(Week of November 13 – November 17) Fall Mini Break – November13 – 14 – no school
Wednesday, November 15 – Term 1 Report Cards available on MyCBE

Remembrance Day

On November 8th, we held our Remembrance Day Assembly. This marked the first full school assembly here at Diefenbaker since prior to the pandemic. With 1500 people in attendance, everyone was captivated by the amazing student performances to honour the day. Staff Sergeant Church shared a message of peace and acceptance to our students while still honouring those lost in conflicts around the world. As the Principal of John G Diefenbaker, I am exceptionally proud of how our students conducted themselves during this ceremony. (message from Principal Arrell)

Casino Volunteers Needed

Our casino is coming up on Nov. 21 and 22. We make between $50,000 and $80,000 from this 2 day event. But WE STILL NEED 11 VOLUNTEERS!!! Please if you are able to sign up and take a shift do so. No experience is necessary and you will learn what to do when you get there! It’s at ACE Casino by the airport. If you have any questions please e-mail Stephanie.

• JGD Casino Fundraiser sign up genius

Congratulations to all Honour Roll recipients for Grade 10 and 11 last year!

This week Honour Roll Certificates were handed out in TA to last year’s recipients for Grades 10 and 11.

We would like to congratulate all 296 Grade 10 students and all 294 Grade 11 students for receiving Honour Roll status (an average of 80% or higher in courses taken at J. G. Diefenbaker only).

These numbers equate to over half of our students in Grade 10 and 11 achieving excellence in their studies!

Well done, and keep up the amazing work!

Lifetouch Retakes

We have Fall Retakes available for online booking in the Calgary studio. Please share with families who would like the opportunity to retake an image and weren't able to do so at your school. Lifetouch retake appointments

November 4 9am - 12 noon November 18 9am - 12 noon
*Afternoons will be available if the demand is there.

JGDMPA Fundraiser

It is that time of year again to start thinking about the Winter Season and all the Festive Holidays that take place. John G. Diefenbaker music students are enjoying their music education and will have fun performing at various concerts and festivals. To support these activities, the John G. Diefenbaker Music Parents’ Association are running two fundraisers this November; Purdy’s Chocolates Winter Fundraiser and Growing Smiles Winter Fundraiser (thru Devry Greenhouse).

Why do we need to fundraise, you ask? Well, due to restructuring of funding for schools the J. G. D. Music Parents Association and the music program now rely more on fundraising to cover expenses for all the activities that our Band and Choir students do throughout the year.

Both of our fundraisers will run at the same time from November 1 - 22. The pick up date for both will be Friday December 8 in the Band room at John G. Diefenbaker. Please follow the following links to access the different fundraisers

• Purdy's
• Growing Smiles

We hope you will support us generously, thank you. John G. Diefenbaker Music Parents Association.

Diwali

Diefenbaker wants to wish everyone who celebrates a Happy Diwali and may every aspect of your life be as luminous and wonderful as the lights on the lamp of Diwali!
Thank you to our DSA for helping us celebrate.

Report Cards

Term 1 ended on Oct 31 Report cards showing progress for Term 1 will be available for viewing through MyCBE on Wednesday, November 15. To allow for teachers to update marks and comments, Viewability of marks were turned off beginning Oct 27 at 3:00 pm. If you or your student need an up-to-date mark, please contact their teacher.

Unique Pathways

Unique Pathways opportunities for Semester 2 are now posted. There are a variety of programs available. Dual Credit courses provide High School 30 level CTS credits as well as credit toward post-secondary classes. These courses are the same courses that are offered to post-secondary students. There are also a number of exploratory programs that will introduce students to possible career paths such as trades or recreational leadership. These will give Work Experience credits.

Check out the programs at www.cbe.ab.ca/uniquepathways For more information, see Mrs. Jennifer Canu- Budd Mondays, Wednesdays and occasionally Fridays at her desk in the Learning Commons. Schedule posted at the desk. You can also email questions to jlcanubudd@cbe.ab.ca.

Due date is Monday, November 20!

Artist Spotlight

Trina R. is a Grade 12 student who has shown her talent and bubbly personality through a variety of the Arts, including Drama, Choir, and Leadership in the Arts (LITA). She is most well known for her lead role as Molly, in last year’s theatre production of Peter and the Starcatcher, as well as being a crucial member of the alto section of the Diefenbaker Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz and Mixed Ensemble. Trina placed first in last year’s talent show for her energetic performance of Super Trouper by ABBA. Her plans for after high school include going into a post-secondary Performing Arts program, participating in local theatre, and finding employment that involves acting such as haunted houses or escape rooms.

