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West Ridge School 8903 Wentworth Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T3H 5N9 t | 403-817-3552 | WestRidge@cbe.ab.ca

Important Dates

November

1 Sr. Girls VB @ AEC

1 Gr. 9 BYKTW Day

1 We Day

2 Sr. B VB @ WR

2 Dvmtl VB @ Sherwood

2 Gr. 5A Zoo Sleepover

3 Photo Retakes

3 Sr. Boys VB @ VC Tourn.

3 Gr. 5A Calgary Zoo

6 Gr. 6D Rothney Obs.

6 School Council @ 6:30

6 Jr. Girls VB @ WR

7 Gr. 6A & 6B Rothney Obs.

7 Jr. Boys VB @ WR

7 Western (IB) Tour

8 Sr. Girls VB @ BP

8 Gr. 6C & 6E Rothney Obs.

8 Western Open House

8 Sr. B VB @ BP

9 Gr. 5B Zoo Sleepover

10 Remem. Day Assembly

10 Gr. 5B Calgary Zoo

13 Jr. G VB @ VM

13 Sr. G VB @ WR

14 Jr. B VB @ VM

14 Sr. B VB @ WR

14 Gr 9A & 9B SAIT

15 Gr. 9B & 9C SAIT

16 PST Conferences

16 Gr. 9 EMHS Tour

16 Genius Hour Fair

17 PST Conferences

20 Jr. G VB Semi Finals

20 Sr. G VB Semi Finals

21 Jr. B VB Semi Finals

21 Sr. B VB Semi Finals

22 Jr. G VB Finals

22 Sr. G VB Finals

23 Jr. B VB Finals

23 Sr. B VB Finals

23 EMHS Open House

23 Fun Lunch

24 Gr. 9 Movie

24 Novice Tourney @ MidSun

27 Auditions for Musical

29 Auditions for Musical

30 Callbacks for Musical

Newsletter | November 2017

Principal Message: Hello Parents,

November always feels like the end of chapter one in our four chapter school year. All of our start up activities (school photos, etc.) have come to an end and students are fully invested in their school work. The new band students no longer squawk as much when they play, and our first three sports (cross-country, soccer and volleyball) have ended or will shortly. To conclude this first chapter we look forward to our first student-led conferences on November 16

th and 17

th. This is a chance to celebrate the learning that

we have done thus far. Our grade 6 students will have their genius hour work on display during the conferences as well.

On November 10th we will be remembering our veterans and their sacrifice at our

school’s first Remembrance Day service. The service will begin at 10:30am. Parents are invited to attend.

Some other items of note include the start of the wrestling season on November 13

th. All students are eligible to practice with the team and there are no cuts. Practices

will all be held after school.

On December 1st we have partnered with Safe 4 Life to offer a safety training program

for tweens. This is after school hours and registration is through Safe 4 Life.

Thanks to all parents for your continued support. We look forward to a great second chapter!

Absence/Late Line for West Ridge School: (403) 817-3552, select 1 to record your

child’s absence, or late arrival

Please remember that your child’s absence, or late, should always be called into the

West Ridge School attendance line each morning prior to the start of school at 8:50am.

You may leave the absence message the night before, or anytime in the early morning

prior to the 8:50am start. Your prompt reporting of your child’s absence enables us to

track any unaccounted for student absences efficiently, which greatly contributes to the

safety of all our students!

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West Ridge School November 2017

School Zone Safety

We ask that all parents please help us in ensuring our school zone is safe. We

have had a few close calls with students running across the street to get picked

up by a parent. Please ensure you have your child cross at the corner and not in

the middle of the street. We also ask that parents do not make U-turns on any of

the roads around the school. This is not only illegal, but is very unsafe for our

students. Please also ensure you reduce your speed. Thank you so much.

School Communication

Have you been getting e-mail updates from the school through School Messenger? This is one of

the easiest and most efficient ways for us to communicate with you. If you have not yet subscribed

please consider doing so at cbe.ab.ca/subscribe. Please note that if you have not been

receiving text messages from the school you can subscribe by typing “Yes” to 724665.

