Meet the Teacher Night

Meet the Teacher Night is being held on Thursday, September 25 from 5:00-7:00PM.  It will be an opportunity to briefly meet teachers in a casual open house format. Please have your child’s timetable on PowerSchool to find their teachers throughout the evening.

Please note this is not a Parent/Teacher Meeting to discuss your student’s progress; please make an appointment separately or wait until Parent-Teacher Conferences which occur on October 20 (more details closer to that date).

5:00-5:30 pm – Administration and Student Services Presentation in the Main Gym. Everyone is welcome, although geared mostly towards our new Gr 10 students.

• First Floor: Math, Science, PE, Music/Band, Foods, Student Services
• Second Floor: ELA, Social Studies, EAL, Second Languages, Student Supports
• Lower Floor: Art, Beauty and Style Exploration, Construction, Computer Science, Business, Design Thinking for Innovation (DTFI), Graphic Design
• Mall: Outside Agencies such as Bridges

Student Parking Permits available at Business Office

• Vehicles must have a JGD parking permit clearly visible at all times and hanging from the rear-view mirror.
• The vehicle must be parked in the student lot on the south side of our JGD school next to Sir John A. MacDonald School.
• Parking permits are non-transferable with a yearly fee of $50.00
• Parking passes must be renewed at the beginning of each school year.
• Vehicles without a valid parking permit will be ticketed and potentially towed.
• Administration reserves the right to suspend parking privileges for any unsatisfactory attendance or behavior.
• Limited quantity. First come first serve.

Calculator Rental at Business Office

• Semester rental only
• Deposit fee $50.00
• Upon return of the calculator at the end of the semester, the school will keep $20.00 for the rental fee and $30.00 will be credited back to the student’s account.
• $70 charge will apply for the unreturned calculator

School Fees

Please log in to MyCBE in order pay all school fees (Course Fees, Field Trip, Goods/Service and Yearbook etc.) or come to the Business Office to pay directly.

School Engage (Demographic Verification and Annual Authorization required)

Student Demographic Verification is required annually. If you have not verified your demographic information for the 2025-26 school year, please log in to your MyCBE account of SchoolEngage and verify your student’s information. Technical support/instructions are available here. Annual authorizations requiring parental consent are also required for the 2025-26 school year.

 These are:

• CBE Use of Student Information: outlines instances when we would like to share student information publicly in our day-to-day work.
• Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party): provides information pertaining to including students in media events where images may be recorded and used by the third party.

Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

It’s the 45th Anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. This year, Diefenbaker is going all out to fundraise for cancer research! We’re super excited to take part! Please support our student’s fundraising efforts and donate today.

Want to make this year’s Terry Fox School Run super fun and successful? Try online fundraising – it’s easy, fast and helps your school reach more supporters than ever.

Why it works…

• Donors get instant tax receipts
• Your school’s fundraising builds momentum fast
• Students can set up their own pages and earn Terry Fox badges
• Classrooms can create team pages for a little friendly competition
• Less paper and admin = more funds for cancer research!

Our Diefenbaker’s fundraising link: John G. Diefenbaker High School Fundraising Page: Donate Here

Honouring Family on Remembrance Day

On the afternoon of Thursday, November 6, we would like to honour your family members who have been involved in service in past wars during our During our four Remembrance Day Services.  We would like a photo (digital if possible) and a short biography – which war, which rank, age during contribution, dates of birth/death and which family member is currently at Dief. Please send them to Ms. Turner, cjturner@cbe.ab.ca or bring them into the Main Office, call if you have questions 403-608-8572.

We envision creating a revolving PowerPoint of your family member that will run during each service.  If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Cat Turner. Deadline for your entries is Monday, October 17.  Thank you

All In for Youth

Visit Room 225 in the Open Hum Area to meet your Success Coach, Jordan!

She’s here to support you with:

• 🎓 Education & employment goals
• 💸 Student funding
• 💬 Emotional support & mentoring
• 🧠 Mental health & addiction support
• 🍎 Basic needs (food, hygiene, shelter)
• 👕 Free or low-cost clothing
• 🚌 Applying for a low-income bus pass
• 📚 Tutoring & recreational activities
• 🌍 Cultural & LGBTQ2S+ resources
• 🏥 Accessing a doctor

If you ever need help in any of these areas, don't hesitate to e-mail, text, or visit Jordan’s office in room 225 in the open hum area upstairs.

• Email: jdriscoll@growwithtrellis.ca
• Text/Call: 403-991-9833

LITA

If you are interested in any of the Fine Arts disciplines and would like to help promote the Arts and great stuff happening at Dief, please come check out Leadership in the Arts, otherwise known as LITA. It happens every Thursday in the Art Room (12) at lunch!

Grade 12 students working towards 30 credits in the Arts can also qualify to earn 5 additional credits and a Certificate of Fine Arts along with their diploma from the CBE.

Artist Spotlight

The Visual Arts students got in touch with nature by going outside and creating observational drawings of the different subjects that they noticed. It was a beautiful day and they ended up making some equally lovely compositions.

YMAP

 YMAP is a FREE after-school program for Highs school and Post Secondary, including newcomer youth, refugee youth, international students, permanent residents, and second-generation Canadians. Our youth meet once a week under the mentorship of a YMAP Coordinator to discuss topics related to healthy integration. We help build a supportive and healthy community for young newcomers while teaching essential skills related to economic, social, cultural, and political integration.

Our program includes job preparation, an orientation into Canadian culture, volunteering and giving back to the community, and leadership development. We hold special events throughout the year. Youth also receive a FREE  YMCA membership while they are in YMAP for use at any of our facilities. We also have scholarship opportunities specific to Grade 12 YMAP participants. 

We are hoping to do some presentations in your classroom within the next few weeks. We use Prezi as part of our presentation format and will need about 15 - 20 minutes to provide the presentation. I look forward to connecting with you to discuss these great opportunities for the youth and what would be the best way to promote our program. Additionally, I have attached our general brochure including our YMAP application. Students now can also apply online through the link below.

YMAP online application: YMAP Application Form - Formstack

Athletics & Events Schedule