Good afternoon Balmoral families,
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our community for your support in making our music/band performance a success this week. Hearing the incredible work that our students have put in this year is a highlight for us and it would not be possible without the dedication of our families and students.
Many of our grade 8 students had the opportunity to visit Pioneer Camp and build some lasting memories this week! We are excited for our grade 6 classes to visit Riveredge camp for day trips in the coming weeks. With PATs, the track meet, end of year celebrations, field trips and more happening at Balmoral this month, we are excited for all that is to come.
Please read the weekly newsletter carefully, as it contains important information that impacts all students.
Assistant Principal and Principal Update
Our Principal, Rakhee Vijairaghavan, will be on leave effective May 30, 2024. For continuity, Assistant Principal Kurt Gordon has been appointed Acting Principal for the remainder of the school year. Thomas Guenther will assume the Assistant Principal position and we will have a Physical Education teacher in for Mr. Guenther’s regular teaching role.
If you have questions, please reach out to Mr. Gordon at kwgordon@cbe.ab.ca.
Volunteer Appreciation Event
As a school community we want to say a huge thank you to all of our volunteers. Without their support we could not strive to build a program rich with opportunity for our students.
At 3:00-4:00pm on Thursday, June 20, 2024, we will be hosting a volunteer event with light refreshments and an opportunity to mingle with staff and fellow volunteers. We are asking that volunteers RSVP for the event by completing the form below.
https://forms.office.com/r/zv0VS8krW1
Learning Commons resource and book returns
All library resources need to be returned by June 13th. Clean your rooms and find those books!
If your child has truly “lost” the book – please pay the replacement cost. Students can see exactly what they have checked out by going to the Balmoral School webpage and clicking on ELibrary. Mrs. Lee has also given students with very overdue books notices to take home to remind them and parents.
Reminder about extended leaves from school
Balmoral School does not encourage extended leaves for students during the school year. If families decide to take students out of school for longer than one week, an Extended Leave Form (available at the office) must be completed PRIOR to the absence.
In addition, if students are absent in the first three days of school in September, their place at Balmoral will be given to the next student on our waiting list. If you have any questions about extended absences, please call the school office.
Information session for NEW families to Balmoral
Similar to previous years, we will be holding a “Welcome to Balmoral” information evening and school tour for NEW families to Balmoral School. This includes parents of Grade 4 students at Colonel Sanders School as well as other families who have been accepted through the lottery process. Event information is below:
Date: Thursday, June 13
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Balmoral School (gymnasium to start)
Track and Field Meet on June 5
Our Track and Field Meet will be held on Wednesday, June 5. Please note that any student attending with the track and field team will need to arrange their own ride to and from the Foothills Athletic Park on June 5. Drop off time will be 8:30am and pick-up time will be 3:00pm. Please email teguenther@cbe.ab.ca if you have any questions.
Grade 9 Farewell Ceremony – June 25 @ 5:30pm
This year’s Grade 9 Farewell Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, June 25 in the evening. Details are below:
5:30pm to 7:00pm – Official ceremony in the school gym (families welcome for this part)
Families are free after 7:00pm to celebrate the occasion with your loved ones. The school will be closed at 7:30pm this evening.
Grade 9 students will be going bowling during the school day as part of their farewell celebration! We thank our School Council for their generous support of this event.
Questions about the Grade 9 Farewell can be sent to kwgordon@cbe.ab.ca
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 outstanding fees so that we can continue offering these valuable learning opportunities to our students.
Fee statements are being sent home to families over the coming weeks. Please remember that certain school-based fees are mandatory as part of the TLC program (music fee, CTF fees, etc.) 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.
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.
Healthy Hunger Fun Lunches
Our final fun lunch date is approaching and ordering is available 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 June 3-6 and Pickle Jar Update
This year we have celebrated the re-opening of The Pickle Jar, our school cafeteria. With a short period of time remaining, we wanted to ensure families knew that the last day for The Pickle Jar this year will be June 20th. Over the next 3 weeks, however, please visit our Cafeteria & Menu page to see what is being offered each day.
Important Dates
- June 5 – Track and Field Meet @ Foothills Athletic Park
- June 10 and 11 – Grade 6 Riversedge Day Camps
- June 13 – Orientation for NEW families to Balmoral
- June 18 – Fun Lunch for Grades 5/6 (Tim Hortons)
- June 19 – Fun Lunch for Grades 7/8/9 (Tim Hortons)
- June 20 – Volunteer Appreciation Tea
- June 25 – Grade 9 Bowling and Farewell Ceremony
- June 26 – Sports Day
- June 27 – Last day of classes (early dismissal)
If you have any questions or concerns, please call the school office.
Regards,
Balmoral Administration