Bruderheim School Parent Newsletter
September 29, 2023
From the Principal
We’ve had another great week at school, and it’s hard to believe that this was the last week of September! Our students and staff have engaged in activities, learning and reflection during this week as we focus on Truth and Reconciliation. On Friday we wore orange shirts to help us remember that Every Child Matters!
Thanks to all those who contributed to our Toonies for Terry campaign, and as a school community we were able to raise $203.95 for cancer research!
Our next School Council meeting is at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3rd in our school library. Parents, we need you to come and show your support for our school!
Parent Council
Calling all PARENTS!
We need YOU to continue the great momentum we have here at Bruderheim School!
Parent Council is an opportunity to be a part of your child's school, to share your input on events and decisions, as well as ensure our students have additional opportunities to grow and thrive!
All parents are welcome to join our meetings to stay informed. Currently, we require executive positions to be filled in order for the Parent Council to be able to fundraise and in turn, support our school.
Without a complete Parent Council Executive, our Council cannot operate properly. This includes accessing parent council funds which are used to support our students.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 3 @ 5:30pm
Bruderheim School Library
Childcare provided!
If you have any questions about Parent Council or suggestions, please contact the school office at 780-796-3936 or Mr. Armbruster via email dave.armbruster@eips.ca
Upcoming Key Dates
September
September 29
Orange Shirt Day
September 30
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
October
October 2-6
READ IN Week
October 3
Swimming Lessons Grades 4-6 (1 pm)
Parent Council Meeting (5:30 pm)
October 4
Early Dismisal (2:00 pm)
October 5
World Teachers' Day
Swimming Grades 1-3 (1:00 pm)
October 6
Professional Learning Day (schools closed to students)
October 9
Thanksgiving Day (schools closed to staff and students)
October 10
Swimming Lessons Grades 4-6 (1:00 pm)
October 11
School-wide Bus Evacuation Drill
Little Elk Island Adventure
October 12
Swimming Lessons Grades 1-3 (1:00 pm)
October 15-21
School Bus Safety Week
October 17
Swimming Lessons Grades 4-6 (1:00 pm)
October 18
School Picture Day
October 19
Swimming Lessons Grades 1-3 (1:00 pm)
November 1
Early Dismissal
Truth and Reconciliation
Students and staff spent the last two weeks walking an everlasting journey of truth in hopes of reconciliation. This journey involved learning about residential schools and their impacts on Indigenous communities. Students learned how residential schools caused a loss of culture and language. We read stories and held powerful discussions, broadening our understanding of Indigenous culture and making promises to ensure that we would always remember that “Every Child Matters.”
On Wednesday, many classes joined Metis artist Connie Kulhavy for a virtual field trip to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Connie guided students through a gratitude art activity while we learned about residential schools in a safe and gentle way.
Our school also had the privilege of working with Ellie Lagrandeur and her daughter, Stacey Shearing, to create a mural that will be displayed at Walker School. Every student and staff have placed their handprint on the mural as our promise to “always treat everyone equally, with respect, and kindness.” Be sure to stop by the office to see this beautiful mural as it will be displayed at our school for the next week before it is placed at Walker School.
Read In Week 2023
Read In Week returns on October 2. This year’s theme: “Read In Reimagined.” Through various activities, students will spend the week learning how to reimagine reading—it’s more than just story books—reading happens everywhere and is for everyone, no matter your age. Some of the activities planned for Read In Week include guest readers, and classroom activities.
Read In Week is a divisionwide initiative held annually to encourage a lifelong love of reading and to enhance literacy awareness among students, staff, families and community members. Bruderheim School invites all families to participate in Read In Week by reading yourself, with your child or with someone in the community.
Don’t forget to share what you’ve learned. Throughout the week, you can post your own stories about Read In Week using the hashtag #eipsreads.
For more information, visit the Read In website at Homepage-readin - Read In (imagineeverything.com)
School Fees
Pay School Fees Online!
