Dear Husky Families!
Happy New Year and welcome back!
We hope everyone enjoyed a restful and rejuvenating holiday break. As we kick off January, we are filled with excitement for all that this next school term has in store. From the start of our basketball season, where we will be cheering on our incredible student athletes, to the upcoming band concert showcasing our talented musicians, there is so much to look forward to.
We are also thrilled about the enriching field trips planned in the coming weeks, which will provide our students with valuable learning experiences beyond the classroom. These opportunities to explore new ideas and connect with the world around them are essential to fostering curiosity and engagement and showing relevance of the classroom learning to the real world.
While we embrace these exciting events, we remain focused on our core mission: learning. January is a wonderful time to set new goals, reflect on progress, and continue to build strong academic foundations. Our teachers and staff are committed to ensuring that each student feels supported and challenged as we move into the new year.
Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. We look forward to seeing you at games, concerts, and school events as we continue to grow together as a community. Here is to a fantastic start to 2025!
Warm regards,
Ms. Rita Marie Rahn (Principal)
Mrs. Shanda Dupras (Vice Principal)
🎶 Husky Band Concert – A Special Evening of Music! 🎶
We are thrilled to invite all Husky Families to a very special Band Event at Heritage Heights on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 7:00pm. Our Grade 6/7 Band Ensemble will take the stage for their first performance of the year, joined by special guests from the Foothills Music Society (FMS)!
This will be an exciting and unique opportunity for our young musicians to showcase their hard work and learn from experienced community musicians. After performing their own set, our Huskies will have the chance to sit in with the FMS Musicians, and the evening will conclude with a joint band performance that promises to be a powerful and memorable experience for everyone!
- 🎺 Grade 6 students are strongly encouraged to attend this exciting evening of music, collaboration, and learning. If your Grade 6 student has any conflicts attending this evening, please get in touch with Ms. Lehmann as soon as possible so we can ensure enough performers are attending.
- Call time for students is 6:30pm, and the concert will run for about an hour.
Thank you for supporting our Husky Musicians and celebrating the joy of music within our school and community! We cannot wait to see you there! 🐾 🎶
Learning Services 🐾
Learning Services
The Learning Services team provides support for students academically, social emotionally, and behaviourally.
- Our Educational Assistants provide specific interventions for literacy and numeracy skills, executive functioning skill development, social skill building, in addition to in-class support with day-to-day learning.
- Our team is working to develop our body regulation space with a 3-part sensory circuit, which includes an alerting stage, organizing stage, and a calming stage, before returning to their learning environment.
Volunteer Support
- We are always eager to welcome parent volunteers to support student reading development from Grades 1 through 5.
- If you are interested in supporting our students in this way, please use the link below to sign up, or contact:
Mrs. Angela Clarke (Learning Coach) at clarkea@fsd38.ab.ca
Quick Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090A4FAAA922ABFC1-46940117-hhliteracy
Student Success Team ! - Learning Services -
Counsellor Corner
Message from our FSLC - Ms. Maddy Darel
Do and say things the same way you want your child to.
Your emotions affect what you say and what you do in the moment, they also affect your child. For example, anger is a very common human emotion. At times you may feel angry but what you do and say when you are angry is important to your relationship with your child and it is also how your child learns to express different emotions. Things that may make parents feel angry include: whining, not doing what is been asked, not getting ready for school or bedtime, fighting with siblings, not doing well in school, and talking rudely.
Here are some tips:
- Try taking deep breaths for a minute to calm yourself. Have a ‘quiet’ area where family members can go when they are upset. Tell your child that you need a break, stop talking, and go sit in your quiet area until you feel more calm and ready to talk.
- Calm yourself first, then problem solve with your child.
- Define the problem without blaming or shaming.
- Listen to your child’s point of view and then explain yours.
- Ask your child what they think they could do to solve the problem. Ask if they would like some suggestions if they are stuck.
- Write them down as a visual reminder for both the child and you.
- Together, choose one or two ideas that you think might work.
- Help your child plan for success. An example of this would be setting up a homework area or deciding upon a bedtime together. Compromising and ensuring your child feels heard.
- Try it out for a week or two, then check back to see if it is working. If not, try another solution.
- Think about how you speak to your child. When you are angry, calling your child names can lead to low self-esteem, low self-confidence, cause problems at home or at school, increase illness, and cause trouble getting along with friends. It also hurts the relationship between you and your child.
- So instead of saying: “you are so rude”, try saying: “you need to speak politely to me”.
Parent Council Receives Grants!
🎉 Exciting Playground Upgrade Thanks to Parent Council Grant!
We’ are thrilled to share some fantastic news — our Parent Council has secured an amazing grant to enhance our school’s playground! These new additions will include exciting equipment designed for all age groups, promoting active play, creativity, and inclusive fun for everyone. The upgraded playground will offer more opportunities for students to connect, explore, and stay active during recess and beyond. Huge thanks to our Parent Council for their hard work and dedication to making our school a better place for all Huskies to learn, grow, and play! 🐾
More fundraising is still needed and information on how to support this incredible school improvement will be shared out soon!
Guest Speakers 🎤 - Grades 8 & 9
- Grade 8's met local author Lorrie Morales, and the students who read her novel, 'Scars,' enjoyed a breakfast and book discussion with her.
- Grade 9's met Carson Read (former student of Mrs. Hanson's from Senator Riley), who spoke about opportunities for youth to become more politically active at both the provincial and federal levels.
Basketball Season Is Underway!
🏀 Basketball Season Tips Off with Team Spirit! 🏀
Our school basketball teams are off to a fantastic start! From the first whistle, the players have shown incredible energy, enthusiasm, and a passion for the game. More than just improving their skills on the court, these athletes have been building strong bonds as teammates, supporting each other every step of the way. With the guidance of their dedicated and inspiring coaches, our teams are growing in confidence and teamwork. Here's to an exciting season ahead — filled with hard work, sportsmanship, and Husky pride! Let's go, teams! 🐾
Basketball Practices:
Junior A Girls: Monday pm & Wednesday am
Junior B Boys: Monday am & Wednesday pm
Junior C Girls: Tuesday am & Thursday pm
Grade 6: Tuesday Lunch 12:05 - 1:05 pm
December Pep Rally - Pie in the Face Fundraiser
🥧 Pie in the Face Fundraiser a Sweet Success! 🥧
Our school Leadership team knocked it out of the park with this year’s Pie in the Face Huskies for Hope fundraiser! Students eagerly donated money for a chance to pie their favourite teachers, all in the spirit of holiday giving. Teachers showed incredible Husky spirit by volunteering as pie targets, creating excitement and laughter throughout the school. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we raised an amazing $750 to support Husky Families for Christmas! (It is rumoured that teachers are still trying to get the whip cream out of their ears.)
🐾 First Husky Hour Assembly of 2025
Building Our Best Together! We kicked off our very first Husky Hour Assembly with a focus on what makes Heritage Heights School such an amazing place to learn and grow! Together, we revisited the values that make our school great and explored how we can all contribute to a positive, respectful community. In grade circles, students discussed and shared ideas on the expected behaviours that reflect our core values — from showing kindness and respect to taking responsibility for our actions.
This collective effort helps ensure that everyone knows how to be their best Husky selves. What a fantastic way to start the year off strong, with pride and purpose! 💙 🐾
Thank you to everyone for dropping and picking up their children from school and using the parent loop (around the flagpole).
- To keep all of our students safe, no students should be dropped off or picked up from the the bus loop (teacher parking lot).
- Just a reminder to SLOW YOUR ROLL 🚗 as you enter the parking lot. We have noted the speeds with which we enter and exit are a little fast.
