Greetings Crossing Park families:
I hope everyone enjoyed the Family Day weekend. While temperatures have been fairly mild this winter compared to other years, the last 2 weeks have been remarkably cold! I hope you have all stayed warm.
Celebrations: Safe, happy, learning. These are the 3 most important things you as parents want to know your children are experiencing in school. In previous messages, I've highlighted the "safe and happy" aspect, and I'm pleased to highlight some of the learning as well. The CBE is very much focused on improving achievement in the areas of English Language Arts and Literature and Mathematics. Here at Crossing Park School, our focus on using oral language development to support English as another language learning (EAL) has been highly successful. As the Principal, I had the privilege of sharing our success with the Board of Trustees and Superintendents where I showcased Crossing Park School as a place of excellence based on data.
We know that kids can excel when they are able to show their knowledge in a variety of ways. Research suggests that speaking and listening need to be considered as much or even more than written expression. Our teachers have used research backed strategies such as "talk moves" to provide a well-rounded strategy for learning and assessment. This has helped accurately gauge growth and achievement as students are provided with a supportive framework to guide more well-reasoned and insightful responses.
While we witnessed growth at all division levels as a K-9 community, there are a couple of key Report Card data points to be highlighted.
Academic data also shows a 19% increase in higher achievement levels for Division 1 students after implementing talk moves as a community-wide strategy.
Through oral language strategies we have also observed Mathematics achievement levels improve across divisions. A key data point showing double digit (over 10%) improvements in achievement was highlighted by assessment data noted through the Division 2 math report card stem "Uses mathematical reasoning to analyze and solve problems".
In other words, you as parents can feel confident that your children at Crossing Park School are safe, happy and learning a lot!
Weather matters: As per CBE policy, when the temperature reaches -20c with windchill, students stay in for lunch and recess. I know many students look forward to getting outside more frequently and forecasts suggest that we are (hopefully) out of the worst of winter in a couple of days' time! Regardless, it is important to note that we want students to dress for the weather. Calgary brings a full range of weather from harsh cold, to sunny and hot, rainy, windy and so on. Thanks for helping support your children with dressing accordingly.
Pick-ups and drop-offs: This is also a reminder that despite any weather conditions, the staff parking lot is closed for drop-offs. We have a clear sign in a number of languages to help support this message as it relates to safety. Again, we all want to see students safe around traffic and it is the responsibility of drivers to obey signs and rules of the road. As the weather improves, we encourage kids to walk to school whenever possible. We are lucky to have a school in a community that is considered a walk-zone, and this means that driving and drop-offs should be limited. This means safer roads, exercise and a chance for students to exercise their growing independence. If you have concerns about traffic safety, please call the City of Calgary at 3-1-1. For dangerous events, please call the Calgary Police Service. The school is happy to promote traffic safety, but cannot enforce it.
Lastly, when your children are involved in any after school program, it is vital that someone is ready to pick them up at the events conclusion. Teachers, coaches and supervisors are volunteering their time and need to account for each child until they are safely picked up. Families who are chronically late picking up their children may be contacted and their children's involvement in events could be revoked in some cases. We certainly don't want this to occur, so please plan accordingly and be on time.
Some Important Dates for Your Reference:
Willy Wonka Musical: Thank you to everyone who has signed up to support the Crossing Park School musical. Ms. Solarski and Mr. Scott are both so excited to work with all the students who signed up. Please stay tuned for important information on the production!
Bridge Club - The first group will conclude on February 4, and the second group will begin on February 25. Times and location will remain the same.
March 20: 3:30-7:30pm & March 21: 8am-12pm – Student led conferences. This is a chance for students to discuss their progress, growth and achievement with parents and teachers present to help guide any questions. We look forward to seeing you as partnering with families around student success is always a benefit!
March 22-30: Spring Break! March 31: First Day back after Spring Break
As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions and we are happy to help.
Proudly supporting a Safe, happy, learning school environment.