Hello Bayside Families,

December and the holiday season can be wonderful and magical and so much fun. No matter your traditions and celebrations, the time leading up to Winter break is full of activities, messages, and demands on our attention and time. As we enter into the holiday season, it is also important to recognize that for many children, and adults, this time of year can be difficult and a reminder of things that are hard.  Awareness, empathy, extra check-ins and paying close attention will all help us to take care of our students, and each other, over the season. 

Reminders/ Updates:

Dress for the weather: December is upon us and has brought some wintery weather. We had an awesome time outdoors playing in the snow today! A reminder that our students go outside every day and need to come prepared for changes in the weather. A warm coat, hat, gloves or mittens, boots, and snow pants will help your child to have the most comfortable and fun outdoor experience. If your family is in need of any winter clothing, please reach out to the school or to your child’s teacher.

Traffic and Pedestrian Safety: Traffic and pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility between the school, families, and our greater community. This week, we had a near miss incident in the intersection at Auburn Springs Blvd and Auburn Crest Way where a child was almost hit by a car walking  with their sibling to school. Concerned parents and the school have contacted 311 to request increased pedestrian safety measures be taken at that intersection. We would also like to remind families that there is a crosswalk with pedestrian lights and student safety patrols at the intersection of Auburn Springs Blvd and Auburn Crest Park. While it is a little farther to walk, this is a safer option for crossing the Blvd at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation and work with the City of Calgary to increase awareness and safety for our students and families. Traffic and safety concerns can be reported to the City of Calgary through the links available here.

Changes to Bayside bus zone: To accommodate the busses needed for our growing school, the bus zone along Auburn Springs Blvd. has been extended from the walking path along the back of the school to the crosswalk. We recognize this change requires families to adjust your before and after school routines and we thank you for your attention to the change, and your support keeping drop off and pick up safe for students.

Patrols: Our wonderful patrols team has created a video for students and families to help everyone understand when to wait and when to cross. You can see the video here!

Pedestrians: Please wait for the patrols to say “proceed” before crossing. When you hear them say “step back” please be patient and wait until the next crossing.

Drivers: Please do not enter the intersection or crosswalk until you have made eye-contact with the patrols team. Please be patient as our students are working hard to help manage the traffic flow at the intersection and it can make it very tricky if people are in a rush. Thankyou for valuing safety over convenience.

Food at School: A reminder to parents that we are not able to hand out treats to classes (for example, birthday treats). In each of our classes, there is a wide array of food allergies, sensitivities, and restrictions and so we have a policy of no shared food items at school. If a class has a baking project or other food-related learning activity planned, the teacher will inform parents ahead of time with a list of ingredients and will ensure there are safety precautions and alternatives available to students in the class who may have allergies or sensitivities so they can participate safely in the learning.

Winter Celebrations: We have many exciting Winter Celebrations coming up over the last two weeks of school! Check out the Winter Celebrations message on our Website for all the details.

Kindergarten Registration for 2024-25 Opens on January 15, 2024: Click here for more information to prepare for Kindergarten registration.

For students currently in Kindergarten- grade 4 who already attend Bayside school, there is no action required from parents. Your child will be automatically enrolled at Bayside for the 2024-25 school year as long as you continue to reside in our attendance area.

Overflow Designation for Lakeshore School:  Due to continued enrolment growth at Lakeshore School, CBE has announced that enrolment has been capped for grades 7-9 at Lakeshore School for all new registrations for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year. For the 2024-25 school year, Lakeshore School will have a lottery process for new grade 6- grade 9 registrations. Please see the notice for more information.

Grade 5 students living in the attendance area for Lakeshore, currently attending Auburn Bay School, Bayside School, or Mahogany School, will automatically be included in the lottery for Grade 6 at Lakeshore School for the 2024-25 school year. Please visit the website for more information on the CBE lottery process.

Coming Up/ Dates to Remember:

December 8                             PD Day, No school for students

December 11                          MacLellan last day at Library School

December 14                          Bayside Winter Wonderland Celebration, 5:45-7:45 PM

                                                5:45-6:40 Last name beginning with A-K

                                                6:50- 7:45 Last name beginning with L-Z

December 15                         Comfy Cozy Day, Healthy Hunger Snack- Kernels (reminder this is a PM Kindergarten day)

December 21                          Healthy Hunger- Edo of Japan

December 18-21                     Bayside Caroling and Sing-Along (times and dates for each grade have been added to "Dates to Remember" on our Website).

December 22                            Last day of classes (12:00 dismissal)

January 8                                Classes resume

January 15                              Non-Instruction Day (No School for Students)

Have a wonderful weekend, 

Darby