​​Dear Banff Trail School Families,

As we enter a new initiative in the provision of a 'fall break' for students in the CBE, I thought you may be interested in some reflections about this time. 

Firstly, I'd like to share how days in the instructional calendar are allocated in any particular year.  Each spring, Principals are given the parameters around school planning for the subsequent year, some of which includes a list of specific non-instructional days, which are standardized across the CBE.  So, in this 2023-24 instance, Principals were informed that all schools are to be closed for students from Thursday, November 9^th through Tuesday, November 14^th, inclusive.  But how is it that these days away from school can be allocated this particular year, but perhaps not so in past or future years?  Though I am not involved in the inner workings of this type of central CBE planning that is disseminated to Principals, I do see a few factors that likely allowed for this type of break in this particular year.  Alberta Education mandates that schools and school divisions provide a certain number of instructional days and instructional hours (in CBE's case for grades 1 to 5, a minimum of 950 instructional hours, over the course of a standard 181 instructional days).  During this particular school year, we had:

• Begun the school year with students one day 'earlier' than recent years, on August 31.
• Remembrance Day falling on a Saturday (creating an extra day's 'space' that could be allocated).
• Another extra 'day' to allocate, since 2024 is a leap year.
• Attached a system-wide Indigenous Education professional development day to this fall break (November 9^th).

This alone seems to allow for the creation of the time and space for 3 days in which the school is closed, plus a PD day allocated to this stretch of days.  It is also responsive to what the CBE heard during a fall 2022 engagement process, and other feedback received, including around well-being.

Not to be lost in discussing the minutiae of the above is the importance of Remembrance Day itself.  Many of us have friends and/or family who are current or past members of our Armed Forces, and can begin to appreciate the challenging work that is done to protect our way of life.  I encourage all families to find ways to model the importance of honouring the sacrifices and heroism involved in those who serve in our Armed Forces.  Though there are many, many resources available online for a wide range of ages, consider the Canadian Government's Veterans Affairs 'Remembrance' website for some excellent information and videos.  Of note, the People and Stories section offer some compelling videos and text about the broad range of people who have served our great country.  Consider as well the National Defence video gallery, where you can find videos such as this one that speaks to our military's role for a Kindergarten to grade 2 audience, or this one for a grade 3 to 6 audience (these videos are also available in French).  Another 5-minute video reflecting upon Canada's military history, suitable for all ages, can be found here.  Again, there are many resources you can access, as we are lucky to live in a time with incredible access to information, but please do find some time to learn more and reflect as a family over the next few days.

For your consideration:

Monthly Character Teaching: Each month or two, we take some time to explore an aspect of positive character; in November, we will look at 'courage' (what it is, what it might look like, how we might show it, where we have witnessed it, etc).  Our staff has chosen, as an accompanying “Virtue Book of the Month", the French version of A Poppy is to Remember, by Heather Patterson (in French: Un coquelicot pour se souvenir).  Consider having a discussion with the family around both the simple and larger moments that you have all witnessed where caring has played a central role!

Upcoming Learning Conferences: A reminder that scheduled learning conferences will be held on Thursday, November 23 between 3:00pm and 7:00pm, and then on Friday, November 24 between 8:00am and 1:00pm.  As in past instances, conferences are to be booked via the MyCBE/PowerSchool portal.  Conference time slots are scheduled to become available for booking as of 4:00pm on Friday, November 17^th.

Next Spirit/Theme Day: Our next theme day will be Sports Team/Club Day on November 30th; Share your love for your sport by donning your attire from your sports team or club, or from a sports team that you love…

Upcoming Dates:

Thursday, November 9 to Tuesday, November 14, inclusive: No school for students

Saturday, November 11: Remembrance Day

Thursday, November 23: Evening Learning Conferences

Friday, November 24: Learning Conferences all day (no school for students)

Thursday, November 30: School Council hosting a School Dance

 

Wishing everyone a relaxing few days with the family,

Ryan Turner

Principal, Banff Trail School