Community
Around the District- Red Deer Public Schools
Here’s a look at some excellent Christmas events taking place at schools throughout the district.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11
EVENT: CHRISTMAS CONCERT
School: GW Smith Elementary?Time: 7:00 pm?Location: CrossRoads Church?Details: Families will gather for another amazing annual school Christmas concert.
Contact: Kim Falls at 403-346-3838
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19?EVENT: PARENT COUNCIL CHRISTMAS STORE School: Normandeau
Time: Daily?Location: School?Details: The school council will be opening the Children’s Christmas Store, a place where children may purchase items for their loved ones at prices ranging from $1 to $8. This hopefully will help families with the added costs that Christmas always brings, while allowing the children to be a bigger part of the spirit of Christmas giving. The store is not a fundraiser as all proceeds directly fund this events. Contact: Doreen Wiesner at 403-342-0727
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12
EVENT: CHRISTMAS MUSICAL
School: Annie L. Gaetz Elementary?Time: 7:00 pm?Location: Memorial Centre?Details: Students in grades 1-5 will be performing in the Christmas Musical “I Need A Little Christmas Vacation” Contact: Moira Milne at 403-347-5660
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12
EVENT: FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
School: Don Campbell?Time: 6:30 pm?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: DCE students and their family are welcome to attend our first Family Movie Night, featuring “Despicable Me 3”. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $10/ family which includes a small bag of popcorn and a bottle of water per person. Chairs and benches are available for adults. Students may bring a pillow, stuffie or blanket to lie on. Additional popcorn and water will be available at a cost. All proceeds will go towards our Grade Five Camp.
Contact: Mellanie Kopec at 403-346-2611
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12
EVENT: WINTER BAND CONCERT
School: Westpark Middle?Time: 7:00 pm?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: Sr. and Jr. Bands, students in grades 6-8, will perform pieces they have been working on.
Contact: Laurie Shapka at 403-347-8911
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
EVENT: RED DEER PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD MEETING?Time: 1:00 pm?Location: Central Service Office, Board Room Details: Regular school board meeting.
Contact: Cyndi Ramsfield at 403-342-3713
Around the District
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
EVENT: REBELS VISIT
School: Annie L. Gaetz Elementary?Time: 10:30 am?Location: Various Classrooms within School?Details: Rebels come to visit the Kindergarten to grade 5 classes.
Contact: Lauren Dempster at 403-347-5660
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
EVENT: WINTER FORMAL DANCE
School: Central Middle?Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: Students will get into the festive season by attending a fun winter formal dance.?Contact: Nathan Good at 403-346-4397
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
EVENT: KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 12 WORSHIP TIME?School: Gateway Christian?Time: 9:45 am
Location: Main Gymnasium
Details: Grade 3-5 choir and Grade 7 Band will be sharing their gifts/talents with our school community.?Contact: Cathy McCullough at 403-346-5795
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
EVENT: WINTER CELEBRATION
School: Hunting Hills High?Time: 7:00 pm?Location: School Gymnasium 2?Details: Music concert, art show, and dessert intermission featuring performances by Concert Band, Jazz Band, Rock Band, Drumline, and Steel Drum ensembles. Tickets are $10 each and can be bought at the HHHS Bookstore or at the Door.
Contact: Greg Wheeler at 403-342-6655 ext. 1313
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
EVENT: CHRISTMAS CONCERT
School: Mattie McCullough Elementary?Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm?Location: CrossRoads Church?Details: Mattie McCullough staff and students are proud to present their annual Christmas Concert, written by our very own Mr. Richardson!
December 11 – December 22, 2018
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
EVENT: WPE CHRISTMAS CONCERT
School: West Park Elementary?Time: 6:30 pm?Location: New Life Fellowship Church?Details: Families will enjoy our annual Christmas concert with a “Slapshot Santa” theme.
Contact: Loretta Winia at 403-343-1838 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14
EVENT: KINDERGARTEN NURSERY RHYME CONCERT?School: Annie L. Gaetz Elementary?Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: School
Details: Students in Kindergarten will be performing Nursery Rhymes for family and friends.?Contact: Lauren Foord-Tait at 403-347-5660
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14
EVENT: DECEMBER GIFTS, A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT EVENT?School: Fairview Elementary?Time: 6:30 pm
Location: School Gymnasium
Details: A holiday musical including the joyous songs of the season.?Contact: Carol Macdormand at 403-343-8780
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15
EVENT: UGLY SWEATER DAY
School: Central Middle?Time: All Day?Location: Various?Details: Come to school sporting your ugliest sweater. Contact: Nathan Good at 403-346-4397
Contact: Lisa Spicer at 403-343-8958?For more information on AROUND THE DISTRICT please contact Bruce Buruma at 403-342-3708.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15
EVENT: SENIORS’ HOME CHRISTMAS CAROLING TOUR?School: Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High?Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Piper Creek Lodge, Parkvale Lodge, The Hamlets of Deer Park?Details: The LTCHS Chamber Ensembles will venture out into the community to spread some Christmas cheer to seniors in three locations around Red Deer. This is the fourth annual Christmas Carol tour and has become a highlight for the students performing in small ensembles.
Contact: Jennifer Mann at 403-347-1171, ext. 1704
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15
EVENT: CHRISTMAS READING
School: Mountview Elementary?Time: 10:15 am – 11:45 am?Location: Various Around School?Details: Special guests are invited in to read Christmas stories to each class in the school.
