Thank You to Our Swimming Volunteers
A huge thank you to all of our parent volunteers and staff who helped make this week’s swimming program at Sir Winston Churchill Pool possible for our Kindergarten to Grade 4 students.
Anyone who has supported a school swim trip knows that the swimming itself is only one part of it. Getting students onto buses, off buses, through change rooms, onto the pool deck, connected with instructors, and then doing the whole process again in reverse takes a tremendous amount of organization, supervision, patience, and teamwork. Quite simply, this experience would not have happened without the many adults who gave their time and energy to support it.
We also want to thank our teachers for participating during an already busy time of year. It was easy to see how much work went into each day, and how tired everyone was by the end of it. Still, seeing the smiles on students’ faces in the water made it all worthwhile. For some students, this may be their only opportunity to go swimming this year, making the experience even more meaningful. Learning water confidence and safety skills is incredibly valuable, and we are so grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.
Spring Concert Update – Many Voices, One Song
Our Spring Concert, Many Voices, One Song, is almost here and we are looking forward to welcoming families this Thursday, April 30 at 6:00 PM. Students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 have been working hard with Ms. Whitehead during music classes to prepare a program that celebrates a variety of musical styles and traditions.
Ticket order forms were sent home earlier this week to families of students in Grades 4–6 and have already started coming back in. We will begin sending tickets home on Monday. Due to gymnasium capacity and fire code requirements, each family is initially limited to two tickets. Families may request additional tickets on the order form, and any extras will be distributed once all families have had the opportunity to receive their initial two tickets, likely on Wednesday or Thursday. Please return your order form as soon as possible, as tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.
For families who are unable to attend the evening performance, our dress rehearsal on Thursday at 1:30 PM is also open to family guests and does not require tickets. Students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will also attend the rehearsal so they can experience the musical styles and traditions the older students have been learning about and practicing. Please note that this is still a rehearsal, so there may be pauses, adjustments, interruptions, and final fine-tuning as students prepare for the evening concert.
If your child is in Grade 4, 5, or 6 and is unable to attend Thursday evening’s concert, please let their classroom teacher or Ms. Whitehead (CIWhitehead@cbe.ab.ca) know as soon as possible. This information is important for our planning and helps us prepare the performance properly. Thanks for your help with this!
Enrolment Intentions Form for 2026–27
A reminder that families were asked to complete the Enrolment Intentions Form in SchoolEngage by April 20, 2026. Since that date has now passed, we ask that any families who have not yet completed the form please do so as soon as possible. Calgary Board of Education is requiring all families to complete this formal record to support planning and enrolment for the 2026-27 school year.
The form is available through SchoolEngage in your MyCBE account and lets us know whether your child will be returning to Capitol Hill School, attending another CBE school, or attending school outside of the CBE. We understand that some family plans may still be changing, but please complete the form based on your current intentions. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
Date Change | Volunteer Appreciation Tea
Please note that our annual Volunteer Appreciation Tea has been moved to Friday, May 22 at 10:00 AM. We changed the date because the original time conflicted with an off-site activity where many of our volunteers will be helping, and we want to make sure they have the chance to attend.
Please save this new date. An online RSVP form will be sent out next week, along with additional details. We look forward to celebrating and thanking our wonderful CHS volunteers together.
Updated 2026–27 CBE Instructional Calendar
The CBE has finalized and posted an updated 2026-27 Instructional Calendar, which guides the schedule for all CBE schools. The primary change is that the previously scheduled non-instructional day on Friday, October 23, 2026, has been moved to Monday, October 19, 2026, to accommodate the provincial referendum, as many schools will be used as polling locations.
Our Capitol Hill School personalized calendar, which includes school-specific dates and events, will be shared at a later date. In the meantime, families can review the updated CBE calendar here.
Gratitude for our Support Staff
This week, we recognized and celebrated the incredible support staff who help make Capitol Hill School such a caring, welcoming, and well-run place each day. From the front office to the library, from student support to supervision, and from maintenance to all the many behind-the-scenes tasks that keep a school moving, their contributions are essential and deeply appreciated.
To honour this amazing team during Support Staff Appreciation Week, we put together the following poem as a small thank you for all they do for our students, staff, and community.
At Capitol Hill School, we’d like to say,
Our support staff brighten every day!
With helping hands and hearts so wide,
They keep our school with care and pride.
Tina, steady at the office door,
Keeps us organized and so much more.
With forms and calls and keys in sight,
You make the busy bustle feel just right.
Sandra and Candice, kind and true,
There’s always thoughtful work you do.
You help and guide throughout the day,
With patience, heart, and laughs along the way.
Nicola, our EAL star,
You help our learners near and far.
With warmth and words and a caring way,
You help confidence grow more each day.
Our lunchroom team deserves big cheers,
For sorting spills and sandwich fears.
Griselda, Lily, Julio too,
Naheed and Myra, thanks to you.
Elly and Reiko, calm and bright,
You keep the lunchtime mood just right.
From missing spoons to chatter and clatter,
You handle it all like it’s no great matter.
Brenda, in the library space,
You help each reader find their place.
With shelves and stories, books galore,
You open minds and so much more.
