École David Thompson Weekly Update
A Community of Excellence | Message de la semaine – vendredi 16 janvier
This week’s David Thompson Newsletters is now available on our website!
"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."
— Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist
Rothney Observatory, Field Trip, January 13, 2026
Hello Tiger Families!
January has a fresh-start kind of energy, especially when it comes with making real-world connections and rejoining busy routines. This week, our Grade 6 students had an amazing experience exploring the Rothney Observatory. Students were genuinely excited to engage in meaningful learning in a new environment. Thank you to our dedicated staff and generous volunteers for helping bring learning to life for our students.
For students, this time of year is about reestablishing habits, reconnecting with classmates, and leaning back into learning. For our teachers, it is a season of deep professional work, reviewing assessment evidence, calibrating learning across teams, and preparing report cards that clearly reflect where students are and where they are headed.
While CBE has delayed report card publishing on PowerSchool until February 24, our teachers are actively working on them now. Marks will be finalized on the same timeline as previous years to align with our semester change on January 28. Students will receive new schedules on the morning of semester change. February is full of rich learning across the school, including Semaine de la francophonie, our Jay Musodi Congolese Dance Artist in Residence, and many hands-on, cross-curricular experiences. Keeping to our internal timelines allows teachers to provide meaningful, accurate feedback that supports student growth before the next term begins.
One small piece of homework we invite families to do together before semester change is to review the assignments of semester one and ask your child:
- What are you most proud of in your learning this year so far?
- What is something you are working to improve?
- What feedback has helped you most this term?
While writing is one of our key data points this year, our broader work is always about designing authentic learning tasks and providing students with actionable feedback that helps them grow. Feedback and reflection help students understand their strengths, see next steps, and build confidence in their learning. These conversations help students develop reflection skills and reinforce that learning is a process we grow through together.
Our school Open House is coming up on February 5 at 6:30 pm, where we look forward to welcoming families interested in both our English and French Immersion programs. It’s a chance to share the energy, care, and learning culture that make David Thompson such a great place to grow. If you know a family exploring middle school options, we’d love for them to see what our community is all about. A personal invitation from you can make all the difference. Thank you for helping us welcome new families into the fold.
Merci de faire équipe avec nous
Warmly,
The David Thompson School Team
Items in this update:
- Happenings
- Parent Council Meeting
- Leadership, Winter Activity Day
- School Parking lot is off limits
- Band
- Belcanfran exchange program
- Yearbooks are on Sale
- Late French Immersion Workshop
- High School Transitions
- Volleyball Calendar
- Important Dates
- Dates of Significance
Happenings
Parent Council Meeting
Please join us! School council is a great chance to find out what is happening and to contribute to the David Thompson learning community. We are online for this month’s Parent Council, January 21, 2026. RSVP here to receive a meeting link. RSVP: David Thompson School Parent Council Meeting – Fill out form
Leadership, Winter Activity Day
A Winter Activity Day will be hosted by Grade 8 and 9 Leadership students on Friday, January 23, featuring hands-on, engaging learning experiences for our David Thompson Tigers. Some activities will include an indoor “snowball” fight, an igloo relay race, some drama improv games and making paper snowflakes, which everyone loves! This special day promises meaningful opportunities for students to connect with one another and enjoy time together.
A Friendly Reminder About Parking Lot Safety
We kindly ask that when dropping off your student(s) in the morning, you avoid stopping in the bus zone between 7:45 am and 8:05 am. This is when our school buses arrive, and extra vehicles in the area make it difficult for them to safely navigate. For student drop-off, please use 5th Street at the back of the school. Students can enter through the atrium doors, which are also designated exits for those not riding the bus.
We’d also like to remind families that the staff parking lot is not available for parent parking. This lot is often used by CBE vehicles and school buses and needs to remain clear for safe access.
This follows CBE policy and is in place to protect the well-being of everyone in our school community. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support in making our school a safe space for all.
Band
MRU Conservatory Field Trip Forms due by the end of the day on Thursday, January 28th.
Belcanfran exchange program
http://www.belcanfran.com/
Yearbooks are on sale!
Yearbooks are on sale and selling fast! Make sure to order yours before it’s too late. Yearbooks can be purchased at www.jostens.com. The last day to order yearbooks is February 28th! Please contact Mme. Andrews at NaAndrews@cbe.ab.ca with any questions.
Late French Immersion Workshop
Grade 7 and 8 late French immersion students will be going to Alliance Française on Thursday January 22nd to participate in a fun and interactive French workshop! Please return the field trip permission forms to the office by Thursday, January 15th. Please contact Mme. Andrews at NaAndrews@cbe.ab.ca with any questions.
High School Transitions
Student Services from E.P. Scarlett High School and Lord Beaverbrook High School will be coming to David Thompson next week to speak with students about high school transitions. Students will then be going on their student tours the following week. Communication for the off-site activities was sent out Friday, January 8th.
Lord Beaverbrook High School visits us
Date - Monday, January 19th
Time - 12:50-1:50
Location - David Thompson
E.P. Scarlett High School visits us
Date - Tuesday, January 20th
Time - First half of lunch
Location - David Thompson
January 26th & 27th: Student Tours
Wondering when Open Houses are? Be sure to check out the following website for the most up-to-date information: https://cbe.ab.ca/schools/events-sessions-open-houses/pages/default.aspx#open-house
Volleyball Calendar
Important Dates -
Jan 16 - EP Scarlett Jazz Workshop
Jan 19 - LBHS visits Grade 9s
Jan 20 - EP Scarlett Visits Grade 9s
Jan 21 - School Council Meeting 6:30-7:30 - Virtual
Jan 22 - Alliance Française Workshop Late French Immersion Students
Jan 23 - Winter Activity Day
Jan 26 - Grade 9 Tours - EP Scarlett [In-person]
Jan 27 - Grade 9 Tour - Lord Beaverbrook [In-person]
Jan 28 - First Day of Semester 2
Jan 30 - Non-Instructional Day - Language Symposium System Professional Learning
Feb 05 - Open House 6:30-8:00
“Go Tigers!”
École David Thompson School
9320 Arbour Crescent SE, Calgary, AB T2J 0X8 Calgary Board of Education | cbe.ab.ca t | 403-777-7470