Dear Banff Trail School Families,
A big welcome back to school to everyone! I hope that this was valuable time for you, to further strengthen the family bonds over food, fun, activity, or simply time together. At Banff Trail School, this is a time where assessment and taking note of where students are with their learning is magnified. Of note in the coming few weeks, in addition to beginning report card work, Kindergarten to Grade 3 students will all undergo the required provincial testing, beginning next week and running for at least 2 weeks. These assessments are done both as a whole class (for the Numeracy test) and in a one-on-one setting (for all other test components, which, depending on the time of year and grade level, can include the Letter Name-Sound (LeNS), Castles and Coltheart 3 (CC3), Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST), and Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) screeners). Grade 1,2 and 3 testing occurs in September, January and May, with Kindergarten testing in January and May. These mandatory tests aim to offer early identification for further supports with reading and math, monitor growth in literacy and numeracy, and provide teachers with some data to support interventional work. The assessment results are shared with Alberta Education. To ensure that students are as ‘at ease’ as possible, at Banff Trail School we make sure that these tests are administered by their regular, classroom teacher. Doing this, however, requires that a substitute teacher is in place to relieve the teacher to do this work. Typically, we have found that each class will need about 1.5 days of substitute teacher coverage to do this one-on-one work with students, which is why you may notice, if you have a child in Kindergarten to Grade 3, that classroom teachers may be ‘in the building’ but ‘out of the classroom’ during this time frame. What is most important for families to know, though, is that no matter where your child is along their learning journey, our amazing teachers are there to guide them in their next steps—meaning, providing each student with what they need to learn, and steadfastly being there as a caring support during both successes and challenges. As I have said many times and will continue to repeat, feel free to connect with your child’s teacher if you have any questions, insight, or concerns about your child’s learning.
For your consideration:
Spirit/Theme Day: Our next Spirit Day will take place on Thursday, January 29th, 2026, where we will host the “Love for Animation” theme. Hopefully this can be a great way for students to express their love for their favourite tv shows, movies, or games!
Updates Since Labour Action: After returning from the October labour action, I had indicated in a Principal’s message that I would aim to keep everyone informed about any changes that may happen at the school as a result of the return-to-work legislation. To date, I have no updates relating to any changes, other than to say that we have received no further funds for extra staffing of either Teaching or Support Staff roles in the school, nor have there been any changes to the existing support models (such as in relation to psychological services, physical/occupational therapy, speech-language services, etc). No new messaging related to any of the above has been received, as well. Again, if anything changes, I will let you know.
Family Literacy Day: January 27, 2026 marks Canada’s Family Literacy Day. Consider visiting this website to read more about family literacy, and access some of their resources to explore at home. For example, award-winning Canadian author and illustrator Barbara Reid will be hosting a free, online event for families with children in grades 1 to 6 on Thursday, January 22 that you can access (free registration required, session begins at 2:30pm). Even a simple act, such as reading a book together or watching a book-reading on YouTube, can help instill a love for literacy.
Report Cards: Report Cards are scheduled to become visible online on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. A reminder that the best viewing experience will be through the PowerSchool/MyCbe website; although some data is able to be seen through the app, it is not officially supported by the CBE, and parents have experienced difficulty viewing the full report card via the app.
Upcoming Dates:
January 12: Kindergarten registration opens for September 2026
January 12-16: FitSet Ninja Residency
January 15: K/1 Open House (for families not currently attending Banff Trail School, and interested in enrolling in French Immersion)
January 29: Theme Day-Love for Animation Day
February 4: School Council, 6:30pm
February 9-11: Carnaval activities/celebrations
February 10: Kindergarten registration closes at noon
February 12, 13: Teachers’ Convention; school closed to students
February 16: Family Day (School Closed)
February 24: Report Cards available in PowerSchool
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend,
Ryan Turner
Principal, Banff Trail School