AJS Weekly Bison Tracks

• August 21-23 - Course Change Requests Sent via Google Doc
• August 21-24 - AJS Volleyball Camp - Registration is required.
• August 23 - School Office Re-Opens
• August 29 - Professional Learning Day
• August 30 - Operational Day
• August 30, 5:00 p.m. - Grade 7 Orientation
• August 31 - Classes Begin, Day 1
• September 4 - Labour Day (Stat. Holiday)
• September 6, 2:16 p.m. - Early Dismissal

Throughout the summer break, Ardrossan Jr. Sr. High is closed. We will reopen on August 21 at 8:30 a.m. If you have any school-related questions or concerns while the school is closed, contact EIPS Central Services—the office is open all summer to complete year-end activities and prepare for the 2022-23 school year. Students return to school on August 31.

EIPS Central Office Summer Hours:

Open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone 780-464-3477

Address 683 Wye Rd., Sherwood Park

Statutory Holidays

Closed July 1 Canada Day

Closed August 1 Heritage Day

NOTE: Student Transportation also remains open during the summer months—operating the same hours as EIPS Central Services.

Our commencement ceremony took place Friday, June 23, 2023, at the Sherwood Park Alliance Church, with a formal dance back at the school at afterward. It was a fantastic day, as we celebrated the hard work and dedication of our grade 12 graduating Bisons. We are very proud of each and everyone of them and wish the well as they embark on their new adventures.

Every year, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) publishes an Annual Education Results Report, which outlines the Division’s Four-Year Education Plan, opportunities for growth and how it’s supporting students to achieve the best possible outcomes. Read through this year’s EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2021-22 and discover how EIPS fosters learning environments for all students to learn, grow and thrive—and why it matters.

June Spotlight: enhancing public education through effective engagement

· Rules of Engagement: Using a collaborative approach to improve student achievement and success

· Driving change: Strengthening public education through Board advocacy

RELATED INFORMATION
EIPS Four-Year Education Plan: 2022-26
EIPS Three-Year Capital Plan: 2024-27

School fees for the 2022-23 school year are posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. Throughout the year, fees are often added to cover the costs for various activities, such as field trips, extracurricular activities, and late, damaged or lost textbooks.

To access your fee information, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” There you can view fees and pay them online using a credit card. Make sure to monitor your child’s account on an ongoing basis.

For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit eips.ca/schools/fees. And, if you have questions, think there is an error or need help creating a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, contact your child’s school directly before the summer break.

NOTE: Pursuant to Board Policy 23: School Fees and Administrative Procedure 505: School and Administrative Fees, EIPS will forward any unpaid 2022-23 fee amounts to a collection agency. To prevent this from happening, remember to pay your fees before Aug. 31, 2023.

Registration for EIPS Summer School is open now. Organized through Next Step, the Summer School program offers more than 25 senior high courses that allow students to earn credits, upgrade marks, lighten workloads or finish pre-requisite courses.

Courses include: Open to EIPS students entering grades 10 to 12 next fall, and students in their Grade 12 year.

· English Language Arts 20-1, 20-2, 30-1 and 30-2

· Social Studies 20-1, 20-2, 30-1 and 30-2

· Mathematics 10-3, 10C, 20-1, 20-2, 30-1 and 30-2

· Science 10 and 30

· Biology 20 and 30

· Chemistry 20 and 30

· Physics 20 and 30

· Physical Education 10

· Personal Fitness 10, 20 and 30

· Career and Life Management (CALM 20)

· Foundations in Industry Workplace Safety

· Work Experience and RAP

For summer 2023, all Summer School courses are in-person. Classes take place at schools in Sherwood Park. Learn more about the 2023 summer program

Is your child graduating from or leaving EIPS at the end of the school year? If so, they must ensure any information they want to retain from their school cloud accounts is downloaded onto a personal device before leaving.

· Google account – Students must download any wanted content before August 1—download files either individually or in bulk using Google Takeout.

· Microsoft account – Students must download any wanted content from their OneDrive account before August 1.

After Aug. 1, 2023, EIPS will deactivate the account and delete all remaining files.

For more information, contact the school at (780) 922-2228.

Thank you to all our amazing athletes and their supportive families for a wonderful year of athletics. We are looking forward to another great year in 2023-2024.

Have a great summer!

Go Bisons!

Our athletics department is looking to partner with Hudl, a leading provider of streaming programs. Great opportunities will arise from this partnership by giving coaches tools to enhance athletes' performances by allowing them to analyzing game footage and track statistics. It will also allow the athletic teams to livestream their home games, giving those who cannot attend in person a chance to still see the game or tournament. We are looking for businesses and organizations to provide sponsorship for Hudl. Please see the attached letter for more information.

