Week at a Glance ~ September 7-11
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What a great first week! We welcomed close to 500 students into 22 classrooms! Even with some minor tweaks to door changes and an indoor recess/lunch the week was a success! We even practiced a fire drill! The upcoming week continues to show precipitation in the forecast. Parents are urged to include a change of clothes in their child’s backpack (pants, shirt, socks). Our field will be quite wet and muddy this week with all the rain we have had and having a spare set of is helpful in case of ‘accidents’. Our hope is for nicer weather, particularly for the end of the week for the School Council sponsored picnic which will take place Friday September 11 after school (12:40 pm). All children must have an adult present to participate. For details, please see previous email sent to families. Speaking of school council, the first meeting of the CPS School Council and Parent Association will take place this Wednesday September 9, 2026 at 6:30 pm. All parents/guardians who have children attending Citadel Park School are members of council. We urge everyone to attend either virtually (see link below) or in-person to learn about the amazing volunteer opportunities available to support student learning at our school. Microsoft Teams CPS School Council Meeting Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/298880602937009?p=z65q8tlv572sh3cFhb Meeting ID: 298 880 602 937 009 Passcode: 7T5Nr9Mh We would like to thank the many families who are adhering to the traffic and parking signage around the school and for refraining from entering our bus loop until after 9:15 am. Last week we did receive an email from one of our neighbours who lives on the east side of Citadel Drive expressing concern about parent vehicles blocking their driveway. We ask that parents/guardians be mindful and avoid inconveniencing residents who live across the street. Many of the families who are blocking driveways are also jaywalking with children across the street. Please always choose safety over convenience and respect the rights of property owners along Citadel Drive. If your children are dropped off by a day home or day care, please also share this information with them. It is no surprise that the end of the day can be quite busy in the office. With over 300 students moving onto four busses and remaining students exiting through a variety of doors, it can be hectic. We would like to remind families whose children ride the bus that if they are not riding, the office should be informed no later than 2:45 pm that day. A call to the office and/or an email to the Citadel inbox (citadel@cbe.ab.ca) is required. We only have 10 minutes to dismiss and load busses to ensure our drivers are on time for their next route. Please help us dismiss safely by clearly communicating with our office staff in a timely manner. We would like to remind families that our dismissal is 3:12 pm. This week we had several children in the office well past 3:30pm. While we understand that delays can occur and children will always remain safe, our office staff are unable to provide childcare. If you recognize you may be late for pick up, please contact our school office as soon as possible. If your meeting spot with your child is outside, please show them how to get to the office and ring the bell in case you are delayed. Similarly, we are encouraging all families to begin and maintain healthy school attendance habits. When children continually arrive late to school it is interruption for them as well as their peers. We have classes immediately moving to music and PE upon entering and it can be confusing to children if they can’t locate their class. Alberta Education considers anything over 10% to be chronic absenteeism (about 1.5 days/month). The CBE shares the following information regarding attendance: Did you know? ■ By grade 3, students with regular attendance are more likely to read at grade level. ■ By grade 6, regular attendance is a predictor of high school completion. ■ By grade 9, regular attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than test scores. ■ Students who attend daily are less likely to fall behind in school. ■ Concerns with school attendance may indicate other challenges in a student’s life. ■ Regular school attendance is an important life skill on the path to graduation and future employment. Tips for improving your child’s school attendance: ■ Listen and show an interest in your child’s day. ■ Encourage your child to do well in school and praise their success. ■ Help your child maintain daily routines such as eating breakfast, turning off electronics two hours before bedtime and going to bed early. ■ If possible, try to schedule dental and medical appointments after school hours or on PD days ■ Send your child to school unless sick. ■ It may be a concern if your child is often sick, complains about going to school and/or struggles with schoolwork. ■ Ask for help from the school before the problem gets too big. No problem is too small. Work with your school to find solutions to improve your child’s attendance. Upcoming Dates:
Fashion Friday will be ‘wear sunglasses’ in hopes of bringing on the sun for the picnic! Have a great week! The Admin Team |
Citadel Park School |
