February 20 

Report Cards   

Families will be able to view, download, and print online report cards starting on February 24 through MyCBE. Report Cards will be visible in PowerSchool through May 29th, 2026. After this date, Semester 1 Report Cards will no longer be available for viewing, downloading or printing.   

Parents and Guardians can sign in to MyCBE  to view student information, including report cards, comments from your child’s teacher, assignments and grades, and attendance information. For the best access to information, log in through the MyCBE portal instead of using the PowerSchool App.     

Polar Bear Club 

If you're interested in your child being part of the Polar Bear Club, please review and sign the PDF document and return to the school via email westsprings@cbe.ab.ca   

This is a club that goes outside for lunch recess even when temperatures are below –20 degrees. See the attachment for more information. Polar Bear Club 25 26

Student Fees 

A reminder that unpaid 2024-25 lunch supervision and transportation fees will be sent to collections in February/March 2026.  Families can avoid having their account sent to collections by: 

  • Paying their 2024-25 central fees in full, or 
  • Applying, and being approved, for the 2024-25 Central Fee Waiver.  CBE is currenlty offering extensions for the 2024-25 waiver until June 30, 2026.  Parents can contact feewaiver@cbe.ab.ca for more info 
  • Requesting a payment plan by contacting studentfees@cbe.ab.ca.  A payment plan requires a signed commitment to pay a minimum of $20 per month toward 2024-25 central fees 

Child Care Tax Receipts – Lunch Supervision 

Child Care Tax Receipts for CBE Lunch Supervision (January 2025-December 2025) are now available through parent MyCBE accounts.  Please download and/or print your online receipt to include your 2025 tax return.  Paper copies are no longer provided.  If you do not already have a MyCBE account, please create one to access your receipt.  MyCBE>Fees, Waivers & Service Registrations > Menu (three lines)> Tax Receipts 

Fun Lunch 

If a student is not in attendance and has purchased a fun lunch and parents still want to receive it, please call the office so we can hold onto it for you and pick up the day of the lunch.  If no call or email is received by the office, we will dispose of the lunch due to food health and safety guidelines 

Music Notes 

Hello West Springs Parents, 

I hope you have been getting through the winter weather well this week. Here are a few learning highlights from the last two weeks, and notes on upcoming report cards: 

 Grade 1 

Practicing reading and clapping a variety of rhythms, singing "Grand Old Duke", learning "The Musical Alphabet Song", and working on some new Boomwhacker skills. 

Grade 2 

Reviewing some simple musical math, and visualizing how two ta's (quarter notes) added together make a ta-a (half note), and several other note duration relationships. Learning "The Musical Alphabet Song" with most classes, and starting on some new Boomwhacker skills with Wednesday Classes. 

 With Thursday classes, we worked on our note duration/rhythm learning, and then listened to a few excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and discussed that we will be going on a field trip to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra on March 10 to see the CPO perform a version of Swan Lake (this news had been shared with Wednesday classes last week). I'm very excited to bring the kids to see the orchestra perform; it looks to be a great way to expand their musical and cultural horizons. A parent info letter/form will be sent home soon. 

Grade 3 

Reviewing some simple musical math, and visualizing how two ta-a's (half notes) added together make a ta-a-a-a (a whole note), and several other note duration relationships. Learning "The Musical Alphabet Song"  and starting on some new Boomwhacker skills with Wednesday Classes. 

With Thursday classes, we worked on our note duration/rhythm review, and then listened to excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and discussed that we will be going on a field trip to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra on March 10 to see the CPO perform a version of Swan Lake (this news was shared with Wednesday classes last week).  I'm very excited to bring the kids to see the orchestra perform; it looks to be a great way to expand their musical and cultural horizons. A parent info letter/form will be sent home soon. 

Grade 4 

Starting to learn to play ukulele: learning the parts of the ukulele, my four quick principles of basic ukulele: Cradle the Baby, Paintbrush Thumb, The Claw, and Read the Map, string names (Green Cats Eat Ants=GCEA), finger numbers, fret numbers, and playing our first chord, C Major, with most classes. 