We Day Alberta

Selected West Ridge students from all grades who have demonstrated strong leadership

skills and a commitment to better our school were invited to go to We Day on Nov.1st

at the

Scotiabank Saddledome. This event brings together world-renowned speakers, A-list

performers, and tens of thousands of youth to celebrate a year of action that changed

communities and lives. West Ridge students will continue these initiatives through a Me to

We club this year.

Bottle Drive

Our next school bottle drive is Thursday, November 16th. If you are interested in donating please drop your bottles off

in front of the school (look for the sign) between 7:30 am and 3pm. All proceeds go towards the grade 9 Farewell and school-wide presentations for all grade levels. Thanks for supporting the Raptors!

Raptor Shack

The school store opened on October 25th with a fantastic grand opening! The grade 9 business class has been operating, advertising, and stocking the school store and have been learning valuable lessons and having a blast. We have great deals on lunch time snacks and are beginning to bring in new items like school supplies and other lunch items. The hours will be: Monday through Thursday; 11:56 to 12:15.

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West Ridge School

Student Vote

Your community. Your future. Your vote.

Richard Pootmans, the now former city councillor

for Ward 6, came to talk to the grade 6 students

last month. He spoke about his responsibilities,

challenges and successes while working for

Calgary’s municipal government. The students

asked thoughtful, and in Mr. Pootman’s own words,

“tough” questions. The opportunity to have an

expert come to West Ridge enhanced the student’s

understanding of the role of councillor and how city

council works.

The grade six students also participated in Student Vote

a program of CIVIX. This charity is dedicated to building

the habits of active and engaged citizenship among

young Canadians. Our students focused on learning

about the priorities of the mayoral candidates and went

on to make informed decisions about who they thought

was best for the job.

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West Ridge School October 2017

Inktober

Several art students at West Ridge participated in the annual Inktober art challenge during the month of October. This challenge originates from the illustrator and animator Jake Parker who decided to put out a social media challenge to artists to draw with ink every single day for the month. Below are some pictures of students’ work from this challenge. Thank you to all those students who participated. There is so much artistic talent at West Ridge!

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The Calgary Zoo

Over 5 consecutive weeks, the grade 5 community had the opportunity

to participate in a Northern Night Sleepover.

Our overnight adventure began with a guided night tour through the Canadian Wilds where we learned

interesting facts about our backyard beasts, as well as the geography of Canada. Back inside the Cequel

Energy Lodge (our new home) students partook in activities such as constructing ‘Northern Light’ buttons,

story-telling and snack time.

Before the zoo opened the next morning, participants had a hardy buffet breakfast in the Kitamba Café, then

a sneak peek feeding of several Canadian wild animals, including cougars and wolves and bears, oh my! Stu-

dents were then responsible for collecting Da Vinci style data from wetland plants and animals.

I now get the similari-

ties & differences

between real and

manmade wetlands.

My favourite

part was

sketching the

animals up

close in their

habitat.

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West Ridge School

Remembrance Day Assembly

On Friday November 10, 2017 West Ridge will be gathering at approximately 10:30 for the Remembrance Day Assembly. This will be a solemn event, so we ask that students are respectful, and refrain from applause/cheering and talking. We will have a guest speaker, and performances from multiple grades. Community members and parents are invited to attend.

Once On This Island Auditions!

Auditions for our first school musical will take place on November 27th and 29

th, with call backs on November 30

th.

Audition materials will be made available one week prior (November 20th). All grades are welcome to audition!

Should you have any questions please contact Mrs. Lutz (kllutz@cbe.ab.ca). Looking forward to hearing all those amazing singing voices!!

Rothney Astrophysical Observatory

Coinciding with the full moon on November 4, the Grade 6 students will launch their Space-related science unit (Sky Science) with an incredible visit to Rothney Astrophysical Observatory. The observatory, associated with the University of Calgary, is located away from the light pollution of Calgary, near Priddis, Alberta.

