November Newsletter 2024
Ecole James S McCormick School
- November 1: No School - Professional Development Day
- November 6: Remembrance Day Ceremony 9:30am
- November 6: Booster Juice Snack for those who ordered
- November 7: Photo Retakes 10am - 2pm
- November 8: No School - In Lieu Day
- November 11: Remembrance Day
- November 19: Cilantro & Chive Hot Lunch for those who ordered
- November 25-27: Portfolio Walks
- November 28: Lacombe's Light Up the Night & Santa Claus Parade
- November 29: No School - Professional Development Day
Student Attendance
At EJSMS, we take student attendance twice daily; morning & afternoon. In the morning, the report exports at exactly 8:50am. Any students marked as ABSENT at that time will receive absent alerts. If your child is going to be late or excused, please call the office at 403-782-3096 ext 8 and leave a message on our attendance line. If students are coming in after 8:50am, they need to check in at the office, please. Afternoon attendance is taken at 12:25pm.
Volunteers
Please refer to the Volunteer section on our school website if you are interested in volunteering. There is a WCPS Policy (AP 490) for all Volunteers in our schools; the steps for following this policy are outlined for you HERE.
Fire Lane
The front lane is a designated fire lane and needs to remain clear at all times. Tickets can be issued for those using this lane to park or drop off in. Please use the North parking lot if needed. Thank you for your cooperation.
School Council Update
Read-A-Thon
Cookie Dough Fundraiser
This fundraiser has been very successful as well - thank you to all who ordered some delicious treats! Orders are expected to arrive on November 27 - if you are able to volunteer to sort the orders, please sign up HERE!
White Elephant Sale
Its back! One of our favorite School Council fundraising events will be making a come-back this Christmas season! Our White Elephant Sale is always a delight for students, staff & parents alike!
The White Elephant Sale is an annual School Council Fundraiser that will take place on December 3, 4 & 5, 2024. This year, proceeds will be split between a local charity (chosen by School Council at an upcoming meeting) and School Council, to support many initiatives in the school. Your children will be given the opportunity to shop for each member of their immediate family, who live in the same house as them. All families are asked to bring donated items for the White Elephant Sale, these are then set out for all the students to do their own Christmas shopping. We have no set limit on the amount of items you can donate, however, we suggest that if your child will be shopping for 4 items, you donate at least 4 items. For anyone who has been involved in the sales in the past, you know the joy and pride that these little faces radiate upon selecting the “perfect gift”.
Suggestions for donations: new or like new toys, craft items, scrapbook supplies, aprons, placemats, puzzles, baby toys, picture frames, posters, books, candles, candle holders, vases, etc. Please Note: for health reasons we cannot accept unsealed make-up, clothing, pierced earrings, shoes, hair brushes or hair accessories. We also ask that you DO NOT send movies, games or books that have age inappropriate pictures or themes. Stuffed animals are welcome, but only gently loved ones please. They should be clean and intact.
WE ARE ALWAYS VERY SHORT OF GIFTS FOR DADS, TEENS AND BROTHERS. Some suggestions for donations are: golf balls and tees, new hats, tools, ties, coffee mugs, candy, CD’s, movies, games, etc. All items must be clean and in good shape (example: ensure all puzzle pieces are included). Remember, the items you donate will be a Christmas Gift for a child’s loved one!
Please send donations between now and December 2. Donations can be dropped off just outside the front office door. Donations of wrapping paper, tissue paper, bows, gift bags, etc. are also greatly appreciated.
WHEN: December 3, 4 & 5, 2024
Gently used donations can be brought into the school and dropped off on the cart outside the office door. Students will get a chance to shop for their own special gifts for immediate family members from December 3 - 5. Monetary donations of $1 or $2 per family member are encouraged but not required as all students receive the opportunity to shop for their families. These can be made online in your Parent Portal under "NEW ITEMS".
Parent/Guardian volunteers will be needed to help in the following areas to make this event a success:
sort & organize donations in the days prior to the sale (main set-up on December 2 after school)
help students wrap gifts & shop during the daytime (December 3, 4, 5)
pack-up any leftover donations after the sale (December 5 - afternoon)
If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up HERE!
School Council Contact
Our 2024-2025 Council has set-up some general email inboxes for direct communication with our families.
Chairperson - Gary Rice
Vice-Chair - Krystal Prins
Treasurer - Pam Dedora
Fundraising - Renee Spelt
Secretary - Melissa Rogers
Next Meeting...
Around the School
Trading Card Club
Throughout history, children have engaged in the age-old tradition of trading cards to
enhance their collections. However, at École J.S. McCormick School, we've banned
trading items like hockey cards, Pokémon cards, cop cards, and Bakugans during recess.
Instead, we've established a Trading Club at school every Thursday at 11:20 am. Students,
with parental consent, are welcome to participate and trade cards and/or Bakugans
with fellow classmates.
Please take some time to talk to your child before granting them permission to join our
club. It's crucial that they understand the concept of "trading for keeps." Classroom
teachers will not devote valuable teaching time to address students who have second
thoughts. If you believe this concept might not be suitable for your child, you might want
to wait until they can fully grasp the permanence of it. A supervising teacher will be
present at the club each week to ensure fairness.
Our goal is to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone.
Music Music Music!
December: what's coming up?
- December 2 - 6: White Elephant Sale (set-up, shop, take-down)
- December 3: Booster Juice Snack for those who ordered
- December 11: KFC Hot Lunch for those who ordered
- December 13: PD Day
- December 16 - 19: Christmas Concert Week
- December 20: Last Day of Classes
- December 21 to January 5: Christmas Holidays
Remember to subscribe to our calendar on our website to sync school-wide events to your personal online calendar!
Community Events
Contact Us
Email: jsm@wolfcreek.ab.ca
Website: www.ejsm.wolfcreek.ab.ca
Location: 5424 50 Street, Lacombe, AB, Canada
Phone: 403.782.3096
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EJSMSchool