Dear PHS Families, 

Our year has taken off as our students dive into the curriculum, make new friends and become more familiar with the routines of the classroom.  Please see below for some important items which will be taking place at PHS this year.   

Panorama Hills School is one of three schools that has been granted a residency through Calgary Opera this year. Over the course of the school year, students in grades four and five will work with a composer, librettist, and director to conceptualize, create and perform their own show, practicing teamwork, creative thinking, and problem solving in the process. Teachers have already met with members of Calgary Opera to discuss the residency and on Friday, grade 4 and 5 students watched a “What is Opera? presentation, including a demonstration by a professional opera singer. In the next few weeks, a playwright will be coming in to collaborate with classes on writing the opera’s libretto. After the Winter Break, a composer will be working with Mrs. Grunsell, our Music Specialist, and the grade 4 and 5 students to create the score. A stage director will guide the students in staging the final performance in May. Although our school is too large to include all of the grades in this residency, we have some exciting performance opportunities planned for our K-3 classes so they can participate in “What is an Opera” at their level this year as well. Stay tuned for more exciting updates! 

We are happy to announce that the patrol team that trained in the spring has had their training refreshed and will be out to patrol starting Monday, September 11th. They will patrol the crosswalk northwest of the school at Panamount Blvd and Panamount Street from 7:55-8:10 in the mornings, and 15 minutes at the end of the school day. This team is eager to get started to help students and families cross safely and to keep traffic moving during arrival and dismissal. Our students will be supported and supervised this year by the grade 5 teachers, Mr. Hobbs, Ms. Nanji, Mrs. Koch, and Ms. Costello, as well as our learning leader Mrs. Sinden and Ms. Muir. 

You’re invited! Please save the date for Meet the Teacher on September 21st. The purpose of this evening is to visit your child’s learning spaces, meet their teachers, demonstrate what they have been learning in class so far and learn how you can support learning at home in a fun and supportive way. Please note that Meet the Teacher is not a time where we report on student learning as teachers and students have not had enough time to work through a full learning cycle by September 21st. If you have specific questions or concerns that you would like to speak with the teacher about, please reach out to them directly and they can set up a time to have a private, uninterrupted conversation with you.  

Sincerely,  

Shannon Muir  

Acting Principal  

Panorama Hills School 

Other Noteworthy Dates: 

September 15 Terry Fox Run  

September 22 No School for Students 

September 29 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, No School  

October 5 Picture Day