Dear Banff Trail School Families,
I am presented with mixed feelings when looking at our current registration situation for new Kindergarten/Grade 1 registrations for the 2026-27 school year. Although this can be seen as a non-issue for the vast majority of existing students in our school (since once you are registered and remain housed within our catchment, your registration continues to roll over from year to year), we continue to be approached by families who are looking to join us, and are disappointed in learning that we have a waitlist. I, along with all staff, believe deeply in the efficacy, long term positive impacts, and value of learning in French, and I want all families in our catchment to be able to access this programming for their children. I am also very happy to see that interest in our French Immersion program at Banff Trail School continues to grow, not just from expanding to new communities, but also from people who hear about our small school from friends, family, and neighbours. I can assure you that I, and all staff, do our best to make this a great community hub for our students to grow up within, and it is great to hear that this is resonating with so many.
The flip side to this, of course, is that demand outpaces the space and resources we have to accommodate everyone who want to be here. We continue to have a waitlist at our school to enter Kindergarten/Grade 1 for the 2026-27 school year, which includes the many who were not successful in the K/1 Lottery from about one month ago. Though it is disappointing to see that not all new families will be able to join us, I am very much looking forward to continuing to provide a great learning environment for your children in the coming year. As always, if you ever have any questions about your child’s French education, or are looking for ideas about how to optimize your support for learning at home, please connect with your child’s Teacher. And, even with the shortage of space that we have, if you do love what we offer at Banff Trail School, continue to let others around you know your thoughts, so they can be best informed about educational choices available for the children in their lives…
For your consideration:
Leaving Banff Trail for 20226-27: Please let us know as soon as possible, if you have not already done so, if you intend to leave Banff Trail School for the coming school year (such as if moving to another school, province or country). This helps immensely in projecting student numbers and budgets for the coming school year. This can be done via an email to banfftrail@cbe.ab.ca, or by completing this very short survey. Note that this is NOT necessary for our current grade 5 students, who will automatically be enrolled in their designated grade 6 school (This would be Branton School, unless you live outside of Banff Trail School’s designated catchment area). To check your designated grades 6-12 schools, you can visit this page, then enter your address and change the “View Program Options” to “Early French Immersion”.
Next Spirit/Theme Day: In keeping with the improving weather, our next theme day will be: C'est le temps du printemps / It's Time for Spring! It will be held on the last day of this month: Thursday, April 30, 2026. We encourage students and staff to welcome the new season by accessorizing or dressing like, or for, 'Spring’. Be as creative with this as you like!
Grade 1-2 Clubs: The Grade 1-2 clubs are scheduled to run from May 4 to May 28. We are planning to send out sign up sheets on Thursday, April 23rd. A reminder that Grade 3-5 clubs were cancelled due to the labour action, but are currently planned to resume next school year. We look forward to offering some fun opportunities for our grade 1-2 students over some upcoming lunch breaks!
Upcoming Dates:
April 13: Knowledge Keeper Anita Crowshoe working with select classes
April 15: School Council, 6:30pm
April 24: Non-Instructional Day (school closed for students)
April 30: ‘It’s Time for Spring’ Theme Day
May 4-28: Grade 1-2 Clubs
May 4-15: Lacrosse Residency
May 6: School Council, 6:30pm
May 6: Hats on For Mental Health Day
May 7: New (for 2026-27) K-1 Orientation Evening
Have a wonderful weekend,
Ryan Turner
Principal, Banff Trail School