Good afternoon Balmoral families,

It has been a great week back from spring break, even with the changing weather. Please ensure your children have the appropriate outdoor clothing with them each day, as they do go outside (up to -17 degrees).

The clothing sale this week went extremely well – thank you to our parent volunteers who ran the sale during conferences and over lunch breaks this week!

Badminton tryouts this week were very well attended, with almost 50 students per grade trying out for the team. This is our most popular sport – this is why we have moved divisions to accommodate more players. Good luck to all students who tried out!

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

Modified Schedule for Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8

On Monday, April 8 a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Calgary. The solar event will begin just before noon and conclude by 2:00 p.m., with the maximum coverage occurring at 12:43 p.m. 

We know that this provides a unique learning experience for students and staff in our schools; however, there can be serious impacts to vision as a result of viewing the eclipse in an unsafe manner.

At Balmoral School, we have modified our schedule for students to have lunch earlier this day, and then students will be inside the school for the duration of the eclipse. Physical education classes will also be inside during the eclipse.

Please see the modified schedule below. This does not impact school start/end times or bussing.

During a solar eclipse, looking directly at the sun is dangerous. Safe viewing of the eclipse requires wearing specialized glasses or watching through a telescope or solar binoculars that have specialized lenses and should only be performed under the direction of a professional.  

For more safety information can be found on the NASA website or from the Canadian Association of Optometrists.  

If you have further questions, please contact the school office. 

The Pickle Jar Menu for the week of April 8

Visit our Cafeteria & Menu page for this week's menu.

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 MyCBE 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.

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:

https://healthyhunger.ca/index.php

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

• April 19 – PD Day (no school for students)

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

Regards,

Balmoral Administration