What's Up at Wilma for the Week of April 6
April 5, 2020
Dear parents/guardians,
I don’t know about you but last week felt a bit like ‘drinking from a firehose’ for me and many WHS staff members. On your end, I can only imagine the changes in routines with kids and work and everyday tasks like shopping and running errands. We are all in this together and we are working hard to support you in the new routines at home and new routines as we connect and re-engage with students and their learning. I realize that there was a LOT of information that went home last week. We are working on sending 2-3 emails to parents per week acknowledging that families with children in multiple grades may get extra emails. Our current plan is to send out the following week’s student work on a Thursday or Friday so that students and families can confirm and/or adjust for the coming week. What’s Up at Wilma on the weekend by Sunday afternoon.
Please take the time to read through all the enclosed information so that you are up to speed with what we are doing and what to expect in terms of your child’s learning. Thank you for your patience with us, your children and the process.
Last week we:
All that said, a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the terrific and always AMAZING WHS STAFF. The work cannot happen with out teacher, while connecting with your children, were also on a steep learning curve that shifted even as we were already working on new and updated learning information and teaching practices.
As we move forward with this work, a couple of reminders:
Suggested parts of a student’s daily routine are:
School office hours (time when somebody should either answer the phone or reply via email) are: M-T 8:30am – 4:00pm and Fri 9:00am – 3:00pm
Refund information regarding Noon supervision and Transportation can be found on the CBE website. At WHS individual refunds for activities that took place before March 13, 2020 have been underway. Inquiries should be directed to our Admin Assistant, Mrs. Tallack via email: [email protected] and cc [email protected].
Healthy Hunger orders have been cancelled and a refund directly from Healthy Hunger is in process for pre-orders. Band - individual emails regarding the amounts in student fundraising account will me sent out next week.
Lastly, we will also be sending ‘Bonus’ and ‘Wellness’ learning ideas and just other ideas that families can engage in or not depending on the situation in your homes. For your information, I have attached my Anticipated Schedule/Routine as I know it now and subject to changes and adjustments as needed along with a month at a glance calendar for April that can be used as a planning and/or tracking tool.
I hope you were able to enjoy yesterday’s sunshine and are well on your way to connecting with teachers tomorrow (Monday) morning and afternoon.
Stay healthy, stay well and take care,
Kat Siska, Principal
April Anitcipated routines and calendar.docx
Dear parents/guardians,
I don’t know about you but last week felt a bit like ‘drinking from a firehose’ for me and many WHS staff members. On your end, I can only imagine the changes in routines with kids and work and everyday tasks like shopping and running errands. We are all in this together and we are working hard to support you in the new routines at home and new routines as we connect and re-engage with students and their learning. I realize that there was a LOT of information that went home last week. We are working on sending 2-3 emails to parents per week acknowledging that families with children in multiple grades may get extra emails. Our current plan is to send out the following week’s student work on a Thursday or Friday so that students and families can confirm and/or adjust for the coming week. What’s Up at Wilma on the weekend by Sunday afternoon.
Please take the time to read through all the enclosed information so that you are up to speed with what we are doing and what to expect in terms of your child’s learning. Thank you for your patience with us, your children and the process.
Last week we:
- Made connections with students and families (still following up with some that were not easily accessible and those with whom we have not yet connected)
- Followed up with student work and last week’s assignment (all students across all grades and programs) – 2 reflections and a learning schedule/routine posted in Iris
- Set up learning programs and learning time schedules which were sent to parents/guardians via SchoolMessenger and to students (by grade and program) directly to their educbe email accounts
- Homeroom teachers tested out and connected with many/most students via Google Meet
- Teachers and students connecting/reconnecting with Brightspace by D2L
- Supported students with their connectivity questions and concerns
- Sent out student and teacher availability schedules: ‘green’ – time block for students to connect with their teachers; ‘orange’ – office time block when teacher remain available to work with students who need additional learning support.
All that said, a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the terrific and always AMAZING WHS STAFF. The work cannot happen with out teacher, while connecting with your children, were also on a steep learning curve that shifted even as we were already working on new and updated learning information and teaching practices.
