William D. Cuts Newsletter

As we move into November and colder weather, we have more going on indoors for students. Expanded lunchtime clubs and activities are available with more students being inside. Good luck to our volleyball teams who are gearing up for the end of the season. Playoffs started this week for the senior teams and the junior teams have their final tournament this weekend.

Students are participating in the ‘No Stone Left Alone’ ceremony on November 4. It is always a very meaningful event, and a great opportunity for the school to be able to participate. There is always a tremendous amount of positive feedback from the organizers and attendees. They are impressed with the students who speak and participate in the program, and with the students' behaviour in general. Students will depart the school at 10:15 and the ceremony will begin once all the buses arrive. Parents and community members are welcome to attend.

November 6 is Take Our Kids to Work Day across Canada. Grade 9 students will be participating in this. Information letters and permission forms have been sent home. If you are missing either please contact the school.

Thank you to all of the parents who took part in parent-teacher interviews. It was nice to have parents in the building to meet in person while still having a virtual option for those who needed it. There were a number of teachers who were completely booked, if you still haven’t had a chance to make contact, please reach out to the teacher directly.

We hope you have a chance to relax and recharge over the upcoming long weekend. Students are off from November 9-12, returning to school on the 13th. Thank you to all of the Veterans and active service members as we remember all those who have served this month.

Lest we forget

Cory and Stephen

Friday Nov 1st - PD Day No School

Monday Nov 4th - No Stone Left Alone Field trip - All Grades

Tuesday Nov 6 - Gr.9 Bring your kid to work day

Monday Nov 11th - Remembrance Day - No School

Tuesday Nov 12th - No School

Saturday Nov 30th -Last day to order school Spirit wear

Monday Dec 2nd - No School

Friday Dec 20th - Jan 5th - Christmas Break

Curious about joining Bulldogs Football at Bellerose? Fill out the form in the link below for updates and an invite to our Grade 9 Open House.

GRADE 9 Football Interest Form

As we approach the holiday season, our school is once again organizing holiday hampers to help ensure that everyone in our community enjoys a warm and joyful season. We understand that this time of year can bring extra challenges, and we want to offer support to families who may need it. If you feel your family could benefit from a holiday hamper, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. All requests will be handled with the utmost respect and confidentiality. We’re here to help and ensure our community comes together in support of one another. Please email jolea.henker@spschools.org by November 15th.

W D Cuts cross-country team athletes competed at the zone 5 cross-country championships on Wed Oct 9th, at Strathcona Wilderness Center in Ardrossan. WDCuts school placed top 5 overall out of more than 30 schools competing and the Jr boys took home the Overall Aggregate Trophy.

Top 30 performances included: Isla.M 3rd, Jackson.L 5th, Logan.G 7th, Ruby.D 7th, Ryan.A 9th, Finn.S 10th, Tristan.G 12th, Mason.T 15th, Matteo.J 18th, Ronin.K 19th, Chase.L 24th, Ava.J 26th, Evan.M 27th, Olivia.K 27th, Cole.B 28th, Kash.R 29th.

Congratulations to all team members for an outstanding cross-country season

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