February 2025 Newsletter
Principal’s Message
It is hard to believe that we have already completed the first month of 2025!! With all the melting and refreezing at night, we do have many icy spots, both on the sidewalks and the playground. Please be mindful of icy conditions when walking or playing outdoors. Please be careful as you are driving, especially near the school as we have a lot of little ones crossing the streets and we want everyone to be safe. Let’s continue to hope for an early spring!
Report Cards are now available online in your PowerSchool Account. Please be sure to read and PRINT your child’s report card as they are only available for a short time online and the school is not providing paper copies of the report card again this year.
I would like to say a great big THANK YOU to all the students, staff and families for making our 101 Dalmatians production such a great success on January 30th. Once again, the hard work, commitment to practices and enthusiastic energy from all of our students, created a wonderful production, which I hope everyone was able to enjoy. We are already in conversations about next year’s performance!! Thank you again for all of your support.
We continue to have many families interested both in our program and specifically our school. It definitely speaks to the great things happening at Le Roi Daniels. If you are interested in attending our school or have a kindergarten sibling who will be starting in September, please visit the school website to find and complete all forms and registration process. If your child is currently attending Le Roi Daniels, you do NOT need to register, your child will continue to the next grade here at the school.
Additionally, we are already planning for next year, if you know that your child will not be attending Le Roi Daniels next year, please email the school office or come into the school to let us know where you will be going so we can ensure that all files go to the correct location. If your child is going to Fairview, you do not need to let us know as that transfer process is automatically done for current TLC students.
There are many activities and events happening in February so please be sure to read below for the updates, reminders and special activities that students will be participating in.
Finally, as February is a short month and full of time for students to be with their families, I hope you take the time to connect as a family, share some special memories and learn from each other. Have a great Family Day long weekend!!
Sincerely,
Andrea Taylor
School News
SAFETY
As we continue through the year and the weather plays havoc with our sidewalks and fields, I would like to remind you of some of the safety pieces we have in place and areas you can help us. Please remind your students when they are coming to school, that the roads are slippery and cars may not be able to stop easily, so they need to wait until cars STOP completely before crossing the roads. As drivers, please remember that we have lots of students everywhere when you are driving. It is 30km/hour and there are NO U_TURNS allowed anywhere in a playground zone, especially near crosswalks or corners where pedestrians are crossing. There is also NO drop-off or pick-up of students in either parking lot and parents should never double park in the middle of the road to let their children out.
Students who are on the bus get regular reminders of bus safety but it is always great to have the reminders from mom and dad too…students MUST remain seated at ALL times on the bus, they should visit QUIETLY with their neighbours and remember to show respect to everyone on the bus, including the driver. We hope that parents are also setting a great example for both their children and as a representative of TLC, to follow the rules of the road at bus stops. Please do not double park, do not block sidewalks or driveways, and be respectful to the other families who are also picking up their children. We want everyone to be safe! Finally, as the sidewalks and fields continue to thaw and refreeze, please remind your children, as we do daily through announcements, to be extra careful when they are walking. We do our very best to ensure that there is salt, gravel and shoveling done each day but we also know that the joys of chinook weather in Calgary plays havoc with our weather, our sidewalks and our roads. Ultimately, safety is our priority and if we work together, everyone will be safer.
VALENTINE’S DAY
Students are invited to wear pink, purple, red or white on Wednesday, February 12th for our CASUAL day as we celebrate Valentine’s Day and show kindness to those around us. Please watch your child’s Google Meet messages to find out the specific activities that may be happening in your child’s class.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
As we are heading into the second half of the school year, there are many more fieldtrips and school events that require volunteers. Please be sure to complete your Police Clearance through the CBE process (call the office for details) so you are ready and able to help in your child’s class for some of these great events. Thank you so much!
PINK SHIRT DAY
February 26 is Pink Shirt Day, which focuses on Kindness, Empathy, Understanding and Inclusion. ALL students are encouraged to wear a pink shirt on this day with their uniform bottoms. This is NOT a casual day J
ARTIST in RESIDENCE
We are very thankful to School Council, as well as excited to have an Artist in Residence joining our school for the month of February. Students will be working alongside Heather Rozell to create a variety of amazing art pieces using different mediums. These awesome art pieces will be displayed during our March Student-led conferences!
VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to Irina Suman who has won 2 movie tickets. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to volunteering at our school to make it great!
Character Education
For the month of February, we are focusing on the vital character trait of HONESTY. Honesty means telling the truth, being open, and acting with integrity, whether at school, home, or in everyday life. At school, honesty might look like returning a lost item to a classmate versus keeping it. At home, it can be as simple as a child admitting they didn’t complete their chores or sharing their feelings about a situation rather than hiding them. In life, honesty is reflected in how we communicate with others; such as being truthful in our interactions and respecting the feelings of those around us. Fostering this trait is essential, as honesty builds trust and strong relationships. Parents can encourage honesty by creating an open environment where children feel safe to express themselves without fear of punishment. This can involve discussing the importance of honesty in various situations, and modeling honest behavior. By emphasizing the value of honesty, we can help our students understand that integrity is a cornerstone of their character, guiding them as they grow into responsible and trustworthy individuals.
