Dear Belfast Families, 

Inspired by Pink Shirt Day, we celebrated kindness this week: we had students “Caught being Kind” at school, delivered kind messages to members of the community, and we sent home wooden hearts for all of you to recognize a kind act that your child(ren) did at home. We would like to remind you to return the wooden hearts on Monday, March 4 so we can celebrate how kind our students are in and out of the building. 

We encourage all our families to follow our school’s Instagram account (@BelfastSchoolcbe) and visit our school website to see pictures from the week. 

Pink Shirt Day – Common Language 

During Pink Shirt Day, we had many conversations around bullying, and it is important that we are all on the same page when it comes to what bullying is. At Belfast, we distinguish between: 

1. Conflict – occasional; can be resolved between people involved; 

2. Rude Behavior – occasional; not intentional, but hurtful; based in thoughtlessness; person accepts responsibility 

3. Mean Behavior – intentional; based in anger; can be impulsive; behavior is often regretted; needs adults to support resolution 

4. Bullying - repeated, targeted, been told to stop, planned and purposeful, trying to gain power or control; needs adults to support resolution 

Following the CBE’s Progressive Discipline approach, bullying does not happen as frequently as conflict, rude, or mean behaviors do, as we are often able to intervene and correct behavior before it becomes a bullying issue. We talked to all students today about how it is their responsibility to say something if they see anything that makes them uncomfortable or upset; we all have the responsibility to speak up and address bullying if we see it. Please see the chart attached below for more information. 

It’s Survey Season! 

Your feedback is incredibly important to us and helps us make decisions at school that impact your child(ren)’s learning and joy at school. Please take a moment to complete the three different surveys sent to you throughout the last two weeks: 

1. Next Year’s Intention Survey 

a. This survey helps us plan for next year based on the number of students we will have in the building in September. Accurate numbers are critical so we can plan for the number of classes, teachers, and grades we have next year. Please complete the survey ASAP here . Next week, Mrs. Davidoff will be calling all families who have not responded. 

2. School Engagement/Planning Survey 

a. We presented information about our School Development Plan (SDP), budget, and fees as Tuesday’s Council meeting. The presentation and survey were sent to all families on Wednesday. Please complete the survey here to share your thoughts with us and have a say in decision making at Belfast School. The survey will remain open until March 12 at 6:00 PM. The presentation is attached below. 

3. Milk Survey 

a. We are looking into a milk program at the school and want to determine interest in this. Please complete the short survey here that explains more about this opportunity. 

Staffing Update 

Mr. Ursenbach will be back on March 11; as Mr. V’s last day was today, that means we will have a substitute covering for one week. We look forward to welcoming Mr. U back on Monday, March 11, and want to thank Mr. V for doing an amazing job while he was here! 

We are currently hiring a third Educational Assistant at Belfast. We will share the successful candidate’s name when they are official! 

On March 11, we welcome two University of Calgary students to our school: Ms. Cajumnas will be with Ms. Devos, and Mr. Goossen will be with Mr. Ursenbach. 

Nation’s Vision: Great Experience! 

We were so fortunate to have Nation’s Vision come to our school and do eye exams. Here are some key numbers:

• 96 students examined (some were absent, did not consent, had already seen an optometrist) 
• 43/96 students flagged for more intensive screening 
• 30/43 of those students were screened on site 
• 19/30 of those students required glasses and didn’t already have them 
• We have connected parents to Nation’s Vision so they can select subsidized glasses for thier children 

We are so thankful that Nation’s Vision was able to help 19 children see better! 

Reminder: From the Belfast School Parent Fundraising Society – 60% of Goal Raised! 

We're simplifying our fundraising efforts! Instead of multiple smaller events, we're hosting one major fundraiser on the Education Matters platform. 100% of your donation goes directly to the school (3.5% for administration). Tax receipts for donations over $20.00. Donate any amount, big or small, by clicking HERE or scanning the QR code in the attached poster. Please share with anyone who would like to support Belfast students. We hope to reach our goal by March 31! 

Reminder: Fair Entry: Subsidized City of Calgary Programs and Services 

Depending on your income level, you may qualify for the Fair Entry program through the City of Calgary. This subsidized program for low income households connects families to subsidized rates on transit, recreation, property tax, spay/neutering, home maintenance, parking, internet and television. Visit Fair Entry to apply. 

If you qualify for the fair entry program, you can upload the approval in School Engage to have school fees waived. 

This is a VERY beneficial program for many families – please check it out! 

Reminder: Kindergarten Registration is Ongoing 

Kindergarten registration opened January 15 online through MyCBE/School Engage.. Registration is ongoing, but from a school perspective, the sooner, the better. The earlier we know our projected numbers for next year, the better we can plan. If you have questions about the registration process, please call Kari in the office! 

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have anything you would like to share. 

We wanted to share a few pics of the little performance concert Mr. V. hosted please visit our Instagram to see more next week! 

Have a great weekend, 

Meagan Lundgren 

Principal 

Belfast School