Remaining Parent Council Meetings for 2016-2017 School Year

• April 10, 2017 @ 7:00pm
• May 15, 2017 @ 7:00pm - Executive positions will be elected for the 2017/2018 school year at this meeting.

Just Before Spring Break...

Just a quick note before everybody enjoys their week off:

March 17: Report Cards were posted on SchoolZone
March 22: Alberta Opera presentation of 'Hansel and Gretal'
March 23: School Wide Assembly
March 24: Dress like you are from the future day
March 27-31: Spring Break!!

Congratulations to all our Relay track participants & to our Scrabble Club participants who represented the school well at their Events!

The Brander Garden's Family Glow Dance will be happening again in April - Ticket Forms should have come home with your child last week.  Proceeds will be put towards new technology for the school.

Watch for posters around the school and notes home about the Spring Clothing & Book exchange this May.

Next Parent Council Meetings

Here are the dates for the remaining Parent Council Meetings for the 2016/2017 school year:

• February 13, 2017
• March 13, 2017
• April 10, 2017
• May 15, 2017 & Elections

January Update

We are now all back into our regular schedules after the Holiday Break!  Here are some dates to make note of:

• Hot Lunch - Every Wednesday - Sign-up online (http://thelunchlady.ca) - Remember your utensils!
• January 23, 2017 - Dress like a superhero!
• January 24, 2017 - Div 2 Ski field trip
• February 1, 2017 - Kindergarten Registration Begins
• February 2, 2017 - Grade 5 Immunization
• February 6, 2017 - PD Day - No School
• February 13-17, 2017 - Student Led Conferences 
• February 21st, 2017 - Brander Gardens Open House - 6:30pm - 7:30pm
• February 28th, 2017 - South Edmonton French Immersion Open House - Greenview School - 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Indoor run club has started.  Practices are on Tuesdays (Div 2) and Thursdays (Div 1).   However the January 24th practice is cancelled because of the ski field trip.

Welcome Back!

Hard to believe we are off and running with another school year!

A few items to note:

September 13th - 6:30pm - 7:30pm - Meet the Teacher Night

September 13th - 7:30pm - Parent Council Meeting
September 22nd - 4:00pm - 7:00pm - Welcome Back BBQ

Please join us after Meet the Teacher Night for our Parent Council Meeting!  

Our Executive was elected before the summer and are ready to start off the 2016-17 school year. Brander Gardens Parent Council meetings always include updates for the principal on school activities/issues and are a great way for parents who are not able to be in the school often to be informed of activities going on in the school.  If you are a parent or guardian of a child at Brander Gardens you are already a member of the Parent Council.      

Fall Running Club has also started for students in Grade 3-6.  Practices are M/W/F mornings at 8:00am.  Information and permission forms went home with students in Grades 3-6 last week if they attended the meet-up in the Gym. 

May Update!

It is hard to believe that there is less than 2 months left in the school year!  Here are the important dates for the month of May:

• May 2 -13, 2016 - Artist in Residence DanceEd Movement
• May 5, 2016 – ICON School group photo
• May 6, 2016 - PD Day, no classes for students
•  May 13, 2016 – Hot Lunch
• May 13, 2016 - DanceEd Movement Presentation for Parents - 12:45pm & 2:15pm
• May 19 & 20, 2016 – Teacher Day in Lieu - No school for students 
• May 23 - Victoria Day - No school for students
• May 25, 2016 - Welcome to Kindergarten Event - 2:00pm & 5:30pm
• May 30, 2016 - Parent Council AGM - 7:00pm 
• June 2, 2016 - Parent Volunteer Appreciation - 1:30pm 

Welcome Back from Spring Break - Dates to Remember

Hard to believe that Spring Break has already come and gone!  Here are the notable dates for April and May:

• April 8th - Beach Day - Come dressed for the Beach!
• April 8th - Hot Lunch Day - Boston Pizza - sign up at healthyhunger.ca
• April 11th - 14th - Schoolastic Book Fair 
• April 14th - Annual Spring Book & Clothing Exchange 
• April 18th - Professional Learning Day for all School Staff (no school for students)
• April 25th - 29th - English Highest Level of Achievement Test in writing for all grade 2-6 students
• April 29th - Family Glow Dance and Silent Auction - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
• May 2nd - DanceEd Movement Artist in Residence beings (PAC sponsored activity)
• May 5th - Class/group pictures for all classes
• May 6th - Professional Learning Day for all School Staff (no school for students)
• May 10th - Provincial Achievement Tests begin, all details and dates on SchoolZone
• May 11th - ArtsFest at Lillian Osborne High School, our grade 3 Dance Club will be performing
• May 13th - Dance Day - wear your costume for your dance performance
• May 13th - Hot Lunch Day - Opa - sign up at healthyhunger.ca

Volunteers are needed for (check SchoolZone for contact information):

• Scholastic Book Fair
• Glow Dance 

Please remember to check the lost and found for your child's missing items,  The boxes are very full!!!  

