Good afternoon everybody. We hope that you are having a great weekend. I can't believe that we are already into the month of October! It has been an awesome month at A.E. Cross School and there are many events that are upcoming. Please see the latest edition of the Colts' Community Chronicle below. Have a wonderful week and a fantastic Thanksgiving next weekend!

Randy Lewis
Principal, A.E. Cross School

Colt's Community Chronicle | Oct. 2-6

Important Dates

Friday, October 6 Chew and Chat Breakfast
Monday, October 9 Thanksgiving Day – No School
Tuesday, October 17 School Photo Retakes
Thursday, October 19 School Council Meeting
Friday, October 20 Non-Instructional Day

Colt's Athletics

For all Athletic information visit A.E. Cross School Athletics page.

Cross Country

Thank you and congratulations to all our Cross-Country athletes for a great season. Please wash and return the jersey to Mrs. Brown. A big thank you to our coaches, Mrs. Brown and Mr. Cancio. If your child was on this team, please check MyCBE/PowerSchool to pay the team fees.

Boys and Girls Soccer 

• Boys and girls soccer teams have one match remaining in the regular season. If your child is on the team, the team fees have been added to your MyCBE/Powerschool account. Please pay those as soon as possible so the school can pay for referees.
• Thank you to the girls on our school soccer team for a couple of hard played matches. You've shown great sportsmanship and represented our school well! Go Colts!
• Boys’ Soccer Game – Tuesday, October 3 – 4:30 pm at A.E. Cross vs. West Ridge
• Boys’ Soccer Playoffs begin on Tuesday, October 10
• Girls’ Soccer Game – Monday, October 2 – 4:30 pm at A.E. Cross vs. West Ridge
• Girls’ Soccer Playoffs begin on Wednesday, October 11

Basketball 

• Please check your MyCBE for team fees.

Students are not allowed to go to other schools to watch games unless they are supervised by THEIR OWN parent/guardian.

• Please check with your coaches about upcoming practice schedules.
• Junior Boys Games – Wednesday, October 4 – 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm at Bishop Pinkham
• Senior Boys Games – Wednesday, October 4 – 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm at Griffith Woods
• Girls Games – Thursday, October 5 – 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm at Bishop Pinkham

If you have any further questions please contact Jace Richards at jarichards@cbe.ab.ca

Basketball Spectator Expectations 

We remind spectators that while at the school watching games, there are no in and out privileges and CBE code of conduct for students still applies. We all wish to enjoy watching our student athletes compete in a respectful and safe environment. We have also come to a decision as a basketball division (Bishop Pinkham, AE Cross, Griffith Woods, Mount Royal, Vincent Massey, and West Ridge Schools) that any student wishing to be a spectator at away games must be accompanied by a parent/guardian for the duration of the game.

Bell Schedule 2023-2024

See our Contact Us page.

Healthy Hunger Fun Lunches

Families can start setting up their orders through the Healthy Hunger website. Please ensure that when ordering lunch for your student you pick your student's homeroom teacher.

Future Healthy Hunger/Fun Lunch dates can be found below:

• October 19, 2023 – Edo Japan
• November 23, 2023 – A & W
• December 14, 2023 – Mucho Burrito
• January 25, 2024 – Subway
• February 29, 2024 – A & W
• March 21, 2024 – Boston Pizza
• April 18, 2024 – Edo Japan
• May 16, 2024 – Mucho Burrito

Lunchtime Expectations

Please see our Lunchtime page.

OurSCHOOL Survey Information

A. E. Cross School will be participating in an online school perception survey for students called the OurSCHOOL Student Survey. This anonymous survey is completely voluntary for all CBE students. Please find the details of the survey implementation below.

CBE’s Education Plan prioritizes student voice and well-being in our decision-making processes. Responses from this survey are used at the system and school level to recognize and improve what is necessary for students to feel safe, welcome, and cared for when at school.

Grades 4-12 students provide feedback on:

• sense of belonging
• positive relationships
• anxiety
• feeling safe at school
• life satisfaction
• general health
• orientation to well-being
• goal-oriented
• self-regulation
• cultural awareness of others

Additionally, Grades 6-12 students provide feedback on:

• depression
• self-esteem
• cultural awareness of self

School Council

The next school council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 19 at 7:00 pm in the Learning Commons at A.E. Cross School.

Do you have skills and time to share with the School Council or the Parent's Association this school year? We welcome anyone interested in an informal or formal role to email us at aecrosscouncil@gmail.com. During the June AGM an executive was elected and we have a number of other volunteers who have offered to fill other roles (thank you!). Some of the roles that we are still looking for are below - we welcome you to join us as many hands make light work! Many positions do not require attendance at the regular meetings and can be done from home or the roles can be shared.

