Dear SS Parents and Guardians, 

It looks like Spring may actually come through for us this weekend and into next week! We are deep into planning for the next school year already and will be starting our budgeting process and Spring staffing next week.  

Please please please also take a look at volunteering for our School Council & Parent Association Casino Fundraiser, as it is coming up on May 7 & 8, 2025 and is our biggest fundraiser of the year! We still have 13 volunteer spots open, and we need you! 

This is also the time we are planting seeds (literally and figuratively!) and will see all kinds of growth in our students and outside, as we all get out of our long Winter! 

Educationally yours, 
Derek 😊  

Derek Rakowski  
Principal, Silver Springs School   

Please Mark Your Calendars 

  • Apr. 4 – Deadline to Order Cob’s Fun Lunch 
  • Apr. 8 – School Council & Parent Association Meeting at 6:30 pm 
  • Apr. 9 – Cob’s Fun Lunch 
  • Apr. 18 – Deadline to order Subway Fun Lunch 
  • Apr. 18 – Good Friday – School Closed 
  • Apr. 21 – Non-Instruction Day – No Classes for Students 
  • Apr. 23 – Subway Fun Lunch 
  • May 1 – Spring Concert at 1:30 pm 
  • May 8 – Classroom and Full School Photo Day, as well as Grade 6 Photos 
  • May 9 – Deadline to Order Subway Fun Lunch 
  • May 13 – School Council & Parent Association Meeting at 6:30 pm  
  • May 14 – Subway Fun Lunch 
  • May 16 – Non-Instruction Day – No Classes for Students 
  • May 19 – Victoria Day – School Closed 
  • May 22 – Volunteer Tea to celebrate all of our amazing Volunteers! 
  • May 27 – Kindergarten Orientation for 2025-26 
  • May 28 – Grade 6 Provincial Achievement Test – English Language Arts and Literacy – Writing Part A 
  • May 30 – Wonder Day #4 

Planning for Next Year 

At our March School Council meeting, a presentation was given on the CBE’s school development planning process, the fees and budget process, and how schools are funded within our system.  During the month of April, we will begin our spring staffing process.  We are currently projected to have 260 students attending our school for the 2025- 26 school year.  Thank you to our families for completing the online Next Year survey.  This information will allow us to make a more accurate student count and will help us with our decisions for the upcoming year. 

To help us get an accurate count of students returning to Silver Springs School for the 2025-26 school year, we ask that parents complete this survey for each child in your family. Accurate enrolment data is key to ensuring we can plan and staff accordingly for the next school year. We are currently projecting 260 students for the 2025-26 school year. As such, an early understanding of our enrolment numbers will be beneficial as we look at grade configurations and school organization beginning next month. 
Please click on the link below to do this SHORT survey, which should only take 1-2 minutes per child. 
https://forms.office.com/r/T1mjzSS8Vg  

We kindly ask that you please complete the survey before the end of the day on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Thank you so much to the 107 parents (out of 257 students) who have already done this! It is greatly appreciated! 

Kindergarten Registration Updates 

Kindergarten registration is ongoing! If you know someone, a friend or neighbor, who has a child that is age-appropriate for kindergarten for next year, please send them our way!  Families are encouraged to register as soon as possible. This helps significantly with school planning for next year including teacher hiring and determining the number of classes required. Call 403-777-6070 or email the school at SilverSprings@cbe.ab.ca if you require assistance with the online registration process. 

Spring Music Concert on May 1 

Hello Parents! We are very excited as we are preparing for our spring concert on May 1, 2025 at 1:30pm. We hope you all can join us! This will be a benefit concert for a special organization called “Playing for Change Foundation.” Check out their website and ask your children how this organization started and what it does!  https://playingforchange.org/about/ 

On Thursday, May 1, 2025 from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, our students will be sharing the music with the theme of “A SONG FOR EVERYONE,” based on a story about music coming from a window... and as people listened, it changed how people felt and acted.  

Mrs. Blenkhorne and our students have been working very hard on this! Last year, Mrs. Ryskamp did a Student Concert Attendance survey, and they indicated that only 50% of our students would be able to attend an evening concert. As this concert depends on students playing various parts and instruments for numerous musical pieces, we needed greater student attendance to make this concert a success.  
That all being said, Mrs. Bajwa and Mr. Rakowski are working to get all of our “Consent for Use of Student Information” forms signed, which most families did back in September. We will be following up with the parents of the students we do not have the forms for in the next week. This will allow Mr. Rakowski to record the concert and share the video out with parents who were not able to attend the in-person concert. 

Of course, parents and grandparents are more than welcome to attend in person that day, and the concert will take place in our gym! 

~Mrs. Blenkhorne 

April is Autism Awareness Month

April is World Autism Month, an annual opportunity for a dedicated conversation about autism spectrum disorder. Autism touches more than 70 million people globally. Approximately 1 in 50 children and youth are working with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Canada and this number continues to grow. In 2008, The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day. In 2012, the Canadian Parliament passed the World Autism Awareness Day Act recognizing April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. During this coming month at Silver Springs School, we will be promoting awareness, understanding and inclusion in our school and community. 

Silver Springs School Council & Parent Association Casino Fundraiser – Volunteers needed! 

We still have 13 positions that we need to have filled for our Casino Fundraiser! Please sign up as soon as possible! 

Our school's largest fundraiser, the casino, is just under two months away! We need a lot of volunteers for this event, and as of today, we have 25 spots left to fill - grab a friend and volunteer together to help support our school! 

Casino Details 

Spring-Time Safety Reminders 

With the nicer weather on the way, we would like to share a couple of reminders to our Silver Springs School families to ensure that we keep everyone safe and sound. We would like to remind our families that, for safety’s sake, scooters, bikes and skateboards are not to be ridden on the school sidewalk that runs in along the front of our school. We ask that students, parents and siblings dismount and walk all scooters, bikes and skateboards through this area. 

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School Council Updates 

Our Next School Council & Parent Association Meeting is April 8, 2025 
Our next School Council meeting is on Tuesday April 8, 2025 at 6:30 pm in the Learning Commons. I can’t wait to see you there! 

Silver Springs School Council & Parent Association Casino Fundraiser – Volunteers needed! 
Our school's largest fundraiser, the casino, is just under two months away! We need a lot of volunteers for this event, and as of today, we have 13 spots left to fill - grab a friend and volunteer together to help support our school! 

Casino Details 

Fundraising Coordinator Position Needed 

We are looking for parents to join our School Council & Parent Association for the 2025/2026 school year. We are currently looking for people who would be interested in the Fundraising Coordinator position. Mentorship and transition support will be provided, and volunteering for the Council is a great way to stay involved & engaged with what the students are up to! 

Silver Springs Parent Council Email Opt In 

To ensure you don’t miss out on information on school fundraisers, events, and other activities, please add your email to our list.

For any questions about the above, or your School Council and Parent Association in general - please email sssparentcouncil@gmail.com   

Céleste Howard and Erin Olesen (School Council Chair and Vice Chair)