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TWO WEEKS AHEAD
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Dear Armbrae Families and Community Members,
The Amazing Shake
As you know, there was no assembly this morning because the gym was all set up for The Amazing Shake. The Amazing Shake has quickly become one of the biggest and most anticipated events on the Armbrae calendar. And for good reason: Grade 5-8 students get to perform in front of what we call an “authentic audience” as dozens of entrepreneurs and business leaders from within our community volunteer as judges putting the kids through their paces and teaching them the skills they will need to succeed in business and in life. Thank you so much to all our volunteers and to our sponsors that help make this event possible.
A copy of The Amazing Shake program is attached to this newsletter.
Future Skills Fireside Chat
Sticking with the theme of skills, I sent a note out last week announcing that Sarah Prevette and I will be hosting a “fireside” chat after morning assembly on December 6th. Please join us to learn more about our partnership with Future Design School, the research based Portrait of a Graduate, and the skills we need to teach our kids in order for them to be successful.
This promises to be a fun and informative half hour, and I hope to see you there!
Cheers,
Steve.
General School Announcements
Parking for Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pickup
To ensure a safe drop off in the morning and pick up in the afternoon, please take note of the following reminders:
Drop Off:
- At Oxford, all students should be dropped off by pulling into the driveway and stopping in front of the school. Staff are out front every morning to help younger students get out of vehicles and make their way to the playground.
- Preschool & PrePrimary students can also be dropped off to staff out front, but if you need to park and walk your child in, you may do so. Please pull into spot number 30 if it is available or pull up in front of the school beside the sidewalk.
- Please do not park in any spot other than 30 in the morning as they are all reserved for faculty.
- The handicap parking spot is for people with a permit only. Please do not park in this spot if you do not have a pass. Also, please do not block cars that are parked in this spot even if it is for a short time.
Pick Up:
- At 3:15 pm and 4:30, all students who are going home are brought out front. Please pull into the driveway and your child can get into your car. Please do not park in the lot. You may park in the lot in any available spot after 4:30.
- If you are picking up a Preschool or PrePrimary student after school, you may park in any available spot. Please do not park in a place if it is not a designated parking spot as it makes it very challenging for drivers to get in and out of the lot. Also please do not block any cars in as you are picking your child up.
Thank you so much for your cooperation. We are working hard to ensure drop off and pick up times run smoothly and safely every day. If you have any questions about where you can park, please do not hesitate to ask one of the staff members outside.
STUFF-A-BUS!
The Foundation Years Programme will be organizing Stuff-a-Bus again this year to support FEED NOVA SCOTIA.
A Metro Transit bus will be stopping at our school on Friday, December 1st to collect nonperishable food items. The students will help the volunteers to load the bus. We will start collecting all donations from Monday, November 20th until Friday, December 1st.
Let's stuff the bus! Last year we collected over 70 bags of groceries!
Thank you in advance for your donations.
Mitten Tree
This holiday season, Armbrae Middle School will have a beautiful Christmas tree in our hallway which will be ”The Mitten Tree”. Please bring in new gloves or mittens and drop them off in the green tote in the Lower & Middle School foyers. Right before the winter break, they will be donated to Adsum house. The deadline to donate is Wednesday, December 13th. We will start decorating as soon as our tree is up!
House Apparel - Link Correction
Please find an updated link for the YOUTH HOODIE below. For all House Apparel ordering details, please refer to the HOUSE COLOUR APPAREL FUNDRAISER email sent on November 16th, 2023.
Should you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Corman and Mme Gardner.
Important Dates
Wednesday, November 22nd: Amazing Shake Day #1 (Number 1 uniform for grades 5-8)
Thursday, November 23rd: Amazing Shake Day #2 (Number 1 uniform for grades 5-8)
Friday, November 24th: IWK Casual Day
Wednesday, December 13th: Career Cafe for Grades 9-12 (Number 1 Uniform)
Thursday, December 14th: Early dismissal at 3:15pm for all students. There will be no co-curricular programming, Playlab or After Care on this day.
Welcome Wednesdays: New Prospective Parent Opportunity
Starting Wednesday, November 15th, and consecutive Wednesdays until December 13, 2023 (except Wednesday, November 22nd because we will be hosting the Amazing Shake), prospective parents are invited to join us for Welcome Wednesday – an opportunity to tour our school and explore our two campuses, attend our weekly assemblies, and visit during the busy and exciting school day.
