Greetings Martindale community:

I trust this finds you well after a lovely summer. 

School officially begins Thursday, August 29th.    Our start time remains 8:00 AM.    

Parenting can be a difficult job.   As we partner with you as a school to make sure your children are safe, happy and learning, we need to work together.    We generally want most of the assignments and tasks completed at school with the support of professionally trained teachers.   They know the best ways to help students understand material and how to assess their growth.  CBE students do receive some work at home in the form of review and assignment completion, but the emphasis is working diligently at school with the support of teachers.    

This means that the main thing we need from families is to help us get your students to school on time and regularly!   This is job number one.   Everyone wants their child to be educated and to have opportunities.   It starts with showing up on time, coming as often as possible and focusing on tasks.

We appreciate you not sending students to school when sick!   It impacts the entire community.

To support your children, we need to use our time at school wisely. 

Consider the following numbers:

·         CBE students are in school (instructional days): 181 days

·         For most students, it’s about 170 days in school.  This is because the average student is sick or absent for different reasons around 7- 8 days a year.   

·         Approximately 40-50 students are late by 5 minutes or more per day.   Over a year, this equates to over 14 hours or learning over a year- or 3 days of school.  That’s a lot of learning!

·         Students are dismissed from school at 2:30pm and at noon on Fridays.   This means they typically have several hours before bedtime to play or engage in other activities, which is also important. 

·         All of this means that school time and instructional time is precious and we want to make sure students are here and attentive.

These out of school times add up to far more than time in school for students in any province in Canada (Alberta has the most school days for students).   Outside of school moments are good times for them to use their phones or mobile devices for entertainment or communicating- while staying focused on their studies at school.  This brings us to another big topics- cell phones and mobile devices!

The Albert government has new policies governing personal mobile devices (PMDs) in school and the CBE has formulated policies accordingly. 

Here's what you need to know- as outlined by the Calgary Board of Education and how it relates to Crossing Park School. 

Personal Mobile Device and Social Media Restrictions in Grades K-9

As you may have already heard, CBE is implementing restrictions on Personal Mobile Device & Social Media Use in Schools effective Aug. 29. This policy will comply with the Ministerial Order provided by the Government of Alberta this past June based on survey feedback provided by families.

CBE cares about the mental health and well-being of students. Restricting access to personal mobile devices and social media is expected to improve student achievement and learning outcomes. CBE strongly recommends students simply leave their devices at home, because in most cases, personal mobile devices are not needed to support student learning.

For students in kindergarten to Grade 9, CBE will use ‘away for the day’ guidelines similar to what many schools have been using in recent years. Personal mobile devices brought to school including cell phones, tablets, gaming devices, laptops, smart watches, Bluetooth speakers/headphones or any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate with or access the internet must be powered off or set in silent mode and stored out of sight in student backpacks or other designated area for the duration of the school day.

If a student is found to be using a personal mobile device in class without permission from the teacher, the CBE will work with the student to ensure the rules are understood. We rely on good communication and other existing processes to ensure students know what is expected. When necessary, schools will use a progressive student discipline approach in working with students.  This means that consequences for infractions will be implemented on a case by case basis to support a safe and respectful environment.

These new rules will apply to all students, with exceptions for students using devices for health and medical needs, to support specialized learning needs and for educational purposes.

Students who require access to a personal mobile device for health and medical needs, it is advised that parents complete and submit a Student Health Plan as soon as possible.   If this relates to your family, please contact:

 Student Services: for grades 7-9, Ms. Carrie Lyons: cllyons@cbe.ab.ca

OR

For K-6, Ms. Ashley Bates: aslbates@cbe.ab.ca

For students who require access to a personal mobile device to support an identified educational need, families should contact the school to discuss this being included as an accommodation or support in the student’s individual program plan (IPP).

For English as an Additional Language Learners who require access to a personal mobile device, a new PMD Exception EAL form will be approved by School Administration in conversation with parents/guardians.  These forms will be sent to parents of students identified by teachers and administration as benefiting from a PMD for their learning.   Not all students with an EAL designation need or benefit from the technology.

This policy will be in place for the first day of school. However, it is set to be reviewed in December, 2024. At that time, any feedback from schools will be considered before the Administrative Regulation is finalized as of Jan. 1, 2025.

Thank you for helping us to make this transition successful. For further resources, please view additional information on our website.

Again, this is a mandate from the Alberta government, and we have taken steps to help our students be "safe, happy, and learning" here at Crossing Park.   

While it can be an adjustment for many, we know there are many benefits when student PMDs are regulated and appreciate your support.   Remember the vast majority of students do not need to bring these devices to school.   If you need to communicate with your child due to an emergency, please call the school.   

Ultimately, we all want to support new measures to focus on student growth and success!   If you have any questions or concerns, we are here to help.  

Yours in Safe, Happy, Learning

Mr. Andrew Bews

Principal

Crossing Park School