On the Horizon at TRS!
October 19- Non-Instruction Day
October 22-October 30- Alien In-Line Skating
October 29- Fun Lunch #1 & Halloween Dance
November 11-15- Fall Break
November 16-19- Swimming
November 19 and 20-Conferences
November 27- Non-Instruction Day
Happy Friday, TRS Families!! We have had a wonderful week of learning at Terrace Road, concluded today by our first Family Friday of the year! Kids were split into cross-grade groups, and distributed around the school with different teachers and in different spaces! Ms. Hassen and myself were in the gym doing activities with our amazing group of 25!!! A shout out to our grade 5/6 leaders who supported younger students in navigating to their spaces.
Student Pick-up?
Please phone the office prior to coming to the door, as this will allow us to have them waiting for you in the office once you are here, rather than spending time tracking down students once you arrive.
Smart Technology and Students
We have recently had a number of cases of parents and students texting via smart watches. Just a reminder that this is prohibited, not only at Terrace Road School, but in every school in Alberta. For the first infraction, students will be asked to put their device in their backpacks. For the second, the device will be taken to the office and kept in a safe spot until the end of the day. The third infraction will require a parent to come into the office to pick up the device and for a meeting with the myself. For further information, please see the links below:
CBE Administrative Regulation 6008
Halloween at TRS
We love Halloween at TRS! We will have our Halloween dance on October 29 with k-2 students attending from 6-6:45 p.m. and grades 3-6 students attending from 7-8:00 p.m.We will also have our annual Halloween parade on Friday morning at 10:45 to allow our morning kindergarten to participate.
Some guidelines:
-please no blood or gore
-keep costumes age-appropriate
-no weapons of any kind at school, even on Halloween
Literacy and Numeracy Reports
Families of students in grades 1-5 will receive a sealed envelope from their child's teacher on the week of the 26th. Within, there will be reports from recent literacy and numeracy screening diagnostics that we have completed during September. These results will serve as information to guide our practice as a school in ensuring our teaching practice is responsive to student needs.
TRS Fall Family Survey
We are trying to break our record for responses! We are currently at 56!! Please consider taking a few minutes to complete the TRS Fall Family Survey. The data we collect helps us to make informed decisions about programming for our community, and helps us to best understand the needs of the community. The survey can be accessed HERE.
Alien-Inline Skating
One of our traditions at TRS!! There will be additional information coming home soon regarding our inline skating program that we offer yearly, as well as fees applied to your mycbe/powerschool account. Please ensure that fees are paid promptly! All students are welcomed to take part in this activity!
Alberta Education Early Years Assessments
Students from grades 1-5 have been completing provincial diagnostics that will be used to understand strengths and gaps in learning for our teachers, and where we need to focus our instruction. Parents will be receiving a sealed envelope with student results enclosed from October 26-October 30.
Communication Strategy
If you have ANY questions regarding your child's learning, please DO NOT wait until November conferences to ask these questions. Please contact your child's teacher and arrange to meet either in-person or over the phone/online.
At Terrace Road School, we believe strong communication with families is essential to supporting student success and ensuring that there are no surprises at student conferences or during reporting periods. Throughout the year, we use a variety of intentional communication strategies to keep families informed about their child’s learning and progress. Teaching teams will use plastic zipper folders to regularly send home artifacts of learning, accompanied by rubrics and other assessment information so families can see what their child is learning and how they are progressing. Classroom blogs will be updated weekly to provide a window into classroom learning, while the Principal’s Week at a Glance will keep families connected to important school-wide information, events, and reminders. These ongoing communications are complemented by meetings, phone calls, and emails when more individualized communication is needed. Together, these approaches create a continuous partnership between home and school, ensuring that families have a clear understanding of their child’s learning, strengths, areas for growth, and next steps well before formal reporting times.
Evolving Understanding of Engagement
One of our goals at TRS is to continue building student perseverence and engagement/agency in learning. We also want parents to have a robust understanding of learning looks like within our classrooms! I encourage families to continue reading teacher blogs and checking out our instagram page @terraceroadcbe . At the end of the school day, the typical question, which seldom elicits a useful answer is "How was school today?" Boring. Good. Bad. Meh... some questions to try instead might be:
The goal is to spark conversation, build connection, encourage reflection, and help children feel heard.
1. What was the best part of your day?
Helps children reflect on positive experiences and share what matters to them.
2. What is something new you learned today?
Encourages children to think about their learning and recognize their growth.
3. Who did you spend time with today?
Opens the door to conversations about friendships, belonging, and relationships.
4. What was something challenging today?
Helps children recognize challenges as a natural part of learning and building resilience.
5. Did you do something kind for someone, or did someone do something kind for you?
Builds awareness of kindness, empathy, and the little things that make a community special.
6. What made you laugh or smile today?
Invites fun, lighthearted conversation and helps children share joyful moments.
7. What is something you are proud of today?
Encourages confidence, independence, and an appreciation for effort rather than just achievement.
8. Was there a time today when you helped someone or needed help?
Reinforces collaboration, problem-solving, and the importance of asking for support.
9. How did you feel at school today?
Creates space for children to talk about their emotions, friendships, worries, and sense of belonging.
10. What is something you are looking forward to tomorrow?
Encourages optimism and gives parents insight into what excites or motivates their child.
Tips...
- Ask one or two questions at a time. Children may be tired after a full day of learning and socializing.
- Share your own answers, too. Connection feels more natural when conversations go both ways.
- Listen without immediately fixing things. If your child shares a problem, try asking, “Would you like me to listen, or would you like help figuring it out?”
A bonus question worth asking every day: “Is there anything you want me to know about your day that I haven't asked?”
Sometimes, the most meaningful conversations happen when children realize they can share the good, the difficult, and everything in between.