Dear Belfast Families, 

I wanted to say hello and thank you for the warm welcome this week. I have enjoyed my first week as Acting Principal of Belfast School and especially getting to know your children and the staff. When I met with Meagan and Clancy last week, they spoke with pride about Belfast School and the amazing staff, students and parents. They weren’t kidding! It has been a privilege to observe and participate in the joyful learning this week and I am looking forward to spending the next few weeks here. 

We would like to remind families that there is no school tomorrow, Friday September 29, as it is a day in lieu for September 30th, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Planning ahead, there is also no school on Thanksgiving Day, Monday, October 9. 

 

On Tuesday next week our Calgary Opera librettist will spend his last day with Belfast classes. Over the next few weeks, 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.  

Fitset Ninja – Thursday, October 5 

We are excited to welcome the staff from Fitset Ninja to Belfast School on Thursday, October 5th. Fitset Ninja will create a one day mobile obstacle course for our school and will work with each class during their 45 minute gym period. If the weather cooperates, the obstacle course will be set up on the schoolyard. If not, it will be set up in the gym. In order to participate in this program at school, students must return an “Acknowledgement of Risk and Consent of Parent or Guardian” to the school on or before Wednesday, October 4th. Teachers will send home these forms on Monday, October 2nd. You can find out more about Fitset Ninja at https://calgary.fitsetninja.co.... We are very thankful to the Belfast Parent Fund-raising Society for providing the funds for Fitset Ninja. 

Yearbooks 

Please use this link to express your interest in a Belfast Yearbook: Microsoft Forms . This is not an order form - we are only gauging interest in a yearbook. If we have enough interest, we will create a yearbook using the Lifetouch photography software. The cost for the yearbook would be about $15. 

Instagram 

If you have not yet had a chance, we encourage all our families to follow our school’s Instagram account (@BelfastSchoolcbe) and visit our school website to see pictures from the week. I certainly appreciated the opportunity to see the photos of staff and students on Instagram and the information on the school website as a way to familiarize myself before I arrived at Belfast School this week. 

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- so far we have had 20 families register! 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. If you have questions about ordering, please reach out to Alisha, our Fun Lunch coordinator at funlunchbelfast@gmail.com. Orders for October 18 are due by October 12- so please sign up and order if this is something that interests your family. 

Belfast School Community and Multi-faith Calendar: 

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival is Friday September 29th. This is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. The festival was a time to enjoy the successful harvest of rice and wheat with food offerings made in honor of the moon. It is still an occasion for reunions among friends and relatives to eat mooncakes and watch the Moon, which is a symbol of harmony and unity. 

 

Korean Thanksgiving day, also known as Chuseok, will be celebrated this weekend from September 28^th to the 30th. On this holiday Korean people gather together with their families and friends to eat traditional food and exchange gifts to show their appreciation of each other. 
 

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.  This is a day of recognition to honour the Indigenous children who never returned home from residential schools, the survivors, all their families and all Indigenous communities. 

 

Important Dates  

Friday, September 29 – No School – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation  

Tuesday, October 3 – Mr. David from Calgary Opera here 

Thursday, October 5 – Fitset Ninja 

Monday, October 9 – Thanksgiving Monday, no school 

 

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

Have a wonderful weekend, 

Shelagh Reading 

Acting Principal 

Belfast School