Good afternoon Balmoral families,

It has been a great first week back at school with students diving into learning activities, trying out for soccer teams, and enjoying the beautiful weather.

A reminder that school office hours are:

Monday to Thursday – 7:30am to 3:30pm

Friday – 7:30am to 12:00pm

Please ensure you call during these times if you would like to speak to someone. There are no office staff available outside of these hours to answer the phone.

This is our weekly newsletter, which will be sent home every Friday. Please read the newsletter carefully as it contains important information about school events, reminders and deadlines that impact your child’s experience at school.

If you are missing out on emails or know other families who are not receiving our families, please ensure that you/they SUBSCRIBE to stay informed at this link:

https://calgary.schoolmessenger.com/cbe_subscribe

Picture Day – Monday, September 9 (FORMAL UNIFORM REQUIRED)

Picture day is Monday, September 9! Students will receive picture proofs in the coming weeks and information about ordering. We will be taking individual and class group photos on Monday. Please ensure your child is wearing the formal uniform to school this day.

Meet the Teacher + Band Information – September 12 evening

Our Meet the Teacher evening is on September 12 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. This is an informal evening where you can visit your child’s classes and introduce yourselves to their teachers. If you would like to have a one-on-one conversation about your child’s learning, please book this separately with the teacher.

During Meet the Teacher, we will have our Annual Band Information evening for ALL families in Grade 7, and NEW families in Grades 8 and 9. Important information about our band program, band camp, renting instruments, and expectations for home practice will be provided. Please join us in the gym at 7:00pm on September 12 for this meeting. If you have any questions about the band program, please contact Ms. Fast (pafast@cbe.ab.ca) or Mx. Spoering (kespoering@cbe.ab.ca).

**Grade 7 families can visit their teachers from 6:00pm-7:00pm, and then attend the Band information meeting.

Meet the Teacher: 6pm-8pm (CLASSROOMS)

Band Information for Grade 7 and NEW Grade 8/9 families: 7pm-8pm (GYM)

Balmoral Athletics - Sports Teams Tryout Dates

The soccer, basketball, and cross-country running seasons are starting very soon! Please see below for the tryout dates and times for each team.

Tryout Dates  

Basketball

Sr. Girls (Grade 8 and 9) – Monday, Sept. 9

Sr. Boys (Grade 8 and 9) – Tuesday, Sept. 10

Jr. Girls (Grade 7 and 8) – Wednesday, Sept. 11

Jr. Boys (Grade 7 and 8) – Thursday, Sept. 12

Location: Gym

Time: 2:30-4:00pm

Cross Country Running

Grade 6-9 boys and girls – Wednesday, Sept. 11

Location: Back field

Time: 11:50-12:30pm

Students must have a consent to tryout form signed and returned to the homeroom teacher prior to joining. Students should prearrange to have a ride home at 4pm. Please contact Mr. Guenther at teguenther@cbe.ab.ca if you have any questions.

NEW Online Store for ordering Balmoral School gear!

This year we are working with Sportfactor to set up an easy online ordering system for Balmoral School clothing. This clothing is OPTIONAL for students and is NOT considered to be the TLC uniform. Students are permitted to wear a Balmoral hoodie on top of their TLC uniform if they wish.

Student store link: https://balmoral2024.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

The deadline to order from the online store is September 20, 2024. Items will be shipped to the school 4-5 weeks after the store closes and we will distribute to students.

The Pickle Jar

Our school cafeteria is now open! Students may purchase food Monday – Thursday during the lunch break. The cafeteria is CASH only, and most meals are $6. The menu will be sent to families each week in the newsletter and posted by the school office and is also on the Cafeteria & Menu page.

CTF Courses

All students in Grades 6-9 have chosen their CTF courses for this year. Each student will take one CTF course in Term 1 (Sept-Jan) and another CTF course in Term 2 (Feb-June). Students in Grade 5 will rotate through 4 different CTF modules throughout the year.

Each CTF course has a different occupational area of focus, such as Foods, Construction, Design Studies, or Environmental Stewardship. Each CTF course has an associated fee of MAXIMUM $20 per course. This is to pay for the additional student supplies required to complete CTF projects, such as construction materials or ingredients for cooking.

Fees will be added to your MyCBE account in the coming weeks.

