Monday, November 11 – Remembrance Day

Tuesday, Nov 12 & Wednesday, Nov 13 – Fall Break

Congratulations to our Div 3 City Championship Football Team who won November 7 against Bishop McNally.

Congratulations to all of last year’s Grade 10 and 11 Honour Roll Students!

Honour Roll Certificates were distributed this week to all of last year’s Grade 10s and 11s who received an overall average last year of 80% or higher. Courses which are not included in this calculation would be any course taken off campus and not during the school year at Diefenbaker.

We are proud of our students for all of their hard work as they strive for excellence!  52% of Grade 10 students and 40% of our Grade 11s achieved Honour Roll status! Congratulations and well done!  We are very proud of you!

Artist Spotlight

The Visual Arts students have been hard at work to create more poppies for our Outdoor Art Installation at the front entrance of the school. There are over 500 poppies now and it has become quite the visual display.  The work is intended to honour our veterans and the sacrifices that they have made to make Canada, a place in which we are very proud to live.

We hope that you have had the opportunity to admire this beautiful display.

New Bike Rack Donation

Thank you to Youth en Route for their donation of our new bike rack which now fits larger bikes. Youth en Route is a non-profit organization who supports and promotes students riding their bikes to school. This organization have also come and supported our Outdoor Education class already this year. By completing the survey on youth bike riding below, you will support this organization to continue to receive funding.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Dief2024

Winter Concert – November 26 Save the Date

The John G. Diefenbaker Winter Concert is being held on Tuesday, November 26 at Foothills Alliance Church.  Doors open at 6:30pm, Music starts at 7:00pm.

Tickets will be sold at the door: $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 13-17, children 12 and under get in free. 

Veterans Food Bank & Poppy Donations

Thank you for all the non perishable food items already donated.  We will continue the collection of donations in the front foyer until Friday, November 22.  We would also ask that any contributions to the Poppy Fund be brought to the main office.  We will continue to collect financial donations until November 22 as well. 

Jacket Racket Donations

We are collecting lightly used/clean winter apparel to donate to Jacket Racket for other schools.  Please bring items to the front foyer before November 22^nd.  If you are a family who require winter apparel, please reach out to Ms. Cat Turner cjturner@cbe.ab.ca.  We have previous years’ donations from Jacket Racket we can share. 

Bullying Ends Here Presentation

On Thursday, November 14, Tad Milmine, founder of Bullying Ends Here, will be offering a session especially for our parent community. Last year, students at JGD were able to hear his message at assemblies. The session will be virtual on Thursday, November 14 at 6:30 pm. If you have questions, please reach out to jgdschoolcouncil@gmail.com.

Presentation registration:

A link to the virtual presentation will be sent on the afternoon of November 14 to people registered for the presentation. 

https://forms.office.com/r/WPCt77Aytp

Dual Credit Program

The application deadline for second semester Dual Credit programs is Friday, November 15!  Students who want to apply should see Mrs. Hayward ASAP.

Child and Youth Well-Being Family and Caregiver Fall/Winter Series 2024/2025

The Calgary Board of Education invites all parents and guardians to join us in a pre-recorded and live online series focusing on child and youth well-being. These sessions will be hosted in partnership with experts from Alberta Health Services and Recovery Alberta and will explore topics such as Peer Pressure, Healthy Relationships, Mental Health for Highly Sensitive Teens, and navigating Parent-Teen relationships.

Acting on feedback from participants who joined us during our live online sessions over the past two years, moving forward we invite all guardians and parents to listen to the pre-recorded or live sessions at their convenience.

Suggestions from the Well-Being team are listed below:

Upcoming Live Sessions: 

1| November 20 | 1:00-3:00pm | Can we Talk: Healthy Relationships | Diana Wark (She/Her), Parent Program Coordinator for Centre for Sexuality – Register Here

2| November 21 | 12:00-1:30pm | Building Resiliency in Today’s Youth | Andrea Halwas Larsen, PhD, CT, REACE – Register Here 

3| November 28 | 10:00am-11:30am | Mental Health for Highly Sensitive Teens; Unique Struggles for those Emotional Feelers | Tracy Fields, MSW, RSW – Register Here

Pre-Recorded Sessions: 

1| Adolescent Brain Development and Navigating Parent-Teen Relationships

Erin Dawson Myers

Description: In this session we will discuss the adolescent brain, how to support healthy brain development, promoting resilience, and navigating the ways that your relationship with your teen will evolve as they slowly but surely become little adults. 

