Principal's Message
Good afternoon Ian Bazalgette Community.
As the leaves begin to fall, with temperatures set to get cooler, it is important to remind students to dress appropriately for the weather. Also, another reminder that classes begin at 8:00 am every day. Monday through Thursday, classes end at 2:32 pm. On Friday, classes end at 12:16 pm.
Quick Reminder of Important Upcoming Events and School Information:
- Basketball tryouts and Dance auditions continue this week.
- Cross-Country meets and Soccer games beging this week.
- Student Photos. Sept. 19
- Terry Fox Run Sept. 20
- Meet The Teacher Evening on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. The school will be open between 6:00-7:30 pm.
- September 26 is Orange Shirt Day
- September 27 is a Non-Instructional Day (No Classes).
- September 30 is a Non-Instructional Day - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (No Classes).
Personal Mobile Device & Social Media Use in Schools
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 lockers, 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.
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.
For 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 or contact Mrs. Tanya Miller in student services.
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 form will be approved by School Administration in conversation with parents/guardians.
Also, aligned with the Ministerial Order, the CBE will restrict student access to all known social media platforms on the CBE network.
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.
New Portable
Throughout the province cities and schools are experiencing unprecedented population growth. This has meant expanding schools through portable modular classrooms. At Ian Bazalgette, we are currently finishing the installation of an additional modular classroom (portable). Students will notice that there is protective fencing around the work being done. Please remind students that they are not to climb on such fencing.
City of Calgary Transportation Notice
City of Calgary is notifying Ian Bazalgette School of upcoming construction in front of your school.
As part of the Various Street Improvements program, The City identified crossing and intersection improvements along 26 Ave S.E. at 39 St S.E. as a priority this year. We work closely with our contractor, ALSA Road Construction, to ensure timely completion of projects.
The project is scheduled to begin work September 4, and we anticipate completing it with minimal impacts to the surrounding properties by working during non-peak hours, which typically range from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to improve Calgary’s infrastructure and make our city a better place to live, learn and work.
For information on upcoming various street improvements in your community, please visit calgary.ca/improvements.
Video Surveillance Upgrade
Under the Education Act the CBE has an obligation to:
- Create welcoming, caring, safe and respectful learning environment;
- Protect and maintain school assets;
- Comply with FOIP and all applicable laws;
- Carefully ensure an appropriate balance is achieved with respect to supporting security infrastructure and practices and minimizing the impact on privacy.
Our school had a legacy Video Surveillance Technology (VST) that was at end-of-life. The CBE refreshed the security camera system with a modernized solution. At the first School Council meeting of the school year, more information will be provided and an opportunity for feedback.
Steven Pike
Principal
Ian Bazalgette School
Sept. 16-20 News
Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Invite | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day Event - Sept. 30
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (sometimes shortened to T&R Day) originally and still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day is a Canadian holiday to recognize the legacy of the Canadian Indian residential school system.
Orange Shirt Day was first established as an observance in 2013, as part of an effort to promote awareness and education of the residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century. The impact of the residential school system has been recognized as a cultural genocide and continues to this day.
The use of an orange shirt as a symbol was inspired by the accounts
of Phyllis Jack Webstad, whose personal clothing—including a new orange shirt—was taken from her during her first day of residential schooling, and never returned. The orange shirt is thus used as a symbol of the forced assimilation of Indigenous children that the residential school system enforced.
The 4th annual City of Calgary, Calgary Board of Education, and Calgary Catholic School District ceremonial opening of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day will be held on Monday, Sept. 30 from 9 - 10:30 a.m. at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland (750 9th Ave. S.E.).
All CBE staff, students, families, friends, and neighbours are invited to attend to commemorate Indian residential school victims, honour survivors, and commit to Truth & ReconciliACTION.
On Smudging
Historically, students and staff at Ian Bazalgette have had opportunities to smudge in Room 205 before classes. Smudging is a traditional practice that consists of a smoke bath that is used to symbolically cleanse a space, article, or person. It might be used to practice gratitude and/or guide intentions for the day. The burning of various medicine plants to make a smudge or cleansing smoke is used by most Indigenous North American peoples. The most common medicines used in a smudge are sweet grass and sage, which will be used at Ian Bazalgette.
Participation in smudging is optional.
Terry Fox Run
Each year, on or around Sept 25 there is the Terry Fox Run at Ian Bazalgette and other schools in Canada. This week the leadership students will be fundraising for the Terry Fox Run. They will be stationed in the main foyer at lunch collecting change and cash for the Terry Fox Foundation.
What's Happening in… ?
Research on best adolescent learning has shown importance must be given to creating curricular learning tasks that bring independent ideas and facts together under larger unified concepts - showing how what we learn applies to the world. This year, we will be trisecting the year under three conceptual lenses, using Niitsitapi values (Blackfoot Nation; Piikani, Kainai, Siksika) as guiding thoughts. These big ideas include being aware of the environment though observation, that our universe often contains balance, and that we should aim to transfer what we know to others.
- Kakyosin | Be aware of your environment; be observant
- Aoahkannaistokawa | Everything comes in pairs (balance)
- Pommotsiiysinni | To transfer something to others
GRADE 7
ELA
Students will continue to learn expository writing skills. Some students in the grade will practise these writing skills in connection to a novel study, Front Desk by Kelly Yang, while other students will explore the themes of friendship and use this information to build expository writing skills. There will also be focus on identifying, correcting sentence fragments and reviewing the four types of sentences. Students will have a reading assessment on Thursday and a quiz on Friday.
