Good afternoon Balmoral families,

Thank you to all parents who attended our School Council meeting last night. We had a great discussion about the casino, funding requests, and upcoming school events! We still need some volunteers for the upcoming casino – please see previous emails for more information and the sign-up link is below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0449A8AA2CA5FE3-44695040-balmoral/61472078#/

Please read the information below carefully, as these weekly newsletters contain reminders and updates that are relevant for many students and families.

Remembrance Day

We will be commemorating Remembrance Day at school on Wednesday, November 8 at 11:00am. There will be a school-wide assembly to recognize the sacrifices and contributions made by our veterans. Students who are part of cadets and other military organizations are welcome to wear their uniform this day. If your child would like to participate in this ceremony, please ask them to see Mr. Slade or come to the office. If any parents would like to attend this assembly at school, please contact the school office and we will reserve a seat for you.

Multi-Cultural Celebrations at school

At Balmoral School, we strive to recognize and celebrate all of our students’ backgrounds and cultures, as we see our diversity as one of our greatest strengths. One way we do this is by inviting students to share important events and festivals from their cultures at school. Last year, we celebrated many special events, including Lunar New Year, Eid, Christmas, Ukrainian Christmas, Black History Month, and Diwali. If your child would like to celebrate a particular festival at school, please ask them to see Mrs. Vijairaghavan or Mr. Gordon.

Next week, we will be celebrating Diwali at school. On November 7, there will be a display in the Learning Commons that classes will be invited to explore, and a presentation/announcements to share how some of our families celebrate Diwali. All students are welcome to dress in their cultural attire this day.

If you have any questions about cultural celebrations at school, please contact the school office.

Balmoral School Clothing Orders

Students who preordered and paid have received their Balmoral apparel order this week. Any student who preordered will have until November 15^th to pay for their order online to receive it. Please contact the office if you need assistance with this. 

Starting on November 20^th, we will be selling our remaining stock of Balmoral apparel at lunch time to any student who didn’t preorder. Size and options may be limited. Students can pay with cash or call the office in advance to pay online. The prices are:

$50 Black Champion Hoodie

$18 Black Sweatpants

$15 Red T-Shirt

$20 Black Shorts

$10 Black gym draw string bag

Please contact Thomas Guenther at: teguenther@cbe.ab.ca if you have any questions about our school apparel.

Balmoral Annual Holiday Fundraiser

It is time for our annual Purdy’s Chocolates fundraiser, organized by School Council! Please see the attached flyer for details. If you have any questions, please email balmoralfundraising@gmail.com

Child and Youth Well Being Workshop – Vaping

November 16, 2023 6:30 to 8:00 PM

Across Canada, e-cigarette use, also known as vaping, is reaching new heights amongst teenagers. This presentation will focus on common devices used for vaping, substances vaped such as nicotine and cannabis, and the health risks associated with vaping. We will present on how to engage in challenging conversations with your young person regarding vaping. The link is below:

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!

School Conferences

Our first parent-teacher conferences will take place on November 23 and 24, at the following times:

Thursday, November 23 (4:00pm – 8:00pm) – IN PERSON

Friday, November 24 (8:00am – 2:00pm) – ONLINE

You will be able to book a 10-minute time slot with each teacher you wish to meet. Teachers may contact you in advance to request a meeting if there are concerns. The booking link will be sent out by email one week prior to conferences.

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:

• November 6 to 8 – Grade 7 Band Camp
• November 7 – Diwali Celebrations
• November 8 – Remembrance Day Assembly
• November 9 – System Indigenous Education PD Day (no school for students)
• November 10-14 – Fall Break (no school)
• November 15 – Classes resume
• November 20-23 – Grade 9 Camp Evergreen
• November 20 – Deadline to order Purdy’s Chocolates for fundraiser
• November 23 – Parent Teacher Conferences (4pm-8pm, in-person, regular classes for students)
• November 24 – Parent Teacher Conferences (8am-2pm, online, no school for students)
• December 4-6 – Grade 5 Skiing (more information to come)

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

Regards,

Balmoral Administration