May 15, 2013
Planning for 2013-2014
Over the last couple of weeks we have been working on our 2013-2014 organizational plan and have had many discussions with our staff regarding our current structure and how we can continue to support strategies that improve student learning while understanding that we have been impacted by the budget like many other schools.
At this point, we are aware that we will need to restructure some of our classes and that with the additional French Immersion and Spanish Bilingual students joining us from Westgate, there will be an increased need for language specialists within our school. As a result of this language component, we have lost one certified teaching position from our English program and this position will be replaced with a Spanish Language teacher.
In regards to our teachers who are on probationary and temporary contracts, some of these positions will be filled with teachers returning from leaves from Bishop Pinkham and others will be filled, either our own teachers, or with certified staff who are coming from other schools. We will be sure to share this information with you as we learn about any staff changes between now and June.
Based on our Staff Retreat and conversations with parents and students, we anticipate that the following structures will be supported:
We will be able to share more details over the next month, but in the interim, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Planning for 2013-2014
Over the last couple of weeks we have been working on our 2013-2014 organizational plan and have had many discussions with our staff regarding our current structure and how we can continue to support strategies that improve student learning while understanding that we have been impacted by the budget like many other schools.
At this point, we are aware that we will need to restructure some of our classes and that with the additional French Immersion and Spanish Bilingual students joining us from Westgate, there will be an increased need for language specialists within our school. As a result of this language component, we have lost one certified teaching position from our English program and this position will be replaced with a Spanish Language teacher.
In regards to our teachers who are on probationary and temporary contracts, some of these positions will be filled with teachers returning from leaves from Bishop Pinkham and others will be filled, either our own teachers, or with certified staff who are coming from other schools. We will be sure to share this information with you as we learn about any staff changes between now and June.
Based on our Staff Retreat and conversations with parents and students, we anticipate that the following structures will be supported:
- All grades will have one Daily Physical Activity period per day.
- Classes with increased enrolment will be split for either/both Language Arts and Math.
- Students in younger grades will continue to have the same teacher for Language/Social and when possible, Math/Science.
- Art and Music will be taught in the students target language whenever possible.
- There will be a staggered lunch for grades 5-6 and then grades 7-9.
- All students will have their core classes everyday.
We will be able to share more details over the next month, but in the interim, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Childcare at Bishop Pinkham
We are pleased to announce that we will be welcoming Calgary Child’s Play as the child care provider that will be available for our students beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. This program will be run primarily out of our cafeteria and will be available before and after school as well as on Professional Days. If you are interested in registering your child or should you have any questions, please contact them directly. The following is their contact information:
We are pleased to announce that we will be welcoming Calgary Child’s Play as the child care provider that will be available for our students beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. This program will be run primarily out of our cafeteria and will be available before and after school as well as on Professional Days. If you are interested in registering your child or should you have any questions, please contact them directly. The following is their contact information:
- General Contact - [email protected].
- Dee - 403.669.2072 - [email protected]
- Julia - 403.629.5117 - [email protected]
This week the world saw the return of our now internationally renowned astronaut, Chris Hadfield. I have been following his tweets closely and have very much appreciated how he has inspired our young learners about how ‘cool’ space really is. As a tribute to Mr. Hadfield and for those of you who have not had the pleasure of seeing his rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, I highly recommend that you check out the following video:
The week that was…
Riverwatch
On Wednesday, May 1st, our Grade 9 students participated in the award winning RiverWatch Program. M. C. Langlois reported that the trip went very well this year and the weather was simply the best they could hope for. Students enjoyed paddling on the Bow river, conducting scientific experiments and participating in data collection for the RiverWatch service provider for future scientific studies. Many of our students had a big smile on their face all day long. Thanks to the parent volunteers and the teachers who helped with this trip. Without parent volunteers, we could not have carried this great outdoor activity on the river.