As we close out the 2022/2023 school year, I would just like to say a few thank you's for the wonderful year!

Thank you to our amazing band director, Raymond Basaraba. He continues to create a welcoming and engaging program where all students are able to pick their own instrument, learn the language of music and learn how working together in harmony not only creates beautiful sounds, but also creates a wonderful community. Mr. B's influence on the students doesn't end when the instruments are placed back in their cases. These students are better citizens and the world is better for having him as their teacher.

Thank you to our administrator, Lonnie Hicks, for supporting AMPS in all our endeavors to assist Mr. B to enrich the lives of our kids through music. We appreciate working with you throughout the year to try new things that support the band program and the school community. Even though you may not be the grade administrator for half the kids, they know who you are and see that you make the effort to come to every performance and support them throughout their time in band. Your level of commitment to the students of Ardrossan Jr-Sr is admirable and very appreciated!

AMPS has given out four $500 scholarships, financed grade level awards, year end gifts for band grads, had numerous successful fundraisers to add to the student band accounts, two major fundraisers (the Pub night and Car Show & Shine), purchased shirts for marching band, fed the band students before some performances and after the parade and have helped purchase equipment that will be used by the band and the school for years to come. We are going to start the next year in a much better financial state than we began with in 2022 and this is due to the hard work and collective effort of so many.

I want to thank every parent who contributed, from volunteering a little time, helping find items for raffles or by joining the AMPS board and attending meetings.

We all strive to give all the kids who enter Ardrossan Band the best experience possible and I cannot stress enough the impact of all the little actions from many add up to make a huge difference for the band students and the entire school community.

Next year our AGM will be in September where the board members will need to be voted on again. Our current board has the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Special Events Director, Fundraising Director, Social Media Director, and Grant writing Director. We meet monthly for approximately an hour and make decisions regarding fundraising opportunities and where to allocate the funds we've raised. We have a few spots where parents are leaving as their last child has just graduated, so if you feel like any of them would be a good fit for you and you would like more information, please feel free to reach out at any time to ampspres@gmail.com.

Wishing you a summer full of good weather, good health, and great memories, hope to see you in September.

Kas Spiker

Acting president of AMPS

Elk Island Public Schools and Ardrossan Jr. Sr. High use a handful of key systems to share information with students and families. Depending on the information you’re looking for, it’s important to know where to look.

PowerSchool is the primary student information system within the Division. There is an associated app, but the functionality is limited, and families don’t need to download it. From the PowerSchool Parent Portal, you can:

• Access student grades and report cards;
• Review student absences;
• Pay school and transportation fees; and
• Submit official updates to student or family information.

The PowerSchool Student Portal provides similar access to grades and absence information for students directly.

Brightspace provides more of a day-to-day look what’s happening with your child’s learning communicated directly from your child’s teacher. From Brightspace Parent & Guardian, you can see your child’s:

• classroom activity feed,
• grade items and grade feedback from instructors,
• upcoming assignments,
• portfolio evidence, and
• quizzes,

depending on which of the program functions are specifically used by your child’s teacher.

Brightspace for Students is where teachers share updates, calendar reminders and learning materials with students. Compatible with Google, it also allows students to submit assignments, complete quizzes, and see grades and teacher feedback. The Pulse app for students is associated with Brightspace for Students.

SchoolMessenger is the system the Division and schools use to send email and phone communication to families. The contact information in SchoolMessenger is populated from PowerSchool. Through SchoolMessenger, families can:

• receive general, emergency and attendance messages by phone, email or both; and
• manage their subscription preferences for these types of messages.

Ardrossan Junior Senior High has once again partnered with the United Way for the 2023-24 Tools for School campaign. Annually, Tools for School provides backpacks and school supplies to students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 whose families have limited resources. If you’re a parent or know a parent who needs access to the program, contact the school directly. Staff will discretely provide the backpack to the child at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

Alternatively, if you’d like to donate to the program, you can pick up a few extra supplies when you’re out shopping for back to school in August. Drop-off boxes are located at the EIPS Central Services office, all Staples locations and various businesses in the community. Any supplies donated within the community are invested back into the region.

For more information about Tools for School, contact at (780) 922-2228 or call EIPS Central Services at 780-464-3477.

United Way Tools for School Requests: Family Orders

Did you know you can do upgrading through Grant MacEwan University? For more information check out this link.

