1. education
2. school

Newsletter — October 2014
J. T. Foster
School
Queen’s Ball
Led by our 2013 Royalty, Queen’s Ball Dance and Etiquete practices are progressing fabulously.
Queen Chantelle Legault will be gathering, collating, and distributing the participant resumes to judges and coaches; and 1st Princess Brooke Martine will be gathering, photocopying, and collating participant photos into resume packages. Greg Dawson Award recipient Nathan Mott has been recruited to serve as an escort again this year, rounding out the list of participants to 16 couples. Best Escort Jake Burwash and Runner Up Best Escort Curtis Fiander are helping Candidates and Escorts
with dancing and tips for the Fashion Show.
A bottle drive is being held on Friday, October 17. If you would like items picked up on another day,
please contact the school office at (403) 646-2264.
The Queen’s Ball Fashion Show will be held in the gym Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. Look for
clothes from local businesses and homemade desserts! Tickets are $5 at the door, and all are welcome.
School Fees for the 2014-2015 School Year
Invoices have been distributed for the 2014-15 School Year.
ONLINE PAYMENTS ARE AVAILABLE!!
Step 1:
Go to this website: https://lrsd.schoolcashonline.com (shortcut on our web site)
Step 2:
Register by selecting the “Get Started Now” and following the steps
Step 3:
After you receive the confirmation email, please select the ‘click here’ option, sign in
and add each of your children to your household account.
If paying in person at the school cheques are payable to J. T. Foster School. Please be advised that future extra-curricular sports and field trips have not been invoiced with school fees
and will be billed and collected from the team coaches and teachers. These trips will only be possible on a “user pay” basis. More information will be provided to students as the situations arise.
**Each Jr. and Sr. Sports team is responsible for covering the costs of their league and zone fees,
ref and score keeper fees, bussing, and uniform etc. These costs will be divided equally among the
team members or by fundraising.
J. T. Foster School
Page 1
Principal’s Message
Principal, Jason Porteous
Happy October!
Wow, it is hard to believe that we are already into October. September just seemed to fly
by and the students and staff have been hard at work learning and developing a positive
school culture. As I walk the hallways and talk with students and staff I am receiving positive feedback with how the school feels like a great place to come each day. I am impressed with the joyful attitude of our students and how they have embraced the changes
that have been implemented this year.
We have Junior and Senior High Volleyball teams up and running. It is great to see the students participating and doing well with their league games and the tournaments that
they have competed in to this point. Project Respect has been doing a great job with
providing a lunch for students on Fridays; again I commend them for getting involved
with the school and making it a great place. Student Council did a wonderful job with our
back to school week and our first dance – it is so wonderful to see the involvement and
pride from so many students.
There is a lot going on in October, so please tune into our calendar and our Facebook
Page (https://www.facebook.com/JTFosterSchool) for updates and pictures from our
events. Some of the upcoming events are the Queen’s Ball Fashion Show, Queen’s Ball Bottle Drive, our Student Led Conferences, and the Halloween Carnival here at the school. All
of this on top of the regular sports, band, and choir practices!
On a personal note, I want to thank the students, staff, parents and the community in general for being so welcoming to me. I appreciate the warmth and kindness that I have experienced from everyone I meet. Have a wonderful month!
Page 2
Six String Nation: Canada’s most famous guitar
(Voyageur) came to J. T. Foster on Sept. 24!
Created by award-winning writer and broadcaster Jowi Taylor, Six String Nation is a unique
collaboration of culture, music, heritage and history. It shares the journey of the Voyageur guitar, which has been handled by over 10,000 people nation-wide the past 8 years!
Thank you to Livingstone Range School Division and The Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta for providing this great event for our Junior High students
along with the Grade 5/6 class at Stavely School and Grade 6 classes at A. B. Daley.
Retakes, Class & Team Pictures
School photographs will be taken on Wednesday, October 29. We would like to encourage
all coaches of established teams to come for retake day so that a professional photograph can be taken of you with your team. This ensures that
the team photos will be of a high caliber. If you are unable to be here for either day other arrangements will be made as usual.
THANK YOU LEOS!!
Your Food’n Flick fundraiser last spring was very enjoyable!
Thank you for your generous donation of $1103 from the proceeds of that evening to the
J. T. Foster School Library.
THANK YOU LIONS
The use of your portable BBQ for our Meet the Parent Night was very appreciated.
2013-14 Yearbooks Are Here!
Please contact Mrs. Baxter to pick up your prepaid book. A very limited
number are still available for purchase at $40 each if you speak with Mrs.
Baxter immediately!
J. T. Foster School
Page 3
Grad Parent Meeting
October 15th at 5 p.m. Karyn Lee, the photographer, will be here to answer questions and set up photo dates. Please attend if you are available.
Thanks, Mrs. Watson
Page 4
October Article
Family-School Liaison Counsellor, Brenda Schlaht
With Thanksgiving just around the
corner, I wanted to focus my
monthly article on the importance
of “Gratitude”. This word originated in Medieval Latin in the 1400’s
and is defined as the “emotion expressing appreciation for what
one has.” I would like to add that it
increases our well-being, our
sense of happiness, optimism, and
empathy.
What are you grateful for?
In my personal life, I am grateful for my family; with the birth of our grandson, Gabriel, at the beginning of summer break, gratitude has taken on a deeper meaning. I have had a few health challenges
this summer, and am now “on the mend”, so am grateful for renewed health and wellness.
In my professional life, I love my job at J. T. Foster School! There are so many “sweet spots” in my
day. The “sweetness” begins as soon as the students walk in the doors every morning and greet me
with a smile, hello, or a hug. Whatever challenges or stressors each student faced prior to entering
our school doors, he or she stores them away and begins the school day on a positive note. I admire
that!
Another “sweet spot” is seeing the students from Grades 7 to 12 join together for FIG (Focused Information Groups) on Day 2, right after lunch. They have developed a comradery, a genuine relationship with each other that is supportive and empathic.
A third “sweet spot” is witnessing Project Respect members serve nutritious lunches every Friday.
We are grateful for our community sponsors (Chinook Credit Union, Sweet Queen, SuperValu,
and Nanton IDA) for funding our lunches.
I cherish the social and professional support my colleagues at J. T. Foster School offer. With seven
new teachers and a new Administration Team, our team is building and strengthening on a daily basis. The talent our school team possesses is incredible! We have artists, musicians, financial experts, organized office personnel, leaders, political experts, literary gurus, communicators, athletes,
science and math whizzes, linguists and multi-lingual language speakers, trades experts, writers,
listeners, and ”eager to learn” people. The depth and breadth of our team is remarkable. Each of
them demonstrates a caring, committed attitude that contributes to my gratitude.
Lastly, I appreciate the positive students and their families who choose J. T. Foster School as their
place to be. We had over twenty new students register with us this year, and that speaks to our
friendly school environment. Yes, we had a few former students transfer to new schools, but I support families in those decisions that they feel are best for their child. In closing, I hope you take the
time to create your “gratitude list” and enjoy the feeling of being grateful and thankful. Happy
Thanksgiving!
J. T. Foster School
Page 5
Take Our Kids to WorkTM Day is on November 5th, 2014.
I LIKE school and I LEARN a lot. BUT when people ask me WHAT I want to be when I GROW up – I am LOST. I am confused. How
do I find my CAREER path?
What is Take Our Kids to WorkTM program? Take Our Kids to WorkTM is an annual national program in which Grade 9 (or equivalent) students are hosted by
parents, friends, relatives and volunteers at workplaces across the country every November. The program supports career development by helping students
connect school, the world of work, and their own futures. Employers who register for this program are eligibile to apply for the Canada's Outstanding Employers
Award. Take Our Kids to Work™ is our signature program which began in 1994 in the Greater Toronto area. Today, students across Canada, from Nunavut to
Newfoundland participate in the program.
When asked, "Would you recommend this program to others?" students responded:

