Good afternoon Buffalo Rubbing Stone families,
June is always an exciting month. Tonight we will welcome our new kindergarten families at our annual Welcome to Kindergarten meeting. Over the next few weeks, we will be finalizing and celebrating the important learning that has transpired this year. On June 25, students will meet together online for our annual farewell assemblies. The grade five farewell will be recorded and posted in the grade five google classrooms for parents to enjoy. It will be available until June 30. We hope to invite parents into the school again next year.
At the BRS School Council meeting last week, we shared the results of the School Budget and School Fees Survey and the School Development Plan Survey. This information is posted in the sidebar of the BRS website School Council tab. We also shared our anticipated 2021-2022 organization for learning. It is as follows:
Kindergarten – 4 classes of approximately 20 students each
Grades 1&2 – 10 classes of approximately 21 students each
Grades 3&4 – 10 classes of approximately 23 students each
Grade 5 – 4 classes of approximately 27 students each
EES – one class of approximately 9 students
At this time of year, there is a great deal of predicting that impacts our organization for learning. Our student population in September will either confirm our predictions or require us to reorganize. Families will receive a letter from their child(ren)'s teacher late in the afternoon on Tuesday, August 31 with information about where to meet on the first day of school. Teaching assignments and class lists frequently change over the summer so no information is available before August 31.
The 2021-2022 School year will begin on Wednesday, September 1. Our 2021-2022 school calendar will be posted on the BRS website calendar tab in the next few days. Our school hours will remain the same for students in grades one through five and for students in EES. Kindergarten hours have been been adjusted by a few minutes (AM class: 8:00 – 10 51 am / PM class: 11:48 am – 2:40 pm)
Following the discovery of 215 lost lives at the former Kamloops Residential School, our students and staff have recommitted ourselves to learning and speaking the truth of residential schools and building understandings that lead to reconciliation. With funding from the BRS Parent Association, we had purchased print resources that support this work. The new books arrived last week and are already being used. The Calgary Board of Education – Indigenous Education Team has provided schools with learning resources as well. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action explicitly address our role as educators: “63. We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including: i. Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools." All year, we have infused Indigenous Ways of Knowing in all curricular areas, honouring our belief that we all have important contributions to make when building understandings of our world. This work is ongoing as we endeavour to build relationships in a good way.
As we review the good work of this year and plan for what lies ahead next year, we are always grateful for our partnership with BRS parents. We have much to accomplish in the next three weeks and look forward to sharing student achievement on report cards at the end of the month.
Take good care,
Allison E.G. Bobenic, Principal
