Dr. Freda Miller Update - January 25th, 2026

Dear Dr. Freda Miller Families

Thank you to the parents who joined us for our January School Council & Enrichment Society meeting on Thursday. It is always so nice to see our community coming together to strive for the best school experience for our students.  Our next meeting will be on Thursday, February 19^th at 6 pm at the school. We welcome all parents to be part of the conversation, or to simply come and listen.

Family Literacy Week

January 27th is Family Literacy Day! To celebrate, the CBE Literacy & Early Learning Teams have shared ideas & resources to support key areas of literacy development that can be used at home or school.

2026 Family Literacy Week Flat Sheet.pdf 

2026 Family Literacy Week.pdf 

Attendance

Regular school attendance has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. When students miss too much school, it can cause them to fall behind academically.  Regular school attendance is an important life skill on the path to graduation and future employment.

Did you know?

• By grade 3, students with regular attendance are more likely to read at grade level. 
• By grade 6, regular attendance is a predictor of high school completion. 
• By grade 9, regular attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than test scores.    

Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time.   Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Listen and show an interest in your child’s day.
• Encourage your child to do well in school and praise their success.
• Help your child maintain daily routines such as, eating breakfast, turning off electronics two hours before bedtime and going to bed early.
• Send your child to school unless sick.

Tips for School Attendance

Nominate a Bus Driver

We have amazing bus drivers who care about our students and work hard to ensure students make it safely to and from school. This is no easy feat and with so little recognition. With your help, I would like to nominate our bus drivers for this year's Driver of the Year award offered by the Student Transportation Association of Alberta (STAA). This award is an opportunity to recognize the exceptional commitment and care shown by those who support students through safe and reliable transportation each day.

If your child rides the bus and you don't mind carving out some time at home, please send me an email or written letter on why you and/or your child loves your child's bus driver. Anything will be appreciated and I will compile the notes to officially nominate our drivers. Please send your letters to me before February 6th. 

ELEV8 Lacrosse Program – Grade 2 to 5 – Feb 2 and 3

Dr. Freda Miller School has been selected to take part in a sponsored (2) two-day residency of the ELEV8 CLASSROOM Lacrosse Program. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, The Calgary Sabrecats Lacrosse Association, a select number of schools will get to experience the CLASSROOM Lacrosse program at no cost. Our partnership with the Calgary Sabrecats seeks to generate interest within schools and surrounding communities to continue to grow one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Lacrosse has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years and will be featured in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, for the first time in over a century!

ELEV8 CLASSROOM Lacrosse is designed to introduce K - 12 students in Calgary and surrounding areas to Canada's National Summer Sport created by the First Nations. All of our instructors have an extensive background in the sport of Lacrosse, playing either in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and/or professionally in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Our high caliber and professional staff seeks to provide students with an unforgettable experience through an engaging and action packed introduction to the sport of lacrosse.

To maximize the impact of this initiative, we prioritize K-6 students for participation in the sponsored residency.

Here is the link to their website if you are interested in learning more:

· ELEV8 Classroom Lacrosse Program Website

Upcoming Dates  

We hope you have a most wonderful week.

Elan, Julie and the incredible staff of Dr. Freda Miller School