Dear Families of King George School,

We are thrilled that our school is 'alive' again with students, both new and returning. An extra special welcome to families and students who are new to King George School. We are so glad you are here!

On Tuesday, we all came together at our Welcome Back assembly to introduce staff members and start the year off in the spirit of togetherness. We also introduced our September focus on safety.

September is Safety Month at King George School, and all staff will be working to review expectations and set our students for success by knowing how to stay safe, both in and out of the school. You can help support this work by reviewing the Student Code of Conduct as a family.

Each week, typically on Friday, we will send a 'Week Ahead' to help stay connected with our families and communicate about the happenings at our school. September always brings fresh beginnings and new opportunities for our students. We are excited to partner with families as we learn, grow, and succeed together in the year ahead.

Safety Month

Morning entry and afternoon dismissal are busy times at our school! To ensure our school is a safe place for everyone, please help us by following the safety measures below:

• Follow the safety patrollers' signs and signals at the 9th street crosswalk when they begin their duties later this month.
• The “Kiss and Go” on 9th street is for Grades 1-5 students ONLY. See the bottom of this safety section for extra information about how this works.
• If you wish to wait on school grounds with your child prior to the start of the day, or if you are a Kindergarten parent who must walk your child to the doors, please park on surrounding streets or in other legal parking areas. We appreciate your cooperation.
• Staff parking lots are reserved for staff only. It is never permitted to use the staff parking lots for student drop-off or pick-up, as this creates a safety concern. Please use the designated Kiss and Go or surrounding street parking. There is a designated accessible parking space in our 20th Avenue parking lot for individuals with accessibility needs.
• Walk with your child on the sidewalks rather than through the parking lots.
• Do not stop or drop students off on 10th Street in front of the school. Parking is not permitted in this area, as it is designated for buses and bicycles only.
• Please be mindful and respectful of our school neighbours. Please do not block driveways.
• Please follow all traffic laws when dropping off and picking up your child. U-turns are not permitted on 9th Street NW or 10th Street NW.
• For Students on the School Bus:
  • We take attendance for each bus before departure every afternoon. We expect students to be on their assigned bus unless they have been reported absent or are being picked up.
  • If your child will not be taking the bus home, please notify the office before dismissal. Otherwise, we must delay bus departures and follow our missing student protocol until your child has been accounted for. Our buses have additional routes to complete after dropping off King George students and must remain on schedule. Thank you for helping us ensure all students arrive safely and on time.

How to Use the 'Kiss and Go'

1) Drive up, and park only as long as it takes to let your child out, give them a kiss or hug, wish them a great day, and drive away (should be no more than two minutes maximum)

2) Adults are asked to remain in the vehicle.

3) When pulling up to the Kiss and Go, please drive slowly and with extra caution.

4) Please pull as far forward as possible to allow space for other vehicles.

Toys and Equipment from Home

To support a safe and positive start to the school year, students are asked not to bring toys, trading cards, or any items of value to school. This also includes soccer balls. Regarding soccer, we will focus on building relationships, reviewing playground expectations, and teaching safety guidelines. To help minimize conflict, soccer is currently no allowed during school hours.Thank you for helping us set all students up for success.

Fire Drills

Fire drills are an important part of keeping our school community safe, as they give students and staff an opportunity to practice what we do in the event of an emergency. For some students, especially those who are new to our school, these drills can feel a little unsettling. We encourage families to talk with their children about fire drills as a way to practice staying calm, listening carefully, and following directions to help keep everyone safe. By practicing together, we build confidence – and we appreciate your support in setting our students up for success!

Individual Student Picture Day

Thursday, September 10, 2026 is student photo day. Retakes will be available at a later date.

Family Pancake Breakfast - Parent Volunteers Needed!

• Date: Friday, September 11th
• Time: 7:30am - 8:45am

Meet King George families at the School Council's annual Pancake Breakfast! Everyone is welcome.