The off-site activity will involve a hands-on exploration of the observatory and its operation, as well as smaller workshops with real astronomers and astrophysicists. The focus of the day will be to learn about our own solar system by comparing it to solar systems orbiting distant stars. Grade 6 students will be visiting the observatory on November 6, 7, and 8. West Ridge is reaching for the stars! (Check out the public nighttime stargazing events at Rothney: https://www.ucalgary.ca/rao/)

Sport Court Update

On October 16th a meeting was held between school administration, our PE team, CBE facilities, a landscape design

team, and members from the school society, West Springs Cougar Ridge Community Association, and the Wentworth Resident’s Association. The group discussed the vision for the West Ridge Sport Court. This vision has expanded because of the possibility of receiving a $250,000 grant from the Alberta government for new school playgrounds.

The group discussed many possibilities and came up with a unique vision for a sport court. The proposed sport court will contain two full size tennis courts with nets that will be left up for evening and weekend / summer use. On each side of the tennis nets will be a basketball court with nets at each end (four nets total). This area will be enclosed with 12’ black mesh fencing. Outside of this area will be three gaga pits and an eating area (to match the one currently by the playground at West Springs School). The sport court will be built next to the West Springs playground.

We are currently awaiting a detailed design from a Landscape company. Once this design is finalized it will be sent for quotes from local companies. Once these are in we will submit the completed proposal to the government for approval and look to begin construction in the spring.

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SAIT: Try A Trade!!!!!

The Grade 9’s are currently planning a school off-site activity to SAIT for the Career and Exploration Centre. The activity will take place on November 14

th and 15

th (Depending on homeroom) and will allow the students a chance to explore the

different trades and courses offered at SAIT. Students will be transported to the activity by bus and all students will be required to be at the school at the regular time and the bus will leave at 9AM. Return time well be before the end of the school day, 2:30PM.

Grade 9 Field Trip

To conclude the grade 9 novel study unit on “The Murder on the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie, we will be viewing

the movie of the same title on Friday November 24th, 2017. The curricular outcome for this film is to explore the viewing

and representing strands of the English Language Arts program of studies. This should be a fantastic opportunity to

compare and contrast the book to the movie, while enjoying some popcorn.

Take Our Kid To Work Day

November 1st was Take Our Kids to Work Day (TOKW) for the Grade 9’s. This is an annual event sponsored by the

Learning Partnership that encourages grade 9 students to spend a day with their parent/guardian at their worksite. It is an opportunity for students to develop an appreciation for the importance of staying in school, gaining exposure to skills required in today’s workplace, developing an appreciation for parents’ roles in making a living, and exploring career options in a practical way.

High School Tours

Grade 9 students at West Ridge are beginning the process of preparing for their first year at high school. High school tours are an important step in the beginning of their transition from middle school. Our students are designated to Ernest Manning High School and they have an upcoming tour for our students. The grade 9 student tour of Ernest Manning will be taking place on Thursday November 16

th, starting at 9:00 a.m. Also, all students and their parents or guardians are

invited to attend the parent information evening Open House scheduled for Thursday November 23 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

Students interested in the International Baccalaureate program at Western Canada High School were invited to a lunch

time meeting on October 25th

. The parent night for those interested in IB at Western is Wednesday November 8th

(please check the Western Canada website).

SAFE4LIFE Personal Safety Training Classes

Safe Teens: Safety Training provides practical hands on skills for teens and tweens between the ages of 12 - 15 years.

This One of a Kind Self Defense class was developed by Police Officers, specifically for Teens. In a hands on and interactive environment, the instructors will assist teens to become aware of the need for solid boundaries, avoid potentially dangerous situations, and teach them to defend against and escape a possible perpetrator. We offer a unique learning experience with highly trained facilitators, and a padded attacker posing as the perpetrator. Date: December 1, 2017 Location: West Ridge Middle School Time: 1:00pm – 4:30pm Cost: $60 per student

Registration: phone 403 701 9037 or https://tinyurl.com/WestRidgeDec1 Parents are asked to sign a waiver for youth to participate.

