Important Dates 

See our School Calendar for all of our upcoming dates and events.

Bonjour BP families, 

Thank you, students, families, and staff, for another wonderful year at BP! Although the school year was interrupted with labour action in October, it has flown by so quickly; I can't believe it's the end of June already. We have much to celebrate this year:   

  • A very successful athletics year  
  • Some very successful Band/Drama performances 
  • Two very successful out of province trips- SEAS Sailing and Quebec/Montreal/Ottawa 
  • Many offsite field trips for all students 
  • Engaging learning activities for our students  
  • An incredibly engaged group of leadership students leading school culture activities 
  • Our student well-being task force lending voice to teaching and learning 
  • Laughter and smiles in the halls  
  • The partnership with our main feeder schools (Jennie Elliott, Westgate, Western Canada High School) 
  • BPPC/BPPA, and our parent volunteers- we couldn't do what we do without your help and generosity 

Our dedicated staff members who volunteered their personal time to ensure students had  meaningful extracurricular experiences 
 
This is certainly not an exhaustive list. I can't wait to see what next school year brings.   
 
Our work in supporting students' academic achievement, emotional growth, and wellbeing has been seamless for many students, and sometimes an ongoing conversation for some; this is the work we do in meeting students where they are in their personal development as learners and members of our school community. We strive to do this with empathy and kindness. We all have a role to play in this work; staff, students and families have a responsibility and role to play in contributing to a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment. We are continually learning, unlearning, and relearning as our context is never static. We work on showing grace and empathy when mistakes are made and ask the same from our students.   
 
For those students and families leaving BP, I wish you success in your next school year.    
 
For those families remaining, you can expect to see school start up information delivered via email mid-August. If you have registered for yellow school bus transportation, the routes will be made available in late August. The school will be closed at 12:30 PM on June 30, and reopen at 9 AM on August 27. Please note that all school staff will be on holiday from June 27 to August 27. Phone calls and emails will not be monitored during this time.    
 
In the meantime, have a safe and restful summer, and we will see you on the first student day, August 31, at 8 AM.    
 
For those looking for school supply lists, these will be made available on the course outlines given to students at the beginning of September. If you really want to make some purchases over the summer, you can definitely count on the basics such as: binders, pencils, pens, erasers, dividers, lined paper, white out, and a scientific calculator. Some students prefer an agenda- this is optional.   

Government of Alberta's Announcement of Personal Mobile Devices in School 

We will continue to adhere to the Alberta Education's 2024 announcement that K-12 students in all school districts in the province will no longer be permitted to use personal mobile devices during instructional time. In addition, access to social media sites will be restricted. We have had a successful year behind us with this new policy.   

Staffing Updates 

This spring brought 750 open positions in the CBE, a new record! Bonne chance to the following staff members who are taking on new adventures and professional learning for next year. We wish them all the best! 

  • Mme Agatha Ulewicz is moving to Westgate School to take on a grade 5 Learning Leader position 
  • Mme Sarah Ngoyi is moving to Branton to become the Learning Leader of Indigenous Education 
  • Mrs. Tayler McLaughlin is going to a CBE system role as English as an Additional Language Strategist 
  • Mme. Elena Lam is moving to David Thompson School to teach French Immersion SMATH 
  • Ms. Alex Staple is moving to Bowness HS as a CSSI EA 
  • Mr. Maarten will continue to be our reliable guest teacher when needed 

We are thrilled to welcome the following staff to the BP community for next year 

  • Mme Maura Lewis will be teaching French Immersion Humanities 
  • Ms. Caitlin MacDermott will be teaching Humanities and be the Humanities Learning Leader 
  • Ms. Madeline Roberts will be teaching Humanities 
  • Ms. Emily Boyes will be teaching Humanities 
  • Mr. Carson Tuff will be teaching Construction and ELA 
  • Ms. Kate Payne will be teaching Humanities 
  • Mme. Anna Kashirin will be teaching French Immersion Humanities 
  • Mme. Brienne Welton will be teaching French Immersion Humanities 
  • Mme. Jessica Chen will be teaching French Immersion SMATH 
  • Ms. Ciara Russell-Baker will be teaching SMATH  

Semester 2 Report Cards and Appeals Day 

Teachers have worked intensively over the last month to capture student assessment of learning and communicate that in personalized ways through the semester 2 report card.  Digital report cards for all CBE schools will be viewable in Power School beginning on Thursday, June 25. 

We suggest the value in arranging a sit-down meeting between parent and child to read the report card together. This creates an opportunity for intentional recognition of accomplishments made this year; there are also specific recommendations made by teachers for next steps in learning 

If there are any incongruencies or if you are unable to access the digital report card, please contact the main office right away.  Additionally, should families have questions or wish to contest any aspect of the report card, we request that they email the teacher to book a virtual or in-person appointment.  Please email teachers by Friday. June 26, 3:30 pm to request an appointment on Appeals Day.  Appeals Day is Monday. June 29, 9:00-12:00 pm. 

Outstanding Fees 

Please have a look on your MyCBE account to resolve any outstanding fees for this year. We have had some field trips and athletic events for June. Our total amount outstanding is just over $50 000.  

Lost and Found Items 

We have an abundance of lunch kits, water bottles, and hoodies galore in our lost and found. Please remind your students to have a final look and take any items that belong to them, as we will be donating the abandoned items on June 29.  

Important Dates 

  • June 26- Last day of school for students 
  • June 29- Appeals 9AM -12 PM (see above) 
  • June 29/30- Non Instruction Days. **Note** Bishop Pinkham School will be closed for summer holidays (no access to phones/emails from 12:30 PM on June 30- Aug 27, opening at 9 AM) 
  • August 31- First day of school for 2026-2027 year! 
    • You'll be getting a welcome back email with startup information the third week in August. 

 

Have a wonderful summer! 

Rishma Hajee
Principal | Bishop Pinkham School