Friday, November 8

No school for students.

Remembrance Day Service - Thursday, November 7, 2024

Period 2 - 9:00-10:10 (70 minutes)
Students will leave backpacks in class 

Remembrance Day Service 10:14 – 11:15

• Grade 10 & 12 will leave from Period 2 and leave backpacks in classroom
• Grade 11 students will remain in their Period 2 class for Teams Online
• Poppies distributed in class ($1+ donations are encourage & appreciated)
• Please leave backpacks in classrooms 

Service begins at 10:20 – 11:10

Period 1- 11:20 - 12:30 (70 minutes)

Lunch – 12:35 - 1:05 (30 minutes)

Period 4 – 1:06 - 2:16 (70 minutes)

Period 3 – 2:20 - 3:30 (70 minutes)

Veterans Food Bank Donations

We are collecting for the Veterans Food Bank.  Please bring non-perishable food items to the front foyer from Monday, November 4 – Friday, November 15. 

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.  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. 

Parents/Guardians - Save the Date

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^th at 6:30 pm. Watch for the sign up link in next week’s Weekly Update. If you have questions, please reach out to jgdschoolcouncil@gmail.com.

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

Social Studies 30 Field Trip

Mrs. Ziebart’s Social Studies 30-1 class had the opportunity to attend the Fraser Institute’s High School Economics Seminar on Monday, October 28 at the University of Calgary. Alongside students from other Calgary schools, they dove into topics like prices, cost, scarcity, supply and demand, economic systems, and more! This engaging seminar offered students valuable insights into economics and how these principles shape our daily lives.

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.

RunCalgary’s Dash of Doom Race

A group of 10 student volunteers helped out with RunCalgary’s Dash of Doom race over the weekend. Whether it was organizing the decked out dogs for the doggie parade, keeping kids entertained while waiting for face painting, or helping out in the Kids Zone, Dief students once again showed up! 

Grad Jewelry

Order at Jostens

Artist Showcase

The Leadership in the Arts (LITA) students put on another lively Lunchbox Showcase last Thursday, in order to accommodate Halloween this week.  There were some pretty exciting presentations that took place, from Mr. Faunt’s awesome drum solo (a special thank you to him for his time and involvement), to the Surrealist artwork from the Art 20 students, to the “Thriller” music video, and finally a spooky monster mashup of creepy old film reels.  Great work everyone!

We look forward to next month’s Showcase taking place on Thursday, November 28.

Updates from IB 

IB Learner Profile Contest 

Congratulations to Bronwyn T. and Ian C. who are winners of October’s 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. From helping a friend, to picking up garbage after lunch, if you care, it will show!  

Entries to this month’s contest are due November 22. 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 PowerSchool 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.  

Demographic Verification and Annual Authorization required

It is a legal obligation for all CBE schools to have this completed. Student demographic verification is required each and every school year.  If you have not verified your demographic information for the 2024-25 school year, please log in to your SchoolEngage account and verify your student’s information. This is a mandatory requirement even if updates are not necessary.  Technical support/instructions are available here.  Annual authorizations requiring parent consent are also required for the 2024-25 school year. These are: 

• CBE Use of Student Information: outlines instances when we would like to share student information publically in our day to day work. 
• Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party): provides information pertaining to including students in media events where images may be recorded and used by the third party.

Please note: What Kind of Support is provided by the CBE Parent Account Help Line?

Agents can assist legal guardians / independent students with:

• The creation of a new account
• The addition of students to a parent account

Agents cannot help legal guardians and independent students with:

• Access personal information within MyCBE/PowerSchool or SchoolEngage
• Verify email addresses, student IDs or birthdates
• Solve computer software or internet connection problems
• Answer questions about Fees or Transportation

Reference | CBE Parent Account Help Line

Athletics & Events Schedule

Important Dates 

November 6 & 14 – Planet Youth Student Voice parent information sessions 

November 7 – Remembrance Day Service 

November 14 - virtual Bullying Ends Here session for parents 

November 15 - last day to pay IB exam fees 

November 18 – IB Open House

November 6 & 14 – Planet Youth Student Voice Parent Information Sessions 

November 14 - Virtual Bullying Ends Here Session for Parents 

November 15 - Last day to pay IB exam fees 

November 18 – IB Open House

Community Events