E-NEWS & Principal's Post

The Principal’s Post
The Hot Chocolate Crew at Norquay snowboarding with SkiBig3 and Nonstop Snow!

Thank you to SkiBig3, Nonstop Snow, Snowtips-Bactrax and Banff Norquay ski resort for their ongoing support of Banff Elementary School students. Over the family holiday SkiBig3 offered snowboarding lessons to BES beginner boarders for three days with recently certified instructors from Nonstop!. The ‘Hot Chocolate Crew’ went from balancing down the Bunny Hill to bombing the Black Diamonds with the help of their amazing instructors. Currently our grade three students are riding up the magic carpet and zipping down the slopes at Norquay.
Norquay offers children and families many different fun and exciting ski and boarding opportunities throughout the season! Check out the links below for more information:
Kids Rail Jam
Spring Break Camps 

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
March 13 Evening conferences 4:00 - 7:00 pm - regular classes during the day
March 14 Evening conferences 5:00 - 8:00 pm - regular classes during the day
March 15 Morning conferences 8:30 - 11:45 am and P.D. in the afternoon - no school for students all day

For our Spring P/T/S Conferences, you will have a choice of a 15 minute virtual meeting or an in-person meeting. Please note for the Spring P/T/S Conferences, Grade 8 teachers are requesting parents/guardians book with their child's homeroom teacher. If there are any concerns with the other subject areas, you can reach out by email to that teacher. 

Appointments for parents and students to meet with teachers can be booked online at https://banff.schoolappointments.com. You will be able to login to your account created in the fall or register for a new account and add your child(ren), then schedule a 15 minute virtual meeting (Google Meet) or an in-person meeting using this system. This system will open Friday March 1 at 4:00 pm and appointments can be booked until Sunday March 10 11:55 pm. After March 10 the online booking system will be closed - parents will be required to email their child's homeroom teacher directly to change or cancel an appointment. Appointments can also be made with our Principals, Mr. Kestle/Ms. Chisholm, our Music teacher, Ms. Kowalewski, and/or our School and Family Wellness Worker, Deanne Arada, by emailing them directly (firstname.lastname@crps.ca). Please click here for School Appointments - Parent Instructions. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office.

Lost & Found
The Lost and Found at BES is growing and growing. Please have your child take a look or come stop by the school.

Important Dates
Please click here to view the BES Community Calendar and click here for the 2023-2024 Learning Calendars.

Volunteering
Banff Elementary School loves and greatly appreciates our volunteers! We require all volunteers who help in the school or on field trips to complete a Vulnerable Sector Check through the RCMP and sign a Confidentiality Contract as per Canadian Rockies Public Schools’ Administrative Procedure 490 - School Volunteers and FOIPP. Prior to volunteering, please email your legal name to the school office at bes.info@crps.ca to request an RCMP Fee Waiver Letter and we will email you back the letter, required forms and instructions. Often Vulnerable Sector Checks can be completed by the RCMP within 24 hours. Please click here for more information on volunteering opportunities.

Before School Care
Juggling work and family can be challenging. Banff Elementary School would like to support families by offering before school care. This program starts at 7:45 am and students will play in the gym until 8:15 am - students please enter through the Den doors off of the Elk playground. This is a free service for BES families and registration is required - please click here.

School and Family Wellness Worker
Deanne Arada, our School and Family Wellness Worker, is here to help support families and students with their social and emotional well-being. Please contact her at 403-762-4465 ext 6089. This is one more way Canadian Rockies School Division is here to help support not only your child, but also your family.

Right From The Start
Interested in what’s going on at BES with Right from the Start? Ms. Jenniex has monthly newsletters for every grade! You can check them out here, BES RFTS Monthly Newsletter 23/24. Ms. Jenniex can also be contacted at Megan.jenniex@crps.ca if you have any questions or want to learn more about the program!

Town of Banff Children & Youth Programs
The Out-of-School Club (OSC) is a licensed childcare program offering care for school aged children, September to June. With a focus on child-led play, exploration and natural curiosity, OSC aims to connect children through indoor and outdoor programming. The OSC program hours compliment the Canadian Rockies Public School calendar- providing care during the after school hours, PD days, parent/teacher interviews, the staggered kindergarten entry and school breaks. For details and how to register, visit www.banff.ca/kids.

Settlement Services
Settlement Services provides Permanent Residents of Canada, Live-In Caregivers and Refugees with the support they need to settle in the Bow Valley. Please click the link for the Settlement Services Newsletter. More information about Settlement Services and a calendar of events is available at: www.banff.ca/settlement or follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSBV.CCBV/.

You can also check out our School Announcements here (this is updated frequently) for more information. Please like us on Facebook and follow BES on Instagram @banffelementaryschool for news and reminders.

Canadian Rockies Public Schools
Please follow CRPS on Facebook, Follow/Tag us on Twitter and on Instagram so you can stay up-to-date on all CRPS school related issues, updates and information. Please click here for the CRPS Board Meeting Calendar, Agendas and Highlights.

CRPS International Student Homestay Hosts Needed
CRPS is looking for Canmore & Banff families to host our next incredible cohort of 50 international students arriving in August 2024! Make meaningful connections, share your different cultures, learn a new language, and build life-long memories & friendships! Commitments of 5 months and 10 months are available, with monthly remuneration provided. For more information and to apply, contact international@crps.ca or 403-609-6072. Please click here for more information.