Happenings
- November 8-13: No School - Fall Break
- November 28 4-8pm: P/T Interviews at Branton School
- November 29 (No school): P/T Interviews 9am-1pm on TEAM (Online)
A Message from Mr. Picard, Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians, As we transition into Fall Break, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the staff, students, parents, and Captain Retired Stephan Prigione who participated in our Remembrance Day ceremony at Branton School on November 7. It was a meaningful occasion, honoring the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. I hope the experience sparked conversations at home about the importance of remembrance.
Please note that Branton School will be closed for Fall Break from Friday, November 8, through Wednesday, November 13, inclusive. Classes will resume on Thursday, November 14.
Looking ahead, we are preparing for our November Parent-Teacher Conferences, scheduled for November 28-29, 2024. As posted on our last WNL on November 1, 2024, this week’s newsletter includes important information about the booking process, detailing how and when you can secure your appointments. We encourage all parents to review this section carefully for a seamless experience when arranging meetings with teachers. Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and activities and wish you a restful break.
Warm regards,
Sébastien Picard Principal
- November 28 (in-person) Interviews (School Conferences (10 minute bookings available)
- November 29 (Virtual) Interviews (School Conferences (10 minute bookings available) CBE Booking System (MyCBE)
- The first Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews for the school year will be held on November 28, 4:00pm-8:00pm and November 29, 9:00 am-1pm. As was done last school year, Interviews will be held using an in-person and an on-line method.
The School Conference scheduler will open for IPP parents on November 19 at 1pm (only for our IPP parents). The School Conference scheduler will open for all parents on November 22 at 6pm.
Our teachers do not have a slot for every student. Branton School has made a commitment to ensuring ongoing communication throughout the school year to students and their families so that there is an opportunity for students and parents to get feedback and make adjustments prior to the June report card. As such, grades and comments are uploaded regularly in PowerSchool with further information in D2L/Google Classroom, including the use of rubrics to give a detailed understanding of grades. This can also include graded work sent home.
At this time, we encourage families to take time with their child(ren) to review grades and comments posted by teachers, review attendance, and decide if what you already know is all positive and satisfactory that you may not need to book an interview at this time. If you have questions, please reach out directly to teachers. Please use this link to access teacher emails. As a reminder, teachers also post reminders (due dates, current work and other course information) in their respective digital platforms on a weekly basis.
The following are links to assist you in using the digital tools used by teachers:
The link to join Microsoft Teams Virtual meeting will be embedded in your email confirmation.
To support the process on November 29 (Online Conferences) we ask that parents please:
a. preload 'Microsoft Teams' onto your digital device.
b. review your child's progress in PowerSchool prior to the interview. What question(s) may you have?
c. when a teacher invites you into the meeting, please keep your camera on. We would like visual confirmation that a parent is present.
d. include your child in the discussions. A conversation with the student, family and teacher tends to be the most effective.
e. interviews are 10 minutes long and are back to back. Teachers will do their best to stay on time. Parents can only log in to Microsoft Teams 5 minutes prior to the interview starting.
If you are a CBE employee, using your CBE email, please do not log into your Student Conference until the exact time of your meeting, otherwise you will interrupt the current meeting as you do not have the waiting room access.
Parent Guides
1. Booking a Conference
2. Joining Online Conference
3. Parent User Guide
Parents | MyConferences
All parents with children enrolled in the Calgary Board of Education schools have access. Parents must first create a new PowerSchool parent account to be able to use this CBE application and the guide link below. Parent Sign In MyCBE | PowerSchool > myCBE Apps > my School Conferences.
Jacket Racket - Seeking Volunteers for w/ active CBE Police Check Branton is once again trying to collect a mountain of coats in support of Jacket Racket! Together we hope to assist in keeping those in need as warm as possible. Through the month of November donations can be brought to the school and dropped off in the front office or taken to room 22. Donations are for coats only as other winter gear is not being collected at this time. Thank you in advance for any coats you can donate.
