Dear Banff Trail School Families,
I imagine that many of you are in wonder at how quickly your children are growing, in many senses of the word: academically, socially, physically, emotionally…changes certainly abound, especially in the school-aged years. And with the March Break upon us, coinciding with the arrival of Spring, this can serve as an excellent time to recognize and celebrate new growth, in both self and the space around us. It is easy to find things that cause consternation and negative mindsets, but modeling excitement for children’s accomplishments will certainly result in having children feeling more optimistic and confident in what they have done, and where they are headed. By simply spending focused, unconditionally loving time with our children, where we are fully present and undistracted by technologies or intrusive thoughts about “other” things in our lives, we remind children that we are there for them, and that we will be there for them as they navigate life’s successes and challenges. All this to say: I sincerely hope that you have some quality time planned with your children during this upcoming break, where you remind them, through words and actions, that they are the most important thing in the world to you, and you will always be there for them.
If you are looking for some new, shared experiences together, March Break offers a great opportunity to explore some of what our city and surrounding area has to offer. Fun experiences could include:
· Exploring a new city park that you’ve never visited before (Edworthy, Bowness, Griffith Woods, Fish Creek, Glenbow Ranch, Glenmore Park, etc.)
· Visiting a library that you have never visited before (browse what they offer, read a book together, etc.).
· Deciding together on a new recipe or restaurant to try.
· Build something together (an art project, a fort using cushions and sheets, a birdhouse, etc.)
· Show a random act of kindness to someone (clean up the garbage in a nearby park, bake something for a neighbour, make a card for someone).
· Print out the calendar from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation’s website, and start to work towards some of those great ideas.
· Learn a new sport together, or create a homemade family ‘Olympics’ or ‘Multi-sport’ event (you can even make medals to hand out to your family for ‘winning’ each 10-minute event).
· Go watch one of Calgary’s professional sports teams, visit a museum or heritage location.
· Plan a visit, then visit, a nearby town, to see what it has to offer for food, parks and fun.
· Simply go on a walk together, chatting about whatever comes to mind.
The possibilities could go on, but those are a few of my favourites. We look forward to hearing about the students’ experiences and learnings when they return from their week away from school.
For your consideration:
Labour Action: A new question & answer section has been added to CBE’s labour action page. It covers the most frequent questions that the CBE has heard from staff and families about the current labour situation. This page will continue to be updated as the situation evolves.
Calgary Public Library: A reminder that the Calgary Public Library has a wide range of free programs available to both children and adults (at writing, 133 upcoming programs/events!). Consider browsing what might be a unique experience to try together over the coming month!
Extra clothing: With spring comes wet and sloppy conditions. At times, children will accidentally get wet from being outside during their recess and/or outside gym time. Please consider packing an extra pair of socks and/or pants in your child’s backpack, in case an unexpected change of clothing might be in order.
Pets on School Grounds: A reminder that pets of any kind are not allowed on school property, in accordance with a City of Calgary Bylaw, with the exception of accredited Service Dogs. Thank you for your support with this.
Clubs: Yesterday marked the end of the clubs that we ran for our grades 1-5 students. We hope this provided an opportunity for students to explore some areas of interest outside of our normal classroom content. A big thank you to all Teachers for the time it took to plan and host these sessions for our students.
Spring Break: A reminder that school resumes on Monday, March 31st, 2025.
Upcoming Dates:
March 22-March 30, inclusive: Spring Break, school closed
Monday, March 31: School Resumes
Wednesday, April 9: School Council meeting 6:30pm, ONLINE ONLY
Friday, April 18: Good Friday, School Closed
Monday, April 21: Non-Instructional Day (school closed for students)-Languages Symposium for Teachers
May 5-8: Soccer Residency, K-5
Wishing everyone a great Spring Break,
Ryan Turner
Principal, Banff Trail School