École David Thompson Weekly Update | A Community of Excellence
Weekly Update – October 16| Message de la semaine – le 16 octobre
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” | « La grandeur d’une communauté se mesure, de la manière la plus juste, aux actions empreintes de compassion de ses membres. » Coretta Scott King
Bonjour, Tiger Families!
I hope everyone had a great long weekend. I found myself feeling especially grateful for the continued support of our community and for the work of our tireless educators as we take on the important work of educating our next generation of Canadians. That sense of community was really apparent at this week’s School Council meeting, with good conversation and people coming together to support our students and school. Thank you to everyone who joined us and continues to contribute.
October has David Thompson in full swing, with plenty happening beyond the school day. Band clinicians, French Club, Dungeons & Dragons, and LEAD were all underway this week, with groups spilling into classrooms across the building. We’re thrilled to share that both of our soccer teams have made the playoffs. Our boys basketball team is off to a strong start with 2 wins and 1 tie, and our girls basketball team won their game this week and will host a home game next Wednesday. Creativity, communication, connection, and a little learning mixed in are exactly what healthy middle years experiences should include. A special thank you to our Grade 7 teachers for leading our first Cobbs Adventure trip on Tuesday. Students met rescued animals, spent time together outside the classroom, and built new connections across the grade. Experiences like these help students feel they belong, and belonging matters for learning.
With that I also want to ask for support from parents of our Grade 7 to 9 students to take a little time to talk about what it means to be a good ambassador for the school when in the community during off campus lunch. Students who choose to leave campus at lunch are representing David Thompson in our neighbourhood. Students who need to ride bikes and scooters to get home for lunch need to do so safely and responsibly. This means wearing helmets, riding single rather than doubling up on electric scooters, avoiding wheelies and other unsafe tricks, and staying to the side of the road when riding alongside traffic. Students who are rushing to purchase lunch or using the community park across from the school need to take the time to clean up after themselves and put their litter in the bins. While we do not directly supervise students who leave campus at lunch, students who need repeated reminders of these expectations may find themselves joining a school-supported community clean-up crew. We want our neighbours to know our Tigers as respectful and responsible members of the community. Thank you for your partnership with this.
If you have a little time this weekend, try building 15 minutes of reading and reflection into your child’s day. Let them choose anything that genuinely interests them, a novel, graphic novel, article, sports story or even a recipe. Afterward, ask them to share one interesting thing they read, learned or figured out. Those few minutes build stronger readers and show your child that their thinking matters. The conversation counts just as much as the pages. Merci for your continued partnership and for helping us create the kind of school and community we all want our students to learn in.
Bonne fin de semaine!
Warmly,
The David Thompson School Team
Happenings
Bussing
CBE Transportation will no longer give students permission to ride an alternate bus.
Families will be responsible for organizing transportation in these circumstances.
Attendance
If your student is going to be absent from school for any reason, please send an email, to our general mailbox with the following information,davidthompsom@cbe.ab.ca. Please, notify the school of their child’s absence or late prior to the start of the school day.
Student’s Full Name (spelling the last name)
Date(s) of absences and reason for the absence
Lost & Found area is officially full!
The last day to collect your items will be today, Friday, October 16th. If your items haven’t been collected they will be donated.
Upcoming CBE Well-Being Student Survey
This month, students at DTS will be taking a voluntary CBE Well-Being Student Survey, which offers a valuable opportunity to share feedback on belonging, safety, relationships, and well-being at our school. Results are used for school and system planning and are never used to make decisions about individual students. Consent was collected through the Annual Authorization Forms in SchoolEngage (via your MyCBE account). If you have not yet completed them, please do so by Monday, October 19, or contact the school for help, as consent will be assumed after that date.
Soccer Update
Girls:
We have exciting news: our team has made it to the final game of the playoffs! Congratulations to all of our players on a fantastic season and on all of their hard work.
Final game: Thursday, October 22
Time: 4:30
Location: TDB
We will be playing the winner of the Semi-Final, which is happening on Tuesday, October 20, between R.T. Alderman and Fairview. We’ll confirm our opponent and our game site as soon as that game is played.
Boys:
The boy's soccer team has made it to playoffs, and we play at Wilma Hansen on Wednesday, October 21 @ 4:30
Rememberance Day Ceremony
Our School will have our Remembrance Day Assembly on November 10th in the morning (Time TBA). We would like to specially invite parents that are serving in the Military, Police Officers, Peace Officers, Paramedics, Firefighter to join us in uniform if they can. Please inform Monsieur Beaudoin if you can attend.
