May 22nd

Hello Brackendale parents,

As we wrap up another week, it certainly seems like the children are starting to sense the finish line getting closer. As always, lots on the go with class photos, field trips to the nicely refrigerated ice rink for skating, grade 6 tours of Don Ross, and also some small but wonderful moments of learning like Mr. Fieldhouse’s class seeing the tadpoles growing in their classroom develop legs overnight. Every week from now until the end of the year will be busy, full of learning, assessments, field trips, and celebrations. As always, we hope your child is able to attend every day to be part of the school community until we close on June 25, but if your child is going to miss school for whatever reason, please inform the teacher as soon as possible so that they can plan accordingly.

On the topic of communication, I wanted to bring up something that we are increasingly seeing in our school regarding parent-teacher communication. I hope you feel that the teachers in this building are responsive to your requests for meetings, email communications, speaking on the phone etc…Every day, I see my teachers connecting with parents before and after school and via email and telephone. However, I would ask for the understanding that teachers are unable to respond to emails, or meeting requests, during the school day. They have up to 30 students in front of them from 8:45am-3:00pm and on their lunch break, most of them are getting ready for their afternoon lessons. They will respond to your email or phone call in a timely manner, but it may not be until the next school day or two. Additionally, emails that are sent in the evening may not get a response until the next day, as our teachers are also parents, coaches, and volunteers in the community who need a break in the evening from school.

If there is a true time-pressing matter involving your child or if you haven’t heard back from your child’s teacher in 1-2 days, then please reach out to me via email or call the school at 604-898-3651. We strive to be a community school that creates strong partnerships with our parents, and we ask for your patience and understanding when reaching out to our staff.  

Antony Blaikie – Principal

Brackendale Elementary School

Sea to Sky School District, SD48

I am honoured to be living, working, and learning on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Sḵwxwú7mesh Nation.