William D. Cuts Newsletter

Only 14 school days until winter break (but who’s counting). December 20 marks the last day before the two-week break. Dismissal on the 20th will be at noon, and students will return to class on January 6. December 2 is a PD day and there is no school for students. December 4 Bellerose and Paul Kane will be at the school to have a preliminary talk to grade 9’s about high school.

With the snow and colder weather there is more for students to do indoors at lunchtime. There is open gym everyday and a number of clubs that run on different days throughout the week. The drama room doors are also opened up so there is more space for students.

Homeroom classes will once again be participating in food bank bingo to collect food for the food bank. Thank you to the leadership students and teachers for the work in organizing this event. The leadership students will also be running a marketplace at school on December 11, with all the proceeds going to the food bank. The Hockey Academy will be collecting donations for the Ben Stelter Foundation at the showcase event on December 6 as well.

Basketball is well underway with teams being picked and some games/tournaments scheduled before the winter break. Check the school calendar for the schedule if you are interested in attending.

Hopefully over winter break there is some time for relaxing, recharging and connecting with loved ones. When we return from break there will be less than a month until semester 1 report cards are issued and the start of semester 2.

Cory and Stephen

Monday Dec 2nd - No School

Tuesday Dec 3rd - Jr Girls Basketball Tryouts 3:00

Friday Dec 6th - Hockey Showcase @ Servus Place

Monday Dec 9th - SR Girls 4pm and Boys 5:30 Basketball Game @ Tache

Wednesday Dec 11th - Marketplace

Monday Dec 16th - SR Girls 4pm and Boys 5:30 Basketball Game @ Lorne Akins

Friday Dec 20th - Jan 5th - Christmas Break

Thursday January 9th - SR Boys 4pm and Girls 5:30 Basketball Game vs SAA

We are proud to announce our Annual Hockey Academy Showcase Day on Friday, December 6th, 2024. This is a very exciting event supporting the Ben Stelter Foundation. The Hockey Academy student-athletes will have the opportunity to enjoy a different experience, while giving back to the community, and supporting this foundation that is very important to us. Students will be broken into teams and will play a true game in the morning for grades 4-12. The culmination will be a grade 9 game in the afternoon versus the staff.

The Stelter family will drop the ceremonial puck before the feature game.

As stated before, this event will also be about giving back to our community so admission into the games will be in the form of a donation to a very special cause, the Ben Stelter Foundation. Ben, a student who attended Ronald Harvey, loved the game of hockey, and fought cancer courageously, will be the honoured namesake of this event. A minimum donation of $2 will be the admission for the games this day. All donations will be given to the foundation.

To make a donation directly to the Ben Stelter Foundation, https://benstelterfoundation.crowdchange.ca/54009

We have loaded all fun lunches from September 18 to Christmas break and you can register at healthyhunger.ca

Reminders:

• We a know there are many instances where students may be unable to attend school unexpectedly and with very little notice.
• Should your child be away due to illness or any other unexpected circumstance, parents will need to notify our hot lunch coordinator by email to wdcutsparents@gmail.com or telephone the school (780-458-8585) to make alternate arrangements. This MUST happen before 11 AM on the day of hot lunch. Any other requests, sent in other ways (e.g. to your child’s teacher) or after the deadline, cannot be considered so please plan accordingly.
• Please provide specific instructions about what should be done with your child's lunch.
• If you wish to pick up at the school, you may do so only after 12:30 PM on the hot lunch day. Items must be picked up the same day for food safety reasons.
• If you would like the lunch to be sent with another student, please clearly indicate the name of that student and their class number (or teacher).
• We are unable to hold lunches overnight or provide any other arrangements.

**If you do not provide instructions for your child(ren)'s fun lunch prior to 11 AM as outlined above, the volunteers will use their discretion to determine next steps. This may include donating the lunch or discarding it. We ask that you treat our volunteers with kindness and respect at all times.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our fun lunch program. It provides valuable fundraising dollars to our school!

We’re excited to announce that W.D. Cuts is partnering with Alberta Health Services (AHS) in The Vaping Project, a pilot program aimed at educating students and families about the risks associated with vaping, cannabis, and other drugs. Information will be shared through advisory lessons, posters, school announcements, and more to help promote healthy choices and awareness. See the link below to access parent and caregiver information https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IF4BA7BYSkaJo_sMUX47_gOyESeZl8W-/view?usp=sharing

Limiting distractions in Alberta classrooms

• To safeguard student mental health and reduce distractions, as per the Ministerial Order by the Education Minister, personal mobile devices will no longer be permitted during class time and access to social media sites will be restricted.
• Upon entering their classroom, students will be required to place their personal mobile device,Air pods, in a locker or backpack and headphones where it will remain during class time.

2024/2025 SCHOOL FEES SEM 1/OUTSTANDING BALANCE DUE

Payments can be made through the PowerSchool Parent Portal using a Credit Card or a Visa Debit Card. (Please note that all debit/credit transactions are subject to a 2.4% service charge.) If an online payment is not an option, you may send cash or cheque to the school office with your student (payable to: St. Albert Public Schools 5565).

For Academies: Through PowerSchool, you have the option of creating a Payment Plan, by adding the academy fee to your basket, (only the academy fee no additional fees) and from there you can create instalments.

If you have any questions/concerns regarding your school fees, please contact Jolene Metcalfe at 780-458-8585 or email jolene.metcalfe@spschools.org

For access to the PowerSchool Parent Portal click here: https://spschools.powerschool.com/public/home.html

If you are having trouble accessing the PowerSchool Parent Portal, please contact: wdc@spschools.org

Email: wdc@spschools.org
Website: wdcuts.spschools.org
Location: 149 Larose Drive, St. Albert, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-458-8585