Dates for Donation Drop-off: November 1 – 18, 2024
Updates in FLA 6 and 7
Students have spent time practicing their verb conjugations and honing their reading comprehension skills! In grade 6, students practiced key verbs in the present tense, while working through their novel study, the French translation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. In grade 7, students finished a review of three key verb tenses, demonstrating their knowledge through a variety of ways, including a lively spoken performance and the creation of Pokémon-style playing cards! As a means of practicing reading comprehension, students in grade 7 also demonstrated their understanding of various short texts in front of their peers and completed a series of questions related to their content.
Updates in CTF Construction
This year in CTF construction, seventh-grade students have been exploring different structures by building bridges to test their efficiency. Eighth graders have been learning to use new machines while fabricating their giant clips and are now beginning the construction of their clocks. Throughout this project, they'll address concepts like sustainability and wood joinery. Meanwhile, ninth-grade students are wrapping up their dragster racing cars, which allows them to apply their knowledge of aerodynamics. Next week, they'll have the opportunity to test and race their creations.
Band Shirts
The band shirts for performances is now available for purchase through the online store. Please note that it is the polo shirt that is required and there (like other teams) is the optional hoodie. Order deadline is Tuesday, November 12 to have them here for our Winter performance. Please buy a band shirt.
Winter Concert
Date will be Tuesday, Dec. 10. at 7 PM. Student arrival time will come out later. Morning practices for grade 7 & 8 students will start the week of November 18. Schedule will be in Google classroom. We will also have Lunch hour practices as well.
Jacquie Baird, Band Director
Updates in Fashion
For our first project students were challenged to make something using only the scrap fabric we had in the classroom. Students got very creative and made everything from key chains and pencil cases to quilted bears and crocheted bags. Most students have started their Needy project, where they are making something that meets a need they have. This semester pajama pants were a popular pick, but students are also making: slippers, book bags, crotched stuffed animals, and quilts.
Updates in Foods
Grade 7 Foods: Students started the semester by learning how to: work as a team, where all the tools are located, and how to properly use the knives by making apple crisp, coconut macarons, and a variety of other snacks. Students have started the healthy cookie unit this week by trying one of the substitutes they researched for sugar and flour. After the fall break we will be moving on to fat and egg substitutions.
Grade 8 Foods: After learning how to make edible cookie dough and sushi students have started the convenience food unit. We started by learning about the pros and cons of convenience foods and looked at why they are so popular. Now we have started learning how to make the convenience foods chosen from scratch. We will be charting the differences between our homemade and convenience foods based on: time, difficulty, taste, clean up and cost. We have already made homemade cinnamon buns and pizza, next will be mac and cheese, and brownies.
Grade 9 Foods: Students started the semester with learning how to cook and handle meat, while working on our knife skills by making things like taco salad, chicken fingers, and three sisters soup. Students are now working on recipes that they have found that relate to a given topic. So far they have made leftover rice into new and exciting dishes. They have also turned apples and pumpkin into a variety of tasty treats. Coming up they will be making Quebecois recipes, and bringing in their favourite recipes from home.
Michelle Van Drunen
Attention Wrestling Guardians!
If you wish to purchase a wrestling team t-shirt, the Branton online store will be open from Friday Nov. 8 to Friday Nov. 22. The only options are black t-shirts. One is cotton and one is dry-fit/polyester. T-shirts will only be printed if there are 12 or more orders. If there are less than that, money will be refunded. There is also a hoodie for purchase, if interested. Learn more!
Fun Lunches are Coming
The third Fun Lunch is coming on November 21 (OPA!). Deadline to order is Saturday November 16. We will be looking for Volunteers. Please follow the link for Volunteers. You can place your order through Healthy Hunger Link Order Food. Upcoming dates for Fun Lunches are as follows: Dec. 17, 2024 - Banzai Deadline to order is on Saturday, November 16 before midnight.