Dear Belfast Families, 

As we head into the Thanksgiving Long Weekend, this seems like a great opportunity to pause and give thanks. 

 

First, thank you to the amazing community of Belfast School!  It has been a privilege to support this school for the last two weeks and to see the amazing ethic of care and engaged learning opportunities existing within and outside these walls.   

Thanks for the amazing and enriching learning opportunities for Belfast Students.  This week, some of these opportunities included final work with the Calgary Opera librettist, Fitset Ninja, and our Belfast School patrols.   

The Calgary Opera librettist spent his last day with Belfast classes this week and now, he will take all the ideas, information, and advice that our students shared with him and write the story that will ground our Opera. Once complete, he will share it with us and we will then begin the process of putting the story to music. 

On Thursday, Fitset Ninja set up an amazing obstacle course in our gym.  It was so exciting to see the students work through the complex obstacle course and there were so many opportunities for students to set goals, try out the various challenges and experience success.  Please check out Istagram (@BelfastSchoolcbe) for a few photos of our Belfast School Ninjas.  We are very thankful to the Belfast Parent Society for providing the funds for this unique opportunity for our students.  

On Monday, we celebrated Custodial Staff Appreciation Day. We are so fortunate to have Ms. Rizza taking care of our school. She greets everyone with a warm smile and takes such special care to keep our school clean and beautiful. Thank you Rizza! 

 

On Thursday, it was World Teacher’s Day. The teachers at Belfast School are so thankful for all the students who make each day both fun and special. 

 

We are so thankful for the work of the Belfast School Council and Belfast Fundraising Society. Please have a look at the agenda for the next Belfast School Society meetingagenda for the next Belfast School Society meeting and the draft the of School Society Bylawsdraft the of School Society Bylaws. As always, please reference the School Council and School Society webpages for agendas, updates, and fundraisers – The next Meeting is on Oct 24 at 6:30pm in the library. 

New Staff Member - We have hired a new lunch supervisor, Astra King.  Welcome to Belfast, Astra!  We expect Astra will be joining the lunchroom team sometime in the next few weeks. 

This week the Belfast School Patrols started.  We are thankful to Mr. Ursenbach and his team of school patrols for their work before and after school each day to ensure that students cross 17A Street safely.  If you are crossing the road with or without your child, please utilize this amazing opportunity. 

Moving into fall, we continue learning indoors and outdoors and we are so thankful to have such a beautiful community to explore and learn.  Attached to this message, you will receive an annual walking field trip letter outlining the local sites we may visit this year and any potential risks associated with these walking trips.  This letter is in lieu of having to send home a form each time we leave the school yard.  Then, prior to any trip within walking distance, your child’s teacher will let you know the date, time, destination and specific hazards associated with the upcoming trip. 

 

Upcoming opportunities, reminders and key dates are outlined below.  

CBE Three-Year System Student Accommodation Plan - You received a School Messenger message on Tuesday sharing that Belfast School is no longer listed on the CBE Three-Year System Student Accommodation plan. Please let us know if you have any questions about this message.    

Reminder: Yearbook Interest! Thank you to the people who have already shared their interest in a potential Belfast Yearbook by completing this form: Microsoft Forms . Please respond by October 20. If we have enough interest, we will create a yearbook using the Lifetouch photography software. The cost for the yearbook would be about $15. 

Reminder: Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch – Subway 

Our first Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch will be Subway on Wednesday, October 18.  To order the lunch, please visit The Healthy Hunger website here and set up your parent account.   Fun Lunches are a fundraiser through our Belfast Parent Society and give parents a nice break from packing lunches!  If your family is unable to afford a Fun Lunch and you wish for your child to participate, please contact Clancy at cleevans@cbe.ab.ca or call the school.   Thank you to our parent organizer, Alisha, for setting all of this up!  If you have questions about ordering, please reach out to our Fun Lunch coordinator at funlunchbelfast@gmail.com   

Child and Youth Well-Being: A Webinar Series for Parents and Guardians  

   

The Calgary Board of Education invites all parents and guardians to join us in an online series focusing on child and youth well-being. These sessions will be hosted in partnership with experts from Alberta Health Services and will explore topics such as vaping, brain development, mental health, and sexual health.  

  

Important Dates  

Monday, October 9 – Thanksgiving Day, no school 

Wednesday, October 11 – Author/Illustrator Carolyn Fisher will come to visit all K – 5 classes 

Thursday, October 12 – Grade 6s go to Wordfest 

Wednesday, October 18 – Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch 

Friday, October 20 – Professional Development Day – no school 

Tuesday, October 24 – Parent Council Meeting 6:30 in the Library 

Thursday, October 26 – Belfast Halloween Dance 

Have a lovely long weekend and as always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have anything you would like to share.   

Shelagh Reading 

Acting Principal 

Belfast School