Hello Tom Baines Families!

October is almost over and the winter weather has hit. Amazing learning opportunities continue to happen every day at Tom Baines and we are excited for the next few months. Thank you so much for your continued support. Students and staff participated in our annual pep rally today. The volume was loud, the students were excited, fun was had by all and we increased our sense of belonging. It was great to be together and watch our Tom Baines community work as one community.

Please read below for important information.

Important Dates:

October 31 – Halloween – students are encouraged to dress up in appropriate (no masks or gore) costumes to celebrate the day.

November 2 – Picture Retake Day

November 7 – Grade 9 Environmental Stewardship Field Trip

November 8 – Remembrance Day Assembly (for students only)

November 9 – 14 – Fall Break. No school for students

November 15 – Students return

November 15 – 17 – Grade 8 Band Camp

Athletics - Soccer season is over and our boys and girls teams didn’t take first place but they had a great run. Congratulations to each of the players and thank you to the coaches. Basketball is in full swing! It’s great to see our athletes grow and progress in their skills of the sport. Athletics truly helps build our sense of belonging.

Focus for the year – Each year we create a School Development Plan to identify areas of growth for literacy, mathematics and student well-being. This year we are focusing on the skill of inferencing to improve reading comprehension, strengthening problem-solving skills in mathematics and improving our sense of belonging for well-being. More information will be presented on this at our November school council meeting.

Weather and Traffic – The snow has hit and it is cold. A reminder that all students are expected to go outside for our lunch recess (12:35 – 12:58) and need to dress for the weather. If it gets colder than negative 20 with the wind chill then students will stay indoors. Also, please remember to not park in our staff parking lot when picking up students. The loop in front of our school is a one way and should only be entered from the south entrance. The north entrance is for staff only. Let’s make sure to follow this and keep all students safe.

Transportation – We have had many inquiries about the bus being late or not showing up. Transportation is provided through the city of Calgary and any questions, concerns or complaints need to be directed to Calgary Transportation.

Attendance and Lates – this continues to be a struggle for some families. The greatest indicator of success at school is regular attendance. If you’re struggling with this, please reach out to our AP, Mrs. Bartlett, and we can work together to improve attendance. We also need to ensure our kids are at school by 8:40 am so they can be in their Period 1 class when it starts at 8:45.

Thank you again. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions. You can email tombaines@cbe.ab.ca any time.

Derek Siakaluk, Principal

Jen Bartlett, Assistant Principal