​
Dear Banff Trail School Parents and Guardians,
I continue to remind myself how thankful I am that we are able to house students for in-person learning at our school.  Staff also feel the same way, as the building is lit up with energy and joy these days, which was sorely lacking during the at-home learning time.  Safety around COVID-19 continues to be at the forefront of safety procedures at our school, but has also become quite normalized for everyone, as these routines become part of a regular day for everyone.  We realize that it is a 'new normal' and include measures that will likely be temporary, and look forward to being able to relax some restrictions as the pandemic is addressed, but we are clearly not at that point yet.  As such, we continue to thank you for your support, compassion and understanding relating to school and systemic changes in response to COVID-19.
For your consideration:
Report Cards: Teachers continue to work diligently to analyze student data for the development of the first semester's report cards.  These will be made available online in your MyCBE/PowerSchool portal as of Friday, February 5th.  Note that the rollout of report cards throughout the CBE is happening during the week of February 1 to 5, based on the beginning letter of the school.  In case you have children in other schools, and for reference sake, the rollout is happening/available as follows: Monday (Feb. 1): Sh to Z; Tuesday (Feb. 2): Ma to Z ; Wednesday (Feb. 3): F to Z; Thursday (Feb. 4): Cl to Z; Friday (Feb. 5): A to Z.  A reminder that although we do not have School Conferences again until March 18th and 19th, collaboration between the home and school is an important part of your child's education, and you are always welcome to have a discussion with your child's teacher about your their education and progress.
School Patrols: You may have noticed that School Patrols have resumed for the mornings, when safety on our roads is complicated by ice and darkness.  Thank you very much for your patience and care in ensuring that both our patrols and families who are using the crosswalks remain safe.  Of course, we appreciate the many families who model good crosswalk usage for our school population, to help prepare our children for greater safety and independence in crossing roads later in life.  Thank you as well to our teachers (Mme Myriam and M. Jonathan) and students who have volunteered to make this important program happen.
Teachers' Convention: A reminder that Teachers' Convention is on February 11th and 12th this year, and thus there is no school for students from Thursday, February 11th through Monday, February 15th, (Family Day), inclusive.
Valentine's Day: I have received a couple requests for information about how to share Valentine's Day cards and small items in our COVID-19 reality.  In consultation with CBE's Safety Advisory team, we are asking that all Valentine's cards/gifts will need to come to the classroom no later than Friday, February 5th.  They will be quarantined in an envelope for 5 days, which is more than existing 3-day guidelines for quarantining items, to be distributed on February 10th (before the Teacher's Convention/Family Day/Valentine's Day period).  Any Valentine's Day cards that arrive after February 5th will need to wait until after the Valentine's Day weekend, to be distributed on February 16th, so please abide by the February 5th deadline if you intend to send anything to school.  Of course, we will also require that items be non-perishable, to allow for the quarantining period.
Spirit Day:  By now, your child's teacher will have communicated to you which colour your child's class will use for our upcoming Class Colour Day, which is scheduled for Thursday, January 28th.  Feel free to include as much of the colour as you wish—it can be as small as an earring, or as much as an entire outfit.
School Council: Our next School Council meeting will be held online on Wednesday, January 27th at 6:30pm.  All parents and guardians of students currently attending Banff Trail School are welcome to attend; a link will be shared out early next week.
Family Literacy Day: January 27th also marks Family Literacy Day in Alberta. Many resources are available online to support this day, including on the CBE's website, and I encourage you to consider ways to celebrate, support and promote the love for literacy at home on this day.  Areas to consider exploring include word play, listening comprehension, questions and conversations, and sharing favourite or engaging texts.
​Have a wonderful, safe weekend,
Ryan Turner
Principal, Banff Trail School