SEPTEMBER

We acknowledge that we are on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional meeting grounds, gathering place, and traveling route to the Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux. We acknowledge all the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries.

It has been an exciting start to our school year here at ECKS. Thank you for the wonderful welcome to the school community. I come to you after 4 years serving as principal of Sparling School here in Camrose. I bring to "Our House" a strong commitment to fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment where every student, staff member, and family feels a strong sense of belonging and community. A school is not merely a place of learning, but a home where relationships are formed, and lifelong memories are created.

Things are in full swing already with Cross Country, Volleyball, Band and Choir. Everyone is working hard to get routines established and learning is well underway. ECKS is a busy place each day and if you would like an opportunity to meet with myself or our Assistant Principals, please give the office a call to book an appointment. We appreaciate your support with this as we are often in classrooms supporting teachers and students.

Sincerely,

Andrea Gutmann

Principal - ECKS

agutmann@brsd.ab.ca

Grade 6 Administrator is Donna Elaschuk - delaschuk@brsd.ab.ca

Grade 7 Administrator is Sabrina Heydorn - sheydorn@brsd.ab.ca

Grade 8 Administrator is William Klassen - wklassen@brsd.ab.ca

Bonjour!

Nous avons hâte de passer une nouvelle année à l'École Charlie Killam School! Nos programmes d’immersion et d’immersion tardive grandissent chaque année! Nous sommes fiers d’être une école bilingue et multiculturelle avec beaucoup d’élèves qui parlent l’anglais, le français, le crie, le philippin et d'autres langues. Si jamais vous avez des idées culturelles que vous pouvez partager avec notre communauté scolaire, envoyez un message à Mme Heydorn à sheydorn@brsd.ab.ca.

Joyeuse nouvelle année scolaire!

Good day!

We are excited to start a new year at École Charlie Killam School! Our immersion and late immersion programs are growing each year! We are proud to be a bilingual and multicultural school with many students who speak English, French, Crie, Filipino, and many other languages. If you have any cultural ideas that you would like to share with our school community, please send a message to Mme Heydorn at sheydorn@brsd.ab.ca.

Happy new school year!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 - TERRY FOX RUN

École Charlie Killam School is participating in the Terry Fox School Walk/Run! We are so proud to be a part of this Canadian tradition in the fight against cancer. Please support our student’s fundraising efforts and donate today at: https://schools.terryfox.ca/CharlieKillam

Our school walk/run date is Friday, September 22nd. A permission form to be off campus was sent home on Monday, September 18th for this great event. Please have your student return the form to the homeroom teacher ASAP. We are also having a "Toonie for Terry" collection at our main office. Students can bring in a toonie if they choose. This is also a way to raise funds for the fight against cancer.

Music Parent Meeting

Hello to all music parents! Our grade six through eight band classes are now underway. Here at ECKS, we have an active Music Parent Association that assists with band advocacy and fundraising in order to provide a quality program to our students. The group also plans fundraisers that help with band camps, concerts, festivals, and trips.

We are holding our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday September 27, at 7:00pm in the ECKS Gym. All parents are invited to attend and see what the program entails. There is no commitment, but we would love to see as many parents as possible come out to the meeting. It will not be longer than one hour.

Please feel free to contact Mr. Bailey at bbailey@brsd.ab.ca if you have any questions or concerns. We hope to see you there!

Beginner Band "Jump Start"

Our beginner band students will have an opportunity to get off to a fantastic start by attending our annual "Jump Start Clinic". This activity is set for Saturday, October 14 in the music room. It will run from 9am - 12:30pm. Students will be taught by professional players on their individual instruments. There will be a small fee associated, and more information will follow soon. Please mark your calendars and make every effort to have your child attend this valuable experience!

SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 7:00PM

All are welcome!

IMPORTANT DATES

Monday, September 25 - NO SCHOOL (Staff Collaboration Day)

Friday, September 29 - ORANGE SHIRT DAY

Thursday, October 5 - 12:27pm EARLY DISMISSAL (Staff Meeting)

Monday, October 9 - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Day)

Friday, October 27 at 1:00pm - PICTURE RETAKES

School Pictures were taken on Monday, September 11. Students received an ordering code from the photographers. Parents can now use the order code on the paper to log on to Smart Photography's website to preview the photos and place an order if they choose. Free shipping is only available until September 24, 2023.

PICTURE RETAKE DAY IS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27 AT 1:00pm

for students that were away or if the photos are not satisfactory.

ORANGE SHIRT DAY

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

We encourage all students and staff to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.

VOLLEYBALL

We have 4 junior high teams again this year and a large grade 6 program running already this month and ending in November. This involves around 90 students, which is outstanding! We are very proud as a school to be including so many of our student athletes.

GREAT WORK COUGARS!

We have a jam packed team and had some great performances at our first race! More importantly we represented the school with fantastic cheering, camaraderie, and sportsmanship!

Practices run on Mondays from 3:30pm - 5pm and an optional before school practice on Fridays from 7:30am - 8:20am.

Upcoming Runs are:

Thursday, September 21 - Camrose

Thursday, September 28 - Norway

Thursday, October 5 - Hardisty

Thursday, October 12 - Bashaw

Cyberworld: What Happens When Youth Press Send?

Tuesday, September 26 from 5:30 - 7:30pm at Sparling School

A presentation for parents and caregivers on practicing Internet safety with children and youth and on responding to technology-facilitated sexual violence.

This two-hour presentation begins by exploring strategies to promote safe Internet usage by children and youth. Covering a variety of topics from social media to gaming and chatrooms to live streaming, we will discuss ways to promote boundary-setting and options to protect privacy online. The presentation includes a discussion on pornography and the sexually explicit content that youths may be exposed to, focusing primarily on the effects this has on their developing brains and relationships, as well as on strategies for navigating these difficult conversations. We will also discuss sexting and review the Criminal Code. The presentation includes content on relevant trends in technology-facilitated sexual violence – such as sextortion, grooming, luring, and child sexual abuse material. The goal is to encourage parents and caregivers to feel equipped to both prevent and respond to these issues by identifying the warning signs, creating a dialogue with youths, and recognizing the resources available to support them.

Topics Covered: safe screen time tips, safety tips for different platforms (YouTube and Google), social media safety tips and terms and conditions (TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat), online gaming safety tips, Discord, livestreaming, pornography, sexting, communication, helpful tools, online child sexual exploitation and its forms [content warning provided], online grooming techniques, peer sexual exploitation, signs of online child sexual exploitation, tips for intervention

Audience: Parents and Caregivers

Length: 2 hours

Friendly reminder to please call the office if your student will be absent or you will be picking them up early at (780) 672-7785. Students must check-in at the office if they are late and must check-out at the office if they are leaving early for the day.

If you have any questions that haven’t been answered here, please be in touch with us. We will do our best to continue to provide updates throughout the year and will keep you informed around school related activities. Please continue to check our website at www.ckillam.brsd.ab.ca and the Battle River School Website at www.brsd.ab.ca.

École Charlie Killam School

4809 - 46 Street

Camrose, AB T4V 1G8

Phone: 780-672-7785

cksgenvm@brsd.ab.ca

"Achieving Success Together! Réussir ensemble!"