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École Intermédiaire Lawrence Grassi Middle School
610 7th Street
Canmore, Alberta T1W 2H5
Principal: Nadine Trottier
Email: Nadine.trottier@crps,ca
Attendance Line: 403-678-6006 – Press 1
Office Staff: 403-678-6006 - Press 2
GRASSI TRAILS
“Reach for the Peaks—Atteindre le sommet”
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Thanks to all of you who have connected to our school Twitter and Facebook school links! The first week, we reached 47 people. Our numbers have increased since then to over 1000 viewers in one week! This is a great way for us to make learning visible, and for you to get a better picture of the wonderful things that are happening at our school.
Learning Commons Update: We have now received all the furniture, mini-ipads and chromebooks for staff and students to start using this flexible space for inquiry-based projects!
Digital Citizenship: Grade 6 teachers received training from an EverFi representative and will have their students take part in an online program designed to promote digital citizenship. I piloted the project last year with my students and have recommended that all students in grade 6 take part in the course. We Day: Grade 6 students, parent volunteers and I attended the We Day Event in Calgary for the second year. The students’ local cause will be supporting our Food Bank, while their global cause will be Child Labor. They are creating google presentations to inform other students about their cause before organiz-ing their first Bake Sale fundraiser on December 7th. Our generous Parent Council has committed to match the amount of money we raise! The money will be used to support Education in Third World Coun-tries so that students may attend school instead of having to work at a young age. The Vic Lewis Festival, directed by our music teacher, Lisa Murphy, was a huge success last month! We also want to thank our families for supporting our music program through the purchase of poinsettias. Special thanks to our coordinator, SueJohnston Pigott for her hard work in making this fundraiser possi-ble!
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
2015
Presentations:
All grade 7 and 8 students attended Avalanche presentations as part of their Health Curriculum to raise safety aware-ness in the backcountry. Markus Pukonen, rated by Canadian Geographic as one of Canada's top explorers came to give his Route for Change presentation to our students. His goal is to raise $10 million for leaders of positive change. If you wish to support Markus and Routes of Change, please go to routesofchange.org to make a donation or learn more about this wonderful non-profit mission.
Bullying Awareness Week:
All grade 7 and 8 students attended a Cyberbullying presentation Nov. 16th given by Constable Williams to promote online safety during Bullying Awareness Week. Daren from Right from the Start, had some grade 4 students write a positive message on buses and other students wrote uplifting sticky notes on lockers. Mme Grondin’s students read
books on empathy and intimidation to Mme Provencher’s students. What a great week!
Gr. 5 Wellness Day:
Our grade 5 teachers organized a Wellness Day as part of the Health Curriculum to have students learn about the bene-fits of yoga, drumming, healthy eating and mindful games. It was a big success!
Professional Development:
All administrators have started a project with University of Calgary (Galileo) to improve our practice as school lead-ers. It is called NEIL (Nurturing Excellence in Instructional Leadership). As administrators conduct classroom visits, we are observed as we give feedback to teachers about how to improve student learning. We then receive feedback to ensure that the conversations with teachers were non judgmental, yet prompted the teacher to reflect on his-her prac-tice. I also attended Barbara Colorosso’s workshop, which confirmed that we are on the right track with our Restorative Jus-tice framework. She really emphasized the need for schools to go beyond the anti-bullying policies and create more caring programs. Teachers had an in-house Galileo session Nov. 17th with their grade level, to share their inquiry-based projects and to ask for feedback from a Galileo coach from University of Calgary. It was a collaborative approach to continue improv-ing our teaching practice. In closing and continuing on our school wide theme of risk taking, here is a story from Talia in Mme Hood’s class: I took a risk by joining a hockey team! There were only three girls, including myself. I was nervous, but I couldn’t take a risk without trying! I thought to myself:”It could be a lucky day.” It did turn out to be a lucky day because with no prac-tice, I played my first hockey game, got a hat trick and also lots of offsides. After a year, I stopped playing hockey to see if I would enjoy other sports. I found out how much I loved and missed hockey, therefore, I joined again. I am happy to be back this season! I love hockey and I am good at it too!
Nadine Trottier
Principal LGMS
Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest hap-
penings at Lawrence Grassi Middle School
Important Dates Dec. 01 Second Semester Options start
Dec. 01 Poinsettia Pick-Up—12 noon—7:00 pm
Dec. 02 Pizza Day
Dec. 02 Poinsettia Pick-Up—8:30 am—1:30 pm
Dec. 04 PLC Friday, students dismissed at 12:01 pm
Dec. 09 Gr. 5 Vaccinations for those students missed previously
Dec. 10 Parent Council Meeting 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 15 Grade 4 Annual Christmas Show—6:30 pm
Dec. 16 Pizza Day
Dec. 17 Christmas Concert - Featuring the Gr. 7 & 8 Jazz and Concert Bands—7:00 pm
Dec. 18 Students dismissed at 12:01 pm—PLC afternoon for teachers
Dec. 19—Jan. 3 WINTER BREAK
Jan. 04 Classes Resume after Winter Break
Jan. 13 Pizza Day
Jan. 15 PLC Friday, students dismissed at 12:01 pm
Jan. 27 Pizza Day
Jan. 27 CRPS Public Board Meeting—at ERS Room 110 7:00 pm—8:30 pm
Jan. 29 First Semester Report Cards go home
Feb. 10 Pizza Day
Feb. 15 Family Day—No School for Students
Feb. 16 School Closure—No School for Students
Feb. 17 School Closure in lieu of Parent/Teacher Interviews—No School for Students
Feb. 18-19 Teacher’s Convention—No School for Students
Chess Club and Writer’s Workshop continues to run every Tuesday during the lunch hour.
