Good afternoon Balmoral families

Thank you for another great week at Balmoral. Please read the newsletter carefully as it contains important information that impacts all students.

Balmoral School receives BenchmarkYYC Award for exceptional sustainability and energy efficiency

On Oct. 2, the City of Calgary’s BenchmarkYYC program recognized the CBE for its achievements in energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. At the CBE Board of Trustees meeting this week, Board Chair Patricia Bulger presented these awards to the principals of the winning schools. 

For the second consecutive year, Balmoral School was named the top-performing K-12 property in the BenchmarkYYC Program. ​Competing against 61 similar properties, Balmoral recorded the lowest total GHG intensity, emitting 30.2 kilograms of carbon dioxide (or equivalent gases) per square metre in 2022. 

Balmoral’s success is the result of a unique combination of historical architecture and modern upgrades. The school, built in 1913, has retained its thick sandstone walls while benefiting from targeted insulation improvements, creating an efficient building envelope that minimizes energy use.

Beaver Computing Contest

The first math contest of this school year is coming up soon!

The Beaver Computing Challenge (BCC) is a multiple-choice contest designed to introduce students to computer science concepts and problem-solving techniques. This contest has been designed to foster interest in computer science and provide students with an opportunity to showcase their computational and logical thinking skills in a fun and engaging way. 

Interested students can write this contest on either November 5, 6, or 7 after school at 2:45pm (this is an OPTIONAL math contest for interested students). Students must have arranged a ride home by 4:15pm if they would like to write the contest. Students must let their math teacher know that they would like to participate by Monday, October 21, and they will bring a form home for parent/guardian signature next week.

For more information about the BCC contest and for practice questions, please visit https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/bcc

If you have any questions about math contests, please email Mrs. Ernst at uyernst@cbe.ab.ca

Forms

Please complete your school engage forms in your MyCBE account as soon as possible, if you have not already done so. If you cannot find the forms when you log in, please call the school office and our office staff can help you with this. This is a very important step for the school to secure funding for each student.

Parent Volunteer Form for School Council

Please take a moment and complete our parent volunteer information form by clicking the link below it would be greatly appreciated. The form is necessary and helps provide contact information so that our teachers and school council will be able to relay information to you regarding upcoming field studies and fundraisers.

Link:https://forms.gle/rWVseWRwBcNHdo7o7

There is still one vacancy on school council – Fundraising Coordinator. This is an important position that has a large impact on school activities. If you are able to volunteer in this role, please contact the school office.

School Timings

Please note that the school doors will be open at 7:40am each morning to let students into the building. This is when the buses arrive as well. We do not have supervision in the school before this time. If it is a very cold day, please send students to ring the doorbell at the main doors, and we will let students in earlier to wait in the Learning Commons. Parents please do not drop off students earlier than 7:40am unless they have a sports practice and the teacher will be there to supervise. Please call the school office if you have any questions or need support in a special circumstance.

Construction Update

There will be some construction along 2nd street (north of 16th Ave NW), from October 25 to November 2. Access to the school’s west parking lot may be limited during this time, and parents will not be able to drive along 2nd street to drop off/pick up students. We ask that all parents please use 1st street (along the East parking lot).

Off-site Trips

Parent volunteers are often necessary to ensure field trips go ahead as planned. These are enriching learning experiences for all students and we rely on our parents/guardians to be able to offer these to our students! To ensure you are able to volunteer, please ensure you have a valid police check. Please log in to your MyCBE account Online School Forms and Registration and Volunteer Registration 2024-25 and follow the steps. If you have any questions, please call the school office.

Student Photos Ready for Purchase

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.ca or create an account using your student's school ID number. If you are having any trouble ordering, please use the chat button on the lifetouch website to request help from a lifetouch employee.

Healthy Hunger Fun Lunches are Back!

Thank you to our School Council for organizing these great lunches for our students and raising some funds for our school! Our first fun lunch is from Subway and the dates are:

Tuesday, November 5 – Grades 5/6

Wednesday, November 6 – Grades 7/8/9

Please log into your Healthy Hunger account and add your children’s names for Balmoral School. You will need to do this again every year even if you ordered food last year. Please ensure you choose the correct grade and teacher when registering your child, and then order lunches.

IMPORTANT: We need a few parent volunteers on each fun lunch day to help sort and distribute meals. Please sign up using the links below if you are able to volunteer – police clearance is required.

November 5 from 11:15am – 12:00pm: Sign Up

November 6 from 11:15am – 12:00pm: Sign Up

The Pickle Jar Menu

Students may purchase food Monday – Thursday during the lunch break. The cafeteria is CASH only, and most meals are $6.

We are trying some new menu items from the student suggestion box! The suggestion box is in the cafeteria and students are welcome to make suggestions for what they would like to see served. If parents have suggestions, please email balmoral@cbe.ab.ca and we will pass them to our wonderful school cook!

Important Dates

  • October 24 – Picture Retake Day
  • October 25 – Non-Instruction Day (no school for students)
  • October 31 – Halloween Buddy Activities at school
  • November 5 – Fun lunch for Grades 5/6
  • November 6 – Fun lunch for Grades 7/8/9
  • November 7 – Last day of classes before Fall Break + School Council Meeting
  • November 8 to 13 – Fall Break
  • November 14 – Classes resume
  • November 28 – Parent-Teacher Conferences from 4pm – 8pm (IN-PERSON)
  • November 29 – Parent-Teacher Conferences from 8am – 2pm (ONLINE)


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


Regards,

Balmoral Administration