As we move forward with this work, a couple of reminders:
- AB Ed and CBE expectation is that students in grades 1 – 6 do 5 hours of school work per week with an emphasis on literacy and numeracy
- AB Ed and CBE expectations is that students in grades 7 – 9 do 10 hours of school work per week with an emphasis on core subject areas – ELA, Math, SS and Sci
- Best communication for students is through their subject teacher and/or HR teacher via the communication modes pre-arranged by their teachers
- Best communication for parents/guardians regarding academic issues remain emailing the subject and/or HR teachers to start the dialogue. If this is not satisfactory, include the grade group lead or program lead and if still not satisfied, connect with the appropriate school administrator:
- Gr 5/6 – Mr. Veronese (grade lead)
- Gr 7 – Ms. Goods (grade lead)
- Gr 8 – Mr. Harding (grade lead)
- Gr 9 – Mrs. Wood-Garvey (grade lead)
- PLP – Ms Iemants / Ms Rosychuk
- Bridges – Ms. Lipiec
- Administrator for Gr 5/6, 7 and Bridges = Mr. Pugh
- Administrator for Gr 8, 9 and PLP = Ms. Siska
- All staff email addresses can be found on the WHS website à About us à contacts à Our Staff
- Best sources of up to date and most current information can be found on the CBE website: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/Pages/default.aspx ; and the WHS website: https://school.portal.cbe.ab.ca/school/wilmahansen/Pages/default.aspx
Suggested parts of a student’s daily routine are:
- Regular wake up time
- Time for breakfast and perhaps a morning physical activity (ie walk)
- 9:30am – check student email, log into D2L, set up learning space
- 10:00 – 11:30 am – an hour of learning time with focus on learning tasks
- Personal time – lunch, movement break, etc.
- 1:00pm – check student email, log into D2L, set up learning space
- 1:30 – 3:00 pm – an hour of learning time with focus on learning tasks
- Personal time – movement break, chores, dinner prep, etc.
- Evening routine with a regular bedtime
School office hours (time when somebody should either answer the phone or reply via email) are: M-T 8:30am – 4:00pm and Fri 9:00am – 3:00pm
Refund information regarding Noon supervision and Transportation can be found on the CBE website. At WHS individual refunds for activities that took place before March 13, 2020 have been underway. Inquiries should be directed to our Admin Assistant, Mrs. Tallack via email: [email protected] and cc [email protected].
Healthy Hunger orders have been cancelled and a refund directly from Healthy Hunger is in process for pre-orders. Band - individual emails regarding the amounts in student fundraising account will me sent out next week.
Lastly, we will also be sending ‘Bonus’ and ‘Wellness’ learning ideas and just other ideas that families can engage in or not depending on the situation in your homes. For your information, I have attached my Anticipated Schedule/Routine as I know it now and subject to changes and adjustments as needed along with a month at a glance calendar for April that can be used as a planning and/or tracking tool.
I hope you were able to enjoy yesterday’s sunshine and are well on your way to connecting with teachers tomorrow (Monday) morning and afternoon.
Stay healthy, stay well and take care,
Kat Siska, Principal
April Anitcipated routines and calendar.docx
April 2, 2020
I don't know why this is surprising to me Wilma student continue to impress and surprise me with their talents and amazing and creative ways they showcase their learning. They treat me to their innovative ways of showcasing their learning.
Thank you for the YouTube video, Iris updates and personal emails. We miss seeing all of you every day and can't wait to connect online or in other ways as we work together to keep going with the learning.
Thank you for the YouTube video, Iris updates and personal emails. We miss seeing all of you every day and can't wait to connect online or in other ways as we work together to keep going with the learning.
April 1, 2020
On April 1, 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other. Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March . . . https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-fools-tradition-popularized |
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 31, 2020
Sunday, March 29, 2020
I am feeling very thankful for my admin team partner David Pugh. What we thought was going to be a 2 hour 'let's get Monday and next week organized' meeting and have the afternoon with our respective families, turned into 4 hours of very productive work. What's Up at Wilma is up and active and emailed. Spoke with some and connected with all staff members. Monday morning meeting with staff is set up (in person or virtually through Google Meet) and work for our collective next steps for our students and families is high on our agenda. I am excited, anxious, hopeful, optimistic and a bit scared all at the same time. Looking forward to working with colleagues and supporting our students after these two weeks of strange. Looking forward to the learning we will do together in all sorts of new and exciting ways.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Needed to go for groceries and needed to go to the Bank today. The grocery run was amazing! Almost nobody at the store, got all the items on the list and made it out in record time. Loving that.
