It’s October and we have now been in school for one month! 

We hope that everyone had a chance to reflect and further their understanding on Saturday for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As part of our commitment to learning about this important time in Canadian history, each class created orange shirts with key messages about belonging. They are hanging in the windows of each classroom. We hope that you can spend a few extra minutes touring the school to see our messages today (what a beautiful day to be outside!) or tomorrow during drop off/pick up. There is also a collection of painted rocks, courtesy of our grade 2 students, surrounding our Canadian flag that share messages of hope and the importance of belonging.  We wish to thank our grade 4 students for sharing their thoughts and the read aloud “Walking Together” at our assembly last Thursday as well as Indigenous person Clarence Wolfleg Junior who shared his drumming with us. His message reminds us that we are all “walking together in a good way”.

Thank you to the volunteers who assisted us with our Terry Fox Run last Thursday. We wish to also thank Ms. Harvey and the students who shared an important message of hope to ‘try like Terry’.

Tuesday October 3 is picture day. Lifetouch photography will be set up in the school taking individual photos. All students must be photographed to be included in our PowerSchool database. Families wishing to purchase individual student photos can do so through the Lifetouch website once the images have been uploaded. Please see the company’s website for tips on how to make the most of your child’s photo opportunity.

October is a busy month for celebrations and recognitions. For a full list of important dates of significance please visit the CBE website https://cbe.ab.ca/registration/calendars/Pages/dates-of-significance.aspx . Throughout October we recognize German and Latin American Heritage months as well as Canadian Islamic and Women’s History months. This week specifically, we recognize October 2 as Custodial Appreciation Day. We are very fortunate to have Mr. Romeo and Ms. Izha as part of our CPS family. They do an amazing job of keeping our school clean, so beautiful in fact that they have been recognized by our Area 1 office for their outstanding work! Thank you to you both!

October 5 is a day of significance for two reasons. First, it is International Walk to School Day. We encourage everyone to take an opportunity this Thursday to plan a few extra minutes of commuting time and get some great morning exercise by walking to school. Even if you live in Arbour Lake, consider parking a few blocks from the school and walking onto school grounds. Every little bit helps our physical and mental well-being to start the day off right. And who knows, maybe this becomes a habit for the remainder of the year… Secondly, October 5 is World Teacher’s Day. As an admin team, we are grateful for the outstanding teachers at CPS who give so much of themselves each day for your children. Their commitment to a job that is both very demanding and extremely rewarding is commendable. Whether it’s a public shout out or a personal thank you, we hope you will take a minute of your day to show appreciation and recognize their efforts.

Citadel Park School Council would like to remind families that there are two ‘fun lunch’ opportunities this month. Popcorn day will be held for students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 on Thursday October 12. Fun lunch (Subway) for students in grades 1-5 will be held Thursday October 26. Please visit Healthy Hunger to sign up for popcorn and fun lunches throughout the year. Council would also like to remind CPS families that the next council meeting will be held Tuesday October 11 at 6:30 pm. More details will follow in next week’s message. Lastly, council would like to remind families of the ongoing "Apple Fundraiser" they are hosting. Please see the specific message sent last week about this fundraising opportunity. 

Finally, we have our third Friday of the year so far! This week's Fashion Friday is 'dress like a teacher' day in honour of World Teacher's Day!

Have a great week! 

The Admin Team