New Principal at Pearson for September 2015 Dear Pearson Families: It has been my distinct pleasure to have been Principal at Pearson for eight years. Since September of 2007, I have worked with amazing teachers and support staff who dedicate their work to student success. Your children and our students have been well served by our outstanding group of educators. Together we’ve empowered students to be lifelong learners in an ever changing world. On June 30 I will retire after 35 years of employment with the Calgary Board of Education. I’ve had a remarkable journey supported by mentors and colleagues in the service of students. My career began serving students in the Properties when I was a classroom teacher for 10 years. It has been my privilege to serve as Principal to students in the Properties for the last 14 years. The bookends of my career have been here working with your amazing children and my supportive colleagues. Thank you for your support, Mr. Weir Please take the survey to help select the new Principal – you will find the link on the blog & the website Lester B. Pearson Survey. The data collected from parents, students, and teachers will inform the CBE Human Resources group as they select the new Principal. The link will remain active through to mid-May. Report Card Marks and Comments: Student Report Cards with percentage marks and comments have now been posted electronically on the HomeLogic website - https://sirswebapps.cbe.ab.ca/Homelogic/. A paper copy of the Report Card can be printed by request to staff members in the main office. Percentage marks are generated by compiling detailed results of student work which is located in the Home Logic course mark section of that web site. Comments about next steps have been generated by students, using their Student Learning Plans (http://pearsonpatriots.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/Student-Learning-Plans.pdf), and by teachers. SLPs are student generated and parents can contact their child to access their plans and have conversations about their work. Our appeals process is ongoing – students and parents/guardians use HomeLogic to confirm mark accuracy and request a re-assessment of student work. Teacher emails are located at http://pearsonpatriots.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Staff-List-for-Blog-2014-2015.pdf Alberta Education Data: Mark Summaries School administrators submit student data and results to Alberta Education. ONLY Grade 12 students can currently access that information by using MyPass https://public.education.alberta.ca/PASI/myPass - to see demographic info, course marks, Diploma Exam rewrite fees, and the like. This increased transparency is a result of the Provincial Approach to Student Information (PASI) that all school districts in Alberta are now expected to use. Alberta Education will introduce this service to Grade 10 and 11 students in 2015-16. School Council: • Monday, April 27 at 7 PM - Interested in our Alberta Education Budget and the Calgary Board of Education Common Course Registration Guide and its impact on our school? Please meet in the Staff Cafeteria. • Monday, May 25 at 7 PM - The Lester B. Pearson School Council Annual General Meeting will be held in the Staff Cafeteria. Graduation 2015: • Friday, May 22 @ 9:00 AM - Graduation Day! We begin with our ceremony at the Stampede Corral for Grade 12 students who’ve qualified themselves to participate in the ceremony. Please see the link for Grad details http://pearsonpatriots.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/GradAprilNewsletter-2015.pdf. • Friday, May 22 @ 6:00 PM - we will have a banquet in the Palomino Room at the BMO on the Stampede grounds to celebrate with family and friends. Tickets for the banquet are currently on sale. Questions?? Please call 403-280-6565, ext 2407 (Ms. Hunt). Spring Calendar of Events Community Clean up Thursday, May 7 – again our students, led by our staff, collaborate with community service groups to help clean up the grounds that surround our school. Thanks for keeping our community clean! Spring Athletics – our teams compete in a variety of sports through to early June. Come watch our enthusiastic and talented athletes. See the CSHSAA website for game times and locations. Spring FAPA performances – our fine arts groups will showcase their final accomplishments through to early June. Awards Nights: • Academics - Thursday, June 4 at 6:30 PM (families will be contacted for a special invitation to this event) • Athletics - Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30 PM – date may change if Pearson teams make City Championships!! Locker clean out: Will happen during the second week in June. You might have returned to your home a variety of items … all of which will need to be cleaned! Yearbook distribution: Wednesday, June 10 at the end of the school day. This has been a pre-purchased item with school fees in September. There may be a few yearbooks to purchase at this time. Year End Calendar Final Exams and Diploma Exams and course completion: Our final exam calendar has been set http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b865/pdfs/EXAM%20SCHEDULE%20JUNE%202015.pdf. Students need to prepare for final classroom assessments, as well as final exams following the last day of classes. During the last two weeks of June, teachers and students will also contact with each other to complete work and earn course completion. Textbooks can be returned to the Media Centre before the last day of class and must be returned on the day of the final exam to be eligible to collect the Refundable Security Deposit at the end of June. Students are invited to come back to school on Friday, June 26 from 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM to pick up the Year End Report Card and Refundable Security Deposit. If you can’t be here, you can bring in a selfaddressed stamped envelope and we can mail it to you. Also, Fee Waiver forms will be available in the main office in June and should be filled out by the end of June. Mark Appeals will be Monday, June 29 from 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM. Summer Mail Out: In early August, Pearson families can expect to receive our Summer Newsletter with information about start up dates and processes. Fees and photos will begin on Thursday, August 27, with our first day of school on Tuesday, September 1.