Here are some more examples of ways you can help foster honesty in your home this month:
1. Truth-Telling Circle:
Set aside a weekly family time where everyone shares one honest thing about their week. This can include sharing a mistake they made and what they learned from it, fostering an environment of openness.
2. Role-Playing Scenarios:
Create various scenarios where honesty is tested, such as finding a lost item or dealing with a mistake. Have children role-play these situations, discussing the importance of telling the truth and the consequences of dishonesty.
3. Honesty Jar:
Create a jar where family members can write down instances of honesty they observe in each other throughout the week. At the end of the week, read them aloud and discuss how honesty positively impacted those situations.
4. Storytime Discussions:
Choose books that emphasize honesty and integrity. After reading, discuss the characters' choices and how honesty helped or hindered them. Ask your children what they would have done in similar situations.
5. Honesty Challenges:
Set up fun challenges that encourage honest behavior, such as a “no lying” day where everyone commits to being truthful in all their interactions.
6. Reflection Time:
Encourage children to keep a journal where they can write about their thoughts and feelings. Prompt them to reflect on moments when they were honest or when they struggled with honesty, fostering self-awareness and growth.
7. Family Rules Agreement:
Create a family agreement that emphasizes the importance of honesty. Have everyone sign it as a commitment to maintain honesty in their interactions, reinforcing that it is a shared family value.
By incorporating these activities, parents can create a supportive environment that encourages children to embrace and practice honesty in their daily lives.
Truth and Reconciliation Commitment
As we step into February, we embrace the opportunity to embody kindness in our actions and words intentionally. This focus aligns seamlessly with the
Heart – To Belong domain of the Calgary Board of Education's Indigenous Holistic Lifelong Framework. Through this lens, we nurture a sense of belonging and interconnectedness, encouraging students to explore and develop meaningful and respectful relationships.
During this time, students will engage in intentional learning experiences designed to foster healthy relationships with themselves, their peers, their families, and the natural world around them. By reflecting on these connections, they will gain a deeper understanding of how relationships shape their individual growth, learning experiences, and contributions to the shared culture of the Le Roi Daniels community.
This month's focus provides a chance to reflect on kindness as a foundational value that strengthens our relationships and builds an inclusive and supportive community where everyone feels they belong. Through this shared journey, we honour and deepen our collective commitment to relationships that uphold respect, care, and compassion in all we do.
Cultural Celebrations
Valentine’s Day – February 14
On Valentine's Day people greet loved ones, close friends, family members, and classmates by sending them cards called valentines. People also give candy, flowers, and other gifts to loved ones.
Vasant Panchami – February 2
Vasant Panchami is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. Vasant Panchami also marks the start of preparation for Holika and Holi, which take place forty days later.
Thaipusam - February 11
Thaipusam is celebrated annually during the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai. It's a time to ask Lord Murugan, the son of Lord Shiva, for good health, prosperity, and forgiveness in the new year.
Nirvana Day (or Parinirvana Day) – February 15
Nirvana Day is an annual Buddhist festival that remembers the death of the Buddha when he reached Nirvana at the age of 80. Nirvana is thought to be the end of the cycle of death and rebirth. Buddhism teaches that Nirvana is reached when all want and suffering is gone.
Family Day – February 17
Family Day may be a day off from work and school, but it's meant to be an opportunity to reflect on the importance of spending quality time with our families, and feeling gratitude for the deep bonds and connections we share with one another.
Pink Shirt Day – February 26
Anti-Bullying Day is an annual event, held in Canada and other parts of the world, where people wear a pink-coloured shirt to stand against bullying.
School Council News
Hello Parents,
We had our first Parents Council meeting of this year on January 21st, 2025, online. Thank you to all who attended this meeting. Our next Council meeting will be held online on February 25th, 2025 @ 6:30pm. If you wish to attend this meeting, please email adtaylor@cbe.ab.ca. We hope to see more parents at our next meeting as parent(s) participation is the key to the success of the Parent Council. This is a great way to connect with other parents and learn about the activities that are happening throughout the school.
Upcoming events:
- Fun Lunch: Wednesday February 26th, featuring The Saucy Bread Company which is posted on Healthy Hunger (healthyhunger.ca). Please note that Kindergarten students attending on Tuesday/Thursday should not order. As a reminder, please be sure to read the ingredients on Healthy Hunger to ensure it meets your child’s dietary restrictions prior to ordering.
- Family Dance Night: Le Roi Daniels Fundraising Society is excited to announce that the Family Dance Night is back on Thursday February 27th, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Tickets, Snacks, water bottles, and glowsticks will be available for purchase on February 18th on Healthy Hunger website (healthyhunger.ca). Admissions are limited until February 22 (or sells out). Please purchase your tickets early if you wish to attend this event. All the families are encouraged to participate. The gates will be open at 5:45 pm and will close at 6:15 pm. This is a volunteer run event. We need parent volunteers to make this event a success. Please sign up for a slot using the SignUp genius link - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084FA5A72FABF5CE9-54643650-family
Proceeds from this family event goes directly to the School Council funds.
Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you all at the Family Dance Night.
Indrani Nath, Co-Chair
Rebecca Garrie, Co-Chair