Falcon News

MARCH 2026

Principal's Message

“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” — Lilly Pulitzer

Dear Falcon Families,

March is always a month of transition and momentum. We are settling into semester two as our basketball season comes to a close and our Musical Theatre performance is finished. Thank you to all of our students and staff who contribute to the vibrancy of our school.

This month is full of activity and opportunity. We look forward to connecting with families during Parent-Teacher Interviews, heading to Marmot Basin for our ski trip, enjoying the Citadel Club play, and preparing for our first school trip to Ireland and the U.K. It promises to be an exciting and memorable March for our Falcon community.

With longer days on the horizon and Spring Break at the end of the month, there is a renewed sense of energy in the building. As always, we are grateful to have the opportunity to engage with your children as they learn and grow.

Sincerely,

Dan Lake

What's Happening...

MARCH

March 4 Europe Trip Meeting (Limited to Registrants)

March 5 Athletic Photos (Winter Teams)

March 8 Daylight Savings Time (Clocks Forward)

March 9 PD Day (No Students)

March 13 Marmot Basin Ski Trip

March 13 Workplay Alberta (Limited to Grade 9s)

March 18 Parent-Teacher Interviews

March 18 School Council Meeting

March 19 Ski Club

March 19 to 20

Graduation Photo Retakes

March 22 Band Performance at Rogers Place

March 24 Jr. High Welcome Event (Limited to Incoming Jr. High Students)

March 30 to April 3

Spring Break (School Closed)

April 6 Easter Monday (School Closed)

April 7 School Resumes

Please note: There will be no weekly update March 29th or April 5th.

A huge thank you goes out to Mr Swampy who came in to talk about First Nations nationalism with Mrs Villetard’s social class.

Students learned about the medicine wheel, sacred plants, and participated in a smudge.

Student Support Team

Please visit us at Student Services to book an appointment with your designated Counsellor or

the Office to book an appointment with your designated Administrator.

Assistant Principal

Mr. Dykstra

Assistant Principal

Mrs. Hamilton

Alpha Group N to Z

Assistant Principal

Mr. Hancock

Alpha Group A to F

Assistant Principal

Mrs. Maltais

Alpha Group G to M

Counsellor

Mrs. Drover

Alpha Group L to Z

Counsellor

Mr. Hayes

Alpha Group A to K

WELCOME TO STUDENT SERVICES

Who will you find in Student Services?

A team powered by smiles, good vibes, and "we are here to support you" attitude!

Mr. Hayes - Counsellor

Mrs. Drover - Counsellor

Mrs. Thiessen - Learning Support Teacher

Alexa (Mrs. Lonsdale) - Family School Liaison

Mrs. Unger - Administrative Assistant

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

GRADUATING SENIOR BASKETBALL PLAYERS

#2 Ava Grzez; #3 Brooke Miller; #10 Dawsyn Francis; #11 Hannah Hiller

Mr. Mack’s Outdoor Ed 10 classes had a great day of ice fishing. Students were able to catch Pike and Burbot at Wizard Lake.

We would like to thank our volunteers including Stephen Curtiss (RCMP), Austin Toly (Fish and Wildlife), TJ Kliparchuk (Alberta Outdoors Academy) and our parent volunteers!

PARENT COUNCIL

GRAD/PROM 2026

Thank you for supporting our 2026 Grad Bottle Drive!

Grad clothing is available to order from Alice Embroidery.

Please use the link below to place your order by Friday, March 13:

https://2026ohpahograd.itemorder.com/

Be sure to submit your order before the deadline to ensure availability.

REMINDERS

SCHOOL FEES ARE DUE

Please check your PowerSchool Parent Portal for any posted school fees.

Please be advised that any uncollected fees will be forwarded to the Black Gold School Division Office and may be submitted to a collection agency.

School Fee Transfer Process

In order to transfer the credit, follow the steps below:

Access your PowerSchool account https://powerschool.blackgold.ca/plubic/
Select the "Student Fees and Forms" in your Power School account
Select the "Menu" option on the top right of the screen
Select the Transfer Money option which will generate to pop-up menu
Choose to move your credit from the current school to the desired Black Gold location. This credit will now be available for future use at the selected location.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Fitzsimmons at 587-671-0331, ext. 304.

OSS Personal Electronic Device Policy

Staff will be applying our Personal Electronic Device Policy more consistently to support student learning and minimize distractions.

The full policy may be viewed on our webiste (oss.blackgold.ca/textbook-policy), our main expectations are as follows:

Students must have their cell phones stored away in their lockers during class time.
Students cannot be on their cell phones during class time (this includes being in classrooms or in common spaces while they should be in class).
Students on a spare may use their cell phones in the following spaces only:
- Learning Commons (Library)
- Cafeteria Area
- Second-floor common area

Students have plenty of time to access their devices before school, during breaks, at lunch, and after school. We also ask that parents/guardians refrain from calling or texting students during class time, as they are expected to be engaged in learning. If there is an emergency, please contact the school office and we will ensure your child is reached promptly.

If a student is found using their cell phone during class time, either in class or in common areas, the device will be confiscated and brought to the student’s Grade Administrator. The phone will be returned to the student at the end of the school day.

Important Reminder for Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up:

To ensure the safety of all students and help traffic flow smoothly, we’d like to remind parents and guardians of the following:

🚗 The drop-off and pick-up lane is a continuously moving lane.
🚗 For safety, students should always exit the vehicle from the right side.
🚗 If your child needs extra time during drop-off, or if you are waiting during pick-up, please use the additional parking areas or the student parking lot. This keeps the main lane clear and helps prevent congestion.

Please note:

🚪 Multiple entrances and exits are available before the first bell and after dismissal—use them to help ease traffic.

🅿️ Visitor stalls are reserved for those entering the school building.

🅿️ The staff parking lot is reserved for staff only. The area marked with a red "X" is included in staff parking and should never be used. It is a high collision risk due to its proximity to the exit.

🚌 Always yield to buses and keep the bus and emergency lanes clear at all times. Bus lanes must remain clear after school until 3:50 PM.

We appreciate your continued cooperation in keeping our school safe, efficient, and welcoming for all students and families.

The front doors are locked at 4:00 PM daily. All sports spectators or community use members will need to use the community doors. Please do not ring the doorbell to get access to the doors. There is no access to the gym from the front entrance after hours.

Visitors attending events during school hours (8:00 AM to 4:00 PM): Please do not park in the staff parking lot. Our staff access the school at various times throughout the day, and it is important that these spaces remain available for their use. Additional parking stalls are closer to the community use doors.

Library Policy

Textbooks are issued to students at the start of each semester, or school year, and are due on the day of the final exam of the subject being written.
Textbooks not returned will be considered lost and the replacement cost will be added to PowerSchool for payment.
Textbooks returned damaged are subject to full replacement cost.
Notification emails will be sent to the parent/student for any outstanding books or fines.
If a student withdraws from a course, he/she must return the relevant textbook immediately. Textbooks not returned will be subject to the replacement cost.