2| Screen Time: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly | Dr. Caroline Buzanko Description: The effects of screen time on the developing brain. The behavioural outcomes of too much screen time and how and when technology can be beneficial. 

3| Understanding Autism & ADHD to Promote Long-Term Success

Dr. Caroline Buzanko

Description: This session focuses on the complex nature of Autism and ADHD, as well as the associated strengths and challenges.

Mental Health Literacy Series (Pre-Recorded):

1| Focused and Engaged: Finding Balance through Self-Regulation Information Sheet

Click Here

2| Sleeping Your Way to Better Mental Health | Information Sheet Click Here

3| Behavioural Challenges of School Aged Children | Information Sheet Click Here

Planet Youth Calgary Wants To Hear From Our Youth!

Dear students, parents, and guardians,

Your voices matter - we want to hear how your community can support youth!

Planet Youth is a program led by United Way of Calgary and Area. With local partners and data, we help young people live their best life.

On December 4, Grade 10 students have a choice to take a survey. This survey is part of Planet Youth Calgary's work to improve community resources and recreation. The data will help identify key support areas, promoting connection, belonging, and growth. Please use the following PDF to view the FAQ about Planet Youth. 

The survey is completely anonymous, takes 15-30 minutes, and asks about substance use and social life in four areas: family, friends, school, and leisure activities. No personal identifiers are attached to the survey responses and data is stored securely. faq

We need to hear directly from our city's youth. Listening to youth voices is crucial for making them feel valued and respected. The Planet Youth survey is the first step in understanding youth needs and guiding our community work.

Survey results will be shared in the new year with Community Action Teams, schools, and communities. These teams will use the data to find strengths and needs, then create plans to support youth.

We encourage you to complete the consent form so your student’s voice can be heard. Please email completed digital consent forms to johngdiefenbaker@cbe.ab.ca or return paper copies to the main office.

We will host two parent/guardian information sessions at Diefenbaker to provide more information and an opportunity to ask questions to the survey organizers. The sessions will be held on Wednesday, November 6 and Thursday, November 14 from 4:00-4:30pm in the library.

Updates from IB: IB Learner Profile Contest 

November’s focus will be on the Learner Profile of “Carer”. These students show empathy, compassion, and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and the world around them. Entries to this month’s contest are due November 22^nd. Students can enter through the form on D2L. Parents, who wish to nominate their child, can email Ms. Ulanicki at tjulanicki@cbe.ab.ca. 

IB Exam Fees 

Students registered in a 30-level IB course are registered to write an IB exam in April or May 2025. Fees for IB exams have been added to your child’s MyCBE account. Payment is due by November 15. If your child is registered in three or four IB exams and you require a different schedule for payment of fees, please contact Ms. Ulanicki at tjulanicki@cbe.ab.ca to arrange this. The final date to withdraw from an IB exam was October 31. Any students registered in an exam level course following this date will be responsible for the $200 exam fee.   

IB Open House and Exhibition 

November 18 will see exciting things happening in IB! Grade 11 IB Science Students will present their Collaborative Science Projects. Grade 12 IB Diploma students will showcase their Theory of Knowledge Exhibitions and Diefenbaker will host our Open House to Grade 9 families.   

6:00 – 6:30: Doors are open to Grade 9 students and families to view the Exhibition held in the cafeteria.  

6:30 – 7:30: 

• Information session about our IB program will be held in the Learning Commons for Grade 9 students. The Chinese Academy will be on site to provide registration information for interested families.  
• Parents and families of our current IB students are invited to view student work in the cafeteria.  

Basketball Tryouts

Tryouts begin Monday November 18.  There will be Open Gym on Thursday, November 14, doors open at 7 am: boys in the main gym, girls in the east gym.  Please have your student check the announcements and with the PE department for updates.

Athletics & Events Schedule