Dear Parents and Guardians,
The office is open again! I hope you all had an amazing summer with lots of family fun times and many cherished new memories. Sadly, we need to congratulate Ms. Leah from the front office on her promotion to becoming the new E secretary at Spring Ridge School. While a tremendous loss for us, it is an excellent career move for her. We are grateful for all her hard work here at Bowcroft. Her consistent smile and friendly manner have made the front office a welcoming place for students and parents. We will miss her.
First Day for students is September 2.
You will receive an email from your homeroom teacher, introducing themselves, prior to the weekend. On September 2, please arrive at school around 8:45am. The teachers will all be outside with class lists. A chair next to them will have their name and grade on them. Please find your teacher, introduce yourself and then say goodbye to your child and … go for a coffee with a friend to catch up! When the bell rings, the students will go into the school with the teacher. Parents will wave goodbye and leave. This makes the transition smooth, as your child will start focusing on their new teacher.
Please note that our times have changed (a tiny bit). School begins at 9:03 now. The bells will ring at 8:58am to allow students to come in. Lunch will continue to be in classrooms. Div 1 will eat first from 12:20 to 12:40pm, while div 2 students will play outside. At 12:20pm the bell will ring. The younger students will go outside to play, while div 2 students will come inside to eat from 12:20 to 1:00pm. Dismissal time stays at 3:40pm as before.
A reminder that all phones have to be taken to Ms. Smith’s office for safekeeping. Smartwatches are also considered ‘phones’ as they do have this capability. These should also be brought to the office. Students are allowed to call parents from the office phone. The only exception from this rule are students who need their phone to monitor their medical device as well as students requiring their phone for translation help. In both cases, extra forms need to be completed. Please have a conversation with your child about this process. Danke!
On August 14, I spent the day volunteering as the cashier at the Cowboy’s casino downtown. AGEC (Association of German Education in Calgary) had their major fundraiser and was short 3 volunteers. So I decided to help out. AGEC supports the German bilingual program with $2,000-4,000 each year (advertisement for the Open House, books etc are the main ones).
Personally, I spent time with my sons, their wives and little Alina, who will be starting grade 1! So exciting. Her dad, my son, is also a teacher. It touched me deeply to watch him sit down every morning after breakfast and work with Alina on math, reading and writing. Talking about getting a head start! Because we had all the rain this summer, the berries have had incredible yields. I have made jam all summer, it seams. Right now, I’m picking plums every day and the grapes are ripening quickly at this point in time.
We also have two German student teachers who are starting the year with us:
Frau Julia Bartsch will spend the month of September with Frau McCashin. You will meet her on the first day of school.
Frau Vanessa Auerbach will join Frau Hauck’s class from 15.09. - 24.10.2025.
We are very excited to share that Ms. Hou (who got married this summer – congratulations!) is now our FULL TIME music teacher. This means that each class has three blocks of music each week (or maybe 2 if it’s a short week).
WINS Certificates
As you know, we do not have shoes, jackets, pants, underwear etc at school. We collaborate with WINS. WINS is just down the road in Bowness. You can find clothing etc. there. If you are in financial need, please come and see Ms. Corey, who will be able to print off a $50 certificate from WINS for you.
Welcome back!
BPAC
Friday, September 5 BPAC Coffee & Muffin Mixer; directly following the 9am school bell, please join our BPAC team in the Outdoor Classroom, for some hot Tim Hortons coffee, cookies and muffins. Reconnect with friends and families after summer break.
First School Council & BPAC meeting of the school year! Tuesday, September 9, at 6:30pm. Join fellow Bowcroft parents and Bowcroft admin, to hear about what is new and upcoming for this school year. Join us the first Tuesday of every month for our monthly School Council & BPAC meetings all year long.
Assigned Teachers
Please visit Our Staff page.
Dates to Remember:
September 2: First Day of School
September 5: Muffin Mixer- BPAC run
September 9: BPAC meeting, in person, 6:30pm
September 15: Picture Day
September 25: Meet the Teacher 4:30 to 6:30pm
September 26: Clothing “Winter Shopping”, everything is free
September 29: No School; IPP Meetings with Parents
October 7: BPAC, 6:30pm
October 23: Family Literacy Night, 6:00-7:00pm
November 4: BPAC, 6:30pm
November 10-12: Fall Break
November 13: Classes Resume
November 27: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:15 to 8:00pm
November 28: No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences, 8:00 to 1:00pm
December 9 - Community Winter Performance, 6:00 to 7:30pm
December 10 - German Winter Performance, 6:00 to 7:30pm