I would recommend this program to everyone because you never really know what something is going to be like until you've experienced it firsthand.

Yes, it was a good chance to see what you could be in the future.

Yes, it is a very good program and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in nursing. I guarantee that you will come home with a new appreciation of nurses and their roles in the community.

Yes, I think it is very educational and fun at the same time. Who wouldn’t want to do this?
What the Take Our Kids to Work™ can do for students

Take Our Kids to Work is a “day in the life” experience that helps students to find out what they want to do in the world of work and what they don’t want to
do – which can be just as important.

Take Our Kids to Work day provides students an opportunity to connect with people in the world of work, which is important to help them adequately make
decisions and explore options when it comes to career planning.

The experience has the potential to reveal intersection points between different subjects and interests in a way that is not always possible in high school
where subjects are often separate. For some, finding out that they can apply their strength in math to their love of sports in a job as an accountant for a
sports company, is a discovery they might never have made at school.

Take Our Kids to Work day provides experiential learning opportunities for young people. They get to experience a day in the life of an employee, going
beyond a title and finding out what somebody actually does all day long in a particular job.

High school students get to hear straight from the horse’s mouth what skills employers are looking for to be successful in the working world. Take Our Kids
to Work day validates the messages they have been getting from teachers and parents.
Where can students go for the day?
There are many ways that you can participate in Take Our Kids to Work Day:

Spend a day on the job with your parent.

