle

Halloween will be a special learning day at Sibylla Kiddle School. Classes will not be having parties but may engage in Halloween or Autumn-themed learning activities. We know that this is a big day for children, and we also recognize that not all families celebrate Halloween. As an inclusive environment we want to make sure all students feel comfortable and safe at school. We know that many of our families look forward to Halloween each year and welcome the opportunity to capitalize on our students’ excitement to enhance their learning.

Please have your child bring a healthy snack for themselves. Do not send a treat for the whole class as we will not have class parties and cannot accommodate class food due to allergies.

We know that some families will want their children to wear costumes to school and some may want to save them for community events after school hours. On October 31, we welcome students to wear their costumes, pajamas or orange/black to school if they wish.

When choosing a costume to wear to school please remember:

• Keep your child’s comfort and safety in mind for indoor and outdoor play. Make sure your child can wear a coat and indoor and outdoor shoes with their costume.
• Long capes, uncomfortable shoes, or other tripping hazards are discouraged. Students should be able to participate in gym and outdoor play safely throughout the day.
• Please ensure their vision is not obscured by their costume. For this reason, masks may not be worn.
• Please leave loose props at home. We cannot be responsible for anything lost or left behind at the school before Halloween night and there will be no staff here to accommodate entrance to the school for any forgotten items.
• Do not send costume weapons to school (swords, guns, etc.)
• No extremely gory costumes. Please remember we have small children in the building, students, and staff with varying levels of sensitivity. We want everyone to feel safe and have fun!

Emergency Drills

Each year, schools are required to conduct six fire drills and two lockdown drills to ensure that staff and students are aware and able to enact our emergency protocols. This year, we have already completed one fire drill. The students did an excellent job of exiting the building in a quick and quiet manner.

General Health Measures

As we enter fall, we know that often we encounter more illness within our school. We continue to encourage general health measures for all students and staff to reduce the risk of transmission of all illnesses, including such things as staying home when sick and practicing good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.

As a reminder, please inform the office via the school email or via phone if your child(ren) will be away from school.