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

Important Dates:  

o    September 19, 2023 – First fire drill practice 

o    September 20, 2023 – Terry Fox School Run / La Journee Terry Fox des ecoles  

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

o    Thursday, September 28 – HVS Acknowledges National Day of Truth and Reconciliation 

o    Thursday, September 28 – School Council Meeting/AGM 6:30pm  

o    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. 

HVS Highlights  

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our open house last night. It was wonderful to see everyone again and feel the energy in the building!  

French for Parents - Chinook Learning Services offers courses specifically designed for parents and caregivers of CBE French Immersion students. For Fall 2023, Chinook Learning Services is once again offering French for Parents – Level 1 classes. This eight-week course will help parents of bilingual students learn or refresh their French language skills, build their network of bilingual parents and support their children’s learning at home. 

This course would also be beneficial for any Support Staff who are interested in learning along with parents! 

Here is the link on the Chinook Learning Services website: French-For-Parents-Level-1 

Check out the course content at Outline-French-For-Parents-Level-1 

Drop off and pick up safety 

Thank you to everyone for working together to keep our students safe while picking up and dropping off our students. We appreciate all the families who are using the hug and go and crosswalks! 

Please remember to be respectful of our neighbours by not blocking their driveways. 

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation -The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is on September 29, 2023. Hidden Valley School will be closed to students and staff. We will be recognizing this day as a school community, during the week prior.  The Government of Canada has proclaimed September 30th as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The new federal national day directly responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action No. 80 and CBE’s Education Plan  where we have committed to “acknowledge and support the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.” 

The intention of the day is to recognize and honour residential school survivors, their families and communities. It will also ensure that public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process. 

Invite | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day Event - Sept. 30 

CBE students, staff and their families and friends are invited to join an event being hosted by the City of Calgary in partnership with the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District. The third annual ceremonial opening is taking place on Sept. 30 from 9-10:30 a.m. at Fort Calgary (750 9th Ave SE). This year's gathering will include a smudge tent, in-person Indigenous speakers and performers, an aerial salute ceremony, and other events. The events will also include an intertribal dance demonstration featuring Indigenous students from the CBE and CCSD. Participants are encouraged to wear orange. 

Following the YYC, CBE & CCSD event, all are invited to join the Pokaiks – The Children Commemorative Annual Walk and Gathering 2023. The walk will begin at 11 a.m. at City Hall (15-minute walk from Fort Calgary or 2-minute drive) and continue to Shaw Millenium Park (30-minute walk). The walk will be followed by drumming/dancing, Indigenous community speakers, artisan booths, and food sales. 

Schools are invited to share this invitation with their school communities.

Attendance - Regular school attendance has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life. 

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. When students miss too much school it can cause them to fall behind academically.  Regular school attendance is an important life skill on the path to graduation and future employment. Please review. 

General Information and Updates  Each year, schools have a variety of forms that parents / legal guardians are required to complete or review and update, some of which are paper and others online. In CBE, the forms in an online format (SchoolEngage) are: 

·         Demographic Verification - 2023-24 – This form includes your child’s personal information as well as parent / legal guardian contact information. 

·         Citizenship Information Update - 2023-24 – This form becomes available if you change your child’s citizenship information on the Demographic Verification form. 

·         Annual Authorization - 2023-24 – Combines the following forms: 

o    School District Use of Personal Information - explains how CBE uses personal information in providing education services. 

o    Consent for CBE Use of Student Information – provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by school/district and third parties. 

o    Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party) - provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by outside groups and third parties 

SchoolEngage is one of the applications found in your MyCBE account. This is the same account that you use to pay fees, view academic information, book school conferences, etc. 

If you do not have a MyCBE account, on the MyCBE page click on Create a MyCBE Account. For online help refer, to MyCBE - Creating an Account (includes instructions and a video). 

To complete these forms:  1 | sign in to your MyCBE account  2 | click on the SchoolEngage icon  3 | select the form  4 | complete or review and update the form  5 | click on Submit to send the form electronically to the school  6 | repeat steps 3-5 for each form 

Please submit the Demographic Verification and Annual Authorization forms in SchoolEngage for your child by Monday, September 18.  These forms are mandatory every year for Alberta Education to confirm student funding.  Thank you for completing them. 

The following documents can be accessed online on the HVS Back to School Information page: 

·         Information regarding subscribing to the Calgary Board of Education's messaging system including text messages 

·         Student Health Emergency Response Protocol form (necessary if your child has a significant health concern that staff need to be aware of) – Click on “Forms You Need” 

·         Student Health Plan (completed if a physical or medical condition may affect the student’s attendance at school or if medication is to be taken at school) – Click on “Forms You Need”