Dear DRBS Families,

Gratitude focus for the week

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Martin Luther King

Admire your own persistence.

 

Thank You

• To the amazing Work Bee parents! You make our lives easier
• To all of you who joined us for the Walk for Wenjack – it was great to have you out with us
• Parents who have helped out with field trips in the past few weeks – we can’t do it without you!

Tuesday October 31

• Happy Halloween :) students are allowed to wear costumes in the afternoon. Please ensure your child can put their costume on independently. Please no masks or violent costumes. AM Kindergarten – teachers will send out separate information for their plans
• Pumpkin Carving Contest – get your creative juices flowing and bring in your design! More info was sent home from your teacher
• 2:15 Fun Snack
• 2:30 – Halloween Parade outdoors – come join us on the field and see all the great costumes! Feel free to wear one and join in if you like!

Thursday November 2

• Elder Shirley is here to work with Grades 1 and 4

 

Upcoming Dates:

o   November 6 U of L Student teachers begin practicum

o   November 7 Fun Lunch

o   November 8 Grade 5 assembly and Remembrance Day assembly – Grade 5 parents invited to attend. The time will be sent to you by your child’s teacher

o   November 9 System PD Day No School for students

o   November 10 – 14 No School Fall Break

o   November 20 – 24 Fall Book Fair

o   November 21 Fun Lunch

o   November 21 Grade 3 at Telus Sparks

o   November 23 & 24 Student Learning Conferences

o   November 24 no school for students

o   November 27 – December 1 Mobile Escape Residency Grade 4

o   November 28 6:45pm School Council meeting

 

Veterans Food Drive

 

This year, in honor of Remembrance Day, we will be holding a Veterans Food Drive, collecting items for the Veterans Food Bank of Alberta. The Veterans Food Bank of Alberta supports Veterans in a variety of ways, including food security, financial assistance, clothing, and a number of other services.  

We invite families to join us in our work of supporting the Veterans Food Bank of Alberta by donating any of the following items: 

Needed Items Non-Perishable 

• Baking items (brown sugar, yeast, flour, baking soda, baking powder) 
• Canned items (meat, tuna, chili, stew, mushrooms, evaporated milk, pickles, condiments, etc.) 
• Pantry items (gravy packets, granola bars, juice boxes, cereal, coffee pods, vegetable oil, crackers, rice, pancake mix, pudding cups, salad dressing, mac and cheese, spices, etc.) 
• Ensure 
• Toiletries (tissues, toilet paper, Q-tips, shower gel) 
• Cleaning items (all-purpose cleaner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dishwasher soap) 
• Grocery Store Gift Cards 
• Kitchen items (paper towels, garbage bags, zip lock bags, tinfoil, plastic wrap, disinfectant wipes) 

We will be collecting items between November 1^st – November 8^th, 2023. 

Thank you for your support and generosity!

 

Save the Date!

 

The last week of school before the Winter Break we will hosting a series of concerts and celebrations of learning. The theme will be December Gifts and we will be celebrating the various cultures in our school community.  As we are not able to host all families and grades at one time in the gym we will be organizing by grades. The times and dates are as follows:

      Grade 1 & 2 – December 19, 2023 at 1:45

      Grade 3 & 4 – December 20, 2023 at 1:45

      Grade 5 & 6 – December 21, 2023 at 1:45

 

The students will perform in the gym from 1:45 to 2:15. After that parents are invited back to their child’s classroom for a social time with students and the teacher until the end of the day. During this time there will be activities and a sharing of learning in the classroom.

More details to follow as we approach the date.

 

 

School Council News

 

Fun Lunch Order Deadline - The next fun lunch is Subway on Nov 7, and the deadline for ordering is 11:59pm on Thursday Nov 2. Contact Karen at drbsfunlunch@gmail.com with any questions.

Jacket Racket -  We will be collecting ONLY gently used coats, snow pants, hats and gloves/mittens  for this cause until November 16. Look for the donation boxes in the Launch Pad. If you are attending the Halloween Dance, that will be a perfect time to drop off some items! Contact Sadaf at drbsfundraising@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Jacket racket has been providing clean and gently used winter jackets to Calgary children since the 1980's. Last year, with participation of 50+ schools and businesses, the jacket racket team was able to fill requests for winter wear for just under 2000 students. This year the projection is to provide for another 1000 students. http://www.jacketracketcalgary.com/ 

Open Position - Virtual Meeting Moderator - We are still looking to fill the Virtual Meeting Moderator position on the school council, so that we can continue to offer the option for people to attend meetings virtually. This role is quite straightforward, and only requires attending the School Council meeting every month and facilitating the virtual meeting. Or it can be shared between multiple people so you can take turns attending!

Contact Jacqui at drbscouncilchair@gmail.com for more information.

Fundraising Update - Here is a quick overview of the amounts that we raised at our fundraisers last year, and our major budgeted items for 2023-2024. If you would like to know more details or have questions, please contact Natasha at drbstreasurer@gmail.com

Stars Gala: $10k We had so much fun at this event, and also raised lots of money for the outdoor learning space!

Legacy Stars: $10k Thank you to everyone that contributed to this essential fundraiser for our outdoor learning space. We look forward to viewing the new stars on our school fence in the coming months!

Art Cards 2022: $3k This popular fundraiser has just kicked off again for 2023.

Halloween Dance 2022: $5k We are hoping to raise at least this much again at this year's event!

Purdys 2022: $1k We are moving this fundraiser to after the winter holiday for this school year, so watch for details coming in February/March.  

Casino: $77k Thank you to everyone that volunteered at this essential fundraiser for our school! We have the opportunity to work a casino every 1.5 years, and this money funds most of our annual budget.

Fun Lunch: $12k This popular fundraiser is ongoing again for this school year

 

In addition to also funding the Outdoor Learning Space, the money from these fundraisers will go primarily towards the following:

Residencies: $25k Fitset Ninja, Elder Shirley, Lana Skauge (K & grade 1), Art residency (grade 2 & 3), Mobile Escape room (grade 4, 5 &6).

School Resources: $8k literary, math, music, physed, science, technology.

Visual Journals:$5k One for every student.

Teacher Funds: $6k $200 per teacher to be spent on their class/classroom.

School events: $3k Grade 6 farewell, patrols, sports day, end of year family event.

Teacher Appreciation: $2k Because we have amazing teachers and staff at DRBS, and we want to celebrate them during the holiday season and teacher appreciation week.