Dear HDC Families! 

Plesae see below for the first HDC Weekly Message of the school year! We hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

JIm & Brandie 

Important Upcoming Dates 

• September 18: Meet the Staff / Program Evening (6:00 – 7:30 PM) 
• September 19: Terry Fox Run  
• September 26: Fall Field Day  
• September 29: Non-Instructional Day – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS 
• September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – SCHOOL CLOSED 

Dates of Significance 

• September 7: Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Day  
• September 8: International Literacy Day  
• September 11: Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year) 

Welcome Back!  

The HDC Weekly Message will be sent out to families every week throughout the school year. We hope that you find the information helpful and informative.  We promise that they won't always be so long (maybe just for the first couple of weeks!) 

We had a great first week with students! Students spent time meeting their teachers and classmates and learned about some of the amazing things that HDC has to offer. On Tuesday we had an assembly with each grade group to talk about life at HDC.  We strive to be a place where all students feel welcome and where they belong. We want to provide opportunities for them to explore their interests and passions, develop positive relationships, learn and grow, and have some fun along the way. We finished off the the week today with a BBQ and lawn games. It was an awesome community event. 

UPDATE - Options / CTF Classes 

Options / CTF classes will begin on Monday, September 8.. We are still working to enroll students in classes and finalize student timetables. What students see in PowerSchool as far as their option/CTF courses is not completely accurate and could possibly change. We will provide students with a paper copy of their finalized timetable on September 8. 

Some courses that were offered as part of the selection process in June will not be offered due to low interest levels from students, staffing changes, or space constraints. 

HD Cartwright School 2025 – 2026 School Staff 

School Bell Times  

We have made some changes to our school day which has shifted some of our bell times. Our start (8:20 AM) and end (Mon – Thurs 3:07 PM & Fri 12:00 PM) have not changed.  The bell schedule is below for your information.  

School / Community Center Parking Lot – NO Student Drop Off & Pick Up  

If you are driving your students to HDC, please do not drop off or pick up students in the school / community center parking lot. This is important to ensure student safety as well as minimizing congestion. We have 2 small school buses that need entry and exit pathways, and there are often community members needing access to the community center. We appreciate your help with this. 

Off-Campus Trips Within Walking Distance of HDC 

The CBE values the educational benefit of field trips. Field trips close to our school can complement classroom learning by giving students opportunities to explore the community around their school.  

Please be advised the process for trips within walking distance of the school has been simplified, excluding restricted activities, e.g. swimming. As parents/guardians, you will no longer need to fill out a consent form for your child to go on a class trip that is walking distance from the school, e.g. to a local park.  Appropriate walking distance is determined by the Principal and may vary, depending on the age of the students. 

Examples of possible walking distance locations include: 

• Parks and greenspaces in Dalhousie and/or Ranchlands (1-2 KM) 
• Path and walkways in and around Dalhousie (1-2 KM) 
• Nose Hill Park (2-5 KM) 

As with any field trip, we want to inform you about some common hazards involved with walking trips to the above locations. Please note this list may not include all of the hazards for a given trip: 

• Slips, trips and falls; 
• Getting separated from the group; 
• Street crossings; 
• Pre-existing medical conditions and/or allergies; 
• Exposure to infectious diseases (eg. COVID-19 virus, SARS, MERS, influenza). 

Other than regular Physical Education activities, teachers will send home information about trips planned to local sites. This will be communicated via School Messenger.  

If you have any questions regarding field trips within walking distance of the school, please contact me or your child’s teacher. 

HDC Health and Physical Education 

Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year, we are so excited to get kids active again this year. A couple of reminders from your Phys Ed Teachers: 

• Please make sure your child has running shoes they can be active in every school day as we have daily PE, even Fridays! Students who are wearing crocs, slides or boots will be required to change them. We have a selection of gently used shoes that students can borrow when they forget their own. 
• Please send a reusable water bottle that your child can use for Phys Ed Classes, so that they don’t miss activities by having to go to the water fountain frequently. Put their NAME on the water bottle, so that it does not end up in the lost and found. 
• Students are expected to dress for the weather as many modules will be held outdoors. 

For the weeks of September 8-19, Students will participate in the following activities, according to homeroom. 