Planning to use Student Transportation in the 2023-24 school year? If so, make sure your child is registered so Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) can plan routes and send your child a bus pass before the first day of school.

All students who indicated needing transportation services through the returning student or new student registration processes are now registered. Those families have also received tentative route schedules and invoices—fees are due June 30, 2023.

For those students who didn’t indicate needing transportation services during the registration process and want to now register, simply fill out this registration form.

For more information about EIPS Student Transportation, visit www.eips.ca/transportation.

NOTE: Families can pay fees online using the PowerSchool Parent Portal. To pay in-person, visit the EIPS Student Transportation building during its office hours—Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on non-school days.

MCSnet, Alberta’s largest rural internet provider, is accepting applications for their High School Scholarship Program. Each year, they offer four $1,000 local scholarships to graduating Grade 12 students. To be eligible, students must be pursuing post-secondary education in computer science or related studies and must reside in the MCSnet service area. The deadline to apply is August 31. The application package can be completed online or downloaded and sent by email or physical mail.

From July 24-28, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Youth Camp takes place at the RCMP “K” Division Headquarters in Edmonton. The camp runs Sunday to Friday and is open to any individual between the ages of 16 to 19 who is a resident of Alberta. The camp offers young adults a chance to find out what it’s like to be a police officer in training. These activities may include drill, fitness, police defensive tactics, forensics, Major Crime Unit, Emergency Response Team and much more! To request an application package, contact the RCMP Youth Camps team.

Kickstand Connect offers a virtual walk-in clinic with trained professionals and a safe space for group sessions, exclusively for young Albertans aged 12-25 and their parents or caregivers. It is a free online portal and mobile app where young people can virtually ‘walk in’ or pre-book appointments (up to a week in advance) with a mental health professional, peer support worker, employment specialist or participate in group activities and workshops. Based on a single session model, Kickstand Connect offers various walk-in and pre-booked services, none of which require a healthcare card, referral, or any form of payment.

On July 7-9, come celebrate the 50th annual Vegreville Pysanka Festival! From delicious food and beautiful folk art to musical performances and fun activities, the festival has something for everyone. The celebration exhibits and preserves some of the finest aspects of Ukrainian cultural heritage in Alberta, allowing the younger generation of Ukrainians to learn more about their rich culture, and promotes an understanding of each other's ethnic values through music, song and dance.

Want to show off your creativity? Submit your Ukrainian folk art piece to one of the festival’s Ukrainian Folk Art Competitions. The competitions are open to children and teenagers in grades 1-12, in addition to adults. Competition categories include pysanka decoration, embroidery, poetry, drawing and wood burning. The deadline to submit items is June 30.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has launched an enhanced respiratory assessment tool to provide Albertans with guidance to manage a wide range of respiratory illnesses, provide advice on caring for symptoms at home and when to seek additional care. The tool will help guide schools and individuals to the best care options for symptoms, including self-care at home, or seeking care through a walk-in clinic, family physician, or pharmacy for mild to moderate symptoms.

The growing opioid crisis has brought to light devastating effects on individuals, families and communities across Canada. Since 2016, there has been more than 9,000 opioid-related deaths. In 2017, approximately 11 lives were lost each day because of opioid poisoning. In 2022, there were 1,346 opioid-related fatalities in Alberta. Many others have been hospitalized because of opioid poisoning—and 94 per cent of opioid-related deaths happen by accident.

Young Canadians aged 15-24 are the fastest growing population requiring hospital care from opioid poisoning. Schools can all play a part in raising awareness about the stigma and reducing barriers to treatment and social services for people who use prescription or illicit drugs. A free online First Aid for Opioid Emergencies Course is available to individuals 16 years of age and older who want to learn first aid skills and knowledge to prevent, recognize and respond to an opioid poisoning emergency. Learn more

Join in a morning of fun and learning at Newcomer Mornings! Held every Thursday, Newcomer Mornings feature two events:

• Conversation Circle: Practice your English for free through conversation with others. From 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
• Newcomer Connector: Connect with other newcomers and learn about community resources. From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

For more information, contact FamilyResourceNetwork@strathcona.ca or visit strathcona.ca/families.

We have all been affected by the wildfire smoke lately, learn more about wildfire smoke events, the effects of wildfire smoke on your health and how to protect yourself on the Government of Canada website

Email: general.ajs@eips.ca
Website: https://www.ardrossan.ca/
Location: Ardrossan Junior Senior High School, Range Road 222, Ardrossan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-922-2228
Twitter: @ArdrossanJrSr