SCIENCE
Students will wrap up scientific methods with a small in-class activity where they combine all stages of scientific inquiry to construct a mock experiment. Students will then be introduced to lab safety and begin their first unit in the grade 7 curriculum "Interactions and Ecosystems".
MATH
Students will learn how to use divisibility rules and use appropriate vocabulary to represent and categorize numbers.
SOCIAL STUDIES
This week in Social Studies, students will continue to learn strong research skills as they build their way toward completing a research assignment paragraph. Additionally, students will be learning how to analyze editorial cartoons.
Grade 8
ELA
Students will continue to learn expository writing skills. They will practise these skills in connection with novels and garnered information on themes of allyship and wellbeing. It is expected that students will also understand and apply critical thinking skills while studying the novel and researching. Students will have a reading assessment on Thursday and a quiz on Friday.
SCIENCE
Students will wrap up scientific methods with a small in-class activity where they combine all stages of scientific inquiry to construct a mock experiment. Students will learn about the WHMIS symbols as they review lab safety procedures. Students will dive into their first unit "Mix and Flow of Matter".
MATH
Students will practice representing fractions, decimals and percents in graphs and tables. They will also look at real world applications to represent the data.
SOCIAL STUDIES
This week in Social Studies, students will review research skills as they continue to build their ability to conduct thorough research. They will also begin to examine the seven (7) elements of worldview, as they head into studying the Renaissance unit.
Grade 9
ELA
Expository (explanatory) writing instruction will continue throughout this week. Students will begin to focus on writing hooks and thesis statements. They will also cover some areas of Mechanics, Usage and Grammar (MUG) using a Jigsaw learning technique. A reading comprehension activity will be completed from CommonLit (reading comprehension website). The Daily Five framework activities of writing, reading and word work will also continue throughout the week.
SCIENCE
Science 9 science students will begin our investigation into reproductive strategies in living organisms. We will start by learning about asexual reproductive methods such as binary fission, budding, and asexual spore formation and follow with sexual reproduction.
MATH
Grade 9 math students will start practice solving rational numbers and integrating real world applications with problem solving.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students are beginning lessons on federal government in Canada, discussing how the three branches work together and how politicians are elected. Following this, students will begin role play Members of Parliament, taking on responsibilities of Cabinet Ministers and creating mock bills.
Complementary Courses
What’s happening in Computer Science?
Q: What did the spider do on the computer? A: Made a website! Haha…
Computer Science students continued to design and build in the Minecraft design build off challenge, from images of structures of their choosing.
Students challenge and complete against each other in class to build and design their images through a customized virtual representation of buildings fand structures from around the world.
Students in Computer Science also begin each class coding in either Java or Python followed by independent work in the following four areas: 3D printing, Coding, Designing and Robotics. Students will be learning how to use Adobe animate and photoshop. Students will experience guided design projects based from the processes that real-world professionals go through every day.
What’s happening in Foods?
This week in Foods, the topic of Food Safety continued. We discussed basic knife skills, cleaning and sanitizing, how to measure ingredients properly and baking tips.
I also reminded students how to conduct themselves in the classroom and how to function positively with peers.
Students completed food safety theory work by reading a case study, working with their table mates and answering questions.
Students also completed work on food safety rules in the classroom and on Friday, I conducted a "Career Chat". We looked at volunteer opportunities with the Calgary Food Bank, Seniors' Meal Volunteer and how to be a Recipe Writer.
I asked students to reflect on their skills that they could offer a future workplace. I asked them to think about skills that they want to work on for future employment or for a post-secondary opportunity. It's time to build your skills for your future!
We had a great week! Next week, cooking begins, and so please remember your closed toed shoes. Naan pizza is on the menu!
What’s happening in Drama and Leadership?
Drama
In Drama, students will be continuing the movement unit by working on their first major assignment, a mime scene where they must tell a story only through their movement and facial expressions. Students will work collaboratively with others to tell a story and express emotion physically.
Leadership
In Leadership, students will be preparing to host the Terry Fox Run and assembly on Friday, September 20. Students will be participating in fundraising efforts, as well as making posters and informative slideshows to raise awareness of Terry's cause. Students will also be engaging in leadership skill-building exercises to help them start thinking about the kind of leader they would like to be.
What’s happening in Construction?
Grade 7 / 8 / 9
In Construction, students are wrapping up their safety unit with a safety test. Once the safety test is complete, we will begin working on their first projects. Students are asked to pick one (or two) of the projects for their grade as their first project.
Grade 7 will choose from a shelf, CO2 powered car, puzzle, or a mirror and frame
Grade 8 will choose from a paddle, keychain hanger, bandsaw box
Grade 9 will choose from a toolbox, bird house, jewelry box.
Please make sure you are signing and returning the Shop Safety Contract. This must be returned prior to students using power tools.
What’s happening in Art?
Grade 7 students will be working towards an understanding of the elements of art: value and line work together to create different styles of artistry. They will be learning and practicing specific shading techniques and using photography to create their references images for their first project.
Grade 8 and 9 students will be examining the human eye, learning and practicing specific techniques to create realistic renditions of emotions through eyes. They will additionally be working with photography to create reference photos for their upcoming projects.
Physical Education & Intramurals
Physical Education classes will be focusing on various outdoor games such as Ultimate Frisbee, Football, and Softball. Please ensure that your students are prepared to be outdoors.
School Intramurals
Our lunchtime intramural program will begin in the month of September. The Physical Education team also provides open gym time in the morning starting at 7:30 am and ending at 7:55 am. Students are more than welcome to come and borrow a piece of equipment to play with during this time. We provide many opportunities to get active!
Intramural Schedule
Monday Not running yet.
Tuesday Not running yet.
Wednesday Not running yet.
Thursday Not running yet.