Ask a relative, neighbour or family friend if they can host you at their workplace.

Speak with your principal, career studies or co-op teacher if they can assist you with finding a suitable placement.

Ask the parent of another grade 9 student who is participating if you could join them for the day.
For more information on Take Our Kids to WorkTM contact:
Mrs Brenda Schlaht, J. T. Foster School
Nanton, AB
403-646-2264
[email protected]
J. T. Foster
School
Page
6
Page 6
SPORTS
To access further details on all of the J. T. Foster school sports, (things can change rapidly!) go the school web page,
choose extracurricular sports and click on sports calendar
Please check the sports calendar for scheduled practices for the following teams;
Volleyball
Jr. Boys
Jr. A Girls Practice at ABD (Tournament Oct. 24 & 25 at WCCHS)
Jr. B Girls Practice at JTF (Tournament Oct. 24 & 25 at WCCHS)
Sr. Girls (Tournament Oct. 24 & 25 at Bassano)
JV Girls
Come cheer on your teams at the following home games;
Oct. 2 Jr. Boys vs WCCHS 4:30 at JTF
Oct. 7 Jr. Boys vs TMS 4:30 at JTF
Oct. 9 Jr. A & B Girls vs F. P. Walshe 4:30 at JTF
Oct. 14 Jr. A & B Girls vs WCCHS 4:30 at JTF
Oct. 16 Jr. A & B Girls vs MHHS 4:30 at JTF
Oct. 21 Jr. A & B Girls vs Kainai 4:30 at JTF
Junior High Flag Football
This season is fast and furious so stay in touch with your coaches for details!
Basketball
If there are any volunteers out there that would be interested in coaching, assisting, or managing Basketball for Jr. /
Sr. Female and Male this season please contact Mrs. Kunkel ASAP at (403) 646-2264. Thanks!
Thank you so much to our community volunteer coaches & managers without whom these programs could not run.
Flag Football—Mr. Doucet & Mr. Fairs
Junior A Girls Volleyball — Tyra St. Cyr
Junior B Girls Volleyball — Lorelle Holmes & Sage Woolsey
Junior Boys Volleyball — LaRae Jones
Senior Varsity Girls Volleyball—John Riess & Whitney Sears
Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball—Duane Zuffa
A special “thank-you” to all the parents for your time and dedication to the teams too!
Concession News
The concession is open Monday—Thursday from 11:40am—12:10pm
Food Orders Coming Soon: Subway Tuesday’s? / Pizza Wednesday’s?
J. T. Foster School
Page 7
Important Dates
J. T. Foster
School
P.O. Box 610
2501—22 Street
Nanton, AB
T0L 1R0
We’re on the Web!
www.lrsd.ab.ca/scho
ol/jtfoster
Phone: (403) 646-2264
Fax: (403) 646-5758
E-mail: [email protected]
Find us on facebook
at https://
www.facebook.com/
JTFosterSchool
Knowledge,Truth,
Excellence
Oct. 1—Treat A Champ
Oct. 1—Grade 9 Health Unit Shots
Oct. 1—School Council AGM 7:00 pm
Oct. 6—World Teachers Day Assembly
Oct. 7 — Jostens Graduation Ring Display at lunch
Oct. 10 — No school for students (Interschool Collaboration Day)
Oct. 13—Happy Thanksgiving! (No School)
Oct. 14—No school for Junior High Students Only ( IPP & Learning Support Development)
Oct. 15—Regional Student Council
Oct. 15—Grad Parent Meeting 5:00
Oct. 17—Queen’s Ball Bottle Drive
Oct. 21—Progress Reports from Teachers
Oct. 21—Queens Ball Fashion Show
Oct. 28 & 30 Student Led Conferences 4:30 to 7:30
Oct. 29—School Picture Class, Teams, Groups & Retake Day
Oct. 31 — Halloween Carnival
Student Council plans to
host a Halloween Carnival
October 31 so get your costumes ready!
Please plan on attending the
Annual
General
Meeting
Wednesday, October 1 at
7:00pm in the Library. Trustee
John McKee plans to attend.
The Nanton Literacy and Learning Society always very generously helps the library programs in our school. A big thank you to that group for its recent generous donation of $750!
We
willyou
be using
of that
donation
to fund our
Thank
to thesome
Nanton
Literacy
and Learning
Society for their generous donation of $500
upcoming
author
to ourvisit.
school
Richard
library.
Scrimger,
We expect
author
to host
of an author visit with this conth
Ink
Me, will
October 9 .
tribution
laterbeinour
theguest
schoolonyear.
J. T. Foster School
Page 8