Grade 4 Students listen to Garbageman Pete’s
presentation on garbage waste.
Presentation by explorer
Markus Pukonen travel-
ing the planet to raise
$10 million dollars for
global causes.
Right From The Start RFTS, Grade 4 students from LGMS and the Town of Canmore FCSS have teamed up for 3 consecutive years for an
annual Grand Pal letter exchange. All children are paired with an elder in the community and they exchange letters
for the entire school year. 65 elders and 65 children met on November 25 to launch the letter writing exchange com-
plete with tea, homemade cookies and board games. What a beautiful and incredible day this was!! See the photos
below for small glimpse into this wonderful day!
RFTS teamed up with Lawrence Grassi Middle School grade 5’s for their health days and offered two sessions during
their day to support health wellness.
Please check out RFTS Facebook Page or Website for more Information.
https://sites.google.com/a/crps.ca/rfts/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Right-from-the-Start/698983323448383
Parent Council Updates Do you have experience in strategic planning or ideas for what Parent Council should focus on? We
need your help to draft Parent Council’s new three-year plan. Please contact Adrienne Lawlor
Are you interested in helping organize a year-end dance for Grade 8 students? Please contact
Michelle Kijst ([email protected])
Have you seen a grant you think Parent Council could apply for? Please contact Dana Williamson
Parent council meetings are a great place to hear from your child’s principal, other parents, and school divi-
sion representatives. Join us for our next meeting on December 10 at 6:30 in the staff lounge. We will be
enjoying festive appetizers and desserts as we meet.
MUSIC NOTES
Congratulations to all the Concert and Jazz Band students who participated in
Canmore’s Annual Vic Lewis Festival; you sounded wonderful!!! A HUGE
THANK YOU TO THE STUDENTS FOR THEIR
HARD WORK IN REHEARSALS THIS PAST TERM!
POINSETTIA PICK- UP TIMES
TUESDAY, December 1ST 12noon- 7:00 p.m.
wednesday, December 2ndth
8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
Monday, December 7th
3:45 p.m.- 6:00 p.m.
Poinsettias that were ordered on Friday November 27th will
have a pick-up date of December 10th
Way to go music students and band parents!
Special thanks to Sue Pigott and all the band students/parents who helped out with
this project.
LGMS ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17th
, 7:00 p.m.
BRING A LOONIE OR A TOONIE OR A NON- PERISHABLE FOOD ITEM,
ALL DONATIONS WILL GO TO THE CANMORE FOODBANK
ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE SCHOOL
BY 6:30 P.M.
Thank you for your ongoing support and Happy Holidays!
Gym Shorts Volleyball teams wrapped up in November with our grade 7 tournament on one weekend and our grade 8 another. The grade 8 teams finished their season with a trip to Invermere to play a few exhibition games. Many thanks to our volunteer coaches who delivered excel-lent programming throughout the season. Karen, Jacqui, Jon, Emma and Warren, we could not possibly teach that many new skills and provide such rich opportunities for our students without your ongoing dedication.
Basketball season is around the corner and our focus for both the grade 7 and 8 teams will be creating a balance between skill acquisition and competition. By the very nature of skill development the grade 7 teams will be relatively basic and the grade 8’s more competitive.
Junior high cross country skate skiing season starts December 7. Please watch for the up-
coming schedule and make sure your children are dressed in layers for the complex
Canmore weather.
Grade 5 Wellness Day
On November 9th, Grade 5 students participated in workshops related to health. Sessions included yoga, mindfulness, drumming and nutrition. Students really enjoyed the different sessions and learned a lot about staying healthy!
Mr. Roth leading
the drumming
session
Right from the Start teamed up with Grade 5’s for their health days and offered two sessions during their day
to support health wellness.
Yummy
Healthy
Smoothies
Right from the
Start
Mr. D. working
on Virtues of
Mindfullness
and Mary
Instructing the
students in yoga
Snow Day “Snow and Lots of It” fell on November 18th and with no buses running some staff and students took to their skiis to
get to school. Lots of fun was had by all at recess.
Mr. Krohe arriving at school on his skis.
Several students also arrived on skis
and even snow shoes!
Grade 4 Grandpals Program Our Grade 4 students are once again taking part in the Grandpals Program. Students are matched with Seniors in our community. It’s a great way for students to hone their writing skills and connect with the Seniors of Canmore. Thank you to the Seniors who have volunteered to take part in this special pro-gram.
Gymnastics
Students enjoying their gym time at the Illusions Gymnastics Club.
Cyber bullying presentations to our
Grade 7 and 8 students by Constable Shawn
as part of Bullying Awareness week.
Grade 7 Outdoor Ed. building a quinzhee
structure
Students from Grade 8 Foods Option
learn the art of decorating cup cakes
from our very own Joanne Wilson.
Mme Grondin’s Grade 7
students reading books
on empathy and intimi-
dation with students
from Grade 4 students
Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all
the latest happenings at Lawrence Grassi Middle School
Facebook Twitter
(if the links above do not work, please go to the LGMS website where you
will find the icons for Facebook and Twitter)