School fee information for the 2023-24 school year is now posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. To access your fee information, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” There you can view your fees and pay them online.
Don’t forget to also log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal regularly throughout the year. Fees are often added to your child’s account to cover the cost of various school activities such as field trips, class projects, extracurricular activities fees and more.
If circumstances exist where you’re unable to pay your fees, you can apply to have certain fees waived by submitting an Application for a Waiver of Fees. The application deadline is Dec. 15, 2023.
For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines visit eips.ca. Alternatively, contact Ms. Carlson at Bruderheim School at 780-796-3936.
School Messenger App
Download the SchoolMessenger App
Bruderheim School and the Division use the SchoolMessenger platform for communicating with families—through both phone and email. Be sure to add communications@eips.ca and general.bru@eips.ca to your safe sender list to avoid having important messages funneled into your junk mail folder.
You can directly manage your phone and email subscription preferences through SchoolMessenger. Simply log in to your account—or create one if you don’t already have one—and select the message types you’d like to receive to each phone number and email address on file.
The easiest way to stay connected is to download the SchoolMessenger app. Get the latest updates direct to your mobile device and enable push notifications to never miss a message. Families can also check back on past messages—for up to 30 days—directly in the app rather than searching to find an old message buried in your inbox. Download the SchoolMessenger app from the App Store or Google Play today.
From Alexa to Algorithms: Parenting in the era of AI
Join the University of Alberta and Amii for an engaging 45-minute online webinar designed to boost AI literacy for parents of kids of all ages, from kindergarten to graduate students. The session will focus on global citizenship, online safety, and education and career guidance.
Don't miss this fun and informative opportunity to empower your parenting in the age of AI, ensuring your kids thrive in tomorrow's tech-driven world.
Event Details:
Date: Nov. 2, 2023 Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 p.m.
Location: Virtual From Alexa to Algorithms: Parenting in the Era of AI (amii.ca)
Respiratory Illness Guidance
The health and safety of staff, students and visitors is a top priority. Continue to reinforce the following hygiene habits to protect staff and students from spreading respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
· Stay home if you’re feeling sick.
· Wash or sanitize your hands often.
· Cover your coughs and sneezes.
· Avoid touching your face.
· Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces regularly.
· Wear a mask if you get sick or develop symptoms while at school or work.
As per Alberta Health guidelines, staff, students, contractors and visitors who have symptoms of respiratory Illness or test positive for COVID, should stay home until:
· symptoms have improved,
· they feel well enough to resume normal activities, and
· they have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications.
For anyone who has a respiratory illness or has tested positive for COVID, it is recommended that they wear a mask for a total of 10 days from the onset of symptoms—even if the symptoms have resolved or improved—when in indoor settings with other individuals.
Caregiver Education Sessions
Alberta Health Services hosts a variety of virtual caregiver information sessions throughout the year focused on ways to support students’ mental health. The sessions are free and geared toward parents, caregivers, teachers and community members who want to learn more about challenges impacting children and adolescents. Session topics include anxiety, ADHD, depression, self-harm, technology, teens and teaching leadership skills, communication, resiliency and more. Visit Caregiver Education to see the monthly caregiver sessions.
School Bus Safety Week: October 15-21
Schools throughout Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) are celebrating School Bus Safety Week October 15-21. The theme: ‘Stand Back From Yellow and Black,’ which focuses on proper school bus safety behaviour. Throughout the week, various activities are planned, including information sessions, bus-safety lesson plans and bus-evacuation drills.
As part of School Bus Safety Week, Bruderheim School reminds students and families all Division school buses are equipped with a Tyler Drive tablet, bus-pass scanner, GPS technology, the Child Check-Mate system and surveillance equipment, which allows Student Transportation to better monitor and manage its more than 175 buses. Families and students also have access to the Traversa Ride 360 app, a mobile tool to help determine the location of a bus, projected arrival times and when a child is scanned onto a bus.
For more information, visit EIPS Student Transportation or contact 780-417-8151.