Dear Belfast Families, 

 

What an amazing turnout for our first Welcome Back BBQ/Picnic! As I shared last night, I was so impressed to see so many of our families come together in a relaxed and fun environment. I loved visiting with families and watching our students play with familiar and new friends. It was wonderful to meet siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents for the first time, and to catch up with others who we didn’t see over the summer. 

 

Last night was also special as it was our first school event for our families who are brand new to Canada. As one dad shared with me, he had heard about BBQs from TV and in movies, but had never been to one, and he was excited to experience it for the first time. I greatly appreciate that he chose to share this with me, as it was a powerful reminder that what could be routine for some, could also be an exciting “first” for others.  

 

For many of us who already know how special Belfast is, we may take moments like last night for granted, but our school really is special and our Belfast community is so warm, welcoming, and kind. THANK YOU for all that you do to contribute to our positive school culture! I look forward to other community events that we have planned throughout the year.  

 

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

 

Staffing Update 

We are pleased to announce that Anna Duda will be joining our school as our second LEAD teacher. Anna is coming to us from North Haven School and has a lot of experience working with English as an Additional Language learners. Welcome to Belfast, Anna! 

 

Friday Attendance is Important! 

Our school sees a significant increase in the number of absent students on Fridays. We would like to remind families that important learning takes place on Fridays, even if students are only here until 12:15. Regular attendance is critical for student success: 

·        By Grade 3, students with chronic absenteeism are less likely to read at grade level 

·        By Grade 6, chronic absenteeism puts students at a greater risk of not completing high school 

We need to ensure that our students are coming to school regularly, including on Fridays; these good habits in elementary school contribute to greater success in all future grades.  

 

Bus Zone Parking Tickets  

We have heard from many parents who were concerned that they received parking tickets in front of the school. The parking lot to the playground is essentially all designated as a bus zone (there are signs on both ends). We realize that this bus zone has not been enforced in the past, and we understand parent concern around this. We have made a request to have the city come out to reevaluate the bus zone area, and they will be visiting our school within the next two weeks. We will keep you posted as this situation evolves; in the meantime, we know the parking authority has issued tickets, so we ask parents to be aware.  

 

Playground use After Kindergarten Dismissal 

We love seeing our kindergarten families connect once class is dismissed, but our Grades 1-3 students come out for lunch recess right at 11:45 each day, and we need the playground and field for those students. We have a lovely community park over the baseball diamond that would be a fun alternative place to gather. Our lunch supervisors have a very busy job of watching over 100 students outside, and we need to support them by only having our Grades 1-3 playing at this time.  We thank you for your cooperation!  

 

Toonies for Terry: Terry Fox Run on Monday, September 18 (new date!) 

Our school will be hosting the annual Terry Fox run on Monday, September 18. Students are encouraged to bring in “Toonies for Terry” starting next week, with all funds donated to cancer research. For more information about Terry Fox and his legacy, please visit >span class="normaltextrun">  

 

Laminating Volunteer Wanted! 

We are in need of a laminating volunteer – or volunteers – who would like to come into the school and help teachers with this task. The laminating machine is easy (and fun!) to use, and the time teachers save allows them to focus on other tasks. The laminating volunteer(s) can decide their own hours and routine. If you think you might be interested in this role, please email Ms. Evans at cleevans@cbe.ab.ca.  

 

Reminder: School Council on Tuesday, September 19, 6:30   

Our first School Council meeting of the year will be in-person at the school on Tuesday, September 19 at 6:30.  Please note the new date, as a different day was previously communicated.   

All families are invited to attend to learn more about your child’s school and have your say in decision making.  This year, there are some positions on Council that they are looking to fill, including Treasurer. Please come out to the meeting to learn more about Council and the ways you can get involved.  

 

Reminder: Meet the Teacher, September 21 6:00-7:30 

Unlike previous years, we will not be having formal conferences in September; with only a few weeks under our belts, those conferences are not always the most beneficial.  Instead of parent conferences, we will be hosting a Meet the Teacher/Open House on September 21.  Families will come into the school and classroom and see the learning that has taken place over the first few weeks of school.  We will also have a book fair running that week, and Ms. Barrowcliff will be at the school to process book orders.  Stay tuned for more information about Meet the Teacher night.   

 

Important Dates  

Monday, September 18 – Terry Fox run; Book Fair begins 

Thursday, September 21 – Book Fair ends in the evening; Meet the Teacher night 

Friday, September 22 – PD Day (no school) 

Monday, September 25 – Picture Day  

 

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