The Bank task was easy but different. Almost nobody in the parking lot. On a Saturday! Only one person allowed into the bank at one time. Lots of social distancing. Another reminder of our new reality. Hope that everyone is doing their part and staying home as much as possible. I realize that this is not easy to do but so necessary in order for all of us to get through this with the least amount of impact. Not easy. |
Friday, March 27, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
A little math to help nephew. He is working on a completing the pre-requisite courses he needs to play hockey with the University of Alaska next year. Good Luck Daniel!!!
I also started on a project to sort and clean out my closet. This particular task has been on my "To Do" List for several years. I guess it is time to get started on the spring cleaning tasks as well. |
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Taco Tuesday. Memories of Foods class and Fridays' Treat of the Week meal sharing with staff.
Also shared on social media a possible schedule for me or others as we all try to navigate this 'unique' time. Right now, it is very hard for me to go with a set schedule but in a week I will likely be wanting to have more structure and predictability in my routine. After all it is only the 3rd day of Spring Break and I am just trying to navigate what will soon be the 'new normal'.
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A view of the mountains during my afternoon walk. |
Sunday, March 22, 2020It has been a while since I have used this account. I have restarted using it in an effort to keep a log of some of the activities that I am undertaking and to have a space for positive messaging as we all navigate through these unprecedented times.
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RENEWED WEEBLY POSTINGS
JUNE 2015
Tuesday, June 16 Grade 9 Farewell at Heritage Park
5:30 pm – students need to be at the school
6:00 pm – Buses depart from Wilma Hansen
10:00 pm – Buses depart from Heritage Park
10:30 pm – Buses arrive at Wilma Hansen for parents to pick up their students
Friday, June 19 or Monday, June 22
Locker clean out. Students will be asked to clean out all perishable items and leave in their locker only the items they will need to write their exams.
School bus times for June 23 to June 26, inclusive:
Regular morning pick up and school starts at the usual morning time - 9:05 am
Early dismissal – 1:10 bus departure
School bus times for Monday, June 29:
Regular morning pick up
Early dismissal – 12:10 bus departure
School supervision of students during exams:
9:00 am Students arrive at school
9:05 am Period 1
9:45 am Students move to exam centres
End of exam/Lunch
1:10 pm School buses depart
Tuesday, June 23 Exams: Science 9 PAT
Math 8
Social Studies 7
Wednesday, June 24 Exams: Math 9 PAT
Social Studies 8
ELA 7 – Pt. B
Thursday, June 25 Exams: ELA 9 PAT – Pt. B
Science 8
Math 7
Friday, June 26 Exams: Social Studies PAT
ELA 8 – Pt. B
Science 7
Monday, June 29 9:30 am Recognition and Awards for Grade 7 and Grade 8 students and their families. Report Card pick up. School bus- regular morning pick up and departs at 12:10 pm.
1:30 pm Recognition and Awards for Grade 9 students and their families.
Report Card pick up.
Tuesday, June 30 9:00 am – 11:00 am Appeals
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER !!!
Tuesday, June 16 Grade 9 Farewell at Heritage Park
5:30 pm – students need to be at the school
6:00 pm – Buses depart from Wilma Hansen
10:00 pm – Buses depart from Heritage Park
10:30 pm – Buses arrive at Wilma Hansen for parents to pick up their students
Friday, June 19 or Monday, June 22
Locker clean out. Students will be asked to clean out all perishable items and leave in their locker only the items they will need to write their exams.
School bus times for June 23 to June 26, inclusive:
Regular morning pick up and school starts at the usual morning time - 9:05 am
Early dismissal – 1:10 bus departure
School bus times for Monday, June 29:
Regular morning pick up
Early dismissal – 12:10 bus departure
School supervision of students during exams:
9:00 am Students arrive at school
9:05 am Period 1
9:45 am Students move to exam centres
End of exam/Lunch
1:10 pm School buses depart
Tuesday, June 23 Exams: Science 9 PAT
Math 8
Social Studies 7
Wednesday, June 24 Exams: Math 9 PAT
Social Studies 8
ELA 7 – Pt. B
Thursday, June 25 Exams: ELA 9 PAT – Pt. B
Science 8
Math 7
Friday, June 26 Exams: Social Studies PAT
ELA 8 – Pt. B
Science 7
Monday, June 29 9:30 am Recognition and Awards for Grade 7 and Grade 8 students and their families. Report Card pick up. School bus- regular morning pick up and departs at 12:10 pm.
1:30 pm Recognition and Awards for Grade 9 students and their families.
Report Card pick up.
Tuesday, June 30 9:00 am – 11:00 am Appeals
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER !!!
