Hello Briar Hill Families,

We hope you had a wonderful summer and had some time to rest, recharge and enjoy time together. We are excited to welcome our students back to Briar Hill on Monday, August 31, for the first day of the 2026–27 school year!

The beginning of a new school year is always filled with excitement, anticipation and perhaps a few butterflies. We are especially looking forward to seeing familiar faces, welcoming new families and beginning another year of learning and growing together.


👋 Meet the 2026–27 Briar Hill Team

We are excited to begin the new school year with a wonderful team of teachers and support staff. We also have some new faces and some changes in roles, and look forward to introducing our families to the people who make Briar Hill a special place for students this year. (We will be sharing more about our new staff members in the coming weeks, when we can give them a proper Briar Hill welcome!)

Kindergarten

  • Laura Goods — Kindergarten Teacher

Grades 1–2

  • Shakila Shahid (Learning Leader)
  • Nidhi Bhatia
  • Leslie LeVesconte

Grades 3–4

  • Beth Paul
  • Erin Retallack
  • Karen Kobel

Grades 5–6

  • Joanne Eloho
  • Reggie McClellan
  • Beth Edey & Marianna Makkai

Specialist & Student Services

  • Alison Bachert — Gr. 1–6 Music
  • Kristy de Boon — Student Services Learning Leader & Kindergarten Music


✉️ A Welcome from Your Child’s Teacher

On Thursday, August 27, late afternoon, your child’s homeroom teacher will send a welcome email with an introduction and important information about the first day of school.

If you do not receive an email from your child’s teacher, please contact the school office at 403-777-6140 or BriarHill@cbe.ab.ca


🕐 Bell Times & School Calendar

Our bell schedule has been updated for the 2026–27 school year.

Grades 1–6

Daily Soft Entry: 8:30–8:40 a.m.
Monday–Thursday: 8:40 a.m.–3:15 p.m.
Lunch: 12:05–12:49 p.m.
Friday: 8:40 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Kindergarten

Monday–Thursday: 8:40–11:29 a.m.
Alternating Fridays: 8:40 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

                        *Briar Hill 2026-27 Instructional Calendar with updated lunch times

🏫 Class Lists & Homerooms

Our teachers have put considerable thought and care into creating this year’s homeroom classes. Class lists were developed collaboratively, with consideration given to students’ academic, social and emotional needs, learning profiles, positive peer relationships, teacher strengths and student voice. Information shared by families was also considered as part of this process.

We have worked intentionally to create balanced and supportive learning communities where every student has positive connections.

It is completely normal for children to feel excited, nervous or even disappointed when they see their new class. New beginnings can bring a mix of emotions, and those feelings often shift as students settle into new routines and relationships.

One of the things that makes Briar Hill special is that a homeroom is not an isolated classroom. Our grade teams work closely together and regularly bring students together for learning activities, projects, reading, intervention, enrichment and other experiences. Students will have many opportunities throughout the year to learn and connect with friends across their grade team.

We feel confident in the thoughtful decisions our teachers have made. We encourage families to help their children approach the new school year with curiosity and an open mind. There are new friendships to discover, familiar friendships to strengthen and many wonderful experiences ahead.


📣 Home & School Communication​​​​​​​

Communication between home and school is an important part of our work at Briar Hill. We want families to feel informed, connected and included in the life of our school.

Throughout the year, you can expect:

  • A weekly Update to Families from school administration
  • Grade Team updates every second week
  • Phone calls and emails from teachers when needed
  • Daily agenda communication
  • Digital classrooms to support student learning
  • Briar Hill School Instagram HERE (Updates, reminders, and a window into daily teaching/learning at BHS)


💻 MyCBE Account

Your MyCBE account is an important tool for accessing your child’s information throughout their time with CBE. Through MyCBE, families can access attendance information, report cards and assessments, pay school fees, complete forms, arrange transportation and book parent-teacher conferences.

If you have not yet created an account, please visit the MyCBE website to get started. Your account will remain with you as your child progresses through CBE from Kindergarten to Grade 12, so please use an email address that will remain active.


📱 Away for the Day: Personal Digital Devices

To help students stay focused on learning and connected with one another, personal digital devices are “away for the day” during school hours, in accordance with provincial requirements.

This includes cell phones and digital watches that connect to the internet.

Our approach is progressive:

  • 1st incident: Student reminder (put in backpack)
  • 2nd incident: Device is held in the office until the end of the day; parent/guardian is informed
  • 3rd incident: Device is held in the office; parent/guardian is contacted and asked to pick it up
  • 4th incident: A device plan is created, which may include leaving the device at home or having it dropped off at the office each morning


💛 Briar Hill Values

CURIOUS • CARING • CONNECT • RESILIENCE

These values are woven into the everyday life of Briar Hill. They guide how we learn, how we treat one another and how we grow together as a school community. Each month, we will celebrate students who demonstrate one of our four values through our Value Awards. Recipients will be recognized at a school gathering, announced on the PA, featured on our celebration board and celebrated on Instagram.


🧸 Toys & Treasures

We ask that students leave personal toys, stuffies, and games at home. These items can become distractions, create conflict and are difficult to keep safe and secure at school.

If an item becomes a distraction it may be set aside and families may be contacted. The school cannot take responsibility for lost or damaged personal items.


📚 Attendance, Absences & Lates

Regular attendance helps students stay connected to their learning, classmates and school community. Alberta Education considers a student to experience chronic absenteeism when they miss 10% or more of instructional time, which is roughly two days each month.

We understand that illness and family circumstances happen. Our goal is simply to support regular attendance whenever possible so that every student can learn, grow and feel connected at school.

Please let the BHS office know if your child will be absent: 403-777-6140 or BriarHill@cbe.ab.ca

If your child arrives late, please come through the front doors and check in at the office. Your child will receive a late slip before heading to class.


🤝 Volunteers & Adults in the Building

Briar Hill is a student-first environment, and student safety is always our priority. All visitors and volunteers must enter through the front doors, check in at the office and sign in before entering the school.

If you are dropping off or picking up from Briar Hill Children’s Program, please use designated doors and do not walk through the school.

If you would like to connect with your child’s teacher, please arrange a meeting rather than dropping in before or after school. This allows teachers to give you their full attention while ensuring students remain our priority.

We are grateful for the many families who volunteer at Briar Hill. Volunteers support classrooms, field trips and a variety of school activities, and many of these experiences would not be possible without your help. Please speak with your child’s teacher if you are interested in volunteering. All volunteers require a Calgary Police Service record check.


🖥️ Digital Classrooms

Grades 1–6 teachers will use Google Classroom or D2L to complement the learning taking place in the classroom.

These digital spaces may include learning activities, resources and links that students can access at home to support their learning. By the end of September, students will be shown how to access their digital classroom.


🌟 Here We Go!

A new school year is a fresh start. A chance to set goals, try new things, build relationships and discover new possibilities.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information and for partnering with us as we create a safe, caring, connected and engaging learning environment for every student. We are proud to be a school where children are known, valued and supported. We look forward to welcoming our families back, celebrating the successes of our students, and creating another wonderful year together.


We’ll see you on Monday!

Kind regards,

Nathan deBoer
Principal
Briar Hill School