Happenings 

  • December 2 (7pm) In-Person and on TEAM - School Council * More information below
  • December 10: Band Concert at 7pm 

Thank You for Your Engagement and Upcoming Opportunities 

Oki, Danit'astada, Âba wathtec, Tânisi, Taanishi, Bonjour, Hello Branton Families 

First, a hearfelt thank you to all our staff who dedicated their time to meeting with families during our November Parent-Teacher Conference, and to the parents who took the opportunity to connect with us. Your partnership plays a vital role in supporting your child’s success at school, and we deeply value the collaboration. 

As partners in your child’s education, we encourage you to maintain open lines of communication with your teachers and the school’s administrators throughout the year. Whether you need support or have questions, we’re here to work together to ensure the best outcomes for your children. 

Volunteers Needed for Casino Fundraiser 

We are still looking for 13 parent volunteers for our February 2025 Casino fundraiser at the Elbow River Casino. This event is our school’s largest fundraiser, directly benefiting all students by supporting vital resources and programs across departments. If you’re able to help, please consider volunteering—it’s a meaningful way to contribute to our community.

How You Can Help 

Thank you for your ongoing support and for being an integral part of the Branton School community. Together, we can make this fundraiser a tremendous success!

Exciting Opportunity for Students 

Our School Council is currently looking for a student to serve as Secretary starting in January 2025. This role involves attending monthly School Council meetings (online or in-person at Branton) from 7:00–9:00 PM to take notes and prepare minutes to share at the following meeting. 

To thank the student for their contribution, we will provide a $20 Tim Hortons gift card after each meeting. If your child is interested in applying, please have them email Mr. Picard at [insert email] before December 16, 2024. 

We are also excited to invite you to our upcoming School Council Meeting on December 2 at 7:00 PM, which will be held in-person at Branton School and online via Microsoft Teams.

This meeting will feature a special guest from William Aberhart High School, the Principal, who will share insights about the programs offered at WAHS and answer all your questions. This is a wonderful opportunity to support our Grade 9 students and their families as they prepare for the important transition to high school.

Additionally, we will begin a conversation to evaluate the strengths of our French Immersion programs—both Late and Early—here at Branton School. Your input will be invaluable as we continue to build a thriving, inclusive learning environment for our students. 

We look forward to seeing many of you there! 

Thank you for your continued support in helping make Branton School a thriving, inclusive, and dynamic community for our students.

See our School Council page for the agenda.

Branton School Email  

Please do not email the general mailbox (branton@cbe.ab.ca) to report absences, asking to speak with teachers etc. This mailbox is not checked on a daily basis. If you are wanting to speak with teachers please email them directly using the Branton School Website Link. The staff emails are listed on the site. Extended absences: There is a form you can pick up in the office for the student to get filled out. Lates and Absences can be reported by calling 403 777 7440 ext. 5000. We thank you for your cooperation and help with this. 

Updates from:

ELA 7 (Early Immersion) 

This term, students began with a visual representation of self, "The Happy Turtle Assignment", using literal and figurative symbolism. Students then explored the short story "Treaty Words: As Long as the Rivers Flow" using sketch notes to demonstrate their understanding of new vocabulary and an oral response to express the main ideas and connections. After reading the short story "Seventh Grade", students looked closely at characterization. Students wrote a MEAL paragraph describing the main character's development referencing evidence from the story to support their ideas. Students are currently reading the novel "The Crossover" as a class. Through various activities and group discussion they are exploring story elements, including theme and point of view as well as figurative language. Throughout term 1 we have also been developing reading comprehension strategies such as annotating and vocabulary building with morphology and word meaning maps. 

ELA 6 

After performing a number of diagnostic tasks with grade 6 students in September to establish an understanding of student learning, we have been having a lot of fun exploring culturally and emotionally diverse short stories/passages, from Malala Yousafzai to an Indigenous story called A Stranger at Home by Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, to a tale of an eleven year old student who struggles feeling isolated on her birthday, in the story Eleven by Sandra Cisneros. We used pop-culture (Disney Pixar) to visually engage students with story elements, and the story arc; students in grade 6 have also explored their own emotional, physical, spiritual and cognitive attributes via an Indigenous Medicine wheel, which help us to see and understand things about ourselves that are not always visible. They have already completed two complex writing tasks supporting the organization of their ideas, participated in Friday grammar and reading lessons along with regular reading opportunities where students choose their own books. We are about to begin the beloved grade 6 novel study The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis the last week of November. 

Music Notes 

In-Dey-Go cookie order deadline is Sunday, December 1 at midnight. If you would like to get cookie dough and do not have a band student in your family, you can still order!!! Access the website below and choose “A Branton Tiger” as your seller (located at the end of the list). Delivery is hopefully December 9, and you will be contacted to make arrangements to pick up your dough  https://www.indeygo.com/store/shop/7361731626111

Band Concert 

Just around the corner!!! Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00pm. Students will need to arrive earlier to get organized and warmed up. Some grades will also assist with set up and tear down of the concert. Please allow your child time to do this, as many hands make light work! 

Grade 9 – 6:10 pm – will be setting up the gym 

Grade 8 – 6:30 pm – will be on CLEAN UP AFTER the concert 

Grade 7 – 6:30 pm – arrive and go to warm up. No set up/tear down this time.

Students are reminded to wear their Black band shirt with black or very dark colored pants. No hats please! Newly purchased shirts are expected to come to school before the concert and I will hand them out as soon as I get them.

Upcoming Dates 

Grade 8/9 band camp – May 5 & 6, 2025 

Grade 7 Band Workshop – currently April 24, 2025. Currently working on making it two days 

Festival Performance dates are May 20, 2025 Grade 8/9 and May 21, 2025 for Grade 7. (I am waiting to see if I can swap the bands on these days) 

I am figuring out costs still and hope to have that available in the New Year. I will also be looking at doing the Prairie Gourmet Perogy & Sausage Fundraiser again.

 Have a great break and I hope that hear music in your house! 

Jacquie Baird, Band Director Branton School

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. See attached flyer. 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. 

https://brantonwrestling.itemorder.com

Branton Food Bank Drive Homeroom Challenge | Nov. 18 – Dec. 3

Branton will be collecting food/hygiene products for the Calgary Food Bank. 1 in 9 Calgarians access the food bank. 41% are children. We will be accepting products or cash doations.

Holiday Wish List

  • Canned Pasta Sauce
  • Canned Tomatoes
  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Diapers
  • Formula

No glass jars, candy, expired products.

The homeroom with the most points will win a Pizza Party!

Cafeteria Menu

See our cafeteria and menu page.

Fun Lunches are Coming

The third Fun Lunch is coming on December 17 (Banzai!). Deadline to order is Saturday December 14. 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 being worked out by your outstanding School Council Volunteers. Dates to come.