Balmoral Newsletter Feb. 2 | Black History Month, Spectators at Athletic Events, Volunteers Needed, TLC Lottery, Webinar

Good afternoon Balmoral families

We are excited to have started the second semester of the 2023-24 school year! As a reminder for families, report cards are accessible through parent and student MyCBE accounts. Using a mobile device limits the ability to see these reports so accessing them through a computer or web browser is needed.

Black History Month

At Balmoral School we recognize our strength in diversity and strive to create a welcoming, respectful, and caring environment. February is Black History Month and we are marking the month with morning announcements, classroom presentations, curricular activities, and educational displays. We are excited to honour the legacy of black people in Canada and their communities.

IMPORTANT: Spectators for Athletics Games and Tournaments

A reminder that students are welcome to watch home and away games for volleyball IF they have an adult supervisor with them. Students who come to any school to watch a game without a supervisor will be turned away. Please note that the supervision must be arranged in advance and cannot be the coach of the playing teams. Coaches are busy with their coaching duties and cannot supervise spectators at the same time. If you have any questions about supervision during games, please contact Mr. Guenther at teguenther@cbe.ab.ca.

Volunteers Needed for Grade 8 Camp

The grade 8 team is looking for volunteers to accompany us on an overnight trip to Pioneer Camp on May 27-29. Pioneer Camp is a facility located near Rocky Mountain House that provides adventure-based outdoor education experiences such as horseback riding and archery. Volunteers will be staying in cabins and will be provided with meals and transportation for the trip. A valid police clearance is required and there is still time to complete this process!

Any interested adult (parents of students in other grades, siblings, relatives, friends, etc.) can contact Ms. Wright at jmwright@cbe.ab.ca.

TLC Lottery is OPEN!

The school office is accepting Expressions of Interest for 2024-25 until February 13 at noon. The lottery process is for NEW students to the TLC program in all grades. Please note that all families must reside in our catchment area, otherwise we will not be able to accept them. Please let any families who you know are interested in applying to Balmoral TLC that they must complete the Expression of Interest form ONLINE through a MyCBE account.

If you have any questions about the lottery or registration, please call the school office.

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 webinars are:

  • Mental Health and Anxiety for Grades K-6 (February 8)
  • Mental Health and Anxiety for Grades 7-12 (March 14)
  • Healthy Sexual Development (April 11)

The links for each webinar can be found on the page below:
Child and Youth Well-being Series links

School Council Update

At our recent school council meeting our grade 9 teachers provided a yearly update and discussed high school transitions. For grade 9 families, high school course selection sheets will be coming home with students on Friday, February 9. These sheets will be reviewed with families before being returned to Balmoral School where we will facilitate them going to the appropriate high school for each student.

At School Council we also had the opportunity to present to parents about our school development plan which targets areas in literacy, mathematics, and student experience based on survey, report card, and provincial achievement test data. This presentation will be shared out with families in the coming weeks and we will be seeking feedback on Balmoral schools budgeting and programming.

Off-campus Reminders for Grades 8 and 9 Students

As a reminder, students who go off-campus at lunch are expected to return on time and be ready for their afternoon classes by 12:35pm. Late students are asked to sign in at the office and get a late slip before going to class.

Starting this week, students will be given ONE warning if they are late returning from off-campus lunch. If a student is late a second time, they will lost their off-campus privileges for one week, and then longer if the issue persists. An administrator will contact parents if off-campus privileges are taken away, and the student will need to bring their own lunch to school.

Going off-campus at lunch time is an important opportunity for our students to learn responsible citizenship, organization, and time management skills. Please have a conversation with your Grade 8/9 child about this responsibility and privilege.

If you have any questions regarding the off-campus lunch policy, please contact kwgordon@cbe.ab.ca.

Student Extra-Curricular Commitments

Students who sign up to participate in extra-curricular activities are expected to attend all practices and rehearsals. This includes athletic teams, school musical, jazz band, student council, art club, etc. Please ensure that your children have a pre-arranged ride home if they are participating in extra-curriculars after school.

Intent to Return to Balmoral School

We are now planning for next year and determining how many spaces we have available for the lottery. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey below regarding whether your child will be returning to Balmoral School for the 2024-25 school year.

https://forms.office.com/r/U6S8LjwkMp

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!

Volunteers Needed for Fun Lunches

We need 3 parent volunteers on each fun lunch day to sort the lunches by homeroom and help deliver them to the students at the beginning of the lunch break. If you are able to help out, please use the links below to sign up:

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

  • February 12 – Lunar New Year Cultural Dress Day
  • February 13 at 12pm – Deadline for Lottery
  • February 15 and 16 – Teachers Convention (no school for students)
  • February 19 – Family Day (no school)
  • February 28 – Pink Shirt Day

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


Regards,

Balmoral Administration