SALTS Sailing Trip
Thank you very much for attending the parent meeting Tuesday night and showing your interest in this opportunity. It was a delight to see so many families expressing interest in the 2027 SALTS sailing trip. We are very excited for this year’s adventures!
A reminder that the Financial Commitment and Student Application are due back by October 20th. We will contact the families of students participating shortly thereafter.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Matheson, Teacher in Charge: Mammatheson@cbe.ab.ca
Basketball Season Reminder
As basketball season gets underway, please remember that if students are staying to watch games at DTS or attending games at another school, they must have a parent/guardian supervisor sitting with them in the gym at all times.
Students who do not have a parent/guardian supervisor will be asked to leave after the first game. We also expect all students and spectators to demonstrate positive sportsmanship by encouraging both teams, respecting players, coaches, officials, and other spectators, and representing DTS in a positive way. Thank you for helping us create a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for everyone! GO TIGERS!
Foundational Yoga — All Levels Welcome!
Join us for a welcoming, beginner-friendly yoga class running from October 27 to December 8. No previous yoga experience is required! Led by a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and SEL Facilitator (Mme Kim), classes will explore foundational movement, alignment, self-care, and gentle strength-building poses. Come move, breathe, and build confidence in a supportive, accessible environment. All levels are welcome! Sign-up: Students can sign up outside Room 40, or parents can email kncollins@cbe.ab.ca
Clothing Store
Our clothing store is now open! You can get t-shirts for Athletics teams, D&D shirts, and various DTS Spirit Shirts, Pants, Hoodies, and Toques for all students who want to show DTS pride!
Online Store Deadline: Sunday, October 18, 2026
Please know that all sale are final exchanges cannot be made, as it is a third party distributer.
Scan the QR code below or go online to
https://dtssportsapparel.itemorder.com/
Yearbooks
The 2026-2027 yearbooks are on sale now, and we are offering an exclusive back to school offer! Save money on your school yearbook if you order by October 23rd! In addition to this EARLY BIRD OFFER, with the purchase of a personalization on your yearbook, students can get FREE ICONS added on their yearbook if you order by October 23rd!
Students can order their yearbooks here: https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09700295
Band
Students interested in Jazz Band should sign up on the list on the band room door. Jazz Band will be Wednesday's after school from 3:00-4:30. The first rehearsal will be Wednesday October 21st.
Here is the link, to the document for all band information for this year
We Scare Hunger
The last day to donate to our food drive is October 27.
Homework Club
Miss school, need more time to finish work, or need help on your assignment? Come to homework club! Held during lunch every day from 11:40-12pm in the computer lab.
New Club!
K-Pop Club: Do you love groups like BTS, Stray Kids, Illit and Aespa? Come join us in the K-Pop club! We dance, sing and discuss our favourite music every Wednesday at lunch in the drama room.
Halloween Dress Up Day
Halloween is just around the corner, and we’re looking forward to celebrating at David Thompson on Friday, October 30. Students are welcome to come to school in a costume, an orange and black outfit, their pyjamas, or their regular clothing. To keep the day safe, comfortable and inclusive for everyone, we ask that students and families keep the following in mind:
- No excessive gore
- No weapons of any kind, including toy or costume weapons
- No masks
- Use discretion when choosing attire, remembering that our school includes students with a range of sensitivities
- Choose costumes that are bathroom friendly and easy to get in and out of
- Make sure costumes allow for safe, easy movement and won’t get in the way of regular class work or gym class
Thank you for helping make this a fun and welcoming day for all of our Tigers!
Important Dates
Oct 19 - NID – No School
Oct 20 - Grade 9, Riverwatch
Oct 21 - Grade 9, Riverwatch
Oct 22 - Grade 8 Theatre Calgary
Oct 26 - Grade 6 Vaccination
Oct 27- Final day for the Food Drive
Oct 30- Halloween Dress up Activity Day
Nov 03 - 5.1 Teachers Pet 9:00 -11:00am
Nov 04 - Military History Field of Crosses Field Trip
Nov 04 - 5.3 Teachers Pet 9:00-11:00am
Nov 04 - Band Parents Society Meeting, 7:00-8:00pm
Nov 05 - 5.2 Teachers Pet 9:00-11:00am
Nov 10 - Remembrance Day Ceremony, All day
Nov 13 - NID
Nov 14 - NID
Nov 15 - NID
“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