Dear Belfast Families, 

Welcome (back) to Belfast School!  This is the first Weekly Update you will receive.  Normally, the updates come out Friday afternoons, but we know that many of you have questions about the start of the school year, so we are sending it out early. 

We are so excited to see all of you next week at our Welcome Back BBQ! The weather looks perfect and we hope to see everyone there!  

Follow us on Instagram!  

We encourage all our families to follow our school’s Instagram account (@BelfastSchoolcbe) and visit our school website to see pictures from the week.  If you do not see your child on Instagram, it may be because they do not have clearance.   

Clearance to Post Student Work and Pictures 

If you would like to see your child (or your child’s work!) on Instagram or up in the hall and on bulletin boards, please ensure you give clearance in SchoolEngage as you complete your annual forms.  

First Day of School – Tuesday, September 2  

All Grades 1-6 students begin on Tuesday, September 2 at 8:30, with doors opening at 8:25. Teachers will be outside in the compound/playground area with name signs at 8:15. 

Kindergarten starts the same day, but has staggered entry:  

  • Last Name A-M: 8:30-9:45 
  • Last Name N-Z: 10:30-11:45     

Thanks to School Council, there will be coffee and treats on the playground for parents, starting at 8:30. 

Welcome Back BBQ – Forms Sent Home First Day!  

We invite all next year Belfast families to our Welcome Back BBQ on Thursday, September 4, from 5:00-7:00.  The Belfast Parent Fundraising Society generously pays for the food, and the Belfast staff prepare and serve it.  We will have all-beef/Halal/veggie dogs, chips, fruit, and drinks.  

Families are encouraged to come, bring a blanket, and enjoy the sunshine and an evening where you don’t have to plan or cook dinner!  If families wish to bring their own food for the evening, they are more than welcome, and this is encouraged if there are dietary restrictions or allergies. The evening is about meeting or reconnecting with staff and other families, while students run around, play, and have fun! 

Important: an order form will be sent home with all students on the first day of school to be returned the next day so we can shop appropriately for food and drinks.  

Back-to-School Information 

All updated information is posted on our Back-to-School page on our website here 

School Hours 

  • Monday – Thursday:  Doors open at 8:25; school is 8:30-3:15 
  • Friday:  Doors open at 8:25; school is 8:30-12:15 
  • Kindergarten – Monday-Thursday only, doors open at 8:25; school is 8:30-11:45 

Lunch  

  • This year, all Grades 1-6 students have lunch from 12:15-12:58. Grades 1-4 will eat first, then play outside; the Grade 5/6 and LEAD classes will play outside and then eat.  We want to remind families that students have just over 20 minutes to eat, so please ensure your child knows how to open their lunch containers and please send food that can be realistically enjoyed in that time.   

School Supplies 

  • Supplies are provided for students in K—6.  Families provide a backpack, indoor running shoes (velcro if the students cannot independently tie shoes), a water bottle, lunch, and snacks. Please ensure all items are labelled with your child’s name 

Outside Time  

  • Each day, students go outside for recess, lunch, and for learning on and from the land. Students should dress appropriately for the weather; hats, sunscreen, and bug spray are recommended when the weather is warm and the bugs are out!  

SchoolEngage 

  • Parents should update SchoolEngage with their information and their child’s information if the registration is not from this year.  Parents will also receive a reminder to do this later in September  

Lunch Supervision 

  • Unless you tell the school otherwise, it is assumed that all students will be staying for lunch next year.  There is a cost associated with lunch supervision, so if your child plans to leave with you at lunch, please let the school know 

2025-2026 School Calendar 

Staff 

You can find links to each staff member’s email on our staff page here. We would like to welcome Veronika Horluts to Belfast!  Ms. Horluts will be teaching Grade 5/6, as Ms. Willis has extended her leave 

Teachers will be sending out emails this afternoon to introduce themselves and let you know where to meet on Tuesday. Our teaching teams for this year are: 

  • Kindergarten – Jessica Ross 
  • Grades 1/2 - Melissa Holmes & Dana Powell 
  • Grades 3/4 - Jennifer Teasdale & Nicole Medland 
  • Grades 5/6 - Debbie Posadas & Veronika Horluts 
  • LEAD – Charis Hutchison & Anna Duda 
  • Fine Arts – Dallin Ursenbach 
  • Physical Education & Wellness (PEW) - Kelsey Szymanek  

We also have a wonderful team of support staff at Belfast: 

  • Shelley Gayford – Administrative Assistant 
  • Denise Barrowcliff – Librarian  
  • Laudy Elhajjahmad & Sarah Miller – Education Assistants 
  • Sumya Tanjy & Mona Sami – English as an Additional Language Assistants  
  • Lorelee Mantyka – Lead Lunch Supervisor 
  • Fouzia Nasery, Astra King – Lunch Supervisors 
  • Cassandra Nicholl – Facility Operator  

Grade Doors 

Just like this year, students will enter and exit through grade-specific doors: 

  • Kindergarten – compound door (on the left of the compound, facing south) 
  • Grades 1-4 – playground door 
  • Grades 5/6 - back door (west side of the school in the back field) 
  • LEAD – front door (bussed)  

Supervision – AM/PM 

For the first week of school, teachers will be doing AM supervision, starting at 8:15, and will be outside for PM supervision each day until 3:30.  Please note that there is not supervision at any other time of the year before or after school.  Students should be supervised by parents until the doors open each morning at 8:25.  

Kindergarten is hand-to-hand dismissal (teacher waits with students until their approved person picks them up); however, all other grades are dismissed at the bell.  Please pre-determine a meeting spot by the playground/on the compound with your child so they can find you easily.   

Bus Zone 

Our LEAD students are bussed to school on two buses, and this year, we will also have an accessible bus that needs access right at the front of the school.  There are pylons in front of the school to mark the bus zone.  Families should not be parking in the designated bus zone.   

Volunteering at the School and on Field Trips   

We love and depend on volunteers for school events and field trips.  All volunteers who work with students must have a security clearance through CPS.  Please consider beginning your volunteer clearance right away, as it can take awhile during peak months, and our first field trips will be in October.  You can read more about the steps involved with getting volunteer clearance  here 

 

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

On behalf of the Belfast staff, I welcome you to the 2025-2026 school year! 

Meagan Lundgren 

Principal