Happy Friday, Citizens of Nellie!

HOT TOPIC

Please be aware that parking in a designated school bus or city bus zone is a violation of Traffic Bylaw 26M96, with penalties. With the colder weather this week, we notice many parents picking students up by car. The penalty for stopping a vehicle other than a city bus in a designated bus zone is generally $60.  The fine for Parking in School Bus Zones is $40 if paid within 10 days, increasing to $50 (10-30 days) and up to $75 after 30 days.  Calgary Parking uses both officers and photo enforcement in school areas. Calgary police have been notified of this issue at Nellie. Please be respectful when dropping off or picking up students from school.

WEEK IN REVIEW

• Nellie reached our Jump Rope for Heart fundraising goal of $2000. We are excited to annouce this achievement. Your efforts make a real difference, and we’re so grateful for your support! We worked hard at gaining new skipping abilities and building healthy active habits during our Jump Rope for Heart campaign. To celebrate, today our top skippers earned prizes and demonstrated their amazing skipping tricks and skills. Teachers dressed up from different decades and teachers performed an entertaining dance! Thank you for your generosity in contributing to this important cause.
• Ramadan began this week. During Ramadan, Nellie is committed to supporting students who are fasting and observing this important month. We provide a quiet, supervised space during lunch for students who prefer not to be with others who are eating, make reasonable adjustments to physical education and other strenuous activities as needed, and remain mindful of energy levels when scheduling assessments or major tasks. Staff are also attentive to students’ wellbeing throughout the day. Teachers share  stories, videos and crafts to support in-class learning about Ramadan and other cultural celebrations that are acknowledged in the CBE Dates of Significance calendar to ensure each child feels supported, respected, and included.
• Lunar New Year began this week.  Many Asian countries, including Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, also mark the occasion with a public holiday. China celebrates with a nine-day public holiday from Sunday, February 15, to Monday, February 23. In South Korea, they celebrate "Seollal" (Korean Lunar New Year) with three days of public holidays. Nellie classes incorporate Lunar New Year into curriculum and discussions about global cultures, traditions, and histories. This might include read-alouds, lessons on the lunisolar calendar, crafts, the meaning of zodiac animals, and the varied ways communities celebrate.
• We have been celebrating the Olympics by wearing the different colors of the Olympic rings. Winter Olympics education for Alberta elementary curriculum focuses on integrating physical literacy, social studies, and language arts through themes of teamwork, diversity, and international, particularly Canadian, sport history. Today many students had an exciting time watching the final minutes of the hockey game during recess!
• On Thursday, Kindergarten students participated in a "Ready, Set, Move" in-school field trip. During this hands-on, interactive experience students explore the key concepts of how objects, humans and other animals move. They tested their luck and knowledge about movement concepts through fun carnival-themed games and basic coding to earn stamps. 
• Thursday evening, at School Council Principal Terlecki shared information about school planning and asked parents to share their perspectives. During this engagement, we learned about School planning, which includes the school development plan, school budget and school fees. Watch this short video to learn about the planning work schools do to improve and support student learning. The full Powerpoint will be posted on our Website next week on the Community Engagement page.

You can see video highlights of these and other fun events on our school Instagram: NellieSpark

THE WEEK AHEAD:

• Sat. Feb. 21 International Mother Language Day
• Feb. 23-26 Grades 2/3 & 4 -Cross country Ski at School Phys. Ed. residency. Volunteers needed! Reach out to your teacher.     
• Tues. Feb. 24 Report Cards available for viewing by parents on MyCBE accounts
• Feb. 24-26 Grade 6 YMCA outdoor camp
• Wed. Feb. 25 Pink Shirt Day Wear a pink shirt to stand against bullying, promote kindness and support inclusion
• Thurs. Feb 26 Grade 4 YYC hot chocolate experience
• Fri. Feb. 27 Professional Learning Day- No School for Students