Riverwatch
On Wednesday, May 1st, our Grade 9 students participated in the award winning RiverWatch Program. M. C. Langlois reported that the trip went very well this year and the weather was simply the best they could hope for. Students enjoyed paddling on the Bow river, conducting scientific experiments and participating in data collection for the RiverWatch service provider for future scientific studies. Many of our students had a big smile on their face all day long. Thanks to the parent volunteers and the teachers who helped with this trip. Without parent volunteers, we could not have carried this great outdoor activity on the river.
Casino Cash-Out!
On May 7th and 8th, the Bishop Pinkham Music Parents Association held our casino fundraiser at the Elbow River Casino. We wanted to thank Mr. Marc Arsenault, our parent casino coordinator, and all of the volunteers very much for taking the time to support Bishop Pinkham at this event. The final tally of the total amount raised will be calculated at the end of the yearly quarter, and once the results have been pooled and distributed we will be sure to share the details with the community. Mr. Arsenault has already started recruiting for our next casino, which will be taking place in November 2014…the chips never stop coming!
As well, for interested parents, all parents are welcome to attend our next BPMPA meeting on May 22 at 7pm in Mr. M. Kennedy’s room.
On May 7th and 8th, the Bishop Pinkham Music Parents Association held our casino fundraiser at the Elbow River Casino. We wanted to thank Mr. Marc Arsenault, our parent casino coordinator, and all of the volunteers very much for taking the time to support Bishop Pinkham at this event. The final tally of the total amount raised will be calculated at the end of the yearly quarter, and once the results have been pooled and distributed we will be sure to share the details with the community. Mr. Arsenault has already started recruiting for our next casino, which will be taking place in November 2014…the chips never stop coming!
As well, for interested parents, all parents are welcome to attend our next BPMPA meeting on May 22 at 7pm in Mr. M. Kennedy’s room.
Track Meet
On Wednesday May 8th, 134 of our students participated in the track meet at Glenmore Athletic Park. We had beautiful weather conditions and our students demonstrated their competitive abilities in running, long jump, high jump, shot put and discus events. Ms. J. Shantz and I had a chance to also cheer on our students at the track meet and it was a pleasure to see how many parents were also able to make it to the events. Thank you to all of the students who made us proud and participated in the try-outs during the track season. As well, a special thank you to the following coaches who trained our students this season:
On Wednesday May 8th, 134 of our students participated in the track meet at Glenmore Athletic Park. We had beautiful weather conditions and our students demonstrated their competitive abilities in running, long jump, high jump, shot put and discus events. Ms. J. Shantz and I had a chance to also cheer on our students at the track meet and it was a pleasure to see how many parents were also able to make it to the events. Thank you to all of the students who made us proud and participated in the try-outs during the track season. As well, a special thank you to the following coaches who trained our students this season:
- Distance Running - Ms. J. Somers & Mme. A. MacPhee
- Sprint Running – Srta. Gilbertson & M. M. Palkovitz
- Hurdles – Mr. L. Holland & Ms. J. Shantz
- Long Jump - M. E. Fiset
- High Jump – Mr. L. Holland & Mr. J. Nelner
- Discus – Mr. D. Jordan & Mr. K. Khubyar
Open House and Tours
On Thursday May 9, the Grade 4 and 5s from Westgate came to tour Bishop Pinkham in the morning and afternoon consecutively. It was a first experience for these new students to tour our school and it was a great opportunity to share the programs and community of Bishop Pinkham. Students were treated to some team-building events in the gym, a tour of the school and had their first taste of some treats in our cafeteria.
Following the tours, parents were invited to attend our general Open House that same evening from 5:30-8:30pm. Over the course of the evening, we had approximately 400 parents and students who joined us and participated in our various presentations and demonstrations of student learning at Bishop Pinkham. There were many opportunities to get to know our school; Ms. L. Palmer joined us on behalf of Parent Council, Ms. J. Jennings represented the BPMPA and our new child care provider program, Child's Play, were on-hand to begin to take registrations for our incoming students for next year. Thank you to everyone for their support!
On Thursday May 9, the Grade 4 and 5s from Westgate came to tour Bishop Pinkham in the morning and afternoon consecutively. It was a first experience for these new students to tour our school and it was a great opportunity to share the programs and community of Bishop Pinkham. Students were treated to some team-building events in the gym, a tour of the school and had their first taste of some treats in our cafeteria.
