Oki, Tunsai, Danit'ada, Taanishi, Bonjour, and Hello Hidden Valley Families, 

We are excited to welcome everyone to the 2023-2024 school year! It has been an exciting first few days back at school. We will be sending a weekly email to legal guardians, so that we can keep you updated on exciting things happening at Hidden Valley School. 

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:   Monday, September 4 – Labor Day (No School for Students) 

Friday, September 8 – PM Kindergarten attends 

Thursday, September 14 – Meet the Teacher/Open House/Evening - more info will be provided  

Friday, September 15 – AM Kindergarten attends  

Thursday, September 21 – Terry Fox School Run / La Journee Terry Fox des ecoles  

Friday, September 22 – Non-Instruction Day, No School for Students  

Monday, September 25 - 28 – HVS Acknowledges National Day of Truth and Reconciliation 

Friday, September 29 – The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation / No School for Students (NDTR; French: Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation), originally and still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day (French: Jour du chandail orange), is a Canadian holiday to recognize the legacy of the Canadian Indian residential school system. 

HOMEROOM TEACHERS ARE YOUR FIRST CONTACT  I always try to be as available as possible, but please know that your child’s teacher should always be the first point of contact for you and the school.  If you have any questions, please start with them as they can then direct you accordingly. 

HUG N’ GO  The Hug n’ Go area in front of the school is only a drop-off area. Grade 1 to 3 parents can only stay while actively loading or unloading children from the vehicle. You cannot sit in your car idling while you wait for school to start, or leave your vehicle to walk your child to the doors. If you feel your child needs to be walked to the door, please park elsewhere and walk with them. Supervision of students begins at 8:25 AM, so avoid dropping off your children prior to this time.  Kindergarten students must be brought to the front door and must be supervised until 8:30AM when the door will open, therefore Kindergarten parents are not allowed to use the Hug n’ Go. 

BIKES  Students can ride bikes to school, however they need to walk them while on school property and lock them in the designated bike rack. Hidden Valley School is not responsible for stolen items. 

TRANSPORTATION / PICK-UP  If you have registered your child for the school bus and have decided not to use the service, please make sure to cancel the service in your MyCBE account. 

If your child rides the school bus, it is very important that you contact the school if your child is not going to take the bus home at the end of the day. 

If your child goes to a daycare after school and you have made alternate arrangements for them to be picked up, please notify your daycare of this change. 

If you have made arrangements for someone to pick up your child after school that is not their usual pick-up, you must email the school or send a note to the teacher advising of this change. 

UNSAFE EQUIPMENT AND CONDITIONS  For safety reasons, students are not permitted to bring the following items to school: Heeley shoes, skateboards, hockey sticks, rollerblades, baseballs and/or bats as well as any other item which could be identified as hazardous. 

Also, parents, students, staff, community members are encouraged to advise the office/administration of any item, material, or conditions on or around the school property that are considered dangerous or hazardous to the safety and security of people. These items will be secured by administration or other qualified individuals pending the nature of the item/material/conditions. 

REPORTING ABSENCES  If your child is going to be absent or late, please notify the office at 403-777-7236 and press 1 for the Attendance Line.  Please leave a message indicating your child’s name and their room number or teacher’s name.  It is very important to also give the reason for the absence and the length of the absence if known. 

All students who arrive late need to report to the office for a late slip, before proceeding to their class. They will then be marked late rather than absent. 

LIFE-THREATENING ALLERGIES  At Hidden Valley School, we have a number of children who have severe allergies, especially to peanuts and other nuts. Even the smallest trace of peanuts/nuts, their oily residue, or even just the smell, can quickly cause a life-threatening condition called anaphylactic shock resulting in a life threatening situation. 

Although peanuts and nuts represent the most common severe allergy in our school, we also have children with life-threatening allergies to other foods, such as milk, wheat, eggs, fish and sesame. Our staff members are trained regularly in the use of Epinephrine medication (ex. EPI-PENS). 

Our goal at Hidden Valley School is to minimize and control accidental exposure through education and effective communication.  

If your child has a severe allergy, please inform the school and complete a Student Health Plan supported by Administrative Regulation 6002. 

Thank you for helping us to keep our school safe for all children, including those with severe food allergies. 

BIRTHDAYS  While it may be convenient to hand out birthday invitations at school it can also be upsetting to children who do not receive invitations. We ask parents to exercise discretion and sensitivity regarding birthday invitations. 

For health and safety reasons, it is not permitted to send treats such as food, candy, stickers, pencils etc. to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays. 

FIRE DRILLS AND LOCKDOWNS  All CBE schools are required to practice Fire Drills and Lockdowns. A Fire Drill is the procedure students would follow to evacuate the building in case of an emergency.  A Lockdown is the routine exercised when a potentially dangerous situation arises in or around a school. 

For the start of the school year, teachers will discuss these drills with students to help them understand the need for these types of procedures to take place in a calm, quiet and orderly fashion.   

We hope you enjoy the long weekend!

Michelle Chastko, Principal Allison Robb, Assistant Principal Kim Wong, Administrative Assistant

On behalf of the HVS staff