The PAW Print

As we wrap up another incredible school year, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for helping make this year at SAM so special. To our students, thank you for your hard work, curiosity, and perseverance. You've achieved so much, and we are all so incredibly proud of you. To our families, your partnership and encouragement have been invaluable in creating a vibrant and nurturing school community. From all of us at SAM, we wish you all a joyful and restful summer filled with wonderful adventures and memories! We look forward to welcoming you back in the fall, ready for another fantastic year!

Congratulations to Addi and Lawson Priddle who were jointly awarded the Stollery Superstar of the Year award this morning at Fort Edmonton Park! They have collected donations instead of gifts for their birthdays their entire lives totaling 20 years of donations. They were both thoroughly surprised to be this year’s recipients!

Congratulations to the Dodgezillas on winning the 2024 SAM Dodgeball League Championships this year! So much fun was had by all and a HUGE thanks goes out to Mr. Parker for organizing and running this event.

Throughout this year, our SAM Fundraising Society raised $22,853.51 to support SAM School! This is incredible and will help to provide free swim lessons to all of our students next year!

A huge thank you to everyone who ran and volunteered for any of the fundraising campaigns throughout the year, and thank you to everyone who supported all the fundraising activities and events!

Your child’s progress report is being shared with you today via PowerSchool. Please take time to review and discuss your child’s progress together. Their developing identities are affirmed when they notice how we (as their teachers) and you (as their parents) see them. This year we have included a Student and Parents Reflections sheet to be sent home with your child; we hope responding to these questions will give you and your child an opportunity to reflect on their successes and continued learning goals. If you choose, sharing your responses with your child’s teacher in September can help us better understand and plan for your child’s learning.

In St. Albert Public Schools, we formally report student progress and achievement twice a year in Grades 1 to 6, in January and June. For Kindergarten students that information is reported in an Exit Document once a year, in June. The proficiency scale used to report on student progress includes three levels: Excellent, Meets the Acceptable Standard, and Has Yet to Meet the Acceptable Standard. For more information on the proficiency scale, please consult the Proficiency Scales for Reporting (Grades 1–6) page of the division website at www.spschools.org/division-operations/curriculum.

SAM School will have a slightly revised daily schedule for our students next year. To accommodate busing schedules, please note that our school day is both starting slightly earlier than this year. As there will limited staff supervision before 8:40am or after 3:25pm (outside of supervision at the busses), it will be very important for families to time their morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-ups accordingly. Also, please be assured that students will also have an additional morning recess and snack time (between periods 1 and 6) scheduled by their teacher where students will have the opportunity to get some fresh air and a nutrition break.

In collaboration with our staff and our families on School Council, we are happy to provide you with our School Calendar for next year.

• SAM School Calendar 2024/25. Any revisions will be updated throughout the school year.
• Division School Calendar 2024/25 for grades 1-6.
• Division Kindergarten School Calendar 2024/25.

• Mon, Aug 19 - School Office Opens (9am - 2pm)
• Mon, Aug 26 - Class Placements posted on PowerSchool at 4pm.
• Wed, Aug 28 - Staggered Entry for Students Grades 1-6 with Surnames A-K
• Wed, Aug 28 - Staggered Entry for Kindergarten Students (*schedules sent to families)
• Thurs, Aug 29 - Staggered Entry for Students Grades 1-6 with Surnames L-Z
• Thurs, Aug 29 - Staggered Entry for Kindergarten Students ( *schedules sent to families)
• Fri, Aug 30 - First Day of Regular Classes for all students in grades 1 - 6.
• Fri, Aug 30 - Staggered Entry for Kindergarten Students ( *schedules sent to families)
  
• Mon, Sept 2 - NO SCHOOL (Labour Day)
• Tues, Sept 3 - First Day of Regular Classes for all Kindergarten students
• Wed, Sept 11 - School Photo Day
• Wed, Sept 11 - Meet the Staff Welcome Back BBQ 5:30-6:30pm
• Tues, Sept 17 - School Council AGM 6pm; Fundraising Society 7pm
• Fri, Sept 20 - NO STUDENTS - Staff PD Day

Once again, families can order a SAM Yearbook for the 20232024 school year. The cost of the yearbook is $24.75 (+ GST) and can be ordered through SMART Photography until July 15th. All yearbooks will be delivered to SAM School in the fall and then distributed to students. Students who move onto our division junior high schools will have their yearbooks delivered to those schools.

To order your yearbook, visit SMART Photography and use the online code: SAM_23-24_YB.

Order deadline is July 15, 2024.

To review our school supply lists, please visit our website to find our school supply lists by grade for 2024/25.

In the fall, before school starts, we offer our First Rider's Night. If your child is one of the many students who will be riding a yellow school bus for the first time this year, you are invited to join us. Please watch the video below with your child prior to attending, then join us for a bus ride together with your child.

All first-time yellow bus riders, regardless of which school division they're enrolled in, are welcome.

• Tuesday, August 27, 2024
• Sessions are at 4 pm, 4:30 pm, 5 pm and 5:30 pm
• St. Albert Public Schools division office

Free to attend but spots are limited so pre-registration is required. Please click here for more information and to register.

On June 17, Alberta’s government introduced new restrictions on the use of cellphones and access to social media in schools. Beginning this fall, schools in Alberta will no longer permit the use of personal mobile devices in classrooms, or access to social media sites on school networks. For more information from the Minister of Education, please read the following letter: Minister of Education Letter to Parents

Our Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, would like to extend his congratulations on a successful 2023-2024 school year.

Click here for a Letter to Students and Parents from the Minister of Education.