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Newsletters
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Principal's Message - April
Dear Parents:
May is the month for fine arts, outdoor school and provincial achievement tests. We are excited about “Willy Wonka” and the chocolate factory during the first week of May. We will be welcoming our grade fours from Colonel Sanders to join us for an afternoon matinee on May 1st. That will give them a chance to come to the school and see what we have to offer. They will also have a chance to meet some grade five students, ask questions and have lunch in our cafeteria. Tickets are on sale at the office for evening performances on May 2nd and 3rd for $7.50 for adults and $5.00 for students. We encourage you to come and support our annual musical.
By now most of you have purchased tickets for our year end band concert on May 15th. We did a cost analysis after the concert in December and realized that it was a very competitive rate at the Jubilee auditorium. The convenience, spaciousness of the stage, and the opportunity for students to perform in a professional venue made it our first choice for concerts in the future. You can still buy tickets at the door on the night of the performance. The seats are all assigned.
The grade six students will be writing their English provincial achievement test on May 16th. On the following week, they will go to outdoor camp. This is always a positive experience. It relates to the grade 6 Science curriculum and prepares them for their final exams.
On May 28th we will end our Parent council with a volunteer supper at 6:00 pm. We are grateful for the work of volunteers throughout the year. The students continue to benefit from your willingness to contribute financially and as volunteers. More information will follow as we get closer to the date.
There was a lively discussion at the last parent council meeting, attended by Directors Susan Church and Darlene Selby. As a result of the meeting, we have a commitment from senior administration to reopen the question of uniforms in the TLC high school. This is an ongoing discussion, but we appreciate their openness to consider changes that may result in more students staying with the program. There was also a brief mention of the increase in bus and lunchroom fees for alternative programs. Transportation has been subsidized with classroom dollars. When we compare the cost to what parents pay, it is less than half. Private and charter schools have higher costs for bussing than the CBE, and while the fees are increasing, they do not come close to the fees for non-public schools. There is a provision, on line, to do monthly payments. If you qualify for waivers, that will cover the cost of transportation and lunch supervision as well. We hope that these costs will not prevent anyone from attending Balmoral next year. We’re proud of our school and we appreciate having all of you continue with us.
Students are excited about the year end, but they still have nine weeks left. Perseverance is the virtue most required at this time of the year. Spring is here!
“Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.”Elaine Knudtson
Principal, Balmoral School
Remembrance Day, by Elaine Knudtson, November 2010 (PDF)
Dare to Dream, by Elaine Knudtson
