Weekly Update Newsletter
September 8, 2023
Dear Lakeland Ridge Families,
Junior High students enjoyed a variety of Week of Welcome activities led by Ms. Dahl and her Leadership students! Dodgeball, musical chairs, muffin morning, dance party and the ice cream social was a lot of fun for both staff and students.
We encourage families to read our Smore (Weekly Update) where you will find upcoming dates and information (e.g. junior high option changes, athletics, etc.).
We hope you have a chance this weekend to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather!
Upcoming Dates and Events
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 12 - School Picture Day
- Meet the Staff Night @ 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
- School Council Meeting @5:30 pm (View Agenda - We will be electing our new Council Executives)
Sept. 14 - Linking Generation Student Information Sessions (Gr. 7 ,8, & 9)
Sept. 18 - Little Elk Island Adventure Group A at 1pm & School Wide Bus Evacuations at 2pm
Sept. 19 - Little Elk Island Adventure Group B at 2pm
Sept. 21 - Linking Generations Student Orientation
Sept. 22 - Terry Fox School Run Day
Sept. 25 - Wolf Run Grade 7 & 8s
Sept. 26 - Wolf Run Grade 9
Sept. 29 - Orange Shirt Day
Sept. 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
OCTOBER
Oct. 4 - Early dismissal at 2:10 pm (Cash-for-Care and PJ Day)
Oct. 5 - World Teachers’ Day
Oct. 6 - Professional Learning Day (schools closed to students)
Oct. 9 - Thanksgiving Day - No School
Meet the Staff
We invite our LLR families to come into the school on Tuesday, September 12 to visit your child's classroom, see their learning spaces and meet their teacher(s) and our staff. There is no formal program for this evening. This is a great opportunity to put faces to names and to connect in person.
If you have specific things of a private nature to discuss with your child's teacher(s), we invite you to email or phone the school at 780-416-9018 to set up an appointment.
Tuesday, Sep 12, 2023, 03:30 PM
Lakeland Ridge, Crimson Drive, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
School Council Meeting
Jr. High Option Changes
LLR Athletics!
The first week of school can be a very busy time and Athletics is no exception. Five school teams get off to a start the very first week of school. Our four volleyball teams and cross country will be starting within the first two weeks.
Want to know when things are happening? We have an Athletics Calendar on the LLR school website: https://www.lakelandridge.ca/athletics/athletics-calendar. Please visit frequently as our Athletics staff will update as often as they can.
Team Try Outs!
For our team sports, Volleyball, Basketball, and Team Handball, there is a tryout permission form. This form's main purpose is to ensure you are aware that your child is attempting to make a team where there will be team fees associated with it. It also allows the coaching staff to know that they can safely make selections knowing that they have all the correct information on potential players and their availability to play. This form only needs to be signed once a year and covers all team sports tryouts.
Coming up this week!
Sr Girls & Boys Volleyball EIAA Tournament Sept. 14 - 16. Visit our Athletics Calendar for details.
Volleyball teams will have 2-3 practices a week and 1-2 league games with weekend tournaments. All tournaments currently scheduled are on the Athletics Calendar.
Can you be on more than one team at a time? YES! Our coaches are more than willing to help our students achieve their goals in all the sports they choose to try for, even if they are at the same time. For more information watch our athletics website and calendar and most importantly, have your child listen to morning announcements.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Rob Fisher
Phys Ed Teacher & Athletic Director
Student Medication
If your student requires medication to be accessible at the school such as Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, Reactine, and Tums, please fill out the Medication Management Plan via Permission Click and bring the medication to the office for storage.
Students are not permitted to administer their own medication at school. All medication should be provided in its original packaging and labelled with the student’s name. All medication will be stored in the office with administering recorded.
Counselor’s Corner
My name is Tammy Marks and I am thrilled to introduce myself as your new school counsellor! Before transitioning to the counsellor role, I was privileged to teach for over 25 years. I've been blessed to teach students in all grades between Kindergarten and Grade 9. Recently, I worked as a counsellor at Lamont Elementary, Lamont High, and Glen Allan Elementary.
Please note I will be at Lakeland every Tuesday and Friday as well as alternating Wednesdays. Some of the ways I support students include:
- Identifying barriers to students' learning and finding strategies to increase student success
- Assisting with resolving conflicts between friends or peers
- Providing a safe space to discuss big feelings
- Supporting students with planning for high school
- Connecting families with outside services
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s education here at Lakeland Ridge, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Mrs. Tammy Marks (she/her)
School Counsellor
Cash-for-Care
If you are interested in supporting Ronald McDonald House through our Cash-for-Care fundraiser, you can send a monetary donation with your child on early dismissal days. All donations collected will go directly to the Ronald McDonald House.
