Good morning parents/guardians,
A huge thank you to all parents/guardians that joined us for in-person and virtual student progress conferences last week. Our staff greatly appreciates you time, effort, and support of the MSS community. The weather looks to be in the positives this week, but we all know that can change quickly. Students need to be prepared for the weather and be ready to go outside on a daily basis as we continue to access our tremendous outdoor learning spaces.
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, October 28:
- MSS School Council / Enrichment Society Meeting.
- 6:00pm @ MSS. Please use main entrance.
- Tuesday, October 29:
- Grade 8/9 Sports Medicine Presentations.
- Wednesday, October 30:
- Lockdown Practice Drill #1.
- Tuesday, November 5:
- Picture Retake Day.
- Wednesday, November 6:
- Fire Drill #3.
- Thursday, November 7:
- Last day of classes for students. (Fall Break Nov. 8-13).
- Remembrance Day Assemblies.
- Friday, November 8:
- Non-Instructional Day - No classes for MSS students.
- Thursday, November 14:
- Classes resume for all MSS students.
MSS School Council / Enrichment Society Meeting
Our next meeting is Monday, October 28 at 6:00pm @ MSS in the staff room. Main entrances doors will open at 5:45pm. Items to be discussed:
- Current demographics, class sizes, school updates.
- Homeroom restructuring.
- School Development Plan 2024-2025.
- Casino Night.
- Enrichment Society Funding Requests.
All members of the MSS community are welcome to join.
MSS Enrichment Society - Casino Night Volunteers
Our casino night fundraiser is quickly approaching and we are in need on volunteers as some positions still need to be filled. A successful casino generates ~$70-80k to support learning excellence and well-being.
Volunteer opportunities for "Marshall Springs Casino Event - Saturday November 2nd & Sunday November 3rd, 2024" are now open. Please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:
To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do. Revenues generated from casino nights (~70k+) support technology, athletics, music/band, field trips, core academics, physical education, CTF classes etc.
Staffing Update - Homeroom Restructuring
As mentioned last week, we have received our fall budget from the CBE and are happy to announce that, due to enrollment growth and additional one time funding from Alberta Education, we will be adding two additional full time teachers and one additional educational assistant to the MSS staff. These changes will come into effect Monday, November 4, 2024. These changes will allow us to reduce class sizes, increase the number of targeted learning support sessions in Springs Time, and add more support to student learning needs in classrooms.
Please join me in welcoming:
- Ms. Cruickshank - Educational Assistant.
- Ms. Zheng - Grade 6/7 Humanities, Grade 6 PEW. Homeroom 6-6.
- Mr. Jarrett - Grade 6/7 Math/Science, Grade 7 HPE. Homeroom 7-6.
New homerooms (6-6, 7-6) will be finalized shortly. Parents/guardians of Grade 6 and 7 students who are being reallocated to a new homeroom will receive a phone call from school administration on Wednesday, October 30. Staff will have Thursday/Friday to prepare students for new homerooms, teachers, and schedules before the changes begin on Monday, November 4.
Thank you to all students/families who completed the reallocation survey and reached out with feedback. Current MSS teachers spent a great deal of time over the last week creating these new homerooms managing many factors and dynamics as we made our new classes.
We are excited for these staffing additions and expect them to help us provide an even better learning experience for your children.
Athletics Update
Best wishes to our boys soccer team as they compete in the division finals on Monday, October 28 @ Robert Warren. Practice and game schedules are posted on our athletics board near the main gym and can also be found on the athletics website.
- Athletics Home Page: CLICK HERE
- Soccer: CLICK HERE
- Basketball: CLICK HERE
Halloween at MSS - Thursday, October 31
Halloween will continue to be a day of learning at Marshall Springs. Students are welcome to wear their costumes for the full day or even part of the day if they choose. We encourage students to wear their costume over their regular clothes or bring a change of clothes in the event that they become uncomfortable or find that it interferes with their activities like phys. ed. or outdoor play. The guidelines for costumes are:
- Must be school appropriate.
- No weapons in any way, shape, or form.
- No full masks - faces must be visible.
- No blood or gore.
The reason behind these guidelines is that we want school to continue to be a safe, caring and welcoming place. We want to make sure that no one is scared or fearful in coming to school. We thank all families for helping us continue to make our space a safe one. We will not be having parties in learning spaces, so we ask that you do not send in food/drinks/treats for sharing.
Cafeteria Menu: October 28-November 1, 2024
Thank you,
Kevin Godfrey
Proud Principal
Marshall Springs School
IG: @principalkmg