Following the tours, parents were invited to attend our general Open House that same evening from 5:30-8:30pm. Over the course of the evening, we had approximately 400 parents and students who joined us and participated in our various presentations and demonstrations of student learning at Bishop Pinkham. There were many opportunities to get to know our school; Ms. L. Palmer joined us on behalf of Parent Council, Ms. J. Jennings represented the BPMPA and our new child care provider program, Child's Play, were on-hand to begin to take registrations for our incoming students for next year. Thank you to everyone for their support!
Grade 7 Outdoor Education Trip
On Thursday May 9, Grade 7 Outdoor Education students participated in a hiking trip in Ribbon Creek. The purpose of this day trip, led by C.P.A.W.S. (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) was to gain a better understanding of how plants and animals have adapted for survival in our mountain environment. Once again, we had beautiful weather as you can see from the lunch stop overlooking Kananaskis Village and Valley.
On Thursday May 9, Grade 7 Outdoor Education students participated in a hiking trip in Ribbon Creek. The purpose of this day trip, led by C.P.A.W.S. (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) was to gain a better understanding of how plants and animals have adapted for survival in our mountain environment. Once again, we had beautiful weather as you can see from the lunch stop overlooking Kananaskis Village and Valley.
This week….
Volunteer-a-thon
Our Volunteer-a-thon has begun and will continue to take place between May 6-16th. On Friday May 3rd, parents were emailed a tracking sheet and email explaining some of the different ways that students can participate in this initiative. We encourage families to also take advantage of some of the links that we shared and volunteer as a family! The tracking sheet will be used on an honour system and each grade’s contributions will be featured loud and proud on a visual display in the front hallway.
PD Day
A friendly reminder that there will be no school on Friday, May 17th. This is an Organizational Day for teachers and as a result, students will be able to enjoy an extra long-weekend
Volunteer-a-thon
Our Volunteer-a-thon has begun and will continue to take place between May 6-16th. On Friday May 3rd, parents were emailed a tracking sheet and email explaining some of the different ways that students can participate in this initiative. We encourage families to also take advantage of some of the links that we shared and volunteer as a family! The tracking sheet will be used on an honour system and each grade’s contributions will be featured loud and proud on a visual display in the front hallway.
PD Day
A friendly reminder that there will be no school on Friday, May 17th. This is an Organizational Day for teachers and as a result, students will be able to enjoy an extra long-weekend
A little further ahead…
Grade 5/6 Planning Invitation
On Tuesday May 21 at 6:00pm in the Learning Commons, we would like to invite any interested parents to attend a focus group meeting to plan for our incoming grade 5 and 6 classes. The focus group will be an opportunity for parents and administration to discuss how we envision our middle school continuing to develop appropriate strategies to integrate our diverse learners. This discussion will centre on how to best serve all of our students while continuing to honour grade distinct learning requirements. We look forward to seeing you there!
Grade 8 Outdoor Ed
On Wednesday May 22, 35 of our grade 8 students will be travelling to Quaite Valley to take part in an overnight backpacking trip. During the overnight trip, they will be building tarp shelters, cooking for themselves, treating their own water and developing wildlife awareness. At this point, the weather may be wee-bit wet, so the students may be developing more weather management strategies than originally anticipated!
Grade 5/6 Planning Invitation
On Tuesday May 21 at 6:00pm in the Learning Commons, we would like to invite any interested parents to attend a focus group meeting to plan for our incoming grade 5 and 6 classes. The focus group will be an opportunity for parents and administration to discuss how we envision our middle school continuing to develop appropriate strategies to integrate our diverse learners. This discussion will centre on how to best serve all of our students while continuing to honour grade distinct learning requirements. We look forward to seeing you there!
Grade 8 Outdoor Ed
On Wednesday May 22, 35 of our grade 8 students will be travelling to Quaite Valley to take part in an overnight backpacking trip. During the overnight trip, they will be building tarp shelters, cooking for themselves, treating their own water and developing wildlife awareness. At this point, the weather may be wee-bit wet, so the students may be developing more weather management strategies than originally anticipated!