And Aki, when things squeak or crash,
You’re there to help us in a flash.
For drips and clunks and every fix,
You save the day with clever tricks.
To all of you, this week we cheer,
For all you do throughout the year.
With grateful hearts, we want to say,
You make our school better every day!
Maatoomsii’Pookaiks: What Staff Learned Today
Today our staff participated in Maatoomsii’Pookaiks (Children First), the CBE Indigenous Education Professional Learning Day. A key part of our learning was deepening our shared understanding of ethical space, or “two-eyed seeing,” which is the practice of holding Indigenous and Western perspectives side by side with respect and noticing what changes when we make room for more than one way of knowing. We reflected together on our land acknowledgement as an ongoing relationship and responsibility, and how that responsibility should shape classroom practice.
Staff then explored Indigenous perspectives in mathematics through shared tasks and resources that centre story, relationships, and multiple strategies for thinking. One resource we worked with was The Adventures of Small Number from Simon Fraser University. Through storytelling, it sparks rich mathematical reasoning and classroom discussion, and it helped us consider how math learning can invite different approaches, representations, and ways of explaining. Teachers finished the day by designing discourse-rich math tasks they can use with students, including ideas that connect learning to place and community.
To learn more about Indigenous perspectives in mathematics and “two-eyed seeing,” a short journal article is linked below that explores how Indigenous traditions and Western mathematics can inform one another in meaningful ways.
Two-Eyed Seeing: Mathematics and Indigenous Traditions and Cultures
Spring Has Sprung in the Geodome
While the weather outside may still be sending mixed messages, signs of spring are already taking shape inside CHS. One of the features that makes our school so unique is the Geodome. Technically a geodesic greenhouse, it has been a special part of our school community since it was built in 2017. It provides students with meaningful, hands-on opportunities to plant, observe, care for living things, and experience the growing process firsthand. It is one thing to learn about plants and ecosystems in the classroom, and another to step into a space where that learning comes to life.
This week, as students also took part in Earth Day activities across the school, the Geodome served as a natural extension of that learning. It reflects the kind of environmental citizenship we hope to foster at CHS: curiosity, responsibility, stewardship, and connection to the natural world.
Students have already begun using the Geodome again, with some early planting underway, while other classes are sprouting seeds in their classrooms in preparation for the weeks ahead. There is a real sense of excitement building around this space, and we look forward to all of the learning and growing it will support this spring. Learn more about the Geodome on our website.
Upcoming Dates
Apr. 29 - MRU Math Contest (Grades 4–6)
Apr. 30 - Subway Fun Lunch
Apr. 30 - Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal, 1:30 PM (tickets not required)
Apr. 30 - Spring Concert, 6:00 PM (tickets required)
May 4 - School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
May 4 - Grade 4 Off-Site Activity (TELUS Spark)
May 5 - Grade 1 Off-Site Activity (Urban Exploration Walk)
May 6 - Hats on! for Mental Health & School-wide Yoga Activity
May 6 - Gr. 6 Vaccinations, Round 2
May 7 - Grade 2 Off-Site Activity (Calgary Philharmonic)
May 7 - Next-Year K Visits CHS / Current Ks Visit Grade 1
May 11–14 - Owl’s Nest Book Fair
May 11–29 - AB Ed. Literacy & Numeracy Reassessments (Gr. 1–3)
May 12 - Grade 3 Off-Site Activity (Heritage Park)
May 14 – School Spirit Day (Opposite Day! More info to come.)
May 14 - Panago Fun Lunch
May 15 - Non-Instructional Day - No classes for students
May 18 - Victoria Day – No School
May 20 - Student Voice
May 20 - School Council & CHEES Meeting, 6:30 PM
May 22 - Volunteer Appreciation Tea, 10:00 AM
May 25 - Grade 6 PAT I ELAL Part A
May 25–29 - Grade 1 Off-Site Activity (City Hall School - Careclakis)
May 28 - Edo Japan Fun Lunch
Jun. 1–5 - Grade 1 Off-Site Activity (City Hall School - Gosse)
Jun. 4 - Grade 6 PAT I ELAL Part B
Jun. 8–12 - IPPs Sent Home for Final Review & Signature
Jun. 10 - Dental Screening (K–2)
Jun. 10 - Grade 4 Off-Site Activity (Calgary Farmyard)
Jun. 11 - Talent Show, 1:30 PM
Jun. 11 - McDonald’s Fun Lunch
Jun. 12 - Grade 6 PAT I Science
Jun. 15 - Grade 6 PAT I Math Part A
Jun. 17 - Student Voice
Jun. 18 - Grade 6 PAT I Math Part B
Jun. 18 - Food Trucks & Families (School Council event, 3:16–5:30 PM)
Jun. 19 - Sports & Activity Day (*both AM & PM Kindergarten attend*)
Jun. 23 - Grade 6 Farewell
Jun. 24 - Gr. 5 Charity Mini Golf Course
Jun. 25 - Report Cards Viewable Online in MyCBE
Jun. 26 - Year-End Assembly
Jun. 26 - Last Day of Classes for Students (Dismissal at 12:46 PM)
Jun. 29 - Appeals Day (until 12:00 PM)