Hello Briar Hill Families
With Winter Break behind us, our school has quickly returned to familiar routines that support a calm, focused learning environment for students. The structure and consistency in classrooms have helped students feel grounded, especially as we navigate Calgary’s ever-changing winter weather—chinooks, wind, and all. Thank you for your continued support in helping students arrive ready for the day, dressed for the conditions, and prepared to learn.
With Gratitude,
Nathan deBoer
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2026-27 school year will began on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. Children can be registered for kindergarten if they turn five years old on or before Dec. 31 of the school year they will be in kindergarten. For example, when registering for the 2026-27 school year, the child must turn five on or before Dec. 31, 2026.
Additionally, parents can find information on kindergarten registration on the public CBE website.
Registering early for kindergarten helps the school organize for the coming year. If you have an older child in grades 1-6, please register your kindergarten eligible child as early as possible.
School Council & AGM Meeting
- Join us next Tuesday, Jan 20 @ 12:15-1:00 pm, in-person or virtually
- Topics of discussion:
- Reflecting on the past month & planning ahead for the next 5 months
- Preliminary planning for 2026-27 School Year
- Funding & spending update
- materials for learning, staff kitchen, & more
- Virtual Link HERE
Volunteers
- A heartfelt thank you to all the parents who volunteer on field trips and provide in-class support, your involvement makes our school community stronger!
- We are currently looking for a parent volunteer(s) to help organize and label our new Chromebooks and laptop carts. If you already have your volunteer clearance & are able to help, please contact Nathan deBoer at nadeboer@cbe.ab.ca
- If you haven’t signed up as a volunteer yet, we encourage you to do so! Complete a police check and the annual volunteer signup form foundHERE. If you need any assistance, please call the main office at 403-777-6140.
- As a volunteer at Briar Hill School, it’s important to keep all information about students, staff, and school activities private. This means:
- Do not share or discuss anything you see or hear about students with anyone outside the school
- Use any information you see only to help with your volunteer duties
- Teachers & Administration are responsible for student learning and discipline
- A volunteer can assist greatly in enhancing student learning by working with the school team
Gr.6 PAT Dates
- Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) are assessments given to all Gr. 6 students across Alberta. They help the province understand how students are doing in key subject areas such as Language Arts, Math, Science, & Social Studies. PATs are just one snapshot of student learning & do not impact Report Card indicators.
- PAT dates have recently been released, and we are sharing them with families to support planning. For PATs, all students are provided with up to double the official scheduled time allotted. We kindly ask that families avoid booking trips or appointments that would require Grade 6 students to be away from school on their scheduled PAT dates.
- Friday, May 22: 9 AM–11 AM (9am-1pm) Grade 6 English Language Arts and Literature Part A
- *This test will be potentially MOVED to Tuesday MAY 22 to fit within school hours & potential conflict with Gr.5/6 Camp Kindle May 20-22 Trip
- Thursday, June 4: 9 AM–10 (9am-11am) AM Grade 6 English Language Arts and Literature Part B
- Thursday, June 11 9 AM–10 (9am-11am) AM Grade 6 Social Studies
- Friday, June 12 9 AM–10 AM (9am-11am) Grade 6 Science
- Monday, June 15 9 AM–9:30 AM (9am-10am) Grade 6 Mathematics Part A
- Thursday, June 18 9 AM–10:15 AM (9am -11:30am) Grade 6 Mathematics Part B
Grade 6 Farewell
- Grade 6 Farewell is a long-standing tradition at Briar Hill School that celebrates our Grade 6 students as they prepare for their transition to junior high. The event includes the creation of Memory Books highlighting each Grade 6 student, a morning ceremony traditionally held on a Friday in June, and a parent-planned celebration in the afternoon.
- We are looking for a parent, or a group of parents, that would like to support the Memory Book & Afternoon Celebration planning. Please reach out to Nathan deBoer at nadeboer@cbe.ab.ca if you would like to help.
Grade 7 Transitions
- As we begin planning for the transition of our Grade 6 students to junior high, we would like to share information with families about the process and the options available. All students will be enrolled in their designated Grade 7 school based on their home address; however, the CBE also offers a variety of Programs of Choice that families may wish to explore for their child. Below is a list of designated schools in our area. To learn more about CBE Programs of Choice, please clickHERE
- CBE Community Program
- Queen Elizabeth School
- Website: HERE
- CBE Arts School
- Sir John Franklin School; *Open House January 22nd
- Website: HERE
- CBE Science Program
- Riverside School
- Website: HERE
- CBE Late French Immersion
- Branton School; *Open House Feb 5th 6:30pm
- Website: HERE
- CBE Spanish Immersion
- Senator Patrick Burns School; *Open House Feb 11th 6-8pm
- Website: HERE
- CBE TLC (Traditional Learning Centre) School
- Balmoral School
- Website: HERE
Important Dates
- Jan 20 - School Council Meeting (LC @ 12:15pm)
- Jan 22 - Pizza Lunch (order HERE)
- Jan 29 - Value Awards
- Jan 30 - PD Day (No School for Students)
- Feb 3 - Well-Being Ambassadors Lunch Meeting
- Feb 5 – Fun Lunch (order Healthy Hunger HERE)
- Feb 12-13 – Teacher’s Convention (No School)
- Feb 16 – Family Day (No School)
- Feb 20 - Connect Day *Focus: Caring
- Feb 24 – IPPs & Report Cards to families
- Feb 25 – PINK Shirt Day & Assembly
- Feb 26 – Pizza Day (order HERE)
- Feb 26 - Value Awards
- Feb 27 – PD Day (No School for Students)