• June 1-30 - PRIDE Month

• June 10 - Retro Day - Wear something from the past! (IWK Fundraiser)

• June 17 - Black Excellence Day - Wear Black

• June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Heritage Day - Wear Orange

• June 24 - Field Day

• June 24 - Beach Day - Wear sunglasses, shorts, and t-shirts (IWK Fundraiser)

• June 27 - Grade 6 Closing Celebration - 1:20 pm (rain date is June 28)

• June 28 - Wear Rainbow Colors for PRIDE

• June 29 - Assessment and Evaluation Day - No School

• June 30 - Last Day of School (morning)

PRIDE Month - June is PRIDE month! This is an important time to celebrate diversity and the rich cultural contributions of our LGBTQIAP+ community to our society. In classrooms, we can raise conversations about diversity, culture, and the unique experiences of members from our LGBTQIAP+ community and their allies. PRIDE month originated from the events of the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village, NY on June 28th, 1969. Patrons of local bars in the area were raided by Police and discriminated against in a violent manner. We are inviting all students and staff to wear rainbow colors on June 28th to raise awareness and celebrate diversity!

If you are interested in participating in Halifax PRIDE events this summer click here.

For the first time ever, Nova Scotia’s public schools will be celebrating Black Excellence Day on June 17, 2022.

Students and staff in Nova Scotia’s public schools, as well as supporters, are invited to wear black T-Shirts to celebrate and stand in unity in support of the success of Black students. Black Excellence Day celebrates Black Achievements, Black stories, Black Art, Black innovations, and Black people and their communities.

Black Excellence T-Shirt Day acknowledges the authentic and diverse intersectionality of the African diaspora as beautiful with many diverse cultures, ethnicities, faiths and lived experiences and the 400-year legacy of people of African ancestry within the province of Nova Scotia.

As such, we welcome school community support in celebrating Black Excellence Day in meaningful ways that resonate with individuals. Black Excellence is a day for every student to both acknowledge and celebrate Black Excellence!

All of our families and community members are invited to tweet their support for Black Excellence Day using the hashtags below.

#NSBLACKEXCELLENCEDAY @belayrschool

National Indigenous Peoples Day - Each year, on June 21st, Canada recognizes National Indigenous Peoples Day. This date also marks the summer solstice which has included significant celebrations amongst Indigenous Peoples dating back thousands of years. There are many links to our curriculum outcomes in science and social studies that our students can engage with through an Indigenous lens. Students and staff are invited to wear orange on this day!

Thank you!

The Grade 4/5's have made it to 100 acts of kindness and would like to celebrate by doing one large act of kindness to end the year. They are planning two "Spirit Day Fridays" in June beginning next Friday. They are asking families to donate to the IWK to help them raise 100 dollars to match their 100 acts. Below is the schedule for our two spirit days:

Friday, June 10th - Retro Day - Wear something from the past!

Friday, June 24th - Beach Day - Wear sunglasses, hats, and shorts!

Families can donate money to this cause by clicking on the following link:

http://iwk.convio.net/site/TR/Events/DIYFundraising2021?px=1360010&pg=personal&fr_id=1270

Thank you for your support!

Ms. L' Esperance and Ms. Banks

Belle Voci Honour Choir is looking for new singers to join us in the fall. Belle Voci (Italian for “beautiful voices”) is an auditioned choir for treble (high) voices and is a part of Halifax Regional Arts (Music East). Membership Prerequisites:

• Good singing skills
• Strong interest and commitment
• No previous training is required, however, choral or instrumental training is preferred
• Attend school within Halifax Regional Centre for Education
• Entering grades 4-6
• Successful completion of an audition
• To learn more or to book an audition, click here.

Questions? Contact us: bellevocigirlschoir@gmail.com

Halifax Regional Arts offers band, string and choir programs for students in grades 4 and up. To find a program for your young musician, click here.

Ms. Laureijs, our resource teacher, has been a critical support for the students and staff at Bel Ayr Elementary. Her analytical and thorough approach to getting to the bottom of how students learn is her super power. Over the years she has taken many students under her wing to make sure they reach the stars. She is a master teacher who has developed strong and nurturing relationships with our students and families. She is a widely respected educator who has shared her gifts with many schools in addition to the program department at the HRCE. We feel very lucky to have had the chance to learn from Ms. Laureijs. Congratulations!

Ms. LeBlanc is a teacher through and through! She sees lesson plans and learning opportunities everywhere she goes. She is currently our grade 3 teacher, has taught grades 4 and 5 at our school, and French Immersion in other HRCE schools. She is extremely talented when it comes to the integration of technology within the curriculum. Our staff have benefited from her experience and knowledge about coding in particular. Ms. LeBlanc's appreciation of literature and her excitement about rocks and minerals is legendary at our school. Students from many different classes often seek out her advise on recommended titles and/or authors. Ms. LeBlanc exudes excitement when it comes to the art of teaching. In fact, she is going to spend the last three days of her career attending an education conference in the United States. Congratulations, Ms. LeBlanc!

As you know, we initiated a new Safe Arrival process earlier in the spring. You will find the new number on our website and more detail in the HRCE link below.

https://www.hrce.ca/SafeArrival

Before June 30, HRCE will reach out to families who have unassigned seats to remind them to apply for an unassigned seat in mid-July when submissions open. As we plan bus routes for the fall, we are first required to provide bus routes to students eligible for transportation. As soon as school registration settles in September, we are able to determine unassigned seats and make them available to families who may benefit from them.

More information on submissions for unassigned seats for 2021-22 will be posted on our website by the end of the school year.

HRCE is looking for Host Families for the 2022-2023 school year. Could this be you?

If you’re looking for a new adventure, we’re looking for you! This fall, HRCE will welcome students from 36 different countries who come to study and learn English. In the Nova Scotia International Student Program, students are immersed in an English-speaking environment at the homestay and also at the school level. They’re keen to share their culture as well. All students are supported by a Homestay Coordinator who lives in the school catchment area and provides full-time support. We plan several activities throughout the year which host families are often encouraged to attend as well. Host families receive a tax-free monthly stipend of $725.00 / month per student.

Would you consider being a host family? Know someone who would? Please contact hostastudent@hrce.ca

Joining the Halifax Public Libraries Summer Reading Program is an enjoyable activity for any child from the age of 3 to 12. Starting on June 15th, children can sign up, get small prizes and set a goal. Then they can choose from a variety of activities: reading books, singing songs, listening to books, drawing, writing and more to earn MORE prizes. At the end there are grand prizes. More details will be available on the Bel Ayr webpage soon!

https://www.hrce.ca/about-hrce/school-administration/student-registration/out-area-requests

Drop-off Times - Please note that the drop-off time in the morning for preprimary students is 8:50 am. Preprimary staff are not available until this time. The drop-off time for all grade primary to grade 6 students is 8:30 am. Staff will not be on duty until 8:30 am so it is important for students not to be on school grounds or dropped off before this time.

Electronic Devices - Please remind your children that electronic devices such as phones, ipods, ipads, Nintendos, etc are not permitted at school unless a teacher sends home a note to bring them on a particular day for educational purposes. Students who have chrome books or laptops can bring these devices to school for educational purposes with the permission of a classroom teacher. The school will not be responsible for any theft or damages to devices brought from home.

Allergies - Please be reminded that we have students who have life threatening allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, and eggs (ingestion only). We would ask that you do not send food items in lunch bags containing peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds as these can contaminate surfaces.