We are asking Armbrae families to encourage friends and family interested in Armbrae for their children to let them know about this opportunity to visit. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Suzanne Morrison, Director of Admissions and Marketing - at smorrison@armbrae.ns.ca
Armbrae Invitational Debate
Join us and some talkative Middle & Upper School students from across HRM as they tackle impromptu debate topics in parliamentary debates. Perhaps some of the most engaging intellectual clashes & engagement at their ages - and a joy to judge! Yes, parents and community members are welcome to join the roster of 40 or so judges needed to make the day a success. Here's the information and sign-up link:
DECEMBER 2nd - ARMBRAE ACADEMY JUDGES VOLUNTEER FORM
Armbrae’s 4th Annual Amazing Shake Competition: November 22nd & 23rd
Our 4th Annual Amazing Shake competition is happening on Wednesday, November 22nd for all students in grades 5-8! The Amazing Shake is a dynamic and exciting live competition that rallies leaders and role models in a community together to teach students about professional skills for success. Click here to learn more. This year we hope to send four of our students to compete at the Global Amazing Shake Competition in Atlanta, Georgia!
Lower School
Winter Celebration Showcase:
Armbrae's second annual Winter Celebration Showcase is quickly approaching. Please join us on Thursday, December 14th. There will be a matinee performance at 2:00pm and an evening performance at 6:00pm. Please note: all students from Primary-Grade 6 are expected to attend both performances. We will be celebrating the arrival of winter, Indigenous Earth Celebration, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Lunar New Year and Ramadan. If your family celebrates one of these holidays and would like to contribute to the writing of the introductions, please reach out to Jessica Barry at jbarry@armbrae.ns.ca. The dress code for the Celebration Showcase is formal wear in white, black and/or metallic colours. Grade Four can also wear the colour red in celebration of Lunar New Year.
Middle School
It’s the time of year when many Middle School students need support organizing their school materials. Please help your child file loose papers and develop a routine to charge their devices every night to ensure they have enough power to get them through the day. We discourage the use of power cords across the classroom.
MS secret holiday gift exchange is back this year. Sign up is on Nov. 29th, and students will receive a classmate's name on Dec. 1st. Each student participating must purchase and wrap a gift, for under $20, and deliver it to their homeroom by Tuesday, Dec. 12th. The gifts will be exchanged during our Holiday Kickoff on Friday, Dec. 15th.
Armbrae's Second Annual Middle School Winter Showcase is quickly approaching. Please join us on Thursday, December 14th at 12:40pm in the AARC for a Grade 7 Collective Creation Drama Performance, Grade 8 Art Show and Music performance. Grade 8 students should wear their Number 1 uniform and Grade 7 students’ costumes will be determined over the next few weeks.
Upper School
A reminder that as the weather grows colder, students can wear long tights under their kilts or uniform pants if they need extra warmth. Sweatpants and track pants are not part of the uniform and should not be worn outside of Phys Ed class.
A big thank you to students and families for supporting the donation drive for the North End Community Health Centre. We are thankful for all of the contributions that you were able to provide, and the team at NECHC are incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Armbrae community. The items provided will go a long way to providing increased comfort, warmth and security to members of our wider community who are experiencing homelessness and other challenges.
Auxiliary Programming
Holiday Camp Registration is open!!! We will be offering camps from Dec 18-22nd.
Athletics
Volleyball
- Provincial Tournaments: Both the boys and girls volleyball teams made Provincials:
- Boys game: December 1st and 2nd hosted by Armbrae Academy
- Girls game: December 1st and 2nd hosted by Bridgetown High School
- The girls won their semi final game against Citadel on Monday night
Basketball
- The boys team played on Monday night and won against Bayview High School
- The boys will be participating in the CAIS Tournament in Montreal this weekend.
- The girls played on Monday night and won against KES
- The Senior Boys Basketball Team will play at Armbrae on Monday, November 27th and Wednesday, November 29th at 6:00pm. The game on Wednesday, November 29th will be an Osprey Overtake game! Come in your house colours to support the Ospreys and earn house points! The House Prefects will also be there with a challenge during halftime!
Please check the school calendar for practices and games.
Armbrae Parents’ Association (APA)
December:
Holiday Kick-Off Prep
- Wednesday, December 13th @ 6:30 - 8:30pm – We are looking for volunteers to help with the lower school and upper school holiday kick-off preparation. There will be hot chocolate and music while we get things ready for Friday’s big Holiday Kick-Off celebrations. It is another wonderful opportunity to meet other parents and help us make this year’s Holiday Kick-Off a success. Lower School - at the Oxford Campus: Preparing activities and stations Upper School – at the Coburg Campus: Preparing treat bags for the students. Please sign up on Sign-Up Genius to volunteer.
Holiday Kick-Off - Friday, December 15th - 12:00-3:00pm
Lower School: Activity Stations in the afternoon
Please volunteer to help us with the different stations/activities on Sign-Up Genius
Please feel free to reach out to the APA board any time with any questions or ideas. All parents are members of the APA and always welcome at all meetings and events. You can reach us at apa@armbrae.ns.ca or you can also call/text Katherine Langford (Communication Chair) 902.449.0916
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Armbrae Academy
Oxford Campus: 1400 Oxford St, Halifax, NS B3H 3Y8 ~ 902-423-7920
Coburg Campus: 6430 Coburg Rd, Halifax NS, B3H 2A6 ~ 782-641-3834
Copyright © 2023, all rights reserved.