Good afternoon Balmoral families,

At Balmoral this week, we are excited to have transitioned into Badminton season for our athletics program, and are planning many field trips, preparing for Provincial Achievement Tests, and working on engaging projects and work each day! With the ever-changing spring weather, please remember to send students to school prepared for rain, snow, or sun as the forecast fluctuates.

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

Staffing Updates

Ms. Wright (Grade 8/9) will be on maternity leave for the remainder of this school year. We wish her all the best during this exciting time. We would like to welcome Ms. Lisa Webb as the temporary contract teacher, beginning Monday, April 22. Ms. Webb comes with over 10 years of experience as a teacher and assistant principal in the Calgary Catholic School Board, and a wealth of global experiences from living in multiple countries over the past few years.

Ms. Khatu (Grade 7) will be away for personal reasons for the next two weeks. We welcome Ms. Akbar, who will be filling in for the next week. Ms. Akbar is a regular substitute teacher at Balmoral School and knows our students and processes well. We thank her for filling in during this challenging time.

Please direct any staffing-related questions to school administration.

Grade 6 English Language Arts and Literature and Mathematics Field Testing

In late March the decision was made by Alberta Education to not administer the Grade 6 English language arts and literature (ELAL) and mathematics provincial achievement tests in the 2023/2024 school year. Alberta Education has instead offered field testing between April and June 2024. These field tests will help inform the development of future PATs for Grade 6 English language arts and literature and mathematics that align with new curriculum in these subjects. For Balmoral School, we have scheduled the Field Tests according to the following schedule:
 

Grade 7 and Jazz Band Festival Celebration

Congratulations to the Grade 7 Band and the Jazz Band for their performances at the Strathmore Performing Arts Festival on Wednesday. Both bands received the highest ranking possible, Superior, and were awarded with a plaque and a certificate. Mrs. Fast and Mx. Spoering are extremely proud of everyone involved for their hard work, and for their excellent behaviour and attention through the Festival experience. We would also like to thank our wonderful parent volunteers who spent the day supervising our students - Mr. Yang, Ms. Zou, Mrs. Saranchuk, and Mrs. Cole. Grade 8 and Grade 9 bands have Festival performances coming up on April 30, May 21, and May 22, and we wish them all good luck!

McCarthy’s Uniforms Bundle Savings

Every year McCarthy Uniforms offers bundle saving to our school communities.  These bundles offer an additional coupon incentive that can be used later in the year to top up the student’s uniform. These bundles also offer a 2 year and 1 year exchange policy. These bundles will be available on the McCarthy's website, in stores and through the Call Centre beginning on Wednesday May 1. Please view the "Related Information" panel on this page for more information.

School Council Updates

Our next School Council meeting is on Thursday, May 2 at 6:30pm. This will be an IN-PERSON meeting at Balmoral School. A light dinner will be provided for those who attend this meeting – please RSVP to balmoral@cbe.ab.ca if you are coming so that we can make arrangements.

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.

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!

The Pickle Jar Menu for the week of April 22 - 25

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

 Important Dates

• April 23 – Healthy Hunger Grades 5/6
• April 24 – Healthy Hunger Grades 7/8/9
• April 25 – Grade 7 Zoo field trip (7-3 and 7-4)
• April 30 – Grade 9 Skills Band Festival
• May 1 – Grade 6 Immunizations

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

Regards,

Balmoral Administration