Dear Banff Trail School Families,

Safety at Banff Trail School is our top priority.  Academic achievement and French Language development are high priorities, but above all else we want to ensure that students are safe when they come to school.  Being safe includes the daily work that teachers do in establishing that it is a safe place to make mistakes, but also that in times of need, all staff members are there to help along the learning journey.  We are also very fortunate to have an abundance of parents and family members who are able to help students along this path, such as via our reading programs in the school (which we continue again in the coming weeks).  Where we could use a bit more help from all families, though, is around ensuring that all students and families are safe during drop off and pickup, especially as the days become shorter, and roads become more slick.

A few notes about drop off and pickup, which will be reminders for many, but important nonetheless.

  • Supervision is provided from 7:43am onwards, so you are welcome to drop your child off to the back field as of that time.
  • The Hug and Go section along the front of the school is labeled as a Passenger Loading Zone, which is different than a Loading Zone.  In Passenger Loading Zones, you cannot leave your car unattended, so please offer your child a quick embrace and goodbye, and then let them head towards the back field on their own.  Please also pull as far up as you can along the road, to keep traffic running smoothly.  On this note, as it gets more icy along this stretch of road, keep in mind that children can also slip onto the road as they walk along this sidewalk, so approach in vehicles with great caution!!
  • Please obey all bylaws, such as not blocking people’s driveways or the crosswalks, refrain from jaywalking (model proper use of crosswalks to your child!), avoid u-turns around the school, be mindful of not speeding in our school zone.
  • A couple times per year, the City of Calgary by-law enforcement team and/or the Calgary Police Service come to patrol the area during pickup/drop off, to enforce the bylaws/laws, to help keep everyone safe. This will continue this year.  If you see anything unsafe, I encourage you to connect with the city at 3-1-1 to encourage increased patrolling.
  • We ask that you not use the alley that runs along the schoolyard fencing for vehicle drop off or pickup.  We have had near misses along that stretch, as well as concerns raised from both residents who back along that stretch and our school families who walk near there.  An alternate option could be to park on a nearby road, and walk together to the school field.

Thank you for considering the above, and a big thank you to the vast majority of families who consistently already do the above.  It goes a long way in ensuring that our school remains as safe as possible for everyone.

For your consideration:

Grade 3-5 Clubs: A decision was made last year that for 2025-26, we will be running our school clubs at two different times of the year.  Grade 3-5 clubs will run from October 6-30, whereas grade 1-2 clubs will run from May 4-28.  We are trialling this timeframe to allow for greater use of outdoor space (as opposed to mid-winter temperatures), and also to avoid other conflicting events at the school (such as K-3 Provincial Assessments and the grade 4-5 Musical).  Please watch for the grade 3-5 signup forms, which were sent home today.  I've also attached the Club Form Grades 3-5  to this message, for your convenience.  Please return them to the school ASAP, since many clubs fill up quickly!

Student Personal Mobile Devices:  The province and CBE have generated policies on personal electronic devices.  At Banff Trail School, personal devices are not to be used during the day without teacher permission from school start to end.  If you have any questions, please connect with your child’s teacher.

Virtue Leaves:  We are excited to begin handing out Virtue Leaves once again!  Students receive Virtue Leaves for demonstrating positive character around our school, and can be given to students by any staff member.  Thank you to all students for their numerous positive impacts around the school thus far, and over the past couple years.  Congratulations to Lincoln S. and Kenneth W., our first two Virtue Leaf draw winners of 2025-26!

Volunteer Reading Program: We are happy to announce that our Volunteer Reading Program will be happening again this year. We are looking for volunteers to read at all grade levels, either in French or in English. If you are interested, please follow this link before October 11th to register. There will be a training session on Friday, October 17th (9:30 to 10:30) for all volunteers. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Mme Sophie at soducharme@cbe.ab.ca. 

For information about Police Information Check (PIC), please contact Mme Nikki at the office: nlschafer@cbe.ab.ca 

Conference bookings open today: A reminder that our first set of conferences take place on September 26 (1pm to 4pm) and September 29 (8am to 1pm).  Conferences are held in-person at the school, and signup opens at 4pm today (September 19th) in your MyCBE Account.

Upcoming Dates:

Sep 24: School Council, 6:30pm

Sep 26: Theme Day--Orange Shirt Day

Sep 26, 29: Learning Conferences

Sep 30: National Day of Truth & Reconciliation (School Closed)

Oct 6-30: Grade 3-5 Clubs

Oct 13: Thanksgiving Day, School Closed

Oct 20: Election Day, No school for students

Many other Dates of Significance for this month and beyond can be found here.

Have a safe, wonderful weekend,

Ryan Turner

Principal, Banff Trail School