Can’t wait to see what other performances you’ll put on this year, Trina! :)

-    Written by Maria L

Lest We Forget

The Visual Art Department has been working hard creating ceramic poppies! Their Art Installation was on display in the front gardens of the school in connection with the Remembrance Day ceremonies being held this week. The artwork is in memory of lives lost and provides an opportunity for viewers to pause and consider the sacrifice of so many.

The project was started in 2022 and has taken hundreds of participants and hours to achieve. We hope to continue this legacy year after year, making the display even more abundant.

IB Exam Fees Due

All students who are registered in 30-Level IB courses this year will be writing an IB exam in May. The $200 fee for each exam is payable through PowerSchool and is due on December 15h. The final drop date for Exam level IB courses is October 31st, 2023. Any students registered in courses following this date will be charged for the exams.

IB Program Open House  

The IB program is a rigorous, pre-university course of studies taught in Grades 11 and 12. It provides a well-rounded education that meets the needs to highly motivated students by promoting excellence, self- directed learning, responsible citizenship and international understanding. Any parent and/or student who is interested in learning about our IB program is invited to attend one of our information sessions!

IB Certificate and Diploma Pick Up

Graduates who wrote IB exams in 2023 are invited to pick up their certificates and diplomas from 3:00 – 4:00 PM on November 17th. If you are unable to attend at that time, arrangements can be made for pick up from the main office.

Please RSVP to tjulanicki@cbe.ab.ca so that we have an estimate of how many graduates plan to attend at that time.

Morning Student Drop off

There are two locations for student drop off. If you enter from 4th St (south entrance to the student parking lot), please drop off your student at the front of the school and exit via the north entrance close to McDonald’s (right turns only out of the parking lot).

If you enter from the north entrance (closest to McDonald’s) of 4th St, please head east through the parking lot and drop off your student by the 2 large orange pylons. Continue east and exit via the north exit towards the Superstore.

If you enter from the north entrance, please head west through the parking lot and drop off your student by the 2 large orange candlestick pylons. Continue West and exit via the north entrance close to McDonald’s (right turns only out of the parking lot).

After School Student Pick up

Please do not park in staff parking. Some parents may arrange and meet their students for a quick drive- by pickup at the front of the school. Stopping and waiting for your student in front of the school should not be permitted. Alternatively, please wait for your student at the Superstore parking lot where there is much more space and more points of exit.

REMINDER: School Engage (Demographic Verification and Annual Authorization required:

Student demographic verification is required each and every school year. If you have not verified your demographic information for the 2023-24 school year, please log into your SchoolEngage account and verify your student’s information. Technical support/instructions are available here.

Annual authorizations requiring parent consent are also required for the 2023-24 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.

Sports Calendar 

Area	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Athletics/	CSHSAA		Jr G VBall Semis	Sr G VBall		Dief Hosts Sr
FACTS	Wrestling	@ NTHS 5:00	Semis	B/G VBall
Events	Season		@ LBHS	City
	begins		5:00	Championships

 

Winter Travel 15

Please see Mr. Masikewich in the PE office

The parents meeting will be November 15 at 6:00 at Robert Thirsk.

3 Credit Course; This course focus on experiential learning and best practices for winter travel in mountain environments with an overarching goal of youth engagement in stewardship

General Winter Travel 15 Course Information

• Winter Travel 15 is a locally developed course offered by Canadian Rockies Public Schools
• Winter Travel 15 is open to students in Grade 10-12.
• This is a 3-credit course with approximately 75 hours of instruction.
• Winter Travel 15 can accommodate up to 40 students.
• No prerequisite courses are necessary but please be aware that it is a prerequisite for this course that students be able to downhill ski or snowboard a green level run.
• Students without prior experience on downhill skis or snowboard should take a lesson(s) prior to the program.
• All students participating in the program will also take a lesson (included) with professional CSIA Ski Instructors on the first day of the program.
• This course involves full days of activity in an outdoor environment so a basic level of physical fitness is also recommended.
• Students are also expected to provide their own outdoor clothing and winter footwear suitable for the winter activities.
• Link: https://olc.crps.ca/programs/winter-travel