Dear parents, guardians and students,
As we come to the close of this week and this calendar year, we would like to wish all of you the very best of the holidays. May you enjoy the time you have together.
A couple of reminders:
1. Locker clean out is scheduled for this Thursday during RTI. Please remind your children to bring home any perishable items that they may have in their lockers.
2. Students should also have either renewed or returned any library books.
3. Friday is the last day of school before the Winter Break. We have early dismissal at 12:10 and school busses will pick up bused students at that time.
4. We look forward to seeing students on Monday, January 5 at 9:00 am.
5. For calendar and school news updates, please keep checking the Wilma Hansen Website: http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b685/default.htm including links to the Principals’ and Wilma Hansen Parent Association Blogs.
Looking forward to seeing you in the New Year!
Kat Siska, Principal
A reminder of upcoming events:
Thursday, November 27 - School Council and the Wilma Hansen School Parent Association meeting at 7:00 pm in the library. All parents and guardians are invited and welcome to attend. Come and see what is happening at Wilma Hansen and add your voice.
Friday, December 5 - PD Day
Wednesday, December 10 - Wilma Hansen Winter Concert at 6:30 pm at the school.
Friday, December 19 - Early dismissal = 12:15 pm
We look forward to seeing you.
Thursday, November 27 - School Council and the Wilma Hansen School Parent Association meeting at 7:00 pm in the library. All parents and guardians are invited and welcome to attend. Come and see what is happening at Wilma Hansen and add your voice.
Friday, December 5 - PD Day
Wednesday, December 10 - Wilma Hansen Winter Concert at 6:30 pm at the school.
Friday, December 19 - Early dismissal = 12:15 pm
We look forward to seeing you.
Dear parents and guardians,
We have had a reported incident involving head lice. Although we are not certain where and how contact was made, since one of our students was affected, it is our policy to inform parents and guardians so that you have an opportunity to check your children as outlined in the attached pamphlet supplied by Alberta Health Services.
The following Alberta Health link https://myhealth.alberta.ca/health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwId=hw51114 contains information regarding how head lice are spread and how to treat infestations and prevent re-occurrence. If you require further information, please contact our School Health Nurse, Jeannette Gilmour at (403) 943-9128.
Thank you for your cooperation and consideration of this notice.
We have had a reported incident involving head lice. Although we are not certain where and how contact was made, since one of our students was affected, it is our policy to inform parents and guardians so that you have an opportunity to check your children as outlined in the attached pamphlet supplied by Alberta Health Services.
The following Alberta Health link https://myhealth.alberta.ca/health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwId=hw51114 contains information regarding how head lice are spread and how to treat infestations and prevent re-occurrence. If you require further information, please contact our School Health Nurse, Jeannette Gilmour at (403) 943-9128.
Thank you for your cooperation and consideration of this notice.
Students, parents and guardians,
Thursday, November 20
ü IPPs sent home with students need to be returned
ü Practice lockdown in the morning
Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 pm.
ü Students interested in Centennial High School, Central Memorial High School and/or Dr. E P Scarlett High School programs are invited to each school’s Open House. All three schools have their Open Houses Thursday night.
Friday, November 21 is a non-Instructional Day and there is no school for students.
Check our website often, including the Principal’s Blog and Parent Blog for school updates and upcoming events.
Kat Siska, Principal
Thursday, November 20
ü IPPs sent home with students need to be returned
ü Practice lockdown in the morning
Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 pm.
ü Students interested in Centennial High School, Central Memorial High School and/or Dr. E P Scarlett High School programs are invited to each school’s Open House. All three schools have their Open Houses Thursday night.
Friday, November 21 is a non-Instructional Day and there is no school for students.
Check our website often, including the Principal’s Blog and Parent Blog for school updates and upcoming events.
