Dear Banff Trail School Families,
I wanted to send a brief message to everyone, welcoming all families back to school, one day earlier than usual (partly to remind everyone that tomorrow’s Theme Day will continue!). Although this was not the way that Teachers wanted to be coming back to classrooms, I believe we can all agree that we want students to be in the classroom, learning the skills they need to thrive throughout their lives.
Thank you to the many families who have offered messages of support over the past couple days, via chats, emails, cards, and food; this has been an extraordinary and multi-faceted time, with very high emotions. Know that we appreciate the support, and we will continue to advocate for ways to improve our learning and teaching environments, while providing the very best experiences that we can with the space and resources that we have. What I want to make very clear is that Teachers and staff at our school care deeply about our incredible students, and will continue to provide them with quality learning experiences; frustrations are NOT with our amazing students, families or staff, but primarily focused on wanting to do MORE for the children in our care. Hopefully improvements can be made, and I will continue to share any notable, positive changes that may arise over the course of the year via my Principal’s messages and at School Council. We are all looking forward to forging ahead with great commitment and service to our school population; I am very confident in the expertise and professionalism of all staff at Banff Trail School.
For Your Consideration:
Friday Spirit/Theme Day/Halloween: We encourage students to come dressed in costumes, and/or in Orange & Black on Friday, October 31st (no hand-held accessories/weapons, or costumes with ‘gore’ please). Looking forward to this yearly tradition!
Clubs: Unfortunately, the grade 3-5 clubs happened to fall within the time frame of the labour action. This was of course not intended when we originally created the schedule for this year’s clubs back in March of last school year, but with our focus now needing to shift to prioritizing lost learning time and other upcoming commitments, we will not be able to reschedule them. Having said this, we will continue with the grade 1-2 clubs, as originally planned, from May 4th to May 29th. Thank you for your understanding with this; we know how disappointing this may be for grade 3-5 students. However, the grade 4-5 Musical will continue!
School Conferences: All indications are that we will be able to proceed with School Conferences at the end of November. This is a time where we review progress to date, and engage in conversations about the social, academic, behavioural and emotional facets of your children. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.
Illness: Thank you to all families who are being vigilant about keeping sick children at home. We want to continue to limit the spread of any illness as much as possible, and appreciate your care for our broader school community. A reminder that if you are keeping a sick child at home, you can let us know 24 hours per day, 7 days per week on our absence line (403-777-6120, press 1).
Remembrance Day and Assemblies: We will be hosting a solemn ceremony on November 7th in recognition of Remembrance Day. Please note that due to gym capacity limitations, we will only be able to invite the families of the grade-level who will be hosting any given assembly to that event. In this case, that would be the grade-5 team. You will receive a message from your grade-level teachers to invite you to their assembly, when that month arrives. We wish we could accommodate all families, but it is simply not possible!
Upcoming Dates:
Friday, November 7: Last day of classes before fall break
November 10, 11,12: Fall Break, including on Remembrance Day--School Closed.
Thursday, November 13: Classes Resume
Wednesday, November 19: School Council, 6:30pm
November 27, 28: Learning Conferences (details to come)
Have a warm (yet spooky) weekend, and thank you again for the kindness and generosity of spirit.
Ryan Turner
Principal, Banff Trail School