October 16, 2026 

We had another lovely week at TRS. We hope families were able to enjoy their Thanksgiving weekend. Reminder that students are off on Monday!

Highlights of the Week: 

• ELAL – This week we began learning about figurative language, where students were introduced to six literary devices (simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and hyperbole). They initiated their "Cryptids Project" where they created a creature and described it using figurative language. 
• Math – This week in math we wrote a check-in to wrap up our learning on place value with whole numbers. Students were able to review concepts before and after the check-in to solidify their understanding.  
• Science – This week we completed our unit on matter with discussions and experiments involving density. Students observed how immiscible liquids layer and the buoyancy of certain objects in a class experiment.  

How you can support at home: 

• Homework – we will begin assigning homework in the coming weeks. 
• Math – work on place value including decimals up to the millions and thousandths. 
• ELAL – review figurative language and practice writing sentences that include literary devices.   

Important Dates:  

• Non-Instruction Day (No School) – Oct 19  
• Alien In-line – Oct 22-23, 26-30 
• Stampede School -- Oct 21
• Grade 6 Vaccinations – Oct 26 
• Healthy Hunger (Papa Johns) – Oct 29 
• Halloween Dance – Oct 29 
• Photo Re-take Day – Nov 10 
• Fall Break – Nov 11-13 
• Parent-Teacher Conferences – Nov 26-27 

Reminders:  

• Please bring back any forms that were sent home signed next week. 

Learning Intention of the Week – Family Friday 

Today, we had our first official Family Friday! Students from different grades and classrooms came together in mixed-grade groups to participate in a variety of activities led by different teachers. Offerings included board games, coding, puzzles, gym games, art-based learning, and more! 

Family Friday is an opportunity for students to build connections with others across the school, develop new friendships, and strengthen our sense of community. Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to rotate through different teachers. This allows them to explore new interests and learn alongside students they may not normally spend time with.

October 9, 2026

We embraced the beautiful fall weather and had an amazing week learning both inside and outside the classroom. Please check your child's backpack for the form for Alien In-Line.  

Highlights of the Week: 

• ELAL – Students practiced planning, drafting, and writing a short story. They either came up with their own creative elements or used picture prompts to inspire them. We also made an event map in our visual journal or record what we did last week at stampede school, Yahoo.  
• Math – Students started to finish up our whole number place value learning. There will be a check-in on Tuesday when we return. We will then start learning about decimals.  
• Science – We used this week to jump into computer science. Students learned what a sequence, loop, and conditional is for programming. They were then challenged with using each to use programming language to give instructions on how to get to a different space in the school. They then got the opportunity to build it in Scratch.  

How you can support at home: 

• Homework – we will start homework in the coming weeks. 
• Math – work on place value including decimals up to the millions and thousandths.  
• ELAL – practice planning and writing short creative stories.

Important Dates:  

• No School – Oct 12 
• School Council Meeting – Oct 15 
• Non-Instruction Day (No School) – Oct 19  
• Alien In-line – Oct 22-23, 26-30 
• Grade 6 Vaccinations – Oct 26 
• Healthy Hunger (Papa Johns) – Oct 29 
• Halloween Dance – Oct 29 
• Photo Re-take Day – Nov 10 
• Fall Break – Nov 11-13 

Reminders:  

• Forms for Alien In-Line went home this week. Please sign and return them as soon as possible.  
• With the snow and colder weather coming, please make sure your child has a coat for outdoor learning as well as two pairs of shoes to help keep our school clean.   

Learning Intention of the Week – Drawing-ish 

This week, we read Ish by Peter H. Reynolds to explore growth mindset and the idea that art doesn’t have to look perfect to be meaningful. Just like Ramon, students learned to embrace the power of “-ish” by creating drawings that captured the idea of an object rather than trying to make it look exactly right. 

Students drew the same object four times, with 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, and finally 3 minutes to complete each drawing. Using markers encouraged students to embrace their choices and mistakes rather than erase or start over. 

This lesson combined art with social-emotional learning by encouraging students to let go of the idea that their work needs to be “good enough” or perfect. We will continue building this confidence and growth mindset next week with another art project! 

 
October 2, 2026

This week at Stampede School, we explored our big question: How do our responsibilities to the land and to each other shape the kind of communities we create and preserve? Here are some of the highlights:

• Students explored the Stampede grounds by trolley, visiting the confluence and learning about the importance of water and why communities develop near it. At Reader Rock Garden, we investigated how the space was intentionally designed to be a year-round gathering place. We also had the opportunity to meet and walk and interact with therapy horses. 
• Later in the week, we visited the Rundle Ruins to investigate what once stood there and consider what it means to preserve places and stories.
• To finish our week, we hiked to the top of Scotsman Hill to sketch the Calgary skyline. Back in the classroom, students discussed the future of the old Saddledome site and designed their own vision for the space. Their designs needed to be iconic, useful, consider community stakeholders, and preserve an important idea.

A big thank you to all of our parent volunteers who joined us throughout the week! appreciate you being part of our week at Stampede School!

How you can support at home: 

• Homework – we will start homework in the coming weeks. 
• Math – work on place value including decimals up to the millions and thousandths.  
• ELAL – encourage your child to read at home for enjoyment.  

Important Dates:  

• Open Minds Stampede School – Oct 5-9 
• Individual and Class Photos – Oct 8 
• No School – Oct 12 
• School Council Meeting – Oct 15 
• Non-Instruction Day (No School) – Oct 19  
• Grade 6 Vaccinations – Oct 26 
• Healthy Hunger (Papa Johns) – Oct 29 
• Halloween Dance – Oct 29  

Reminders: 

• Patrols – the regular schedule starts on Monday. Please be aware that there are two groups, A and B, which will alternate from week to week. Check the calendar to see when your child is patrolling.   
• Fidgets – We are asking families to help monitor the amount and type of fidgets being brought to school. Fidgets are learning tools that should not distract your child or others, make noises, or create messes. If you have any further questions, please reach out.