Dear Archer Families,

Winter break is the ideal time to wrap ourselves in the season's warmth and take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we've had at Sherwood so far. It's been a year filled with joy, growth, heartwarming and inspiring moments. 

Gratitude and Celebrations:

From the powerful messages of inclusion and diversity shared during Orange Shirt Day with artist Rebecca Dawn to the touching student-led Remembrance Day service, Sherwood has been a learning community of meaningful experiences that privilege student voice and choice.  The thrilling basketball and soccer seasons showcased both skill and sportsmanship, leaving lasting memories in the air. Our students have been at the forefront of the positive activities, with our leadership classes leading a brilliant Halloween carnival for Banting and Best and Sherwood's 4/5s, supporting buddy reading programs, organizing school-wide spirit challenges, like the Holiday Bingo food drive that all culminate in a Winter Activity Day filled with "Minute to Win It" activities. The December 14th's Showcase of Learning was a testament to our tireless educators' dedication to our students' outstanding achievements and an opportunity for families and community to support cheer, laugh and celebrate learning at Sherwood.

Thank You's:

We thank our School Council for their unwavering commitment to fundraising to support student learning. From healthy hunger and popcorn sales to the casino and the upcoming 50/50 raffle on Showcase Night, their backing has been invaluable— we appreciate their support and yours. Kudos to our grade 6/7 leadership students for organizing a Christmas store featuring free and by-donation items for sale to contribute to Camp Chief Hector for our grade 6 and 7 students and Mrs Moss and Mrs Belton for organizing a silent auction and to the entire community for supporting the auction (shout out to Mozey’s and London Drugs)! These initiatives added a touch of festive warmth to the 14th. Don't miss out on the Sherwood bottle drive raising money for grade 9 farewell fundraising; you can still sign up using the Depot Express app on your phone, and someone will come to your house to pick up your bottles and contribute your donation to this rite of passage celebration for the 9s. Thank you, Archer Families and Sherwood greater community, for supporting student learning!

A heartfelt thank you to our invaluable volunteers and invisible family support from the side. Your active participation in classrooms, field trips, food bank contributions and various tasks you’ve done to support at school and home has significantly impacted our students' experiences. We've appreciated the time given for River Watch rafting, kayaking, and getting kids to games and practices. We have many more trips and teams planned that will be made better by your support. Also – big thank you to YCC youth group for running open gym every week and to the Calgary City Police for giving the Grade 7-9 student a holiday Dance at Riverbend Community hall. Operation Boogie was a great success!

Teacher Achievements:

A sincere congratulations to our exceptional teachers for their incredible work on school improvement goals. This year, teachers have been focusing on elevating student voices through purposeful writing, promoting active participation in the school community and encouraging choice in problem-solving strategies; their dedication is commendable. For more details on our school's development plan and results report, please visit our webpage's "Our School" section.

Staffing Updates:

We have some exciting staffing updates as we prepare for a new year:

• A warm welcome to Kalpana Vrilink, who supports students in building healthy relationships on Wednesdays.

• Colleen Doyle is back, supporting students part-time on Mondays and Thursdays.

• We were lucky to win a grant with funds for a student services educator. This has allowed us to welcome Jaylene Wear into a role of intervention with literacy, math, and English as an additional language learning intervention.

• Patti Bahl has embraced Jaylene's grade 7 teaching roles, and Clara Park has stepped into the Music Director position.

As winter envelops us in its cozy embrace, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your continued partnership and unwavering support for student learning at Sherwood.

Warm regards,

Karena Munroe & Dawn Shields​, Sherwood Administration And on behalf of the Sherwood Archer Staff Team— We wish you a joyous and healthy holiday! Looking forward to the exciting times ahead in January. #GoArchers #ArcherProud​