Greetings West Dover Families

Report Cards were made available last week on your MyCBE account.  If you are wanting to talk to your child's teacher about report cards, please give the school a call at 403-777-8260 to arrange a meeting the teacher.  We have just come to the end of some assessment work that is mandated by Alberta Education for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students across the province.  Results from these assessments will be made available to parents at our school meetings when they are available.  February and March are the time of the school year when we seek parent input into priorities of the school.  I will be sharing a presentation to school council that focuses on gathering parent voice as to the priorities of the school.

Each year at school we develop a School Development Plan that outlines key areas of growth that we are focusing to improve student achievement.  This year our work in mathematics focuses on assessment.  We know that assessment informs the next steps in instruction.  As a staff we have been working together to improve proficiency based assessment practices.  Over the next 6 weeks, students will be assessed in grade level knowledge, skills, understandings and processes in key areas of the math curriculum.  We will be sure to share out the results of this assessment work.  Our next Parent Teacher Conference dates are March 20 and 21.  Our focus on improved reading continues.  This is work we are seeing big improvements in across grades in our school.  Research tells us that if children are not reading at grade level by end of grade 4 they are more likely to be less successful in junior and senior high school.  Reading at home with children is always a good idea.  We have a two bookshelves in the front hallway of our school of books that children can take home and not return to school.

West Dover would like to thank the Parent Society. The Parent Society has supported student learning around wellbeing by organizing a Family Dance. To learn more or to become involved with the Parent Society please visit https://westdover.cbe.ab.ca/parent-society  Parent Society’s next upcoming event is the Family Dance on Feb 6, 2025.

A couple of other items I want to  share out this week:

There has been some increased traffic through the staff parking lot this past while - I would like to ask that parents please drop off your children on 28 St SE instead of the staff parking lot.  I am worried about collisions with children and vehicles in a busy  parking lot.  Thank you for your help with this.

A friendly reminder that doors open at school at 7:55 am.  A teacher will be supervising outdoors between 7:45 and 7:55 am each morning both on the east and west sides of the school.  On blue days - days where the temperature is colder than -20C (with windchill), students will be allowed into the building starting at 7:45 if they arrive at that time.  Please do not drop off your children before 7:45 am.  There is no supervision for children provided before 7:45 am each day.

Looking forward to another fantastic week of learning.

Roy Strum, Principal.