Important Dates

• After School Art Market – December 17 3:45-6:00
• LITA Lunchbox Showcase –December 18
• Pep Rally – December 19
• Last day of Classes – December 19

Toys for the Children’s Hospital

John G. Diefenbaker is collecting new (in box) toys for the holiday season for the Children's Hospital Youth Foundation. We are encouraging all our students to donate to this worthy cause. Please place your donated toy into the boxes located at the front of the school and hopefully John G. Diefenbaker can help spread a little holiday joy during this time of year.  Deadline for the collection of these gifts is between December 15-19 to the Children's Hospital. We hope to ensure kids in need receive at least one gift this holiday season.

Diefenbaker Swim Meet

The Dief Swim Team made the long journey down to the Brookfield YMCA, in Seton, to compete at the City Swim Meet on Thursday morning. The swimmers showed true team spirit and fire, in their individual races as well as relay events with! Congratulations to Ammon R. who took a full 10 seconds off his personal best times in two races; to Jenny P. who shaved considerable time off each of her races; and to Owen T's impressive 50m Free, which broke the 30-second mark!   Such great leadership and sportsmanship by this small but mighty group of swimmers, who proudly represented Diefenbaker, cheered on every team member, race, and overall had fun encouraging all the competitors! We’re proud of you team!

IB Updates

Exam Fees- Urgent

A reminder to please pay for your exam fees. This fee was due to the Internation Baccalaureate Organization in mid-November and now are non-refundable. Fees can be paid at the Business Office or through your child’s PowerSchool account. Please contact Ms. Ulanicki immediately if an alternate payment schedule is required.  

Biology Field Trip

Our IB Biology Students attended the Calgary Zoo to learn about adaptations and natural selection. It was a great day of learning, activities and observing wildlife.

Artist SPOTLIGHT

Logan P is a Grade 12 student who has taken Art throughout middle school and high

school, and has been involved in some of the school productions such as Puffs and That’s The Spirit. He enjoys sketching and drawing and also takes interest in painting. Logan finds most of his inspiration through horror films and with artists whose style influences him. He enjoys joking around and usually takes a sarcastic approach to his humour. Logan’s favourite medium by far would be graphite, as he enjoys sketching out forms and shading them. He has a plan to go into the trades after high school, but Art is still a big part of his life at the end of the day.

 We have really enjoyed having Logan as part of our Fine Arts Department these past three years!

Athletics & Events Schedule

Parent Cell Phone Use

John G. Diefenbaker teachers and staff are following Alberta Government’s law regarding cell phones. Teachers only allowed students to be on their phones when it is an integral part of the learning. 

Parent please do not text or call your child when they are in their classrooms.  Or if you do text or call, please do not expect an immediate response. Students are not allowed to take calls or texts during the learning and if they do, they face consequences. If there is an emergency, please call our main phone number and ask one of the Secretaries to call into the classroom.  Parents contacting students during class time has become a concern in our building and we ask for your assistance!

Yearbook

Please purchase your yearbook as soon as possible. Deadline is last week of school in December!

How to Purchase Yearbook/Other Supplies

Step1: Sign In

Parents can access their children's accounts online to apply for waivers, pay fees, register for central services, view past receipts and print account statements.

To access the student fees system, log into MyCBE from your computer's web browser.

Step 2: Select Student Fees & Services Registration

From the left navigation menu, select Student Fees & Services Registration.

To purchase Yearbook, click on the child you wish to purchase the yearbook for, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and select School Based Optional Fees. Select School Store Sale - Yearbook and after that you can add to card.

Step3: Payment

Click the shopping cart (F)to proceed to payment.

After that payment screen will be open.

Graduation Pictures

The website is officially open to book grad sessions.  Please find below the grad flyer for graduates to sign up for photos. 

To book a Prestige Session at John G. Diefenbaker High School visit the website.

Go to: 

• Enter School Postal Code shown on Flyer - Click on Continue
• Enter School Name - Select John G. Diefenbaker High School - Click Continue
• Enter First/Last Name - Click on Verify & Proceed
• Click Book Session - follow prompts to complete booking
• Appointment Email Confirmation will be sent upon completion

JGD Work Experience Program

Calgary Transit Busing Information

On Monday, November 24, we had our first major snowfall and it caused many delays in vehicle traffic.  Both the CBE and Calgary Transit were working diligently to help our JGD students arrive safely and in a reasonable amount of time on our dedicated 734,735, and 736 buses.

 The message from CBE is the following:

You are welcome to provide the information we have on our website: Calgary Transit | Busing & Transportation | Schools | CBE Home.

 Service Delays

Calgary Transit has several Rider Tools to stay informed along the way.

All traffic is affected in situations of poor weather. Students taking Calgary Transit have more options and flexibility as buses run more frequently.

It is wise for parents to create a backup plan and share that plan with your child. Your plan may include possibilities like carpooling with neighbours or dropping and picking up your children at school. We understand that these options are not possible for everyone and encourage you to develop a plan that is suitable to your family situation.

Available links on that page are: Traveling in Winter which provides resources for families to self-inform on service delays.

 Furthermore, our liaison with Calgary Transit shared the following message:

We encourage students and families to plan their trips ahead of time, as our buses face the same challenges as other vehicles on the road. Please remind students to dress appropriately for winter conditions to stay safe while waiting for their bus.

We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure the safety of all students during these challenging weather conditions.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact Cat Turner, cjturner@cbe.ab.c or call 403-608-8572.                                                                  

Arrival times and door opening times

All students must be under the supervision of a teacher while in the building.  With Basketball practices, Band practices and cold weather, students have been arriving earlier and earlier.  Students arriving for teams and classes, should enter the building via the door closest to their activities.  The front and mall doors will open for students attending regular classes at 8:00. 

Please do not drop off or send students to arrive prior to 8:00 am as they will not be let in

Student Drop Off

With the cold weather approaching, we see an increase in students being dropped off in the mornings.  We have a very efficient and safe drop-off procedure in the mornings. 

Please do not use stalls to park, drop off, and reverse out to leave.  This causes congestion and safety hazards. 

There are 3 safe and quick paths:

1. Enter from the south entrance on 4^th St, head north along the school, drop off by the flagpole, and turn left to exit either via the north entrance onto 4^th St or turn right to use the East exit by the portables.
2. Enter at the north entrance (by McDonald’s), go straight into the parking lot, drop off at the 2 large orange pylons, and exit via the East exit by the portables.
3. Enter via the East entrance by the portables (behind the McDonald’s), head west in the parking lot, drop off at the 2 large orange pylons, and exit via the north entrance onto 4^th St.

Cars can only turn RIGHT between 8:00 and 9:00AM if exiting onto 4^th St. and 3:30-4:00PM

We have also noticed many drivers driving excessively fast in our parking lots. For student safety we expect all drivers to drive slowly (under 15 km/h) while in our lots. With the snow coming and limited snow removal, our lot tends to get icy and excessive speed has resulted in accidents.
Please slow down for everyone’s safety.

Thanks for your cooperation to make drop off quick, efficient and safe for everyone.

Education Matters - Study Guides - Fundraiser

EducationMatters has partnered with Castle Rock Research to offer students a special discount on study guides for grades 3-12 in Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.

These print and digital resources are aligned with the Alberta curriculum and have been updated to reflect the 2025-26 curriculum. They are an excellent support for all students, including those preparing for finals and diploma exams.

For more information, click the button below, or copy the link to place your order. Orders will be individually packaged and shipped to the school for pickup by your student. 

If interested, please order: https://schoolorders.solaro.com/9860

Castle Rock Loyalty Program