Please do not drop off your child before 7:50 AM, unless you are staying with them. Supervision will only begin at 7:50 AM. We will be taking attendance between 7:50 –8:00 AM. Your child must make their way to their classroom teacher by 8:00 AM, or they will be marked late/absent. The bell will ring at 8:45 AM . All students will go back to their meeting spot to collect their backpacks and enter into the school with their teacher. Here is where your child(ren) will meet their teacher:

We are also looking for parent volunteers to help with setup, mixing batter, flipping pancakes, and other tasks. A variety of shifts are available. For more information and to sign up, please visit: Volunteer Teams: KGS Pancake Breakfast September 11, 2026 .

Volunteering and Parking

We would like to begin by expressing our sincere gratitude for the time, care, and support volunteers generously give to our school community. Your volunteer efforts make a meaningful difference, and we deeply appreciate your partnership.

This is a friendly reminder regarding parking at the school. Please note that staff parking is reserved exclusively for staff members and is not available for parent volunteers. While there may be times when spaces appear open, these spots are often needed for staff who may arrive later due to appointments or other responsibilities during the day.

We kindly ask for your help in keeping these spaces available when needed. Your understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated.

Also, the annual volunteer registration form is available via your MyCBE Account (Online Forms and School Registration tab). Please note that each volunteer does require their own MyCBE account to register, as the account name and the volunteer name must match

School Council

All families are a part of School Council, and welcome to join meetings. School Council is a wonderful way to stay connected to the school community, learn about what's happening at King George, and share ideas and perspectives. Our first School Council meeting will be held on Thursday, September 17, 2026. We meet in-person in the Learning Commons at King George School. We also send out a MS Teams link for those who cannot join in-person. Whether you attend one meeting or many, we'd love to have you join us!

TREX

We are excited to once again host a TREX (Travelling Exhibition) art exhibit at King George School this year. The TREX program brings professionally curated exhibitions featuring works from Alberta artists and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts collection directly into schools and communities. Throughout the exhibition, students will have opportunities to experience, explore, and respond to the artwork in a variety of ways. Learning activities will vary by grade level, helping students make meaningful connections to art, creativity, and the world around them. We are grateful to have this unique opportunity available to our King George students and look forward to sharing it with them.

You can learn more about the TREX program here: https://www.affta.ab.ca/TREX.

Personal Mobile Devices (PMDs)

We have had some questions around students bringing their Personal Mobile Devices (PMDs) to school. This is a friendly reminder that, according to Administrative Regulation (AR) 6008:

1)Students may not use PMDs during instructional time, unless such use is approved by the classroom teacher to facilitate learning activities. 2) Students may not access social media on school networks or on school devices. 3) Student PMDs are valuable electronic devices. The security and storage of these items is the sole responsibility of the owner or user. CBE assumes no responsibility for the safety, security, loss, repair or replacement of student PMDs. 4) Notwithstanding 6(3), student PMDs that are taken temporarily from students by teachers or administrators must be securely stored.

Please read/review AR 6008 for more information on this directive:

https://www.cbe.ab.ca/GovernancePolicies/AR6008.pdf#search=Personal%20Mobile%20Devices

Dates of Significance

The CBE is committed to building a culture of appreciation and inclusion, where students and staff can see themselves valued, respected and celebrated. This calendar identifies some of the significant days of recognition and celebration within the CBE community.

Days and months of significance are identified by the provincial and federal governments to raise awareness and action about historical, cultural and equitable practices. Schools may use these dates as a resource for discussions and lessons, as well as for planning exams, school events and other educational activities.

Note | There are many dates of recognition, cultural celebrations and religious days that are not included on this list. This should not be interpreted to mean these dates are not noteworthy. Schools recognize many types of events and dates, such as International Childhood Cancer Day (Feb. 15), depending on what is meaningful for their particular school community. This list is not meant to be comprehensive or exhaustive and every attempt has been made to ensure its accuracy. Updates and changes may be made throughout the year.

Monday, Sept. 7 | Labour Day ; Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Day

Tuesday, Sept. 8 | International Literacy Day

Wednesday, Sept. 11 | Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year)

Fri. Sept. 11 – Sept. 13 | Rosh Hashanah

Wishing you all a great long weekend!
With gratitude,
Allison Hull, Principal and Lindsay McWilliam, Assistant Principal