• Tennis (Outdoors)- 7-5, 8-2, 8-5, 9-1, 9-3 
• Football (Outdoors)- 7-2, 7-4, 8-1, 8-4, 9-4, 9-5 
• Low Organized Games (Indoors)- 7-1, 7-3, 8-3, 9-2, 9-6 

HDC Cougar Athletics  

We have an exciting year of athletics coming up. All of our athletics tryouts, practices and games can be found on our school website, and on the calendars inside the school. Our Senior teams will be for Grade 9’s only, and our Junior Teams will welcome grade 7s and 8s. We will also provide Academy teams for grade 7s who are interested in improving their skills in Soccer, Basketball, and Volleyball throughout the respective seasons. 

This fall, we have Cross Country, Soccer and Basketball Starting Right away.  

Next week we will begin Basketball tryouts. Please do your best to attend all tryouts for the best chance of making the team. AM practices go from 7:00 - 8:10am (Arrive 6:50 - 7:00 AM) and PM tryouts are from 3:15 - 4 20 PM or 4:25-5:00 PM

Volunteering at HDC 

We welcome volunteers in the classroom, on field trips and with certain tasks at school or at home. Certain activities or field trips would not be possible without the active participation of our volunteers. 

As a CBE volunteer, you are placed in a position of trust with students, staff or property.  All adult volunteers require a valid security clearance - no exceptions. 

Guest speakers or visitors to the school, and parents assisting their own child only are not considered to be volunteers, and do not require a security clearance. 

For the 2025-26 school year, the CBE has a solution to have the full cost of the online  application covered by a voucher.  

Volunteer Security Clearance Process 

Step 1: Prospective volunteers must first register as a volunteer at with school where you plan on volunteering. This should  be done through MyCBE by clicking on the Online Forms and School Registration tab and completing the Volunteer Registration 2025-26 form. You can also submit an application through the school office. 

School administrators will verify your identity and register you in the CBE volunteer database. The school office will email you with a letter enabling you to obtain a police information check from the Calgary Police Service (CPS). 

Please note, prospective volunteers must reside in Canada for a full year before registering. Police clearances from countries other than Canada are not accepted. 

Step 2: Visit the CPS online system, electronic Police Information Check (ePIC), to obtain your police check using your CBE volunteer letter. 

Volunteers should wait to submit their request until they receive an email from Calgary Police Service – Record Check inviting them to apply for their Police Information Check with VS for Volunteer. This will ensure the voucher is ready to be redeemed by the volunteer. 

Voucher costs are covered for online applications only. If a volunteer applies to Calgary Police Service in-person with the e-Pic letter given them from their school, the $21.25 application fee will apply.  

If a volunteer submits their own payment, there is no option for a refund. There is no refund option for volunteers who have previously submitted applications.  

If you are unable to complete the process online, you may visit a police information check location instead. 

Step 3: Once you receive your clearance document from CPS you will need to share it with the school. This can be done through School Engage, in-person or by email. 

Annual Volunteer Registration 

Each school year you must complete the CBE volunteer registration form. By completing the form, you agree to abide by the conditions that protect the safety, confidentiality and working environment of our schools. You also make a signed declaration with regard to criminal charges. 

Annual Volunteer Registration Form 

Volunteer | Administrative Regulation 5003  

MyCBE Account 

A MyCBE Account is the main way to access all of your child’s information and complete required forms. If you don’t have one yet, you’ll need to  create a MyCBE account  and add student(s) to the account. 

To create an account, you will need your email address on file at the school, as well as the student’s CBE ID. 
This information can be found on: 

• SchoolEngage student profile for families that registered their child using SchoolEngage. Note | For a visual guide on how to find the CBE ID within SchoolEngage, refer to SchoolEnage CBE Student ID 
• CBE Report Card, beside the child's name 
• CBE ID card 

See our support page for instructions on signing up for a MyCBE account or accessing an existing account. 

With MyCBE, you can: 

• access your child’s program information (e.g., course assessments, daily attendance record, report card) 
• view your child’s learning using Brightspace by D2L 
• pay fees and request waivers 
• register for transportation and lunch supervision 
• book parent-teacher conferences 
• submit online school forms (required for the 2025-26 school year) including demographic verification forms *a legal requirement from Alberta Education for funding purposes 

Tip: Register for MyCBE with an email you’ll use until your child graduates, as your MyCBE account stays active from kindergarten to Grade 12.