Terry Fox Run

On September 25, 2024 Balmoral school will be doing its annual Terry Fox run during the students Physical Education class. Students will do some prework to better understand the purpose of the Terry Fox run before that day in their humanities classes. We will not be accepting donations at the school! Below is our school specific link to donate if families wish to donate online. The online donation link will be open until the end of October.

Please reach out to Mr. Guenther at teguenther@cbe.ab.ca if you have any questions. Thank you for your support!

School Buses

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

ALL bus route change requests must be submitted to CBE Transportation centrally. CBE Transportation is currently processing late bus registrations and changes to bus routes. If you submitted a late registration or change request, it may take up to 6 weeks for this change to take effect. We can understand this may be frustrating for some families and we are doing everything we can to expedite the process. In the meantime, students may need to be dropped off/picked up from school. You will receive notification from CBE Transportation when your changes have been made.

Contact information for CBE transportation is:

403-817-7433

transportation@cbe.ab.ca

Cell Phone Policy – Away for the Day

At Balmoral School, we strive to minimize distractions and personal screen time at school to focus on learning and building good relationships. Personal devices (cell phones, etc.) are NOT permitted in classrooms during instructional time. Devices must be left in lockers during classes. Students may use their personal devices during lunch when they are OUTSIDE the school building, and return them to their lockers after lunch.

If teachers find a cell phone in class, they will keep the device in a secure location until the end of the day. If this becomes a pattern, administration will contact parents to pick up the device from school, and make a plan for student success in this area.

Families who need to contact their child during the day can call the school office and leave a message. Office staff can pass on a message quickly and have a child return your call if you wish.

School Uniform Information

Balmoral students are required to wear our school uniform from Monday – Thursday each week. Friday is a casual day.

Cardigans and pants must be navy blue color and no jeans are allowed. Black or dark running shoes are preferred for indoor shoes (no bright coloured shoes).

McCarthy Uniform Information can be found online www.mccarthyuniforms.ca or by calling 1-800-668-8261. 

Healthy Start to School

Help ease your children into school routines by having an early bedtime. There is a lot of excitement and some nervousness associated with the first days of school and it is important that your children come well rested. Be sure to come to school on time every day to set your child up for success.

With the return to school and the upcoming flu season please do everything you can to keep your child safe from illness, including the latest coronavirus variant. The CBE takes the health and safety of our students and staff seriously.

In all matters of health, CBE takes direction from Alberta Education and Alberta Health Services. The following health measures can reduce the spread and lessen the impact of illness in school communities. These include:

• stay home when feeling sick;
• if possible, avoid close contact with people who are sick;
• wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• cover your cough; 
• avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands; and
• clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items at home, especially when someone in your home is sick.

Alberta Health Services has a respiratory assessment tool to provide Albertans with guidance to manage a wide range of respiratory illnesses, and provide advice on caring for symptoms at home, and when to seek additional care.

School Forms Now Online

We are pleased to inform all parents that most school forms have transitioned online to your MYCBE account

The following forms can be found in your MYCBE account – scroll to the tab that says “online forms and school registration” in the menu field

1. Student Demographic Forms
2. Authorization Forms – Consents for CBE and Media

Please access your MYCBE account to complete these important forms before September 20, 2024.

For help in accessing your MYCBE account see our support page.

For new families to the CBE:

New families to the CBE and Balmoral School will need to create a MYCBE Account.

Follow the following instructions to retrieve your student CBE ID number in your SchoolEngage account.

You will need your email address on file at the school, as well as the student’s CBE ID. This can be found on the SchoolEngage student profile for families that registered their child using SchoolEngage. 

For a visual guide on how to find the CBE ID within SchoolEngage, refer to SchoolEngage CBE Student ID

See our support page for instructions on signing up for a MyCBE account or accessing an existing account.

Your MyCBE account is used as long as your child remains at CBE from kindergarten to Grade 12, so please register with an email that will be active during this period.

If you require financial assistance, please apply online through Powerschool. Field trips or extracurricular athletic fees will be added to your account throughout the year.

Important Dates

• September 9 – Picture Day (Formal Uniform)
• September 12 – Meet the Teacher evening (6pm-8pm)
• September 12 - Band Information meeting (7pm-8pm)
• September 25 – Terry Fox Run (during PE class)
• September 26 – Orange Shirt Day at school
• September 27 – PD Day (no school for students)
• September 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no school)
• October 14 – Thanksgiving Day (no school)

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

Regards,

Balmoral Administration