Belfast Family Update:
Important Dates
September 12 – Terry Fox assembly and run, 9:00 AM (assembly); 10:30 (run)
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,
Thank you to everyone who came out to our Welcome Back BBQ last night! The turnout was fantastic, the weather was beautiful, and the popsicles were so refreshing! Thank you to our generous School Council for funding the event and our staff for their hard work shopping, prepping, serving, cleaning, and deejaying. We really do have a wonderful school community at Belfast School, and it is events like this that remind us all how lucky we are to be part of this community.
We encourage all our families to follow our school’s Instagram account (@BelfastSchoolcbe) and visit our school website to see pictures from the week.
Yellow Steps Residency
We are excited to share with you that for a week beginning on September 13, we will have a special guest educator visiting our school! Her name is Jenn Doeve, from Yellow Steps Community Learning. Jenn is a former CBE bilingual teacher who is currently offering specialized school programs focused on place-based education. Her programs invite students and teachers to explore the community around the school on-foot, and to experience various curriculum concepts “in the wild”! Incorporating elements of mapmaking and storytelling, Jenn encourages students to consider how things in their community have previously been, how they currently are, and how they could be in the future.
Terry Fox Fun – Families Welcome to Cheer and/or Run!
Our school will be participating in the Terry Fox Run this year on September 12, 2024. We will be not only helping complete some KM for Terry, but also raising money and awareness for cancer research. We will be collecting Toonies for Terry, and are asking families that are able to, to please bring in a Toonie to donate on the day of the run. Families can also donate online as well at https://schools.terryfox.ca/71771 Please feel free to share the link with family and friends. We hope to raise $1000 as a school.
On run day, we have a guest speaker coming in at 9:00 AM. His name is Mitchell Shaw, he is 28 years old, and he has quite an impactful story that shares many similarities with Terry. After the assembly, we would love to have people join us, either to help keep students on the path, cheer them on, or to join in the run itself. We encourage signs, posters, noise makers, and cheering. Please let your student's teacher know if you would like to volunteer or attend the event by Wednesday, September 11, 2024.
We will be running/walking on a path at the Deerfoot Athletic Park for 30 minutes, starting at 10:30. Students will walk down with their class at 10:15 AM and go to the starting point and complete as many 500 m laps as they can.
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
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!
Reminder: Demographic Forms to be Completed by September 16
Each year, schools have a variety of forms that parents / legal guardians are required to complete or review and update, some of which are paper and others online. In CBE, the forms in an online format (SchoolEngage) are:
· Demographic Verification - 2024-25 – This form includes your child’s personal information as well as parent / legal guardian contact information.
· Citizenship Information Update - 2024-25 – This form becomes available if you change your child’s citizenship information on the Demographic Verification form.
· Annual Authorization - 2024-25 – Combines the following forms:
· School District Use of Personal Information - explains how CBE uses personal information in providing education services.
· Consent for CBE Use of Student Information – provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by school/district and third parties **This is the approval needed to post your child’s work or image in the school and/or on our school Instagram account
· Consent for Use of Student Information by News Media and Outside Groups (Third Party) - provides an option to grant / not grant consent for additional use of student information by outside groups and third parties
SchoolEngage is one of the applications found in your MyCBE account. This is the same account that you use to pay fees, view academic information, book school conferences, register to volunteer, etc.
If you do not have a MyCBE account, on the MyCBE page click on Create a MyCBE Account. For online help refer, to MyCBE - Creating an Account (includes instructions and a video).
To complete these forms:
1. sign in to your MyCBE account
2. click on the SchoolEngage icon
3. select the form
4. complete or review and update the form
5. click on Submit to send the form electronically to the school
6. repeat steps 3-5 for each form
Reminder: Fun Lunches
Thank you to our parent coordinator, Alisha, for organizing the Fun Lunches for the school year. Once a month, families can purchase a special lunch for their child from a local restaurant. School Council receives a small percentage of all sales that they give back to the school through items such as Belfast School shirts and events like Summerfest. To order your child’s lunches, please set up an account at https://healthyhunger.ca . If you want your child to receive lunch but cannot financially participate, please contact us.
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