Good afternoon Balmoral families,

It is hard to believe that it is December already! With the lack of snow and atypical winter conditions, the year is going by very quickly. Even with the sun shining on some days, the temperature is still low and students must be prepared to outside every day. Please remind your children to bring their winter clothing to school and be prepared for changing conditions.

Upcoming - Celebrations of Learning

Balmoral School will be holding our annual Celebrations of Learning on December 6 and 7, 2023. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and families to visit the school, see the classrooms and work students have been doing, and watch a short performance in the gym. The schedule for each day is below:

Wednesday, December 6  – Grades 5/6 (6:00pm-8:00pm)

• 6:30pm               Grade 5 Performance
• 7:15pm               Grade 6 Performance

Thursday, December 7  – Grades 7/8/9 (6:00pm-8:00pm)

• 6:00pm            Grade 7 Performance
• 6:45pm            Grade 8 Performance
• 7:30pm            Grade 9 Performance

All classrooms will be open for family visits from 6-8pm, except for the performance time for that particular grade. During the performance time for your child’s grade, please proceed to the gym to watch the show. ALL students are expected to perform at this event as part of their music/band program. If your child is not able to attend, please contact their music/band teacher.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact the school office.

December School Events

As we speed our way into the holiday season this year, there are a few great school events coming up that we would like to inform you about. Our Student Voice Council has decided to participate in the Calgary Immigrant Womens’ Foundation’s Adopt-a-Family program this year. Balmoral School has adopted THREE families and we are responsible for purchasing food and gifts for the holidays this year. Some of the events listed below will raise funds for this worthy cause.

December 4 and 11 – Toonie for Casual/Hat – bring $2 on these Mondays to give to your homeroom teachers if you are wearing casual clothes and/or a hat!

Every Tuesday and Thursday until winter break – Hot Chocolate sales in the Foods Room at lunch. Hot Chocolate is $1.50/cup. Students in Grades 7/8/9 can purchase in the first half of lunch, and students in Grades 5/6 can purchase in the second half of lunch.

December 6-7: Candygram sales. Bring $1 to purchase a sweet treat and send a kind message to someone!

Last week before Winter Break – Spirit Week

Dec 20 – Vacation Day

Dec 21 – Red/Green/Xmas Sweater Day

Dec 22 – Pajama Day

Grade 9 Students going to North Trail High School

North Trail High School (NTHS) is holding their Open House for incoming Grade 10 students on January 25, 2024. Please see the attached invitation for more information. See the invitation under Resources.

More information regarding high school registration, the transfer process, and deadlines will be shared in December and January as information becomes available. If you have any questions about high school, please email leobrien@cbe.ab.ca or esontko@cbe.ab.ca.

Balmoral Annual Holiday Fundraiser

Thank you to all parents who purchased chocolates this year. Delivery is estimated to be around December 7 to the school. We will need 1-3 volunteers for sorting and organizing the chocolates for pickup. Once we have confirmed delivery date, we will send out a link to ask for volunteers.

Next School Council and Parent Society Meeting

Our next Balmoral School Council and Parent Society Meeting will be held on Thursday, December 14 at 6:30pm. This will be an ONLINE meeting using Microsoft Teams – a link will be sent a few days before the meeting.

We encourage all parents to join us for these meetings, as important matters are discussed that affect all students at Balmoral.

McCarthy Uniform Sale

McCarthy Uniforms will be hosting a sale beginning Monday November 20 until December 20 with discounts up to 25% off on select school uniform products!

Discounts will vary across items, check your E-Store, or your dedicated Store location for more details. Please see the poster below for more details.

See poster under Resources.

The Sale will be available online at www.mccarthyuniforms.ca, through our Call Centre 1-800-668-8261 and in our stores. Your dedicated Uniform Store is located at 5911 3rd Street SE, Calgary.

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!

School Bus Notifications

Please ensure you are signed up for the My Bus Monitor notification emails for the most up to date information. The link is below. You must enter your email address and select your child’s bus route (AM and PM) to receive email notifications about bus delays, etc.
https://www.myschoolbusmonitor.ca/ParentLoginNew.aspx

Important Dates

• December 4 – Toonie for Hat/Casual Wear
• December 4-6 – Grade 5 Ski Day Trips to Winsport
• December 6/7 – Candygram Sales
• December 6 – Celebration of Learning for Grades 5/6
• December 7 – Celebration of Learning for Grades 7/8/9
• December 8 – Non-instructional day (no school for students)
• December 14 – Toonie for Hat/Casual Wear
• December 14 – School Council meeting @ 6:30pm ONLINE
• December 20-22 – Spirit Week
• December 22 – Last day of classes before Winter Break
• January 8 – Classes resume

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

Regards,

Balmoral Administration