Dear Banff Trail School Families,
Last year, the French Immersion schools that ultimately lead to William Aberhart High School collectively decided to undertake a pilot CBE program called simply, Program Monitoring. This included Banff Trail School, Varsity Acres School, King George School, G.P. Vanier School, Branton School, and William Aberhart High School. Though school administrators from these schools worked together to determine how the Program Monitoring process would be administered, each school would end up with information that was to offer guidance about which aspects our school can improve upon, in relation to our French Immersion Program. In having a small group of parents, teachers, administrators and CBE representatives analyze together the vast amount of data that we collected, we also develop strategies about how we can make these improvements. We had an excellent response, as we surveyed all Teaching and Support Staff, all of our Grade 5 Students, and our entire Parent community; we were very pleased to receive over 100 responses from our amazing parents!
I will review in more detail some of the results and actions that surfaced from running the Program Monitoring process at an upcoming School Council meeting, but at a higher level, here are some of the takeaways, both positive and areas to improve, from the data:
· There was wide acknowledgement from grade 5 students that they have enjoyed their time at Banff Trail, feel safe here, and like their teachers. They acknowledge that over the years, the expectation is to speak and work in French, and teachers model this. There was some trepidation, however, around transitioning to grade 6.
· Parents strongly value having access to French Language instruction, and overwhelmingly see Banff Trail School as having a caring, positive, rich, productive learning environment. Parents noted some confusion around the rationale of having students only engage in French Language instruction in grades K-2 (note: this is standardized across the CBE and based on Provincial standards/expectations), and would appreciate further information about various French-language initiatives that occur at a class and school level. Some also noted that they would like to know more about how personalization works within a school/classroom.
· Staff at the school (Teachers, Support Staff and Admin) feel the visibility and quality of French learning is strong within the building, and staff excel at personalizing the learning experience for students, given the resources available. They also indicate that we can improve at how we leverage technology to improve students’ learning and experiences at the school.
From the findings, the working group synthesized the data, and determined that we should focus some attention over the next five years (via short, medium, and long term actions) on 3 key themes:
i. The promotion of the importance/value of French Immersion;
ii. Communicating about the personalization of learning, and;
iii. The leveraging of technologies for (French) professional development
Thank you again for helping us see where we are doing things well, and where we can improve the experience for students and families. As always, if you have any information that you feel could improve the learning experience for your child in particular, I encourage you to share this with your child’s teacher; we have some amazing staff here that are doing their utmost to make Banff Trail School a great experience for everyone, and always appreciate your assistance in doing so.
For your consideration:
Personal Mobile Devices: A reminder that personal mobile devices need to be ‘away for the day’ in K-9 school settings across Alberta, as per CBE Administrative Regulations and an Education Act Ministerial Order. This includes connected cellphones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices and smartwatches, but could also include headphones, smart glasses, and more, as technologies evolve. We wanted to remind everyone of this mandate, especially as we approach what is for many a gift-giving season! Please keep valuables such as the above at home, so they can be enjoyed outside of class time. Thank you for your understanding; if you have any questions, please connect with your child’s Teacher.
Many Celebrations to Acknowledge: Over the Winter Break, there are many faith-based celebrations occurring around our city, country and world. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, National Ribbon Skirt Day, or any other celebration, I wish you and your family a healthy and loving time together. A reminder that the CBE maintains a Dates of Significance page, which links to and acknowledges various celebrations.
Food Drive: Your support and generosity in donating food items during our Mayor’s Annual Food Drive was very appreciated and will help to provide for those less fortunate than us in our city. Our food drive boxes were once again overflowing with your generous donations. Thank you!!
Kindergarten/Grade 1 Registration: A reminder that 2026-27 registration for Kindergarten and grade 1 is currently scheduled to open on Monday, January 12th, 2026, and close on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 at noon. Banff Trail School is also designated a lottery school once again for 2026-27. More information about registration can be found here.
Pyjama Day: For our final Spirit/Theme day of the 2025 calendar year, we invite staff and students to come dressed in their coziest pyjamas on the final Thursday before the break (December 18th). Should be a great day to ease towards a well-deserved break.
Upcoming Dates:
December 18: Theme Day—Pyjama Day
December 19: Last day of classes
December 20-January 4: Winter Break
January 5: School Resumes
January 7: School Council, 6:30pm
January 12: Kindergarten/Grade 1 Registration Opens
January 12-16: FitSet Ninja Residency
February 4: School Council, 6:30pm
Wishing everyone a wonderful break, filled with love and frequent opportunities for joy as a family,
Ryan Turner
Principal, Banff Trail School