Welcome to the 2022-23 season with the Livingstone Ski Academy!

Greetings to all of you in the LSA community: athletes returning and new, our international students, families and supporters! I feel so fortunate to have joined the Livingstone School team this fall. The strength and support of this community have been on full display particularly over this past week. I am so proud to be a part of this program. 

For those of you who I haven’t had the chance to meet just yet, let me tell you that I am so excited for the winter season ahead for the LSA. We are 70+ athletes strong with a great team of returning and new coaches from the Castle Mountain team. The season which will be here before we know it: please check out the information below to start getting prepared and don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions!

Scott Bailey, LSA Coordinator

Welcome Back BBQ - September 22nd: Join in the Livingstone School Open House and BBQ this coming Thursday evening (Sept 22nd, 5pm - 6:30pm) - please come for a bite to eat and to say hello. Stay for the LSAS AGM afterwards at 7pm!

Livingstone Ski Academy Society (LSAS): The Livingstone Ski Academy Society (LSAS) is all about making participation in LSA accessible to as many students as possible by helping to keep costs stable and allow growth of the program. The LSAS meets monthly (see the calendar for meeting dates) and helps organize fundraising events such as the Fiesta at Castle Mountain. We are recruiting new members of our board of directors, and we so appreciate the time and effort given in these roles to help keep the LSA growing and inclusive. We have several vacant positions available and current members will be happy to help people settle into their new roles. Please join us at our AGM on Thursday September 22 at 7pm (following the BBQ) in the Learning Commons to learn more about this fun and supportive opportunity to help our kids get the most out of their outdoor classroom!

LSAS Landfill clean-up fundraiser: Our first fundraiser of the year will be paper picking at the CNP/Pincher Creek Landfill - we will confirm our date for October by the end of this week. We earn $15/hour for every person age 6 years and up who comes and helps ($45/person for the 3 hours) so please bring your entire family and friends to help out! We also will receive a matching grant from the landfill that matches what we earn, so effectively, each person earns $90 for the 3 hours of work. With our winds, paper and plastic blow into local farmers fields, so not only are we helping our environment, we are also earning money to cover costs such as busing and extra training for our LSA students. Trash bags will be supplied but please bring gloves and wear pants (there are thorny bushes) and good shoes.

Pre-Season Plans: Mr. Bailey and Mr. Bennett will be meeting with all LSA student-athletes in the coming weeks, during the school day. I will be able to share information about the coming season and to start meeting with athletes to better understand their goals for the winter and how their learning in LSA can support their overall development.

Vest Fitting: We will be inviting students to bring their winter jackets to school in the coming weeks to size-up all the athletes with a vest for the winter. If you still have a vest at home from previous years, please bring it to the school to Mr. Bailey’s classroom as soon as possible - thank you!

Ski Swaps: The Crowsnest Pass Ski Swap is scheduled for November 4th and 5th, and the Lethbridge Ski Swap usually runs mid-November. If you have any questions about equipment for your athlete(s) for the season, please check in with me.

Informed Consent and Gear Check Night: This highly anticipated annual event will be scheduled at the school in mid-November (exact date coming soon!). All LSA families will be invited for an evening event where the staff from Alpenland will be available to perform equipment safety checks, and the team from CMR will also be present for parents/guardians to sign the necessary waivers for the ski season and process season passes. 

Logistics: 

• Grades 4-6 ski on Tuesday afternoons and all day Friday. 
• Grades 7-12 ski Monday/Wednesday afternoons and all day Fridays.
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday drop-off/pick-up locations and times: 
• Beaver Mines General Store @ 4:05, 
• the Highway 3 weigh scale @ 4:20, 
• school @ 4:30 pm.
• Friday drop off/pick up locations and times: 
• Beaver Mines General Store @ 3:25, 
• the Highway 3 weigh scale @ 3:40, 
• school @ 3:50 pm.
• Start preparing now - you can have your child(ren) practice putting on/taking off their gear independently to find the quickest method for getting themselves ready at the mountain. 
• Students have cubbies available at the mountain to store bags/lunches in during the ski day.                             
• Throughout the ski season, kids can leave their skis at the hill and access them at any time using a pin code, or skis can be transported back to the school in the bus storage compartment.

Welcome to the LSA and remember to check this site often for updates. We wish you all a great season ahead!