November 12, 2023 

Dear PHS Families, 

Thank you to all our families who could attend our Remembrance Day Assembly. Our Grade 4 staff and students did a beautiful job of leading us in remembrance of those who served in the past and continue to serve to keep us protected while maintaining peace in our community and country.  

We have a few service projects we will be leading our school community in that we are excited to share with you:  

Holiday Hope Tote (Alex Centre) 

One of our favorite traditions here at PHS is the support we give to The Alex Youth Community Health Center. The Alex supports young, often homeless, youth between the ages of 12 and 25.  The Alex provides its clients with Health and Wellness support and is able to connect their clients to other community agencies. They even have a Youth Health Bus that regularly visits Calgary area high schools.   

The Alex provides support while always ensuring the dignity of the people they help. For more information about The Alex, please visit: https://www.thealex.ca/about/   

In the past, we have offered our assistance through our Stuff A Sock campaign. This year, we are participating in The Alex’s Holiday Hope Tote campaign which will run from November 15 to December 6th, 2023. There are two ways that you can participate. 

1.    Donate individual items from the list below to support programs offered at The Alex. These items include: 

·         Arts supplies (for adults and youth) 

·         Slippers, warmer socks, small throw blankets  

·         Travel mugs 

·         2024 Wall calendars (small and larger ones) 

·         Key chains/Lanyards 

·         Packaged hard candies 

·         Individual hot chocolate or coffee packages 

2.    Fill a tote (cloth bag or drawstring backpack often found at the dollar store) with a $25 gift card to Walmart, Superstore, Dollarama, or other grocery store. Then include a few of the items listed below, for an estimated value of $50 per tote. These will be distributed to clients for the holidays. 

We acknowledge that some of our families may be facing financial challenges, but if you are able, even the smallest donation can make a meaningful impact in helping The Alex take care of their many clients. 

For more information on the Alex Centre please see the link below: 

https://www.thealex.ca/ 

Mayors Food Drive  

We are happy to share that our school will, once again, be participating in the Mayors Food Drive. This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to our community and help those in need or experiencing hardship. Bins will be dropped off November 20 and picked up on December 18. Although we will accept all non-perishables, there is a preferred list below for high demand items: 

·         Cereal 

·         Canned meat 

·         Canned veggies 

·         Canned beans 

·         Baby Formula 

·         Canned pasta sauce 

(no glass containers please) 

For more information on the Mayors Food drive please see the website below: 

https://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/mayorsfooddrive/ 

Our school wide inquiry for the 2023-2024 school year is What is our impact? Engaging in service work is very valuable for the development of empathy and responsibility in our children and supports the impact we can have on improving the quality of life for others in our community. 

Sincerely, 

Ms. Paull and Ms. Muir