Kat Siska, Principal
October 28, 2014
Dear parents and guardians, You are invited to parent, teacher, student conferences on Thursday, October 30. On Thursday, the school will have an early dismissal of 1:10. The conference will be held in the library at 2:30 to 5:00 pm and 6:00 to 8:00pm. We have also set up times for coffee and conversation about student assessment, reporting and report cards. The times for these conversations are Tuesday October 28 at 7:30 pm and Thursday, October 30 at 3:00 pm or 6:00 pm or 8:00 pm. We would like to hold the conversations to a manageable number so that all concerns can be addressed. Kindly RSVP by calling the school main office at (403) 777-7430. Photo re-takes are scheduled for Thursday, October 30 The Wilma Hansen Parent Council along with the Wilma Hansen School Parent Association would like to communicate with you. From the Wilma Hansen website, use the yellow Parent Blog link. There are a variety of ways to stay connected including following them via email, twitter, google or other communication platforms. Check them out! We look forward to seeing you on Thursday. Kat Siska Principal October 14, 2014
Dear Parents/Guardians,
This morning we experienced a gas leak at the school. The leak was quickly contained and safety precautions were put into effect. All doors were opened to air out the school. The Calgary Fire Department Hazmat team was called in and they gave the school an ‘all clear’ with respect to air quality at 8:30 am even though odour was still slightly noticeable. They informed us that the school registered at “0” (zero) for any toxins, the mild lingering smell was not dangerous and that staff and students were safe to work/learn in the building. As the slight odour remained on the second level of the school at 8:50 am, it was decided that the second floor classes would be run outside or on the first floor in the first period time block. We would like to that the students and staff for taking responsibility and in a very timely and orderly fashion, getting to the business of learning in the designated space on the first floor. The second floor was checked again at 9:50 am and no lingering odour remained. As of the second period today, all classes were back to their designated rooms. Respectfully yours, Kat Siska |
August 13, 2014
Dear Students and Parents/Guardians, We trust this correspondence will find you well and enjoying the summer break. You may be curious as to the happenings at and around Wilma Hansen School and with the ‘back to school’ commercials in full swing, you may also be wondering how you should prepare for the upcoming year. Since the departure of students in June, the school has undergone a thorough cleaning and waxing. Thanks to our custodians, the school is clean and polished. In the office, we said so long to Ms. Taylor and we welcome Mr. Daryl Martin as the incoming Assistant Principal. Mr. Martin comes to us from Terry Fox School where he was the Assistant Principal for the past 5 years. He has a wide variety of educational experience gained locally and with his work overseas. We also wished Mrs. McLean all the best in her retirement and will be missing Mrs. Stafford as she continues on her maternity leave. The rest of our staff will be returning and are looking forward to greeting the new students and reconnecting with returning grade 8s and 9s. As for the logistics of scheduling and such, we are still working on ensuring that students are enrolled in the option courses they selected and trying to honour the higher priority choices as much as possible. Students will receive their timetables on the first day of school – Tuesday, September 2 - GRADE 7 students ONLY (modified day 9:05 am to 1:10 pm) and Wednesday, September 3 ALL students (grades 7 - 9 regular day 9:05 am to 3:40 pm). We also have a similar-to-last-year, but slightly shifted, Bell Schedule. The times and days remain and the shift should help everyone to schedule their time. We will still be running a 4 day rotation but the rotation is such that each Monday will be Day 1, Tuesdays will be Day 2, Wednesdays will be Day 3 with a 30 minute Hawks RTI session, Thursdays will be Day 4 with a 30 minute Hawks RTI session and on Fridays the Days will rotate (1 to 4 depending on the Friday). Fridays will remain as shorter school days with afternoon dismissal at 1:10 pm. The Bell Schedule is attached. So, even though stores would like all of us to rush out and spend money on school supplies, this truly is not necessary. For the first day, students should come to school with a pen or pencil and small notebook or paper. If they like, they can bring one or two binders with loose leaf paper and dividers. On the first day, students will come home with a ‘package’ of information and forms to be returned to the school. Any specific requests for schools supplies will be identified by the teachers and students will bring the information in the first week. We have found that the most efficient way for the school to communicate with families is via email and voice messages. In the ‘package’ of information students receive on the first day, we will include a demographic form and ask parents/guardians to check and update the contact information so that we can ensure communication is reaching everyone. We also use our webpage as a communication tool. Currently the page is under construction and should be up-do-date and functional in September. A couple of dates to keep in mind as we head into September: September 2 First Day of School for Grade 7 students ONLY – short day 1:10 dismissal September 3 All students in – regular day – 3:40 dismissal September 18 Meet the Teacher evening 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm September 19 CBE Non-Instructional Day (Friday – no school for students) September 25 Wilma Hansen School Parent Association (WHSPA) meeting, Thursday, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm in the library. All invited and all welcome. September 30 Aussie Rules Parent Night – fun and educational opportunity for parents to dialogue with PE presenters who were involved with our WH students through and enrichment in the PE program A couple final things to consider:
Enjoy the rest of the summer. We look forward to our work together in September, Kat Siska Principal |