Siblings Guaranteed Enrollment at Brander Gardens Again!

With the opening of the new school for MacTaggart, Magrath and SW Terwillegar students, the suspension of the sibling rule for Brander Gardens has been reversed.  This means siblings of currently enrolled students are now guaranteed enrollment at Brander Gardens again!

For more information check the Edmonton Public School's website: http://www.epsb.ca/ 

February News

Welcome Back!

Our First Parent Council Meeting of 2016 was held on January 25.  Thanks to all the parents/guardians who attended.

Items of note for February:

February 1, 2016 - PD Day - No School
February 2, 2016 - Kindergarten Registration Opens
February 4, 2016 - Hot Lunch Day  (Please note the original day was Feb. 5th)
February 5, 2016 - Division II Skiing Trip
February 15, 2016 - Family Day - No School
February 25 & 26th - Teacher's Convention - No School

Items of note for March:

March 1, 2016 - Annual Carnival Celebration
March 1, 2016 - French Immersion Open House @ 7:00 PM for all SW Edmonton FI schools
March 9, 2016 - Kindergarten Open House - 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
March 14, 2016 - Pre-enrolment for existing students opens online (closes April 15th, 2016)

Running Club (gr. 3-6) and Scrabble Club (gr. 3-6)  are ongoing.
Recorder Karate has also started for those learning the recorder in music class.
Grade 1 choir will run from mid-Feb to Spring Break, they will perform at the March assembly

Alberta Government Document on Guidelines for Best Practices

For those interested in reading the published document by the Government of Alberta, it can be found here:

https://education.alberta.ca/media/1626737/91383-attachment-1-guidelines-final.pdf

Winter Hamper Program

Each year parent council likes to help community families in need.  Please consider donating items for our Winter Hamper program.  The sign-up for items can be found http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b4da4a82aa20-2015. Items can be dropped off at the school office the week by the morning of December 15th.

December News

Welcome to December

Here are a few important dates to remember:

November 27th - progress reports posted on school zone

December 1st - Fruit for a Friend

December 8th- Fruit for a Friend

December 11th - Kindergarten AM students - Winter Concert - 11:00am - 11:25am (no tickets required)

December 11th - Kindergarten PM students - Winter Concert - 3:00pm - 3:25pm (no tickets required)

December 14th - Last Names A-K, Gr. 1-6 - Winter Concert - 1:00pm - 2:00pm (no tickets required)

December 14th - Last Names A-K, Gr. 1-6 - Winter Concert - 6:30pm - 7:30pm (tickets required)

December 15th - Fruit for a Friend

December 15th - Last Names L-Z, Gr. 1-6 - Winter Concert - 1:00pm - 2:00pm (no tickets required)

December 15th - Last Names L-Z, Gr. 1-6 - Winter Concert - 6:30pm - 7:30pm (tickets required)

December 18th - Last day of classes before Winter Break!

Brander Magazine Fundraiser

Our annual Magazine Fundraiser is underway!

Brander Gardens receives about $10 from each subscription.  There are over 600 magazine titles to choose from - Children, Teen and Adult in English and French.   A great selection at a great value!

Go to www.qsp.ca to order online.  

Click "Shop Now" and use our School Online Id:

369531 and start shopping!

1. Order a new subscription

2. Renew your current subscription

3. Give magazine subscriptions as gifts!

It's quick and easy to pay with Visa or MasterCard - shop 24 hours a day, year round.  Anyone from anywhere in Canada can subscribe and support the school.

By participating, you help sustain the many programs that the Parent Council deliver to our kids and our school.  Last year we raised close to $1000 and we're confident we can increase that amount this year. 

Thank-you to all of our past and current supporters!

Hot Lunch for 2015/16

The hot lunch program has been set up with Healthy Hunger once again this year.

Dates for this year are as follows:

• 6 November 2015 - Booster Juice
• 15 January 2015 - Subway
• 5 February 2015 - Little Italy (Gluten Free option available)
• 4 March 2016 - Banzai
• 8 April 2016 - Boston Pizza
• 13 May 2016 - Opa

Ordering Hot Lunch for your child is simple and painless!!

Step 1: Go to www.healthyhunger.ca and click "Register Student" to create your account.

Step 2: Login, and add your child/children to your account

Step 3: Once your account is created, you will be able to view all of our school's hot lunch menus and dates

Step 4: Place your order selection and make payment online using Visa, MasterCard or Interac

Step 5: Please verify that you receive an email order confirmation from Healthy Hunger to ensure that your order has been processed (check your "junk mail" folder if you do not receive a confirmation in your inbox).

NOTE: If your child is absent from school on a Hot Lunch day, please inform the office if you have alternate plans of the their meal.  Any unclaimed food will be redistributed.

New Picture Re-take Day!