NEWS ITEMS FROM OUR PBP COMMUNITY

• The PBP Community Center is looking for CASINO VOLUNTEERS on April 21 & 22. One of their initiatives is to provide a Buddy Bench to Nellie McClung as part of our new playground initiative. Buddy Benches and Friendship Benches, are a place where children feeling lonely can simply sit to signal to other kids their need for companionship, they are intended to foster kindness and inclusivity on school playgrounds.  Please help. SIGN UP HERE to volunteer: PBP Community Centre Casino Sign Up
• Home Alone Course for 9-12 year-olds

March 14, 2026 10:00 AM until Noon at Palliser-Bayview-Pumphill Community Hall 2323 Palliser Drive, Calgary

This interactive program prepares youth for the all-important responsibilities of being home alone safely. Without skills, this can be an uncomfortable and unsafe situation. The course is conducted by the professionals from Child Safe Canada. Children receive a workbook, and a certificate upon successful completion. The children will engage in role playing, discussions, workbook and related games to address each of the course objectives. Each class may be altered to meet the needs of the group.

Class size is limited at 15 - 30 participants. Reserve your spot by prepayment of $30 fee. Bank card or email accepted. REGISTRATION INFO: Norman Bunn: normantbunn@gmail.com  587-899-6616

COMING UP:      

• March is     Irish Heritage Month
• Tues. March 3     Holi
• Wed. March 4     Holla Mohalla
• March 2-6    Sound Kreations dance residency
• Wed. March 4     Grade 1 field trip to the zoo; Grade 6 (Ms.Polly) field trip to Youth Link
• Thurs. March 5     Spring Family Dance
• Fri. March 6     Bottle Drive; Conference bookings will open at 4:00pm
• Sun. March 8    International Women's Day;  Daylight Savings Time
• Mon. March 9     Grade 4 hosting- Seven Sacred Teachings assembly
• Thurs. March 12     Grade 6 field trip to Telus Spark; Fun Lunch: Mucho Burrito
• Sat. March 14    Commonwealth Day; "https://www.piday.org/", Pi Day
• Mon. March 16     Elder Shirley in residence
• Tues. March 17    Grade 6 (Ms.Tanis) field trip to Youth Link; St. Patrick's Day
• Wed. March 18     Elder Shirly in residence
• Thurs. March 19     Navroz; 4:30-8:00pm Student Learning Conferences
• Fri. March 20     Spring Equinox; Id-al-Fitr; 8:30am- 12:00noon Student Learning Conferences
• March 23-27     Spring Break- School closed
• March 30- April 2      Alien in-line skating residency

Stay on top of everything going on by visiting our school calendar and link it to your phone.

SCHOOL COUNCIL

• Next School Council meeting: Thurs. Feb. 19, 6:30pm. Everyone welcome!  Receive updates from the Principal, hear about plans for Spring family dance, fundraisers, other events and provide your input. No need to take on a role. We are a friendly and relaxed group, committed to supporting our kids - please join us to see what we are involved in! 
• School Council minutes are always posted on the Nellie McClung school website
• Fun Lunch dates are listed here: Healthy Hunger
• We need help delivering Fun Lunches to each class! Please sign up to be a Fun Lunch Volunteer 
• Please sign up to help out with our next Bottle Drive: Bottle Drive Volunteer
• Be friends with our Nellie School Council on Facebook Nellie McClung Community

VOLUNTEERS

•      If you would like to volunteer with your child's class, please ensure:

1. You have a current, valid police information clearance including vulnerable sector search
2. Your name is current in our CBE Security Clearance database.
3. You have filled out the Annual Volunteer Registratio​n Form for the 2025-2026 school year.

If you are not yet registered to volunteer, follow the steps outlined here: CBE Volunteer Clearance Process

NEWS STORIES AND PHOTOS

• Please see the Nellie McClung School Website for all of the latest news.  
• For pictures and videos from the week,  follow Nellie on Instagram: NellieSparks
• Be friends with Nellie School Council on Facebook Nellie McClung Community

Kindest regards,

Aleta 

Aleta Terlecki

Pronouns: she, her

Acting  Principal | Nellie McClung 

Calgary Board of Education | cbe.ab.ca

t| 403.777.8620 

e| adterlecki@cbe.ab.ca