We are looking for volunteer(s) for the following positions (no experience needed!):

Association:

• Casino Coordinator: Coordinate details of casino events, ensures compliance with licensing conditions and works in conjunction with AGLC to obtain and maintain a gaming license for the Province of Alberta. We just completed a casino event (thank you volunteers!) so this position will have minimal work for this school year and then would involve coordination of the next casino event which is expected in about 18 months.
• Shadow Treasurer to take over role in 2024-25: Our current treasurer is graduating from the school after this school year. We are proactively looking for a Treasurer who could shadow the role and take over for next school year.

Counci:

• Council of School Councils (COSC) Liaison: Attend COSC meetings (last year they were all virtual) and provide update on key items to at the general meetings.
• Band Liaison: Act as liasion between the School Council and the Music Parent's Association (your child must be registered in band)
• Spanish Liasion: Support and advocate for the students in the Spanish program and act as liasion between the School Council, school administration and the Spanish program.
• Volunteer Coordinator: Recruit and co-ordinate parent and community volunteers at the school and to ensure that all volunteers have appropriate police clearance to perform volunteer duties at the school.
• Staff Appreciation Coordinator(s): Spearhead and organize staff appreciation evens.
• Fundraising Coordinator(s): Co-ordinate fundraising activities and social events that encourage school spirit among students, staff and parents.
• Grant Writer and/or Coordinator(s): Research, coordinate, support and/or write grants. One focus for this will be on grants to support revitalization/replacement/improvement of technology at AEC over the coming years.
• Communications Coordinator: Oversee Council and Association communication and liase with administration on school communications.
• Grade 9 Farewell Committee Coordinator(s): Liase with school to support organization of Grade 9 Farewell to be held in June 2024.
• Back Up Shopper: Shop for approved items on an as needed basis (reimbursed). Examples include: chew and chat supplies, event supplies, snack cupboard items, etc.

School Forms

There are a variety of different forms that parents are asked to complete at the start of each school year. The completion of these forms has been moved online to SchoolEngage. The following forms can be completed via SchoolEngage:

• Demographic Verification Form
• Annual Authorization Form, which includes:
  • School District Use of Personal Information
  • Consent for CBE Use of Student Information
  • Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party)

SchoolEngage can be accessed through the following link: SchoolEngage.

Should you need any of the above forms printed for you, please contact the main office.

Ski School

The list of students selected for Ski School is posted on the PE board outside the gym for students to check. Students on the wait list will be informed of their registration if other students drop out. Forms and fee information will come home in November.

We are looking for parent volunteers for this event. Your child does not have to be involved in the trip and you do not need any ski experience. The dates are Jan 10 and Jan 17. Please email Mr. Richards if you are interested. Jarichards@cbe.ab.ca.

Social Media Reminders

It is extremely important to monitor your childrens’ online presence. Make sure that they are not posting anything that might get them in trouble in the future. Here are a few tips for you to help you with your children and social media:

• Understand the apps.
• Understand that all social media is advertisement.
• Create a media plan.
• Have an honest conversation.
• Listen to your teen.
• Model positive social media behavior.
• Non-negotiable limits.

Spanish Bilingual Program

Overview of the Spanish Language Virtual Exchange Program

The virtual exchanges will run for a duration of 6 weeks each, dates are shown in the table below. Students from Alberta (Grade 9) will be matched with a partner in Spain or Mexico and will participate in one-to-one video conference meetings to support each other in their language and culture learning goals. Themes and topics for discussion will be provided to support the students in their conversations with each other.

The application deadline for the Mexico program is October 15, 2023 and the application deadline for the Spain program is January 15, 2024.

Let Sra. Hernández know that you are interested!

¡Es una oportunidad fabulosa!

Chinook Learning Services offers courses specifically designed for parents and caregivers of CBE Spanish Bilingual students. For Fall 2023, Chinook Learning Services is once again offering Spanish for Parents – Level 1 classes. This eight-week course will help parents of bilingual students learn or refresh their Spanish language skills, build their network of bilingual parents and support their children’s learning at home.

Please visit Chinook Learning Services for more information.

Student Pick-up and Drop-Off

We have noticed that parents who are picking up and dropping off students are sometimes parking in our bus zone adjacent to the school on 33 Avenue. This is making it difficult for our school buses to pick up and drop off students. Please avoid parking in the bus zone so that our students are able to access their transportation safely. Thank you for your attention to this.

Two Wheel View Bike Program

The bike program starts Wednesday Oct 4 and runs each Wednesday until Dec 6 from 4- 6pm. This program is full.

Volunteering at A.E. Cross

There will be activities done at A.E. Cross that require parent volunteers. In order to volunteer for events occurring at the school, parents must complete an Annual Volunteer Registration Form.