Picture re-takes are now scheduled for October 27th.  Your child should have brought home a paper sheet last week with a code on it to preview and order their photos online from Icon Experience.

Welcome Back!!

It seems that the time keeps going faster and faster. It is already October and there is finally a new post on the website!

Parent Council had their first meeting September 21, 2015 @ 7:00pm. The meeting was well attended and it was great to see so many new faces.

Here are a few important dates from the meeting:

• October 5th - Picture Day - This one has already passed! 
• October 6th - First Fruit for a Friend Collection Day 
• October 8th - Greeting Card Fundraiser Forms Sent Home 
• October 13th - Thanksgiving Holiday 
• October 14th - Fruit for a Friend Day changes as it is after a long weekend 
• October 15th - Annual Clothing and Book Exchange for Brander Garden Families. 
• October 15th - Card Fundraiser Forms Due Back to the School 
• October 17th - Final Run Club meet of the Fall Season 
• October 20, 21st - Book Fair 
• October 23rd - SUTP orders due
• October 26th - Tentative Date for next Parent Council Meeting  
• October 27th - Photo Re-takes 

Current Fundraising Initiatives:

• SUTP Coupon Books - Please return your forms to the school asap! 
• Greeting Card Fundraiser - Your child's art on a blank greeting card - check with your child's teacher if you would like to preview the artwork.
• Boston Pizza - Send your itemized original receipts in your child's agenda from Boston Pizza - this couldn't be easier!  Receipts of friends/team parties are also acceptable.

Clothing and Book Exchange:

This highly anticipated event is on October 15th.  Please drop off your gently used items on the morning of October 15th.  The items available for browsing starting at 11:00am.  The exchange ends at 5:00pm and the remaining items will be donated to appropriate charitable organizations in Edmonton.  This 'Free Cycle' event is open to Brander Gardens Families only.

Mabel's Labels Link Working Again

The Mabel's Labels campaign has been restarted and the link refreshed on our fundraising page!  To make things easy I am also posting the most recent link here: https://www.mabelsfundraising.com/campaigns/21901-brander-gardens-school

More Casino Information - October 30 & 31st 2015

What is SCARIER than working a casino on Halloween Weekend?

A school without Casino funds!!!  Below is a list of items that have been paid for by Casino funds in recent years:

Several key positions need to be filled by August, so please take a look before the end of school.  Updates will also be communicated through the BG Parent Council Facebook Group and SchoolZone.  

Please support this fundraising opportunity by volunteering! 

Sign up via our on-line sign-up sheet using the code word “brander”

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F054CA9A72DA0FB6-casino

Drum Roll Please....Brander Gardens Casino Date: October 30 & 31 2015

We now have confirmation that the Brander Gardens Casino will be Friday October 30th and Saturday October 31st.

We require parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles/unsuspecting friends to fill all the shifts for the Casino.  If all the shifts are not filled we risk losing our Casino and a valuable source of funding for the school.

Items that Casino funds have paid for the following items in the past:

• SmartBoards
• iPads
• ChromeBooks 
• Playground
• Bussing For field-trips
• Hip-Hop Dance Program
• Mathletics
• Soft Seating for class rooms
• Green School 
• Grade 4 Swimming Program
• Library Books

Without Casino funds the Parent Council would be unable to provide the items above that enrich the Brander Garden's students daily learning experience!

Fruit for a Friend Returns Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014!! 

Most Brander Gardens families take for granted that fresh fruit and veggies are part of their daily eating routine. Unfortunately, hundreds of Edmonton kids head out to school without breakfast, let alone fresh fruit and veggies for a snack or with lunch.

 The Fruit for a Friend program was launched back in 2002 to help. Each week, our school and our friends at Earl Buxton School collect fresh fruit and veggies to help out the kids at Delton School, located near Rexall Place, many of whom are living in poverty (one in five children in Edmonton live in poverty, according to charitable organization E4C).

The Delton snack program runs on a budget of 18 cents-a-day per student, so our contributions are a big help.

Your family can help continue the success of the program by remembering to send your student(s) to school most Tuesdays with one of the following:
• Fruits: Apples, oranges, bananas, pears, kiwis, melons, mangos.
• Veggies: Whole cucumbers, sealed and unopened bags of peeled and washed mini carrots
• Dried fruit: Sealed and unopened bags of raisins, craisins or any other dried fruit
• Juice: Flats/cases of 100% fruit juice boxes. If Delton receives individual boxes, they store them until they have enough for a full class.

On Tuesday mornings following the school announcements, our students bring are asked to bring their fruit or veggie to the office for collection. Then volunteer parents take the collection to Delton School for sharing.

Have Time to Drive?

We need volunteers who can help to deliver our contributions to Delton. This is a one-or-two-time commitment of about 1 ½ hours and includes picking up our school’s collection bins, picking up Earl Buxton School’s bin, driving them to Delton School and helping unload them, and then returning them to the respective schools.