School Council
All parents are welcome to join us on Tuesday May 28 at 6:30pm for next School Council Meeting in the Learning Commons. Along with our monthly reports, we will be having the Executive Elections and discussing our wish lists and fundraising opportunities for next year. We look forward to seeing you there!
All parents are welcome to join us on Tuesday May 28 at 6:30pm for next School Council Meeting in the Learning Commons. Along with our monthly reports, we will be having the Executive Elections and discussing our wish lists and fundraising opportunities for next year. We look forward to seeing you there!
Online Social Networking Safety 101
On Wednesday May 29th our students will have an opportunity to take part in a presentation about how to be safe when using social networking tools such as Facebook, texting and handheld devices. Paul Davies, a social network safety expert, will discuss topics focused on CyberBullying, the legal implications and how to use commonsense when dealing with technology.
Paul Davis has presented to over 108,000 students and over 9800 parents, with a message about all aspects of Social Networking and mobile devices. Recently, he was also featured on CTV News to discuss the importance of being safe when accessing social media.
Also on May 29th at 6:30pm, Paul Davies will host an online safety session for parents. This session will also be open to parents from Jennie Elliott and Westgate School. We would like to thank our School Council for sponsoring this event, it will be an invaluable opportunity for both parents and students to understand how to maintain a safe and secure environment for their online identity.
On Wednesday May 29th our students will have an opportunity to take part in a presentation about how to be safe when using social networking tools such as Facebook, texting and handheld devices. Paul Davies, a social network safety expert, will discuss topics focused on CyberBullying, the legal implications and how to use commonsense when dealing with technology.
Paul Davis has presented to over 108,000 students and over 9800 parents, with a message about all aspects of Social Networking and mobile devices. Recently, he was also featured on CTV News to discuss the importance of being safe when accessing social media.
Also on May 29th at 6:30pm, Paul Davies will host an online safety session for parents. This session will also be open to parents from Jennie Elliott and Westgate School. We would like to thank our School Council for sponsoring this event, it will be an invaluable opportunity for both parents and students to understand how to maintain a safe and secure environment for their online identity.
Spring Concert and Art Show
As the end of the year rushes towards us, it is time to celebrate some of the accomplishments and talents of our students. To commemorate the wonderful art that has been created, the Music department and the Art department are joining together for an evening of artistry, both visual and musical. On Thursday, May 30th, we will be having the Bishop Pinkham Spring Concert and Art Show.
The evening will begin with a pre-concert social and Student and Staff Art Show at 6:30pm in the cafeteria. The Art Show will display a variety of work from all grades, 6-9, as well as work from the CSSI students, pieces from the Recycled Art Contest and artwork from a number of BP staff. The Bishop Pinkham Music Parents Association will also be serving refreshments. The concert will begin at 7:00pm and the art show will remain open after the concert for any parents who missed the social.
Pinkham At Night
This year’s public viewing of ‘Yearbook’ night show will now be occurring during the day. Mr. K. Khubyar will be following up with communication regarding the changes with parents and students involved in the production. We look forward to watching the play shortly!
News from the CBE....
As the end of the year rushes towards us, it is time to celebrate some of the accomplishments and talents of our students. To commemorate the wonderful art that has been created, the Music department and the Art department are joining together for an evening of artistry, both visual and musical. On Thursday, May 30th, we will be having the Bishop Pinkham Spring Concert and Art Show.
The evening will begin with a pre-concert social and Student and Staff Art Show at 6:30pm in the cafeteria. The Art Show will display a variety of work from all grades, 6-9, as well as work from the CSSI students, pieces from the Recycled Art Contest and artwork from a number of BP staff. The Bishop Pinkham Music Parents Association will also be serving refreshments. The concert will begin at 7:00pm and the art show will remain open after the concert for any parents who missed the social.
