JGD Weekly Update | March 23 – April 3, 2026

Class of 2026 – Scholarships

As you begin making plans for post-secondary, don't forget to look into scholarship opportunities! EducationMatters is a great resource for CBE students to find and apply for scholarships. Set up your account to see what is available to you.

EducationMatters is offering online sessions to walk students through how to use their website. Sessions run from 4:00–5:00 PM on the following dates:

Sign up at Awards | EducationMatters under the "How to Apply" link.

Student Parking

Student parking is available in the student lot ONLY, on the south side of the school. Students must purchase (from the Business Office) and display a vehicle parking tag. Vehicles parked without a valid parking tag may be ticketed.

She Governs

Madison L, Tram D, and Mango M-H, three of our Diefenbaker Grade 11 students, were invited to attend the She Governs Event, organized by Equal Voice Calgary, last Friday, March 13.

Equal Voice is an initiative aimed at improving gender representation in Canadian politics. She Governs is a program that selects 30 females/gender-diverse youth to participate in a model council and network with female leaders in Calgary politics annually. In the morning, the students participated in a Model Council: debating, proposing, and amending public safety bylaws and/or hail resilience strategies. Our students wrapped up the day with a panel session with Councillor Tyers, Councillor Wyness, and other female leaders in the City of Calgary administration. There were even lucky enough to get the chance to meet and hear from Mayor Jeremy Farkas. This was overall an amazing experience to network and gain insight into municipal politics. 

Here is the link to the news covering of this event: https://youtu.be/MyHcg2u83Yw 

Here is the link to the Equal Voice Calgary Website: https://www.equalvoice.ca/calgary_chapter 

This entry was written by Madison L

 Class of 2026 Graduation Rings

www.jostens.com

School Council

Our next School Council AGM Meeting will be Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 PM. We are looking to fill the following positions:

• Chair: The Chair calls and presides at all school council meetings, is the chief spokesperson for the association (unless otherwise delegated), reviews all communication prior to distribution, votes at any meeting in case of a tie, and is an ex-officio member of all committees. The Chair is the liaison with school admin. reviews the minutes prior to distribution and before the next meeting, and prepares the presentation used at the meetings.
• Vice-Chair: The Vice-Chair assists the Chair in all school council activities and carries out duties assigned by the Chair. In the event of absence, resignation, incapacity, or extended leave of the Chair, the Vice-Chair assumes the responsibilities of the Chair until the next elections at the AGM. The Vice-Chair is copied on all communications prior to distribution. 
• Secretary: The Secretary attends all meetings, keeps accurate minutes of the meetings, and send out the minutes for distribution. The Secretary also maintains the school council’s email account and distribution list and is in charge of all correspondence and documentation for the council.
• Key Communicator: This is not an Executive position. This person will attend the meetings put on by CBE (approx. 3-4 per year) and provide a synopsis of what was covered. This can be provided to Chair or Vice Chair to share at the next council meeting if unable to attend.

The School Council Meeting will be held at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, April 14, with Trustee Laura Hack attending and answering questions. Please register through the online form.

Canadian Citizenship Ceremony – April 21

We are hosting a Canadian Citizenship Ceremony on Tuesday, April 21 at 10:30 AM at John G. Diefenbaker High School, where 50 new Canadians will be sworn in. If you or any family members or friends have an open application for Citizenship with IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), please contact Mr. Bill Hilton at behilton@cbe.ab.ca with your UCI or Citizenship application number to express interest in being scheduled for this event.

2025–2026 School Fees

Semester 2 school fees are now posted and ready for viewing and payment through your MyCBE account or in person at the Business Office. Additional items still available include Calculator Rental and Parking Passes.

Ride of the Chiefs – April 17

Our Leadership students are the organizers for our annual Ride of the Chiefs (ROTC) event. These students are reaching out to our JGD Community of parents to ask for help in order to continue this awesome legacy into its 11^th year. Please help us keep this significant traditional strong!

ROTC is a 12-hour bike-a-thon that students engage in to raise money for the Alberta Children's Hospital. Over the past decade, our school has raised over $160,000, with $20,000 raised in our ROTC held last year. This year, our students will be working hard for five months to reach their fundraising goals to participate in ROTC, which will be held on April 17, 2026.

We Need You

We need you as Parent Volunteers to help supervise the 12 hour experience. Currently, we are looking for 12 volunteers to join us from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM on April 17.We want to give our students the full 12-hour experience they’ve worked so hard for, and ensure we raise as much as possible for the children at the hospital!

How to Help

If you are available to help us maintain this incredible tradition, we would love to have you!
When: April 17, 2026 | 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: John G. Diefenbaker High School
Requirements: A valid police clearance (ePIC) and registration as a volunteer.

To sign up as a volunteer, please go to SchoolEngage and complete the Volunteer Registration form. As soon as you complete the steps to register, please email your form and police clearance document to the school at johngdiefenbaker@cbe.ab.ca. Thank you for supporting our students and the Alberta Children’s Hospital!

Cell Phone Use

John G. Diefenbaker teachers and staff are following Alberta's legislation regarding cell phone use. Students are only permitted to use their phones when it is an integral part of learning.

Please refrain from texting or calling your child during class time, or if you do, please do not expect an immediate response. Students are not permitted to take calls or texts during class, and doing so may result in consequences. If there is an emergency, please call our main phone number and ask one of our secretaries to reach the classroom directly. Parent contact during class time has become a concern in our building, and we appreciate your cooperation.

Diefenbaker IB Hoodies

Please order yours today 😊

Diefenbaker IB Exam Schedule May 2026

View Diefenbaker IB Exam Schedule 2026

New! Career & Technology Studies Courses Summer School Opportunity

Please contact Mr. Coutts if interested in any of the Summer School Programs below at djcoutts@cbe.ab.ca

Select CTS courses​ are available for Summer School (July 2-28). Apply from March 2 - April 17 (you'll be notified by email in early May). CBE Summer School Programs 

Explore Broadcasting & Podcasting

• Credits: 5
• Location: Sir Winston Churchill High School
• Course Fee: $15.00 plus $100.00 deposit 

Explore Cosmetology

• Credits: 10
• Location: Centennial High School
• Course Fee: $75.00

​Explore Welding

• Credits: 5
• Location: Forest Lawn High School
• Course fee: $120

Introduction to Engineering

• Credits: 5
• Location: Sir Winston Churchill High School
• Course Fee: $15.00

Introduction to Networking and Cybersecurity

• Credits: 5​
• Location: Sir Winston Churchill High School
• Program Fee: $15.00