Making the Most of a Chilly Friday
We had a wonderful Friday morning together and want to thank everyone for their flexibility as we adjusted our plans due to the cold weather. Students really enjoyed gathering in the gym, and the hot chocolate and marshmallows were a big hit, including the vegan and gluten free marshmallows for those who needed them. A huge thank you to our amazing parent volunteers who helped make and hand out the hot chocolate, and to our School Council for providing the hot chocolate, marshmallows, cups, and lids. We are grateful for the teamwork that helped make the morning special for our students.
Winter Concert Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on Wednesday evening for our Winter Concert, A Winter’s Night. Our Kindergarten to Grade 3 students shone on stage, and it was wonderful to see so many families filling the gym with warmth and support. We want to extend our deepest appreciation to Mrs. Whitehead for her leadership, creativity, and countless hours spent preparing students for this special performance. Her work behind the scenes truly made the concert come to life. Thank you as well to all the parents who helped out with making props for students - we couldn’t do it without you! We’re already looking forward to celebrating our Grades 4–6 performers in the spring - more details to come later in the year!
Giving Tree Wrap-Up – Final Reminder
Our Giving Tree officially wraps up today! If you signed up to purchase a gift and haven’t had a chance to bring it in yet, please make sure it arrives at the school by Monday at the latest. We’ll be putting the family hampers together on Monday and need all items in so everything is ready to go. A huge thank you to our community for the generosity, caring, and empathy you show day after day. Because of your support, we’re able to provide meaningful help to several CHS families this holiday season, and we’re truly grateful.
If you need to double-check what you signed up for, you can find the list here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094AAAAD22ABF58-60859608-thegiving#/
Thank you again for making this tradition such a thoughtful and heartwarming part of our school year.
Veterans' Food Bank Drive + LEGO Challenge
We’re now wrapping up Week 2 of our Veterans Food Bank Drive “LEGO Challenge,” and the friendly competition between classrooms is really taking off! Students are excited to see their class totals grow, and it’s been wonderful watching them work together to support the Veterans Food Bank of Alberta. As we head into our final week (Week 3), we encourage families to keep sending in donations so classes can finish strong.
Everything leads up to our LEGO Building Challenge on Friday, December 19, the last day before Winter Break. Here’s a quick reminder of how it works:
· For every 15 items a class donates, they earn one bag of random LEGO pieces.
· More donations = more LEGO to build with during the challenge!
· The building fun will happen during class time on the 19th.
Please send all donated items to your child’s classroom first, so we can count them before adding them to the school-wide bins.
Festive Spirit Week – Dec. 15-19
We’re getting ready to celebrate the season with our annual Festive Spirit Week at Capitol Hill School! Each day in the last week of school has its own cheerful theme, and students are welcome to join in the fun in whatever way works for them.
Monday, Dec. 15 – Festive Headwear Day
· Kick off the week by wearing something fun on your head! Think holiday headbands, winter toques, “Santa” hats, antlers, sparkles-anything festive and school-appropriate.
Tuesday, Dec. 16 – “Ugly” Holiday Sweater Day
· It’s time for the classic tradition! Students can wear an “ugly” holiday sweater—or any wintery, festive, or decorated top they love.
Wednesday, Dec. 17 – Dress Like a Candy Cane Day
· Show your sweet side by dressing in red, white, or green. Stripes encouraged, but not required!
Thursday, Dec. 18 – Fun, Fuzzy, Fantastic Winter Socks Day
· Today is all about festive footwear. Wear your coziest, funniest, or most colourful holiday or winter socks.
Friday, Dec. 19 – Pyjama Day
· We’ll wrap up the week by getting comfy! Students are invited to wear their favourite holiday or winter pyjamas to school.
We’re looking forward to a fun, festive final week as we head into Winter Break!
Supporting Regular Attendance at CHS
We monitor attendance and late arrivals because they directly affect learning, especially since many classes begin key literacy and numeracy work promptly at our 8:43 AM start. When a student has missed more than 20% of classes, we start to get concerned. We know there’s been a lot of illness going around, and if your child is sick, they should absolutely stay home. At the end of December, families whose children have missed over 20% of school or are chronically late will receive an attendance email. This isn’t a warning - it’s simply an opportunity to check in, see if there’s anything we can support with, and remove barriers where possible.
Just a quick reminder that we can’t change the school start time or the traffic outside the school - those decisions are outside our control. Thank you for continuing to call or email when your child will be away or late.
Upcoming Dates
Dec. 15-19 – Festive Spirit Week
Dec. 15 – Festive Headwear Day
Dec. 16 – “Ugly” Holiday Sweater Day
Dec. 17 – Dress Like a Candy Cane Day
Dec. 18 – Fun, Fuzz, Fantastic Winter Socks Day
Dec. 18 – Fun Lunch (The Lunch Lady)
Dec. 19 – Pyjama Day!
Dec. 19 – LEGO Building Challenge for Veteran’s Foodbank
Dec. 19 – Last day of classes before Winter Break
Dec. 20 - Jan. 4 – Winter Break
Jan. 5 – Classes resume for students