Briar Hill Families
As we move through another great week at Briar Hill, a sincere thank you to all of our volunteers this school year. Your time and support make a meaningful difference in the daily experiences of our students and staff. This past week, we also welcomed families into the school for Volunteer Tea, where our Kindergarten and Gr. 3/4 students proudly performed for the volunteers.
With the warmer weather, it has been great to see families spending time together and lingering after school as they leave school grounds or stay and play. A gentle reminder that once the bell rings, students should be received and supervised by their accompanying adult to help ensure safety and smooth transitions.
I have also been visiting classrooms and meeting with students as we work toward a strong finish to the year. These conversations focus on staying engaged in learning, coming prepared each day, and continuing to show respectful behaviour and our Briar Hill values. We are proud of our students and encourage everyone to stay focused and “dialled in” as we head into the final stretch of the school year.
Nathan deBoer
Principal
📝 K–6 New Families
- We would love your help sharing what makes Briar Hill School such a special place to learn and grow. We currently have space available in Kindergarten, with class sizes of 12, and we continue to welcome new registrations for K–6 students both in and out of our designated area. Families are welcome to contact the office to if they have questions and to arrange a private tour of the school.
- If you know someone exploring school options, please encourage them to take a closer look at Briar Hill School, we would be happy to connect with them!
- Briar Hill School website
- Briar Hill School Instagram
📚 Missing Library Books
- Library book fees for missing books have now been posted to student accounts. We encourage families to take a few moments with their child to do one more careful search at home for any overdue library books. Often books turn up tucked away in bedrooms, backpacks, or vehicles!
- If you would like the title of a missing book, please contact the school and we would be happy to help. Any books returned by June 26, 2026 will have the associated fee removed from the student account. If books cannot be located, fines will be due by June 26, 2026.
📵📱 Reminder: Away For the Day
- Over the past couple of weeks, we have noticed an increase in conversations with students regarding the use of personal digital devices at school. We ask families to please review with their child that all personal digital devices are to remain put away for the entire school day, including during recess and lunch breaks.
- If a student is using their personal mobil device at school:
- 1st Incident: Student reminder.
- 2nd Incident: Confiscation & student can pick it up at end of day from the office. Parent/Guardian Informed.
- 3rd Incident: Confiscation, parent informed, and parent picks up device from office
- 4th Incident: Device Plan: Device does not come to school OR device is daily dropped off at office
📊✨ Planning for 2026–27
The planning for the 2026–27 school year is ongoing. Much of this information was also shared at our most recent School Council meeting, thank you to all families who were able to attend and be part of that discussion. Current projections show a slight decrease in enrolment, moving from our current 213 students to approximately 203. Enrolment continues to be active, and we are still welcoming and planning for interested families joining our school community.
For the upcoming year, we will maintain our current grade configuration. As part of this ongoing planning, we will also begin developing class lists. In May, we engage in a thoughtful and collaborative process of creating class placements for the upcoming school year. This work is carefully designed to support both individual student success and balanced, positive classroom environments.
When forming classes, staff consider a range of factors, including academic, social, and emotional needs, the complexity of learning profiles, positive peer groupings, and alignment between student needs and teacher strengths. We also invite student voice, where students are asked to identify peers who support them in staying focused, engaged, and successful at school.
As always, we are not able to accommodate specific teacher requests. However, we are confident that this thoughtful and comprehensive process helps us create the best possible learning environments for all students.
If there is important information about your child’s learning needs that you would like us to consider, please email Mr. deBoer at nadeboer@cbe.ab.ca by May 15.
📅 Upcoming Important Dates (April–June)
May
- May 14 - Healthy Hunger (order Healthy Hunger HERE)
- May 15 - PD Day (No Students)
- May 18 - Victoria Day (No School)
- May 20 – Grade ½ Spring Concert (6:15 p.m.)
- May 28 – Pizza Lunch (Order Pizza Lunch HERE)
June