Dear Brace Students and Families,

May is upon us and we are now in the final two months of school. We are on our final leg of our learning journey for the 2023-2024 school year. Teachers are completing the final units with students and preparing for final exams, diploma exams, and year end projects in May and June. Please see the attached exam schedule below. Please note that all BRACE courses need to be completed by the middle of June and no courses will be carried over. Please reach out to the teachers for more information and about your child’s progress.

We’ve also recently expanded our BRACE services and are excited to have a Middle Years Pilot program running for the remainder of the school year for students in grades 6-8 who require an alternative setting. The program is designed to provide a wrap-around approach to increasing social-emotional, regulation, self-efficacy, and academic skills within a small group setting. This program requires an application to inclusive education and interview process and there is no direct registration. Mr. Blackburn and Ms. Kiedrowski have been working very hard to set everything up for their classroom.

Summer School registration is posted on our website and we are offering a variety of classes in July. Students need to be prepared to devote the majority of their day to their studies as it’s a compressed timeline and each course is completed in less than a month. Students need to have their own device and good wifi and a willingness to work hard.

Hopefully, the spring weather will return and we see some sun and blue skies. Happy May! If you have any questions, please let us know.

Melanie Buckley

Principal

On April 8th, Mr. Price and a group of BRACE students created cardboard solar projectors as a safe way to view the eclipse without special equipment. These were created by sealing the boxes and adding a white screen to the inside, then making a viewing hole and a pinhole for Sunlight.

As the Moon crosses in front of the Sun, light from the bottom of the Sun is blocked by the Moon, which causes the light entering the pinhole to form the eclipse shape. The pinhole lets through a fraction of the Sun's light which is safe to view by the naked eye. Students were able to take pictures of the eclipse using the boxes as well.

The next time we will see a partial eclipse like this will be in 2029, so have your boxes ready!

All exams will be written in BRACE classrooms.

Baby Photos: We need your baby photos for the graduation slideshow. Please send photos to solson@brsd.ab.ca with the graduates name in the subject line.

Costs for graduation formal wear can sometimes deter students from wanting to participate. Fortunately we have an excellent service available in Camrose that provides free graduation clothing (dresses and suits) to students. Please contact us if you'd like more information about the Princess Project.

Our graduation ceremony takes place at the Bailey Theatre in downtown Camrose on June 6th at 4 pm. Because our graduates come from a variety of geographic locations and our programs are offered online, there is no dinner or dance component.

Students need to be on track and registered and active in their courses (completed 80 credits or more) by April , 2024. I encourage all grade 12's who meet requirements to participate as you've earned it and it's a great feat and should be celebrated! Official high school diplomas are mailed by Alberta Education to students after they have completed all requirements.

Not sure how many credits you have? Check your My Pass account or contact us and we can give you an update. If you think you should be graduating this year, come and see us and we can confirm.

Red Dress Day, May 5

May 5 is Red Dress Day. BRSD commemorates the memories of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada. We encourage wearing red next week to raise awareness about the importance of standing up to end violence against Indigenous women and girls. Visit Visit www.alberta.ca/red-dress-day for resources.

BRACE Spirit Wear

http://brace.entripyshops.com/

We are excited to showcase our new design logo and have students order some school spirit wear. Students can choose a variety of items to customize including T shirts, hoodies, sweats, and sweatshirts, jackets, caps, and more. There's also grad wear to choose from. Staff will soon be modelling many of the colors and choices. We will be having a draw in the new year to win a T-shirt or a hat.

https://brace.entripyshops.com/

As an added bonus they are giving you an exclusive offer! Use INTRO10 discount code at checkout to get 10% off their orders.