Good afternoon Balmoral families,

Thank you for your feedback about our school cafeteria! We are working hard to prepare for a successful and sustainable re-opening of the Pickle Jar. We will keep you posted as decisions are made and when we have a set date for re-opening. Although the survey is now closed, if you have any suggestions or questions, please contact the school office.

Bus Notes

Sometimes we receive requests from students to take a different bus than the one they are registered for (going to a friend’s house, etc.) These requests must come from parents, not students. If you would like your child to take a different bus on a certain day, please call the school office before NOON that day. Depending on whether there is space on the bus, we will allow the student to ride a different bus once in a while (not every day or every week). We will give the student a note signed by administration that they can present to the driver of the requested bus for that day only.

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.

Financial Literacy Resources Webinar for K-12 Parents/Guardians

The Alberta School Council Association is offering a FREE webinar on Tuesday, January 23 at 7:00pm.

Connecting you to our toolkit of financial literacy resources that correlate to financial literacy curriculum outcomes has never been easier! “Building Futures in Alberta BFIA” resources (available in English and French) will support financial education and financial literacy outcomes for Alberta K-12 students.

Link to info page: https://www.albertaschoolcouncils.ca/about/special-events

Next School Council meeting

Our next school council and parent society meeting is on Thursday, February 1 at 6:30pm. This meeting is scheduled to be IN-PERSON at Balmoral School. Agendas and minutes of the previous meetings will be sent out next week.

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 in January, 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 lose 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

SoundKreations dance residency

From January 22 to February 1, all Balmoral students will be participating in a SoundKreations dance residency. Expert instructors will be teaching students various dance steps for one week, followed by one week of students working on their own choreography.

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

Grade 9 Students going to North Trail High School, Crescent Heights School, and James Fowler School

North Trail High School (NTHS), Crescent Heights High School (CHHS), and James Fowler High School are holding their Open Houses for incoming Grade 10 students this month. Please see the attached invitations for more information.

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

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:

Feb 21 - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0449A8AA2CA5FE3-46966332-funlunch/61472078#/

Feb 22 - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0449A8AA2CA5FE3-46966377-funlunch/61472078#/

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:

• January 22 to Feb 1 – SoundKreations Dance Residency
• January 30 – Report cards available for viewing through PowerSchool
• February 13 @ 12pm – Deadline for Lottery
• February 15 and 16 – Teachers Convention (no school for students)
• February 19 – Family Day (no school)

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

Regards,

Balmoral Administration