Contact: Amanda Wilson at 403-346-5765
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15
EVENT: GIFTS FOR GRANDPARENTS TEA
School: Westpark Middle?Time: 12:45 pm – 2:20 pm?Location: School Library?Details: Our leadership team has invited 23 grandparents to our Gift for Grandparents Tea, to celebrate the holidays with treats, gifts and entertainment.
Contact: Kandis Langvand at 403-347-8911
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19
EVENT: CHRISTMAS CONCERT
School: Aspen Heights Elementary?Time: 1:00 pm 7:00 pm?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: Students and their families will enjoy the schools’ annual Christmas Concert
Contact: Dyane Wagar at 403-347-2581
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20
EVENT: SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING
School: Eastview Middle?Time: 7:30 pm?Location: School Library?Details: Monthly meeting of our School Council members to discuss what is going on in the school.
December 11 – December 22, 2018
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20
EVENT: CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL
School: Normandeau?Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: Everyone is welcome to come and celebrate the season with crafts and fun.?Contact: Teryl McDonagh at 403-342-0727
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20
EVENT: WPE CHOIR AT WEST PARK LODGE
School: West Park Elementary?Time: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm?Location: West Park Lodge?Details: Westpark Elementary School’s choir will be spreading cheer and performing for the residents at the West Park Lodge.
Contact: Erin Heindel at 403-343-1838
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21
EVENT: BW CHRISTMAS
School: Barrie Wilson Elementary?Time: 9:15 am & 6:15 pm?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: We will be having two performances – one in the morning and one in the evening. Both concerts will be divided into three sections. There will be time between each set for parents to come and go. We encourage parents to consider viewing the morning performance. Both concerts will also be live streamed if you are unable to make it.
Contact: Sheila Engert at 403-348-0050
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21
EVENT: CHRISTMAS AT GATEWAY
School: Gateway Christian?Time: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm?Location: Various Around School?Details: Gateway Christian School invites Kindergarten to grade 12 families to this fun fulled family event. Celebrating the birth of Jesus as an entire school community while engaging in events that foster community.
Contact: Carolyn Stolte at 403-346-5795 or Crystal Pell at 403-343-2455
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 AND FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22?EVENT: TRICKSTER THEATRE PERFORMANCES School: GH Dawe
Time: Dec 21: 6:30 pm; Dec 22: 9:30 am?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: The theme in this Artist-In-Residency Program will be the 7 Leadership Qualities of Great Canadians. The performances and video essays will be created based on what Canada means to our students using the theme. Contact: Sue Carmichael at 403-343-3288
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21
EVENT: ORIOLE PARK CHRISTMAS CONCERT
School: Oriole Park Elementary?Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm?Location: Schools Gymnasium?Details: Come join us as our students celebrate the holidays with a variety of songs and performances. Contact: Mandy Terrenzio at 403-347-3731
December 11 – December 22, 2018
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22
EVENT: CHRISTMAS SING-A-LONG
School: Mountview Elementary?Time: 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm?Location: School Gymnasium?Details: School wide sing-a-long.?Contact: Amanda Wilson at 403-346-5765
For more information on AROUND THE DISTRICT please contact Bruce Buruma at 403-342-3708.
From the Fraser Institute
By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro
There would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior
According to recent polling, approximately one in five Canadians have skipped paying a bill over the past year so they can buy groceries. As families are increasingly hard-pressed to make ends meet, this undoubtedly means more and more people must seek out food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations to meet their basic necessities.
And each year, Canadians across the country donate their time and money to charities to help those in need—particularly around the holiday season. Yet at a time when the relatively high cost of living means these organizations need more resources, new data published by the Fraser Institute shows that the level of charitable giving in Canada is actually falling.
Specifically, over the last 10 years (2013 to 2023, the latest year of available data) the share of tax-filers who reported donating to charity fell from 21.9 per cent to 16.8 per cent. And while fewer Canadians are donating to charity, they’re also donating a smaller share of their income—during the same 10-year period, the share of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.55 per cent to 0.52 per cent.
To put this decline into perspective, consider this: there would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior. Simply put, this long-standing decline in charitable giving in Canada ultimately limits the resources available for charities to help those in need.
On the bright side, despite the worrying long-term trends, the share of aggregate income donated to charity recently increased from 0.50 per cent in 2022 to 0.52 per cent in 2023. While this may seem like a marginal improvement, 0.02 per cent of aggregate income for all Canadians in 2023 was $255.7 million.
The provinces also reflect the national trends. From 2013 to 2023, every province saw a decline in the share of tax-filers donating to charity. These declines ranged from 15.4 per cent in Quebec to 31.4 per cent in Prince Edward Island.
Similarly, almost every province recorded a drop in the share of aggregate income donated to charity, with the largest being the 24.7 per cent decline seen in P.E.I. The only province to buck this trend was Alberta, which saw a 3.9 per cent increase in the share of aggregate income donated over the decade.
Just as Canada as a whole saw a recent improvement in the share of aggregate income donated, so too did many of the provinces. Indeed, seven provinces (except Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) saw an increase in the share of aggregate income donated to charity from 2022 to 2023, with the largest increases occurring in Saskatchewan (7.9 per cent) and Alberta (6.7 per cent).
Canadians also volunteer their time to help those in need, yet the latest data show that volunteerism is also on the wane. According to Statistics Canada, the share of Canadians who volunteered (both formally and informally) fell by 8 per cent from 2018 to 2023. And the total numbers of hours volunteered (again, both formal and informal) fell by 18 per cent over that same period.
With many Canadians struggling to make ends meet, food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations play a critical role in providing basic necessities to those in need. Yet charitable giving—which provides resources for these charities—has long been on the decline. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend turn around swiftly.
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