Choir 

Both Grade 3/4 Choir and Grade 1/2 Choir are going quite well, and we will continue to meet during lunch recess on Wednesdays for Grade 3/4 and Thursdays for Grade 1/2. 

Report Cards for Music 

Your child has two music grades on their report card: 

Understands and applies elements of music and Listens and responds critically to music.  

Due to my being part-time this year and teaching music once a week rather than twice a week, I have a slightly narrower focus on which curricular areas were most important for winter report cards this year: 

-Understands and applies elements of music. 

Student achievement for this outcome consists mainly of singing in-tune by echo-singing several increasingly challenging melodic phrases sung to them, and reading and clapping grade-appropriate rhythms.  

-Listens and responds critically to music.  

For Grade 1, this was based mostly on identifying the tempo (fast or slow) of a song, comparing several different rhythms, listening for short sounds, long sounds, and rests, and comparing different melodies, listening for So and Mi and identifying which So-Mi melodies they heard. 

For Grade 2, this was based mostly on identifying and analyzing the emotional quality of several songs, and analyzing and identifying the melodic direction of several musical excerpts. 

For Grades 3 and 4, this was based mostly on analyzing and identifying the dynamics (loudness), tempo, meter (is the song in 3/4 or 4/4 time?), and emotional qualities of several songs we listened to in class, with slightly more challenging and nuanced songs being used for Grade 4s. 

Most students will not get comments with their music grades, but for those who do, most of my comments, regarding both areas of strength and areas for growth are based on the first outcome: Understands and applies elements of music. While a large majority of our students have a positive attitude towards music, attitude is not a significant factor in music grades. If you need clarification, please feel free to email or talk with me at conferences in March. Have a great weekend! 

Sincerely, Mr. Peter Vooys 

School Council News 

School Council Parent Night Event  

You are invited to attend a screening of Screenagers: Elementary School Edition at West Springs School on Thursday, March 12 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. This event is FREE but we kindly request you sign up so we can be prepared for approximately how many people will attend. Sign up here. A poster can also be found here. Children are welcome to attend with their parents and guardians.  

ABOUT SCREENAGERS: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE EDITION 

 "This film addresses the challenges elementary school–aged children, parents, and educators face in today’s digital world, including early exposure to online content, social media pressures, device distractions in the classroom, moderating video game use and behavior, and rising sleep deprivation among youth. 
 
Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition offers research-based insights from experts such as Jonathan Haidt, Anna Lembke, and many others, real-world stories from families and schools, and practical solutions to help support healthy tech habits during the early years." 

Volunteer Opportunities 

There are volunteer positions available on the West Springs School Council Executive for the 2026-2027 School Year. The School Council supports student learning, provides input on school plans and builds connections between families and administration. We are dependent on volunteers to achieve these goals! For more information, please contact westspringsschoolcouncil@gmail.com.  

Next Meeting 

The next School Council meeting takes place on Thursday, March 5 at 6:30 pm. Meetings occur virtually through Microsoft Teams. As a reminder, all members of our parent community are welcome to attend! Additional information (including agendas and minutes) and a link to the Teams meeting can be found here. 

On the Horizon 

  • February 24 Report cards are available to parents online via MyCBE account 
  • Feb 25  Pink Shirt Day 
  • Feb 27   Professional Learning Day – No school for students 
  • March 5 School Council Online Meeting 6:30 pm 
  • March  10 Save the Date! Grade 2 and 3 field trip to see Swan Lake at Jack Singer Concert Hall. Volunteers needed! Contact your child’s  teacher. 
  • March 12 School Council Event - Screenagers 

February Dates of Significance 

  • February is Black History Month 
  • Feb 17 Lunar New Year 
  • Feb 19 First day of Ramadan 
  • Feb 21 Internation Mother Language Day 
  • Feb 25 Pink Shirt Day