Microwaves
Students in Grades 4-9 will be able to use microwaves to heat up their lunch. Students in Kindergarten and Grades 1-3 will not have access to microwaves. We encourage students to bring lunches that do not require heating up as much as possible. Please be mindful that if your child is bringing a microwavable lunch, the containers should be microwave-safe and the time required to heat the items is reasonable.
Yearbooks
Drop Off / Pick Up
Classes are dismissed at 3:10 pm - Parents can follow the traffic management plan below to arrange pick up of their child(ren).
Generally, students enter through designated doors but it is not mandatory.
Grades 1 & 2 - Enter at the doors left (East) of the front main doors
Grades 3 & 6 and our 2/3 Combined Class - Enter through the end doors by the tarmac
Grades 8 & 9 - Enter through the back door by the bike racks
Grades 4 & 5 - Enter through the portable doors
Grade 7 - Enter through the front main doors
Any late students must come through the front main doors as all doors will be locked once school begins. Students arriving late must check in at the office before proceeding to class.
Please note Lakeland Ridge now has a Video Intercom System located at the front doors. All visitors will be required to ring the bell for entry.
Parking Lot
As always, students are encouraged to use the crosswalks in the parking lot and when crossing the street. Visitors are asked to drive slowly and follow the Traffic Management Plan below. Thank you for your cooperation.
Cyberworld Presentation
On Thursday, September 28, Glen Allan is hosting 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 from Saffron begins at 5:30 p.m.. We will be 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.
Please RSVP by clicking on the link below
https://forms.gle/vUFbgY8SMrBacj26ADownload the SchoolMessenger App
Lakeland Ridge 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 amy.desaulniers@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.
Video surveillance on buses
Did you know each EIPS bus is equipped with video surveillance?
Video surveillance and equipment help:
· ensure the safety of all students, drivers and property; and
· discourage destructive acts.
On a regular basis, EIPS Student Transportation reviews the video recordings, in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. The recordings assist the department with monitoring student and driver conduct and may be used as evidence in a disciplinary matter.
EIPS buses are also equipped with Tyler Drive tablets. The goal: To enhance safety, improve communication, increase efficiency and provide oversight. These tablets allow bus drivers to stay on time with turn-by-turn route directions and show student pictures and information when bus drivers get to stop locations. To ensure students get where they need to go, there are now two distinct audible tones when students scan their bus pass boarding or leaving the bus. One tone indicates they’re getting on the correct bus or at the correct stop, and the other tone indicates they’re on the incorrect bus or leaving at the incorrect stop. By using live information, Tyler Drive tablets provide more accuracy than paper schedules.
For more information about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, contact the EIPS FOIP Co-ordinator at 780-464-3477.
Download these bus apps for a successful ride!
Have a child taking the bus this school year? Download the following apps to stay up to date with all the busing information you’ll need throughout the year.
Bus Status
A new version of the Bus Status app is available: Bus Status 4. The app provides the same features and functionality as before, but faster and more reliable for users. Families who previously used the Bus Status 3 app will need to download the new version from the App Store or Google Play. You won’t be able to update directly from one version to the next. New users can download Bus Status 4 directly now.
Through the Bus Status app, families can access information about buses that are running late or cancelled throughout the year. Simply save your child’s bus routes as favourites and turn on push notifications to stay up to date.
Refer to the Bus Status: Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the update, and plan to download the new version now.
Ride 360
The Traversa Ride 360 website and app enable parents and students to access their own secure data for bus stop location, route and pickup time. With Division buses equipped with GPS hardware, Ride 360 uses GPS geolocation to let users know when to expect their bus each day. Parents and students log in with their own information to access their specific routing information and details.
Ride 360 will be updated in the coming year. Families are encouraged to download the current Ride 360 app from the App Store or Google Play for the start of the school year and set up their account. When the update takes place, login information will seamlessly roll over to the updated app.
Refer to additional instructions and the tutorial video on the Division website for more details about setting up your Ride 360 profile.
For more information about transportation services, refer to the Student Transportation section of the EIPS website.
Pay School Fees Online!
School fee information for the 2023-24 school year will be posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal in late September. 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 online using a credit card.
Don’t forget to 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 certain school activities such as field trips, class projects, athletic-team fees, and more. Additionally, junior high and senior high fees can change as courses are added and deleted.
If you’re unable to pay your school 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 Cathy Eyben, Business Manager at Lakeland Ridge School at 780-416-9018.
Quick Links
Attendance (Please specify if absence is due to Illness or Parent Excused)
Email: general.llr@eips.ca
Website: https://www.lakelandridge.ca/
Location: 101 Crimson Drive, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-416-9018
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lakeland-Ridge-School-1490402014609661
Twitter: @LakelandRidge