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West Ridge School October 2017

Senior Girls Volleyball

The Sr. Girls Raptors Volleyball continue to develop their skills into the month of November. They go into the Valley Creek Tournament with confidence November 3

rd and 4

th. They are also looking forward to division semi-finals

November 13th. Come out and support your first ever volleyball teams at West Ridge. GO RAPTORS

Senior Boys Volleyball

The Senior Boys’ Volleyball team is well into their first ever season and are doing a fantastic job of making a name for West Ridge in the volleyball community. They have spent the first half of their season learning both defensive and offensive systems and are now putting these skills to use as they match up against divisional rivals such as A.E Cross, Vincent Massey, and Bishop Pinkham. After losing their first matchup against Bishop Pinkham, the boys fought back and found their first victory over A.E Cross. The boys also played in their first tournament hosted by Valley Creek School and represented the Raptor colors with pride and physical prowess. Be sure to come support our Senior Boys on November 14

th when they matchup against Vincent Massey in our last regular season home game

of the year. Keep up the great work boys, you are making your school very proud!

Junior Boys Volleyball

The Junior Boys Volleyball team is having a successful time on the court as they are 2-2 so far in the season. The boys play on the court has been strong and for a young team they have shown a lot of maturity. In the Valley Creek tournament the boys went to the final where they put up a valiant fight but lost to a very strong team from Tom Baines Jr. High. We are looking for the boys to finish the season strong and hope to see them go deep into the playoffs. The players and coaches want to thank the Junior Girls for helping out at our games and for all the parents and West Ridge students who have been there to cheer us on.

Developmental Volleyball

What a great time we have had working with seventy young athletes on the developmental volleyball team. All athletes have improved so much! We were able to take students to two tournaments. The grade 7’s participated in a tournament at McKenzie Highlands School where they went through the round robin undefeated and then lost a close battle in the gold medal match. The grade 6 team was able to compete at a tournament at Sherwood School where they captured the third place title. The season concludes November 8

th with our final fun mini-tournament.

Wrestling

Raptors wrestling is returning this November and Novice Boys are already excited to defend their division banner that they earned through hard work and determination last year. Come out and join the wrestling team! Everyone from grade 5 to 9 can join this no cut team! The Raptors wrestling team is lucky to have some very experienced and passionate coaches, amongst those is none other than your fearless leader Mr. O’Shaughnessy. The wrestling team will be participating in many tournaments this year, so come out and get your mat on! See you on the mat Raptors!

Soccer Windup

We had a fantastic end of year to our inaugural soccer season at West Ridge. The girls won their last soccer game on a free kick in extra time and the boys continued to battle hard even though they were the youngest team in their division. Way to go Raptors!!!!

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West Ridge School October 2017

School Council Report

Hi Parents of West Ridge Students!

Hard to believe that October is behind us. We have lots going on at the school in the next couple months. Please make sure to sign up to receive School Messenger messages about important events. Thank you to those who attended our council meeting on October 2

nd where the grade 6 teachers shared their classroom happenings with us. We look

forward to hearing from the grade 7 teachers at the next meeting on November 6th. Hope to see you all there!

We would like to thank all the parents who helped out with the special lunches and staff appreciation!!

Thank you to Lori Zac for the Apple Fundraiser!

Thank you Nichole Vorel and Leah Saffran-Hunter and all those who are helping with the GC Fundraiser!

Dates to Remember

*Staff Appreciation November 3rd

*WRSC Meeting November 6

th 6:30pm-7:45pm

*Special Lunch November 9th

- Boston Pizza

*No school November 17th

*Special Lunch November 23rd

– Chopped Leaf

Please remember to sign up for special lunch on the Healthy Hunger site. https://www.healthyhunger.ca/ . Thank you to those who placed orders. The money made from orders gets kicked back to the students. We will be trying out new vendors so check out Healthy Hunger for updates.

Also please remember to sign up to help out with the staff appreciation lunches through SignUp Genius. Please check our Facebook page for upcoming events - we are going to be creating events for things such as WRSC meetings and social events. Please like or follow us.

Tamara Remillard

Chair, West Ridge School Council

WRSCouncil@gmail.com

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West Ridge School November 2017