Weekly Newsletter
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OCTOBER 19, 2018 STS Express Weekly Newsletter CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL ........................................................................ 2 HAPPY FRIDAY! .................................................................................................................................................... 2 IMPORTANT DATES ........................................................................................................... 3 OCTOBER ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 NOVEMBER ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 SCHOOL CALENDARS ........................................................................................................................................... 3 UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS ........................................................... 4 R.S.V.P TO YOUR GRADE SOCIAL(S) .................................................................................................................... 4 SAVE THE DATE FOR UPCOMING STUDENT SERVICES COFFEE TALKS ................................................................ 4 FULL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ................................................................................... 5 ANNUAL GIVING – THIS YEAR WE’VE MADE GIVING EASY AND FUN! ................................................................ 5 HALLOWEEN FUN FOR EVERYONE! ..................................................................................................................... 5 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS .................................................................... 7 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE 2018-2019 .................................................................................. 7 STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES – BOOKING OPENS TODAY .................................................................................. 7 MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ....................................................... 8 PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS .......................................................................................................................... 8 CLASS OF 2019 - BABY PHOTOS NEEDED! ........................................................................................................... 8 SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ALUMNI SPEED MENTORING EVENT – REGISTER TODAY! ............................ 9 UNIVERSITY PLANNING .................................................................................................... 9 ON-GOING UNIVERSITY PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES ......................................................................................... 9 OUT OF PROVINCE UNIVERSITIES FAIR ............................................................................................................. 10 2018-2019 UNIVERSITY PLANNING PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS ............................................................... 10 UNIVERSITY PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY........................................................................ 10 WHAT’S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS ................................................................................ 11 STS CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE HOSTS IB EDUCATORS FROM ACROSS ALBERTA .............................................. 11 SPEECH AND DEBATE BEGINS THE YEAR WITH SUCCESS .................................................................................. 12 GRADE 9 BOYS VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHTS ......................................................................................................... 14 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ STS EXPRESS – Weekly Newsletter Page | 1 MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL HAPPY FRIDAY! It has been a very exciting week at STS. On Monday, our school community welcomed over 200 Heads of Schools and Board Chairs from across Canada, Switzerland, and Bermuda. As one of the host schools of the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Heads and Chairs Conference planning committee, it was a great honour to host these guests. Greeted by our wonderful and smiling Grade 6 ambassadors, our guests were treated to a hearty breakfast in the Black Watch Bistro. With our tummies full, we congregated in the C.A. Smith Arts Centre (theatre) to hear from Christian Long, an internationally renowned School Designer, who was thought provoking and challenged us to think about the future of education. Christian’s engaging talk was followed by tours of the campus by our capable Senior School ambassadors. You can imagine the pride we all felt as the group experienced our amazing campus in all of its beauty. The new addition was certainly impressive, as were all of our incredible facilities. The warm fall weather made walking outside a delight. It was also wonderful to have retired STS Head of School, Dr. Bill Jones, and his wife Barb in attendance to hear and see the excitement. You would have been proud of your children as they graciously interacted with our visitors, spoke about their school and community with joy, and continued to engage in their studies despite the interaction. A healthy school culture is not easily created and while our campus and plants are truly stunning, what our visitors, and myself, were most impressed with were the people who give it life and purpose. Last night, I attended the Donor Appreciation Evening to celebrate and thank many in our community who supported the Inspiring Possibilities fundraising campaign. It was a proud moment for me to be in a room brimming with the generosity of our community. Please enjoy this video that was shared at the event and brought many guests to tears: https://youtu.be/Q4vvmQxOEqQ. This video clearly demonstrates the immense impact of giving to STS. As we now look towards this year’s annual giving appeal, I invite you to join me in supporting our School’s important work with a contribution. The strength and permanence of an independent school depends on the support of families, community members, and alumni. We are all co-creators of the School, and our collective generosity ensures that we maintain our high standards of excellence in all areas, and continuous improvement is sustained. Even more compelling, you and I can ensure we change the world for the better by investing in our children. If you are inspired to join us in this quest, please consider supporting this year’s annual giving appeal by clicking here: https://www.sts.ab.ca/donate. Finally, I have enjoyed meeting so many of you in the gym, in the halls, and at parent socials. Thank you to our grade social host families for giving our community meaningful opportunites to come together. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Mrs. Carol Grant-Watt Head of School ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ STS EXPRESS – Weekly Newsletter Page | 2 IMPORTANT DATES In addition to the listed dates below, be sure to check for new events throughout the year online – the following calendar can be downloaded in an iCal format OCTOBER NOVEMBER October 26, 2018 November 9 Grade 7 grade social Student Services Coffee Talk – Helping to October 29, 2018 foster resilience in your child School Photo retakes October 31, 2018 Halloween – casual dress or Halloween costumes SCHOOL CALENDARS For more important dates and upcoming events, the following school calendars can be found on the STS website: 2018-2019 School Calendar Upcoming Events Calendar ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ STS EXPRESS – Weekly Newsletter Page | 3 UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS R.S.V.P TO YOUR GRADE SOCIAL(S) We are pleased to invite all STS parents to your child(ren)’s 2018-2019 grade social where you can socialize with parents and find out how you can be involved with the STS community. Join us for an evening of delightful conversations and cocktails, 7:00 – 9:00 pm. You should receive an e-invitation from your grade’s parent host four to six weeks prior to each grade social. If you have any questions regarding the socials, please contact Caroline Banadar at 403-938-8344, [email protected] OCTOBER: NOVEMBER: Grade 7 Grade 5 Thursday, October 26 Friday, November 2 Shamila and Alykhan Sunderji Stacey and John Mercury Grade 9 Saturday, November 3 Barbara and Drew MacIntyre Grade 6 Thursday, November 15 Hayley and Jack Griffin Grade 8 Friday, November 16 Kate and Oliver Halliwell Grades 1 and 2 Thursday, November 22 Lisa and Mike McManes SAVE THE DATE FOR UPCOMING STUDENT SERVICES COFFEE TALKS We are so fortunate to have two psychologists support our school community. Dr. Brent Macdonald and Ms. Tasha Belix visit STS weekly to support our students and consult with our faculty. Join our two experts for a small, informal conversation at the fireplace in the Black Watch Bistro – coffee and tea provided. Coffee Talk, November 9, 9:00-10:00 am - Helping to foster resilience in your child Assisting your child deal with life’s setbacks and learn how to bounce back stronger and ready for the next challenge. Coffee Talk, January 14, time TBA - Building more effective communication with your child ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ STS EXPRESS – Weekly Newsletter Page | 4 Moving beyond the “What did you learn today?”, “Nothing!”