The first month of school is almost over, and it has been a great start to the 2024-25 school year! Our staff and students have done a fantastic job settling into routines, ensuring a smooth and successful September for everyone. We are also excited to welcome the many new students who have joined our school this year. It’s wonderful to see fresh faces in our community, and we hope our new families have felt welcomed in their new school.

As with any new school year, there have been some changes. As previously communicated, Mrs. Robbins has left her position as Administrative Assistant and Kindergarten EA for a new opportunity. We thank Mrs. Robbins for her 14 years of dedication to Daysland School. She has been a valued member of our community and will be dearly missed.

To fill Mrs. Robbins' roles internally, Mrs. Omoth will now work full-time in the office, and Mrs. Bendfeld will take on a full-time assignment. She will cover the Kindergarten EA role on Kindergarten days and continue supporting other classes on non-Kindergarten days.

Due to increased student numbers, BRSD Transportation will add a fourth bus route to Daysland School, starting October 1st. We kindly remind parents who are dropping off students to pay extra attention to the designated drop-off and bus zones in front of the school. Please avoid parking in front of the yellow lines, as these are reserved for buses on the south end of the school. Additionally, refrain from parking in crosswalks to ensure student safety.

Our athletic teams are back in action, and we thank our dedicated coaches for donating their time to help develop our athletes. Here are our coaches to start the year:

• Mrs. Reber and Mrs. Schlaut: Sr. Girls Volleyball

• Kim Loesch: Jr. Girls Volleyball

• Mrs. Tobler: Jr. Boys Volleyball

• Mr. Charchun: Golf

• Mrs. Tobler and Mrs. Zimmer: Cross Country

• Mrs. McKay and Miss Pfeffer: Mini-Slammers

As the month comes to a close, we ask that you ensure all student documentation is up to date. There are two sets of forms to complete. First, your child’s School Engage forms, which can be found in the School Engage tab in PowerSchool. These BRSD forms must be completed by September 30th to avoid any disruptions in technology access, as the Technology Acceptable Use form is a requirement. Second, Rycor forms specific to Daysland School also need to be completed. Your timely attention to these is greatly appreciated.

Looking ahead to October, we are excited to kick off our school assemblies and squad activities. Our first squad project will be creating scarecrows for the town’s Scarecrow Festival. Assemblies will continue to celebrate our students' accomplishments.

Our annual Awards Night is scheduled for October 11th, where we will recognize the achievements of our Junior and Senior High students from the 2023-24 school year.

Finally, please remember that PowerSchool is our primary method for communicating student progress. If you need assistance accessing the PowerSchool parent site, please use this link. If you or your child have any questions, feel free to contact us for help.

Stay connected with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram to keep up with what's happening at Daysland School. You can also call or email me if you have any further questions.

September

26 - Cross Country @ Camrose

26 - Sr. G V-Ball @ New Norway

27/28 - Sr. G V-Ball @ OLMP

27 - Orange Shirt Day

28 - Jr. G V-Ball @ Hay Lakes

30 - Truth & Reconciliation Day (School Closed)

October

1- Sr. G V-Ball vs Holden

2 - Immunizations (Gr. 6 & 9)

2 - Jr. V-Ball vs Ryley

4 - School Photos

4/5 - Jr. G V-Ball Host

4/5 - Sr. G V-Ball @ Sexsmith

8 - Sr. G V-Ball vs Bawlf

9 - Jr. V-Ball vs Forestburg

10 - Cross Country Regionals @ New Norway

11 - Staff Meeting/PD/Collaboration Day (no school for students)

11 - Secondary Awards Night in the Gym

14 - Thanksgiving (School Closed)

16 - Jr. V-Ball vs Tofield

17 - Sr. G V-Ball @ Viking

18 - Jr. G V-Ball @ Bawlf

21 - Jr. V-Ball @ Round Hill

22 - Sr. G V-Ball @ Hay Lakes

23 - Jr. V-Ball @ Ryley

24 - Sr. G V-Ball @ Bashaw

29 - Sr G V-Ball vs Cornerstone

30 - Jr. V-Ball Divisionals

31 - Halloween

November

1 - Staff Meeting/PD/Collaboration Day (no school for students)

1/2 - Sr. G V-Ball @ Rocky Mountain House

5 - Jr. V-Ball Regionals

If you have not already done so, please complete the School Permission Forms as well as the Verification Forms that were sent out by Battle River School Division. These can be found in the PowerSchool Parent Portal under School Fees and Forms and School Engage. Please note that for students with unsigned forms, we will need to turn off technology access because these students will not have their acceptable use forms signed. Please ensure these forms are signed to avoid a disruption to this service.

All Shared Students should be up and running in their Moodle courses! Students are reminded to keep on track and ensure they are watching the Due Dates and the Course Completion progress bar at the top of their course page. Families - please watch for an email from Mrs. Hoff about a Verification Form in SchoolEngage and a Shared Student Acknowledgement Form. Students should be checking their BRSD email regularly/daily! Be sure to email your course teacher if you have any questions.

We know that emergencies can happen at any time, and the safety of our students and staff is our utmost priority. As such, the school division has developed an Emergency Response Plan that will be used in the event an emergency occurs. Please review the attached document, which outlines key elements of the plan and answers many questions regarding emergency preparedness.

Wednesday, October 16 @ 7:00pm

Daysland School Learning Commons

Everyone Welcome!

Our Cross Country Running Season is off to a great start! We have 15 regular competitors who have been working hard to improve their personal best times!

Our Volleyball seasons are also off to a great start! Mini Slammers will be starting this week, with practices happening at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays - all interested Gr 5 and 6s are welcome to join. More information about games will follow! Our Jr Girls Volleyball team will be hosting their home tournament on Oct 4/5. Come cheer them on!

Congratulations to our Sr High Golf Team who competed in Provincials! They represented our school well!

If you are interested in purchasing Daysland School clothing, please visit

https://dayslandschool.entripyshops.com

Orders can be placed at any time of the year and will ship directly to the purchaser.

The Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) is excited to announce our first offering in the How Do I Get There? series for the 2024/2025 school year. RhPAP hosts this FREE webinar series targeted to rural high school students and others who are contemplating a healthcare career in rural Alberta. Guests include representatives from post-secondary institutions that offer healthcare programs, current students in those programs and healthcare professionals in that particular health profession.

How Do I Get There? – Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologist (CLXT) will be hosted via Zoom on Tuesday, October 1 @ 6 PM. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the role of a CLXT, the schooling associated with stepping into this career, and what it is like working in this role in rural Alberta.

We kindly ask that you circulate the registration link below amongst your Grades 9 to 12 students. We have also attached posters that can be put up within the school with a QR code or circulated online with a clickable link.

To register, click here: How Do I Get There? - Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologist Registration, Tue, 1 Oct 2024 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite

Hope you can join us!