Happenings
- March 2025: Le mois de la Francophonie au Canada and Iris Heritage Month
- March 3: Junior Tigers Volleyball Camp (7:15-8:15 am)
- March 10: Sugar Shack (La cabane à sucre)
Thank You to Our Amazing Volunteers!
A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped at our two-day casino fundraiser! Your time and effort directly support our students, and we are thrilled to share that we expect to raise approximately $80,000 to support the school over the next two years. Your generosity makes a real difference, and we truly appreciate it!
Celebrating Francophone and Irish Heritage Month
Next week marks the beginning of March, and we are excited to celebrate Francophone and Irish Heritage Month in Canada! On March 10, all our students will take part in our Cabane à sucre (Sugar Shack) experience, and this year, we are pleased to share this special tradition with Capitol Hill School. We would also like to acknowledge the financial support we received from OLEP (Official Languages in Education Program), a federal initiative that promotes French language education outside Quebec.
Parent-Teacher Conferences | March 20 & 21
We are still awaiting further direction in early March regarding how schools will proceed with Parent-Teacher Interviews in light of the CUPE strike (whether they will be held online or in person).
For now, please note the scheduled dates and times:
📅 March 20 (5:00 – 8 PM)
📅 March 21 (9:00 AM - 1 PM
We will provide an update as soon as we receive confirmation on the format of the interviews. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
As always, we encourage parents to reach out to teachers at any time—you don’t need to wait for these scheduled dates to ask questions or share important information about your child’s learning.
Alberta Education Assurance Survey – Grade 7 Parents
You recently received information about the Alberta Education Assurance Survey for students in Grades 4, 7, and 10. This survey is an important tool that helps shape our school's planning for the next year. We encourage all Grade 7 parents to complete it. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Ormiston at [pjormiston@cbe.ab.ca].
Cafeteria Update #3
We are still in the process of hiring new Branton Cafeteria staff. Unfortunately, we must inform you that the cafeteria will remain closed for the week of March 3-7, 2025.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to finalize this hiring process. We will continue to provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.
This means that our cafeteria will remain closed next week (March 3-7, 2025).
Provincial Achievement Tests
In May and June of this year, Grade 6 and 9 students across the province will participate in the Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs). Grade 9 students will complete PATs in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.
For the 2024/25 school year, the Grade 6 PAT in Science and the French Immersion Language Arts and Literature (FILAL) will not be administered. However, the Grade 6 Social Studies PAT will continue to be offered, aligning with the current Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum. The Grade 6 Mathematics and English Language Arts and Literature (ELAL) PATs will be administered, reflecting the new curriculum.
Results from these tests will provide Alberta Education, school administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, students and the public with information about what students know and can do in relation to provincial standards at the end of Grade 6 and 9.
Provincial Achievement Tests are based on what students have been learning throughout the school year, so they will be marked by teachers before they are returned to Alberta Education.
School staff share preliminary results with parents after the PAT administration. Individual Student Profiles (ISPs) are available to schools in the fall of the following school year. School staff then share the ISPs with parents or parents can access results directly using myPass. A record of the ISP will be retained electronically in the student record. This profile is prepared by Alberta Education after the marking and scoring of tests has been completed and the final scores are calculated; it will present your child’s performance on each test in relation to provincial standards.
CBE 2024-25 PAT Schedule
Please visit our calendar page or the CBE website for dates.
Junior High Debate
Emma and Noah competed at the Western Canada High School Junior High Debate in the Bilingual Category and brought home the gold medals for team, as well as for Individual Speakers. They debated the following resolution, "Cette assemblée fera bannir les vols d'avions à courte distance", in English which translated to "This assembly would ban short distance flights,' and another impromptu subject. Bravo to Emma and Noa for doing excellent French research and scripts, and engaging in wonderful debates with adversaries.
Yearbook
Click the link below to order your yearbook https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode= 1016565165982070
Volleyball Camp
Health Class Information
The Calgary Board of Education is required to provide parents with notice when curriculum being covered deals primarily with Human Sexuality. As all students at Branton school are enrolled in physical education and health programming, the topic of Human Sexuality will be upcoming shortly in health classes. Next week you will receive a detailed parent letter about what types of content will be covered in these classes as well as an exemption form for your child, should it be relevant. Health classes covering Human Sexuality may begin as early as March 10.
Fun Lunch
March 19, Boardwalk Order Link Order by Friday, March 14 Midnight.
If you would like to Volunteer Link Please and Thank You.
Upcoming Dates For Fun Lunches
April 23 - Tim Horton’s
May 14 - Opa
June 16 - Booster Juice
Reminder for Lates and Absences
When your student is going to be Absent, please call the Attendance Line: 403 777 7440 ext 5000. If there is going to be an Extended Absence eg: Holiday, Please have your student pick up an Extended Absence form in the front office. May we ask that you do not email the General Mailbox for Branton as that email is not checked before attendance is sent out.
When you know your student is going to be late you can call the Attendance Line for that as well. When your student is late they need to come to the office and 1st sign in on the Yellow Sheet on the clipboard in the office, then fill out a late slip and take it to class. The Yellow sheet is what is used to notify the office that the absence needs to be changed to late. If this is not done, it may result in parents receiving an unnecessary attendance call. In order to sign out. we require a note from home for them to bring to the office when it is time to sign out.
We thank you in advance for your help reinforcing this with your students.
French Language Resources for Parents in Alberta
We know that supporting your child’s learning in French can sometimes be challenging, especially in a French Immersion. To help, I have gathered a list of French resources that you can use at home to support and enhance your child’s learning experience.
Online French Learning Platforms
📖 TV5Monde – Apprendre – Free activities for listening, reading, and vocabulary development.
🎧 Radio-Canada Jeunesse – Videos, podcasts, and games in French for all ages.
📖 IDÉLLO – Educational videos, games, and activities for French learners.
Reading & Literacy Resources
📚Education - ONF – Free French digital books for children.
📖 Les Petits Livres – A subscription-based book rental service for French learners.
📚 Scholastic – Books in French – Order age-appropriate French books.
French Homework Help & Tutoring
💡 OnParle.net – A resource for French tutoring and conversation practice.
🎓 Centre de Ressources d’Appui (CRA) – Alberta – Homework help and French language support for parents and students.
📚 Alloprof (Québec) – Free online tutorials and videos for various subjects in French.
Fun & Engaging Activities in French
🎤 Karaoké en Français – Fun karaoke videos to practice pronunciation.
🎭 Theatre Français – Virtual French theatre performances for kids.
🎮 Jeux en Français – Online games in French for different skill levels.
French Cultural & Community Resources in Alberta
🇨🇦 Francophonie Albertaine Plurielle (FRAP) – Events and resources for French-speaking families in Alberta.
📅 Association Canadienne-Française de l’Alberta (ACFA) – French cultural and community
events.
🎭 Alliance Française Edmonton & Calgary – French language courses and cultural programs.
We hope these resources will help you support and enrich your child’s French learning experience. If you have any questions or need further recommendations, feel free to reach out.
