IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Before September 5 – Complete in your MyCBE Parent Account:

·       Demographic Verification forms

·       Annual Authorization forms

·       Lunch Registration forms (if staying for lunch)

September 2 - First Day of School for K-5. Click HERE for bell times.

September 5 – No school for Kindergarten

September 5 – 1:14 dismissal for Grades 1-5

September 11 – Terry Fox Fundraising Begins

September 12 - Completed Parent Questionnaires due back to the school

September 12 – Completed Digital Citizenship Forms due back to school with signatures (for Grades 2, 3, 4, 5)

September 18 – Terry Fox Run

ALL FAMILIES FOR ALL STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE TWO FORMS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

In your MyCBE parent account, you will find two NEW forms for 25-26 that must be completed by ALL families for ALL students.

The Annual Authorization must be completed to give permission for your child’s photo to be on the teacher’s blog.

The Demographic Verification ensures you are confirming we have the proper contact information for your child in the case of an emergency or in case we have to get ahold of you.

We strongly recommend that you fill these forms out using a laptop or computer, instead of a phone or tablet as things tend to work better that way.

REMINDERS

·       Students may NOT share food.

·       Students need to bring their own spoons and forks for their snacks and lunch. (We do not provide cutlery.)

·       Students need to “pack in, pack out” all of their lunch garbage and uneaten food. As they are bringing things home, please empty lunch kits each day before packing the new food. (The exception to this is open yogurts or apple sauces, etc. that would make a big mess.) Uneaten food is not to be thrown out at school.

WE ARE AN ‘ALLERGY AWARE’ SCHOOL

Northern Lights School is an Allergy Aware school and has many safety protocols in place for students with severe or life-threatening allergies. Due to the extreme wide range of food allergies (including peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, milk, wheat, strawberries, eggs, soy, fish and shellfish just to name a few), we are not allergen free. 

While we are not allergen free and do not ban any foods, in many classrooms that have students with severe allergies, many families attempt to reduce the allergen present by choosing to send other foods with their child.

If your child has medical needs, severe allergies, or medications / Epi-Pens that they will be storing at school, please fill in the Student Health Plan and the Student Health Emergency Response Protocol, and send the forms in with the medications as soon as possible (preferably for the first day of school).

LUNCHROOM SUPERVISION SERVICES

Lunch supervision services provide participating students with supervision while they are eating and during the lunch period activities. Families of students staying at school during the lunch period are required to pay the annual Lunch Supervision Fee. Revenue from these fees are used by schools to hire lunchroom supervisors. Income tax receipts are issued for Lunch Supervision Fees: Receipts may be included as childcare expenses for income tax purposes.

Children are not required to participate in lunch supervision services if other arrangements are made for their supervision outside of the school and families have taken responsibility for ensuring care is provided until afternoon classes resume.

At Northern Lights School, lunch supervision is provided for:

·       Grades 1 and 4, as well as Grade 3 (Muma/Qi) from 11:30am–12:10pm

·       Grades 2 and 5, as well as Grade 3 (Schumacher/Pham) from 12:15–12:55pm.

Students have approximately 20 minutes to eat and 20 minutes outside to play. If a child requires more eating time, this is permitted and accommodated for. No children are told they must be done eating, even if the 20 minute time period is finished.

If you notice that your child is not eating their lunch, please reach out to your child’s teacher so they can communicate with the lunch supervisor. This will help us address the situation. 

Please register right away within your MyCBE parent account if your child stays for the lunch break.

For questions on waivers, parents can email feewaiver@cbe.ab.ca  

For general program inquiries, parents can email noonservices@cbe.ab.ca  

Information for parents can be found at this link: Fees & Waivers

CBE K-9 PERSONAL MOBILE DEVICE POLICY

CBE restrictions on Personal Mobile Devices & Social Media Use in Schools are still in place this year. This policy complies with the Ministerial Order provided by the Government of Alberta from June 2024 based on survey feedback provided by families.

The 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 backpacks for the duration of the school day, (including recess and lunch).

If a student is found to be using a personal mobile device in class, at recess, or at lunch 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 rules 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. Brinson at mlbrinson@cbe.ab.ca.

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 PMD Exception form will be approved by School Administration in conversation with parents/guardians. 

Also, aligned with the Ministerial Order, the CBE will continue to restrict student access to all known social media platforms on the CBE network.

This policy will be in place from the first day of school.

Mrs. Michelle Brinson, Principal

Mrs. Charney Docherty, Assistant Principal