Pinkham At Night
This year’s public viewing of ‘Yearbook’ night show will now be occurring during the day. Mr. K. Khubyar will be following up with communication regarding the changes with parents and students involved in the production. We look forward to watching the play shortly!
News from the CBE....
CBE tackles tough budget Student success and safety are our top priorities. The approach we are taking to the budget focuses on maximizing the budget directed to classrooms while balancing the budget. We are crunching numbers, evaluating services and reviewing options to achieve our objectives. Our organization is grappling with the impact of the provincial budget announced on March 7. As we have reported to you before, the provincial budget means our system will have the same revenue next year as we had this year. This happens when we expect to welcome 3,000 more students and our costs will be increasing. It is the tip of a very difficult iceberg. We presented to the Board of Trustees the budget assumptions report on April 16. This report set out the decisions, uncertainties and strategies that we propose to achieve the objectives set out in the Three-Year Education Plan. To put students, classrooms and schools first, we have looked everywhere in our system to be more efficient and make cuts. There will be a significant impact on administration and central services provided to schools and areas. The resource allocation method (RAM)—the budget distributed to schools—will increase by two per cent across the system. The budget assumptions report also proposes $5 million of cuts to administration. This equates to a 12.5-per-cent reduction compared to the current year. We have taken this decision to maximize dollars to classrooms and advance student learning. | Two years ago we faced a $61.7-million shortfall. To balance our budget we made significant changes, redesigned central services and said goodbye to good people. This year, all told, we face a shortfall of $62 million. Cutting deeply again will be even more painful. Once again we will lose good people. The detailed budget is scheduled to be debated at a public meeting on May 28. To build the detail, we will need to make specific decisions about programs, services and positions. At the same time, principals are planning their schools’ budgets for 2013-14. We distributed the resource allocation method (RAM) to April 17. We worked very hard to maximize the RAM; principals will be challenged in the coming weeks. For many of you, I appreciate that providing some information will only increase the demand for more information. You can find all of our budget updates, along with the budget assumptions report on our website. We will continue to provide updates. In the meantime, I encourage you to read the budget assumptions report, which is published on our website. It will give you a more complete understanding of the challenge before us and how we propose to face it. Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we move ahead under challenging circumstances. Please know that we put students first and remain committed to ensuring the Calgary Board of Education remains one of the best school districts in the world. Naomi Johnson, Chief Superintendent of Schools |
communication
e-mail
We are using e-mail more now to provide directly-relevant information to BP families. Most teachers use e-mail as their primary communication tool with parents. Staff e-mail addresses are found on our webpage at: staff contact list. Send a note to [email protected] with your child's name and we will make sure that your address is added to our records.
social media
We are continuing to increase our use of the school Facebook page and Twitter accounts. If you 'like' our Facebook page at bit.ly/bishoppinkhamfacebook, daily updates will find their way into your News Feed. Following @bpbulletin will provide you with daily updates, as well.
school webpage
The webpage at cbe.ab.ca/b645 will continue to contain much of the important information for parents, including calendars and bus information. We will try to keep it as updated as possible with the information it contains.
contact me
As always, I welcome your comments, questions, and concerns by e-mail at [email protected] or telephone at 403 777-7840 [2123]
Thank you - Michelle Howell, Principal
Bishop Pinkham School
We are using e-mail more now to provide directly-relevant information to BP families. Most teachers use e-mail as their primary communication tool with parents. Staff e-mail addresses are found on our webpage at: staff contact list. Send a note to [email protected] with your child's name and we will make sure that your address is added to our records.
social media
We are continuing to increase our use of the school Facebook page and Twitter accounts. If you 'like' our Facebook page at bit.ly/bishoppinkhamfacebook, daily updates will find their way into your News Feed. Following @bpbulletin will provide you with daily updates, as well.
school webpage
The webpage at cbe.ab.ca/b645 will continue to contain much of the important information for parents, including calendars and bus information. We will try to keep it as updated as possible with the information it contains.
contact me
As always, I welcome your comments, questions, and concerns by e-mail at [email protected] or telephone at 403 777-7840 [2123]
Thank you - Michelle Howell, Principal
Bishop Pinkham School