Dates to Remember
February 11- Pink & Red Day at TRS
February 12-13- Teachers' Convention (no school for students)
February 16- Family Day (no school for students)
February 26- School Council- Hybrid
February 27- Non-Instruction Day
March 5- Evening Student-Led Conferences
March 13- Afternoon Student-Led Conferences
March 19- Last Day of Classes
March 20- Professional Learning Day
March 21-29- Spring Break
March 30- Classes Resume
April 3- Good Friday
As we head into the week ahead, we are looking forward to a very short but productive week of learning at Terrace Road School. Please note that Monday, February 16 is Family Day, and there will be no school for students on Thursday and Friday this week due to the Calgary City Teachers’ Convention. This means students will be in attendance Tuesday and Wednesday only. We appreciate your continued support in helping students arrive ready to learn during our brief time together, and we look forward to making the most of these two days.
Learning Commons Update
January was about getting back into the swing of things after Winter Break! We celebrated Lunar New Year with displays and activities that highlighted culture, traditions, and stories from around the world. Library Club finally got rolling, bringing together enthusiastic students eager to share their love of reading and help shape our library space. On top of that, a fresh batch of exciting new books arrived, giving everyone plenty of new titles to explore and enjoy.
Alberta Education Assurance Survey
The Alberta Education Assurance Survey is an important opportunity for students, parents, and teachers to share their perspectives on learning, school climate, and overall well-being at Terrace Road School. Students in Grades 4–6, along with parents and teachers, are invited to participate. Parents will receive their random access codes via email, which are required to complete the survey. We are now at 30+ surveys completes. Please access the link HERE. Randome access codes were emailed to families two weeks ago.
Our Work With Our School Development Plan
Each week, I will be adding a section to this communication that will be a showcase for the work we are doing in regards to our School Development Plan. At our February School Council Meeting, I will take take to go into more detail about our published school development plan, and the amazing things happenig at TRS as we work towards continual improvement.
Part of work within the "SDP" is to focus on student engagement in learning. Engagement is multi-faceted and complex, and lives on a continuum from Disrupting <---------------> Driving Learning. Our goal is to get kids to the 'driving' section of the continuum to ensure they have to skills to be independent learners, in age appropriate ways.
This past week, I was able to be in a 5/6 class after receiving our "Drop Everything" invitation. Students were engaged in learning about roles within the government, understanding the breadth and depth of each role, and then picking fictitious characters that could play those roles. The key is that students had to be able to 'argue' and support their selections with sound evidence that showcases their research, understanding and critical thinking skills.
Internal Fund-Raiser- New Laminator
Our laminator at TRS is dying a slow and painful death. The laminator is a tool that we use routinely to support learning across each grade in our school. Because our school funds and council have limited resources this year, we have opened up a fundraising and donations page to support us in purchasing a new laminator via Education Matters. The great thing about Education Matters is that nearly 100% of the donation goes directly to the school, which is great when we are fundraising for specific items. Please access the Terrace Road School Fundraising Page here: https://www.educationmatters.ca/schools/terrace-road-school. Thank you so much for your support!
TRS Flex Time- After-School Learning Support
We are excited to introduce TRS Flex – Homework Help, a new after-school learning support opportunity for students. TRS Flex will take place every Wednesday from 3:15–4:00 p.m. in the Learning Commons and will be facilitated by Mr. Buchanan and Ms. Hassen, beginning January 21.
This program is intended to support students who may need extra assistance with assignments or learning concepts. Students are encouraged to bring work they would like help with, ask questions, and strengthen their understanding in a calm, small-group environment.
A parent consent form was sent home last week. Once permission is received, students may choose to sign up on a weekly basis, depending on their individual needs. Participation is flexible and designed to respond to student learning needs as they arise.
We are pleased to offer this additional support and look forward to helping our students build confidence, skills, and independence in their learning.
Have a great week, TRS! My door is always open!
Take care,
Dan