Hello Bonjour Tuscany School Families,            

Traffic Safety & Drop Off / Pick Up

As we continue to adjust to September back to school routines, I want to remind parents to avoid dropping off and picking up students directly in front of the school in the no stopping bus only zone and the disability parking zone if you do not hold a permit.

Stopping and parking in these areas is disruptive to the traffic flow and causes visibility and safety concerns, as well as impedes access for those that need it.

Please also be reminded that the Kiss and Drop zone alongside the west side of the school is a no parking zone from 8:00-9:00 am and again 2:30-3:30 pm. This area is meant for active drop off and pick up (loading and unloading). Please do not park and leave your vehicle unattended.

Additionally, the staff parking lot is not a drop off zone. Please do not enter the parking lot, as again, visibility becomes an issue and a huge safety concern. 

Calgary Police Service (CPS) and Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) monitor these areas regularly. When in doubt please read the posted Traffic & Parking Signs. Parents are encouraged to use the 311 App, call CPS or CPA to voice any concerns about traffic and parking infractions.

Remember, there are almost 535 students coming and going each and every day, so please be considerate in keeping ALL our students as safe as you would like yours to be. Thanks so much for your cooperation and for choosing safety over convenience.

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.

Tuscany School will mark Orange Shirt Day on September 28^th. Please consider sending your child to school wearing an orange shirt on this day. It is important that this day is more than just about wearing an orange shirt. It’s about honouring victims and survivors of residential schools, about making right on past mistakes, and it’s about being kind, caring and compassionate human beings. Tuscany School acknowledges and supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action and has committed to Calls to Action # 62 & 63 for the 2023-2024 school year. Over the year, our students will partake in various age-appropriate lessons, which include learning about Phyllis Webstad, the importance of land acknowledgements, trips to the Coulee, and learning about Indigenous ways of Being and Knowing through our continued partnerships with various Elders. Please take a moment to reflect on the importance of this day with your child. More information on Orange Shirt Day can be found here: www.orangeshirtday.org

Reading to Young Children

We recommend this Calgary-based literacy learning website for anyone who is interested in learning about effective and joyful ways to read aloud to young children. It doesn’t matter which language you read in with your children. It’s great to read in English, or any other language to children even if they are in French Immersion.

https://weeread.ca/

Literacy Tip | Daily Read Aloud

The reading aloud that you have been doing from birth to age 5 for your child, is still very important to continue once they have entered school and are progressing through the grades. Why is this so important? Children need to continue to learn about the sounds of language and how those sounds relate to letters and words. As they learn new words, children also begin to make meaning out of the words they can already read.

Reading aloud to your child helps them to build and strengthen their vocabulary. The more words a child hears, the more words the child will learn. All our lives, we are adding new words to our vocabulary and this is learning most ubiquitous and impactful in childhood. Listening to you read will help your child hear how to read with expression. Choosing books that give you an opportunity to change your voice, with parts you can read loudly, in a whisper, with a deep voice or a squeaky voice will make the interaction even more enjoyable. Encourage your child to use their voice to act out the feelings being expressed in the story. Most of all, make it joyful and have fun! Below find a list of some favourite Read Alouds for all ages.

Picture Books: Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, Oi Frog by Kes Grey, The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt, and, Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein.

Non Fiction Books: Can You Get Rainbows in Space? by Dr Sheila Kanani & Liz Kay, Weird Sea by Sophie Burrows.

Beloved Novels for Reading Aloud to children ages 8+: The Penderwick’s Series of books by Jeanne Birdsall, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, Wings of Fire Series by Tui T. Sutherland.

Although owning books is important for a child’s reading life, all of these titles can be borrowed from the Calgary Public Library.

Happy Reading!

Meet the Teacher Night

A reminder that meet the teacher night is this Thursday after school. Sessions/Conferences are 20 minutes in length. Please book a time with your child's homeroom teacher, Mr. Chapman, and with Mme Roussy (if in French Immersion). Conferences will be booked online using your parent MyCBE / PowerSchool account. 

September at a Glance

September 14 School Council Meeting 6:30

September 15 Terry Fox Run

September 21 Meet the Teacher Night

September 22 No School

September 26 & 27 Picture Day (more info & schedule to come)

September 28 Tuscany Orange Shirt Day

September 29 No School – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Have a wonderful week!

À bientôt,

Patrick Tomczyk, PhD

Principal