Weekly Update | April 6 - 10, 2026

Principal Update

Sibylla Kiddle School Families,

Do you have a favourite visual artist? For me, it’s Jason Carter, a Canmore-based artist. You’ve likely come across his work in various locations around our city, or perhaps during a visit to one of his galleries in Canmore or Banff. I’m drawn to his simple yet bold use of colour, contrasted with stark black outlines that capture landscapes and animals from the prairies to the mountains.

Viewing and appreciating art isn’t something most of us take the time to do. I can’t remember the last time I paused for more than a few seconds to truly take in the richness of a piece of artwork. Yet, even a quick search points to a strong body of research suggesting that spending just a few intentional minutes with a beautiful piece of art can have meaningful benefits for mental health and well-being.

Creating art takes this a step further. It provides an opportunity to express thoughts, feelings, and stories through colour and medium in ways that are deeply personal and unique. Next week, we are excited to begin a two-month Artist in Residence program at our school, generously funded by the Sibylla Kiddle Fundraising Society. Our artist will spend four hours with each classroom, guiding students in developing artistic skills and expression as they create a piece that reflects their own perspectives. Our Grade 3 students will be the first to begin this experience.

In the meantime, consider finding an opportunity to visit a gallery or museum and discover a piece of art that resonates with you.

Brad Emery

Principal

Spring Concert

Our Spring Concert, featuring students in Kindergarten through Grade 2, will take place on April 16, with performance times scheduled by class. The evening will include six mini-concerts. Please refer to the schedule below for your child’s performance time. You only need to attend your child’s concert, which will help keep audience sizes smaller. Everyone gets a great seat. Extended family members are welcome to attend.

 At your child’s assigned time, please drop them off in their classroom. You can then proceed to line up at the gym doors to await the performance. At the end of the concert, please return to the classroom to pick up your child. There is no need to arrive early, line up down the block or stay for performances of other classes.

 For families with multiple children in different grades, you are welcome to pick up your first child after their performance and spend time in the forest area until it is time for your next child’s concert.

Next Year Planning

We are beginning our planning for the 2026-2027 school year. Having accurate enrolment projections helps us to plan effectively, preventing the need to realign how many classrooms we have in September.

If you know that your child will not be attending our school in 2026-2027 can you please let us know, as soon as possible, by emailing SibyllaKiddle@cbe.ab.ca

We want to remind parents that our grade 5 students, who live in the designated attendance area for Dr. George Stanley School, will be automatically enrolled at that school.

If your child will be remaining with us for the upcoming school year, and they live in our designated attendance area, there is no action you need to take. They will automatically be enrolled into their next grade.

Literacy Night (for parents)

Our School Council is excited to host a guest speaker on April 29 at 6:00 PM. Sara Pedon will be joining us to share insights into how children learn to read, why reading development matters, and practical ways you can support your child at home.

Learning to read is complex, especially in English. Even simple patterns can be inconsistent. For example, the letter “a” sounds different in mad and made, and combinations like “gh” change from ghost to rough. These small variations highlight just how much children are processing as they learn to decode text.

If you’ve ever sat beside your child as they work through a book, you know that learning to read takes time, patience, and encouragement but it is absolutely achievable. We hope you’ll join us on April 29 to gain new insights and practical strategies to support your child’s reading journey.