Good afternoon Balmoral families,

Thank you to our families who attended parent teacher conferences this week. We appreciate the conversations about our students’ learning and how we can work together to support each student’s success at school. We also thank our parents who completed the School Development Plan and Fees survey – we value your input and will share these results on our school website shortly.

We wish all of our families a restful and happy Spring Break!

Please read the weekly newsletter carefully, as it contains important information that impacts all students.

Badminton Team Tryouts

Badminton season is starting immediately after Spring Break! Due to popular interest in this sport, we have changed divisions to increase student participation. Instead of having a Junior and Senior team, we will have separate teams for Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9. Please note the tryout dates below – all tryouts will be 2:30pm - 4:00pm after school.

Students must have a ride arranged at 4:00pm and should have completed their Consent to Tryout form as well. Please contact Mr. Guenther at teguenther@cbe.ab.ca if you have any questions.

  • Tuesday, April 2 – Grade 8
  • Wednesday, April 3 – Grade 7
  • Thursday, April 4 – Grade 9
  • Monday, April 8 – Grade 6

Balmoral New and Used Clothing Sale

We are holding a clothing sale to clear out some old inventory! There will be used uniform pieces, new navy pants, hoodies, sweatpants, shorts, and vintage Balmoral t-shirts for sale. There are limited sizes in some styles. Parents are welcome to come to the school to purchase items as well – please sign in at the office. The sale will be happening at the following times:

  • Wednesday, April 3 from 11:30am – 1:00pm (during lunch break at school)
  • Thursday, April 4 from 11:30am – 1:00pm (during lunch break at school)

Clothing sales will be CASH ONLY. Please call the office if you have any questions.

School Council transition planning for next year

Some of our school council members are moving on to high school next year, and as such, there will be some vacant positions needing to be filled. We are hoping for some parents to express interest this year and shadow the current members for the remainder of this school year. This will help new members learn the role and make the transition smoother.

If you are interested in any of the following positions, please email balmoral@cbe.ab.ca and we will forward your interest to school council:

  • Vice-Chair
  • Fundraising Coordinator
  • Casino Chair

School fees are DUE

This is a reminder to please pay your school fees in PowerSchool when the activity occurs. The school has already paid the vendors for many of our past field trips (e.g. skiing, band camp, camp evergreen, etc.), and now we are waiting for families to pay their fees to cover these costs. We request that all families please pay your child’s fees on time so that we can continue offering these valuable learning opportunities to our students.

Parents/guardians are welcome to come to the office to pay fees in person, or pay online. Please call the school office if you need any support with paying fees.

IXL Learning Pilot Program

For the remainder of the school year we will be piloting the use of IXL Learning to support our students in mathematics. Teachers have been and will be setting up student accounts and will be relaying the login information to students and families. IXL allows us to access Real-Time Diagnostic information, which pinpoints students' grade level proficiency in key math strands. We will use it to enhance our programming and to provide extra support at home for the remainder of the school year. After analyzing the use of IXL we will then make an informed decision as to whether we will continue our subscription during the 2024-2025 school year.

Child and Youth Well-being Family and Caregiver Series

Well-being is a precondition for student achievement. Students need to be well to succeed. Currently, students face ​​a wide range of mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, and depression. This trend is alarming and requires our attention.​

The Calgary Board of Education invites all parents and guardians to join us in an online series focusing on child and youth well-being. These sessions will be hosted in partnership with experts from Alberta Health Services and will explore topics such as vaping, brain development, mental health, and sexual health.

The next webinar is:

  • Healthy Sexual Development (April 11)

The links for each webinar can be found on the page below:

Child and Youth Well-being Series links

Healthy Hunger Fun Lunches

Most of our fun lunch dates are available for ordering on the Healthy Hunger website.

Please note that you must register your child each year on the website (ensure you know your child’s homeroom and teacher), and then you can place orders. The ordering deadline is always 5 days before the fun lunch date, so order early and don’t miss out!

Important Dates

  • March 25 to April 1 – Spring Break
  • April 2 – First day of classes after Spring Break
  • April 3 and 4 – Balmoral Clothing Sale over lunch break (cash only)
  • April 19 – PD Day (no school for students)

If you have any questions or concerns, please call the school office.

Regards,

Balmoral Administration