Good afternoon Balmoral families,

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

February is Black History Month

The CBE has shared the following links which may be helpful for families wishing to learn more about Black History Month. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html

Families may also be interested in attending programs offered by the YMCA related to Black History Month. Celebrating Black History Month | YMCA Calgary

Indigenous Music Residency for all students

Next week, all students will be learning music from Walter McDonald White Bear (https://nac-cna.ca/en/bio/walter-macdonald-white-bear), and Samatha Whelan (https://www.samanthawhelankotkas.com/). They are professional musicians who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our students, and we are so excited to have them as guests in our school next week. Each class will get 2 class periods next week with these musicians. A big thank you to our School Council for their support of this residency!

Pink Shirt Day – Feb 28

Pink Shirt Day started in Nova Scotia in 2007 after a student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. It has since been recognized annually worldwide as a day to take a stand against bullying. All Albertans are encouraged to be inclusive, welcoming and supportive with colleagues, clients, friends and family. Building healthy relationships is one of the best ways to prevent bullying and create safe environments. Students are invited to wear pink to school on February 28. This day is intended to promote inclusiveness and therefore if your child doesn’t already own a pink shirt, families shouldn’t feel obligated to purchase a pink shirt just for that day. 

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.

The Pickle Jar Menu for the week of: February 26

School Development Planning and School Fees Survey is OPEN

Please answer questions on the 2023-24 School Year Balmoral School Survey to give us guidance on school planning, which includes the school development plan, school budget, and school fees. When students, staff and families work closely together, students experience greater success. The survey will be open until March 7, 2024.

Completing the engagement should take about 13 minutes. Please use the link below to access the survey.

https://balmoral.cbedialogue.com/en/projects/2023-24-school-year/engagements/school-planning-survey-2024-middle-junior

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 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

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!

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:

March 19 - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0449A8AA2CA5FE3-48062149-funlunch/61472078#/

March 20 - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0449A8AA2CA5FE3-48062231-funlunch/61472078#/

Important dates:

• Feb 26 to 29 – Indigenous music residency for Grades 5-9
• Feb 28 – Pink Shirt Day
• March 19 – Fun lunch for Grades 5/6 - OPA
• March 20 – Fun lunch for Grades 7/8/9 - OPA
• March 21 – Parent Teacher Conferences (4pm-8pm)
• March 22 – Parent Teacher Conferences (8am-1pm) – no school for students
• March 22 – Last day of classes before Spring Break
• April 2 – First day of classes after Spring Break

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

Regards,

Balmoral Administration