Important Dates
September 13 – 20 – Yellow Steps residency
September 23 – Picture day
September 24-26 – Book fair
September 26 – Orange Shirt Day at Belfast; book fair purchasing day (3:30-7:30); Meet the Teacher, 6:00-7:30; Grade 5/6 Parent Meeting, 7:00-7:30 PM
September 27 – No school; non-instructional day
September 30 – No school; National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Dear Belfast families,
Did you hear? We are kind of famous here at Belfast! Last year, we began to focus on Physical Literacy and Wellness with greater intention. We formed a partnership with Ever Active Schools and it led to some amazing opportunities for our students and staff: Fun Runs, the Blue Jays Care Foundation, staff development and PD sessions, and the Changemakers program, where students became leaders in our school and helped to build community through school-wide events. We are so proud of the work we did last year, and we are excited to continue the work this year.
Much to our surprise, our story and success was featured in a national journal highlighting K-12 schools across Canada. You can read all about our school’s continuing path to belonging and wellness here: https://www.edcan.ca/articles/building-belonging/
We encourage all our families to follow our school’s Instagram account (@BelfastSchoolcbe) and visit our school website to see pictures from the week.
School Council & Parent Fundraising Society – Tuesday at 6:30 PM
Our first School Council & Parent Fundraising Society meeting will be Tuesday, September 17 at 6:30 PM at the school. The school will share updates and the Council and Society will vote on proposals and share plans for the year. We invite all of our Belfast parents/guardians to come to the meeting and get involved in school decision making. We will not provide babysitting at this meeting, but plan to have that offered at other meetings throughout the rest of the year.
Yellow Steps Residency & the Weather Forecast
It looks like we might get a bit of everything next week for our outdoor, place-based learning residency. Please be prepared for some wet weather and have your child dress accordingly. If it absolutely downpours, we will adjust and spend time together inside!
Meet the Teacher Night & Grade 5/6 Parent Meeting – September 26
Our Meet the Teacher night is on Thursday, September 26, from 6:00-7:30 PM. The intent of the evening is for your children to show off their classrooms and introduce you to their teachers; this evening is not parent/teacher conferences – those will take place in November. During Meet the Teacher night, families can purchase items from the book fair located on the stage.
During Meet the Teacher, from 7:00-7:30, we ask that all Grade 5/6 parents attend a parent meeting in Ms. Posadas’ room. Ms. Evans and I will be sharing important information that pertains to Grade 5/6 parents only. Students can visit with teachers during this time and do not need to attend the meeting.
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation Event
The 4th annual City of Calgary, Calgary Board of Education, and Calgary Catholic School District ceremonial opening of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day will be held on Monday, Sept. 30 from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland (750 9th Ave. S.E.).
All CBE staff, students, families, friends, and neighbours are invited to attend to commemorate Indian residential school victims, honour survivors, and commit to Truth & ReconciliACTION.
Throughout the year, and particularly this month, all classes will be engaged in learning about truth and reconciliation. Teachers will update families about this learning in their weekly messages and we have a school-wide showcase coming up that parents will be able to engage with – stay tuned!
Calvary FC Game
Families are invited to the Calgary FC fame on Saturday, October 12 at 5 PM for the Cavalry Football Club Student Game and School Fundraiser Day. $3 from each ticket sold goes back to Belfast School! For more information, see this link.
Reminder: Casino Volunteers Needed – Help us Provide Technology, Residencies, and Field Trips for Students!
Our School Council is so fortunate to have a casino coming up on October 21 and 22. The casino provides the majority of School Council funds for the next 18 months. Casino funds supply technology, residencies, field trips, guest speakers, classroom enhancements (like coding robots), and many more learning opportunities for our students. Simply put, without casino funds, our students’ learning would not be as enriched as it is.
School Council needs volunteers to work the casino. You can sign up here . If you are unable to volunteer, please ask family members or friends if they can help out. If you have any questions, please contact Sam at belfastcasino1@gmail.com
Reminder: Volunteer Application Fees now Covered by Voucher!
This year, the CBE, in partnership with Calgary Police Services (CPS), has implemented a solution to have the full cost of the volunteer application covered by a voucher system which is funded by Volunteer Alberta. Voucher costs are covered for Online Applications only. If you apply in-person an application fee will apply. See the CBE volunteer page here for step-by-step volunteer instructions!
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have anything you would like to share.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Meagan Lundgren
Principal
Belfast School