The Bears' Blog... December 1-2024

Wow, hard to believe it is already December and the school is starting to get ready for the Christmas, as well as all of the preparations before the winter break. The Strathcona food bank food drive starts tomorrow and the concert is fast approaching. Students have continued to focus on their studies and exhibit excellent behavior throughout the school. It is busy time here at Pine Street as we tie up lessons so that students can finish up their current curricular topics before the break and are ready to start new curricular topics when they come back in January.

As the cold weather descends upon us, please be reminded that we do go outside for recess most of the time following the district’s Inclement Weather policy AP 131. So when it gets below -22 (including the wind chill) we remain inside for recess and lunch hour breaks but if it is warmer than that we are outside.

Here are a few little reminders to help us provide the best care we can for your children.

• Please be sure your child has warm clothing before they leave for school.
• Students should have a toque and mittens/gloves with them
• It is also a great idea for students to have snow pants as students may head outside for daily physical education as well.
• Please make sure your child has a pair of indoor and outdoor shoes.

Have a super month and remember to have a relaxing and peaceful holiday with family and friends. On behalf of the entire staff at Pine Street Elementary School, we wish you and those you love a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season. Thank you for your continued support. When we work together, great things happen! 🎅🏼✨

Date: Thursday, December 5

Location: The Park Church 1 Brower Drive, Sherwood Park

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Doors open: 6 p.m.

Concert will be around 70 minutes long.

All collected food will be donated to the Strathcona County Food Bank!

Sunday, December 1- Last day to order hot lunch for December 6

Monday, December 2 - 10 days of Christmas giving begins!

Wednesday, December 4 - early Dismissal 2:15 p.m. (No PALS or Kinder Quest)

Thursday, December 5 - Dress rehearsal at The Park Church 8:45 - 11:15 a.m.

• Christmas Concert at the Park Church 6:30 p.m.

Friday, December 6 - Hot lunch 11:32 a.m.

Friday, December 13- Last day to donate for the Pine Street 10 Days of Christmas giving!

Friday, December 20 - Theme Day - wear your Christmas Sweater or Shirt!

• Unclaimed Lost & Found items will be donated

December 23-January 5 - School Closed for Christmas Break

Wednesday, January 8 - Early Dismissal 2:15 p.m.

Year at a Glance Calendar

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed since the start of the year? Pine Street Elementary encourages families to review the information the Division has on file to ensure it’s up to date. Using the Student Information Update available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, families can review the current information on file for each student—including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, parent and guardian information, emergency contacts, medical details and other related information—and submit any updates needed.

Reviewing and updating the form ensures the school and Division have the most up-to-date information regarding your child. Updates completed by December 10 are especially helpful as the Division prepares for 2025-26 registration processes beginning in the new year.

If you have questions about the form or any trouble with your Parent Portal account, -contact the school office at 780-2246.

Alberta’s publicly funded systems—public, Catholic and francophone—serve the educational interests of almost 720,000 kindergarten to Grade 12 students across the province. Funding diverted to alternative educational institutions, both for infrastructure and programming, negatively impacts the public system’s ability to provide comprehensive, equitable, accessible and mandated programming for 90 per cent of the province’s students.

The Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team invites you to the upcoming Métis Kitchen Party. The evening will include food, fiddle, dancing and activities. All EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and their allies are welcome to attend. Monday, December 9; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Salisbury Composite High, 20 Festival Way, Sherwood Park With special guests, Métis fiddlers Brianna Lizotte and Ethan Graves Refer to the invitation for more details. RSVP by December 6.

If you have any questions about the upcoming gathering, or the ongoing First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education work within EIPS, reach out to the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education lead at Pine Street, Mrs. Michelle Wiart.

Alberta Education allocates funds to school boards to fulfill their delegated responsibilities of providing education programs for students in kindergarten to Grade 12. As part of Elk Island Public Schools’ (EIPS) commitment to stakeholder engagement and to continue allocating resources according to local priorities, the Division conducts an annual budget planning survey to seek input from staff, families Grade 12 students and community partners.

The survey is voluntary, anonymous and takes about five to 10 minutes to complete. The survey questions suggest possible budget areas for EIPS to focus its resources, which align with the Division’s current Four-Year Education Plan. If you believe there are other areas where the Division should concentrate its resources, you can also indicate what these are. EIPS will consider all budget planning input to guide future decision-making.

COMPLETE THE SURVEY NOW
Survey closes Dec 18, 2024

Thank you for sharing your input to help inform Division planning.

If circumstances exist where you’re unable to pay school or transportation fees, you can apply to have fees waived by submitting an Application for a Waiver of Fees. The application deadline is Dec. 16, 2024. If you’re new to the Division, the deadline is the latter of Dec. 16, 2024, or 45 days after registration.

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 using Visa or MasterCard. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted.

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 and more.

For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit www.eips.ca/schools/fees and https://www.pinestreet.ca/about/fees. You can also talk to Lisa Waselenkoff at Pine Street at 780-467-2246 extension 6315.

WECAN Food Basket Society is a non-profit organization that offers every person the opportunity to buy nutritious food together at more affordable prices. Membership is available to individuals whose health and overall well-being could benefit from increased access to affordable and nutritious food, and who wish to contribute to facilitating such access.

How it works:

Members pay a small annual fee ($5) to participate and then pay for the number of orders they’d like each month. Items vary from month to month and the order options are fresh produce and frozen meat. Members can buy as few or as many orders as their household needs.

The order options are fresh produce ($15) and frozen meat ($20).

Registration From: November 25, 2024 @ 12:00 am - December 7, 2024 @ 11:59 am

Event Date(s): December 19, 2024 - December 20, 2024

Sherwood Park / Strathcona County Depot
Strathcona County Family and Community Services

160 Festival Way, Sherwood Park, T8A3W7

Distribution Day & Time
Thursday at 12:00 - 13:00

Payment Location
Strathcona County Community Centre
Second Floor, east wing, Community Centre, 401 Festival Ln, Sherwood Park, T8A 5P7