Elements' Weekly Update

It's hard to believe we are over halfway through the school year! It’s amazing to see how much our students have learned and grown over the past few months.

We are grateful for the warmer weather and the chance for students to get outside, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy some much-needed movement during the school day. Outdoor play is so important for their well-being, and we’re happy to see them taking advantage of it!

Mrs. Pearn and Mrs. Zapesocki

• February 24 - Returning Student Registration Closes

• February 26 – Pink Shirt Day

• February 26- Caribbean Calypso Musician Stennie Noel presentation

• February 28 - Kindergarten Group A​

• March 4 – Gr. 5 Blanket Exercise​

• March 5 – Early Dismissal - School Spirit Theme Day

• March 7 - No School - Professional Learning Day​

• March 10-14 – Substitution Appreciation Week

• March 11 - Managing Student Anxiety Parent Session at Lakeland Ridge School​, 6:30pm

We want to extend our sincere appreciation to all the parents who took the time to complete the Mid-Point and Fee Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and we are grateful for your input.

We are pleased to share that the vast majority of parents are supportive of the proposed fees for the 2025-2026 school year. As outlined in the survey, noon-hour supervision fees will remain the same, and field trip fees will see a modest increase of just one dollar. This small adjustment reflects the maximum 2% increase we are allowed to implement.

Your responses to other survey questions are also important to us, and we look forward to sharing more insights from your feedback in next week’s weekly update. Thank you again for your engagement and support in helping us make informed decisions for our school community!

Conflict resolution is one of the biggest areas of skill building that we focus on as elementary school counsellors. Being able to successfully navigate conflicts with others is a skill that benefits children throughout their lives and, like all skills, conflict resolution takes time, patience and practice to hone. Here are some helpful tips from The Child Mind Institute for supporting your child to resolve conflicts with others.

Teaching Kids How to Deal With Conflict - Child Mind Institute

“Conflicts often feel enormous and immediate, which can make it hard to keep perspective on the situation. To find useful solutions, it’s important for kids to practice taking a mental step back. A few tips you can encourage kids to keep in mind include:

• Think beyond this one incident. If a close friend tells a secret you trusted them with, it’s natural to be upset. But does that really mean that the friendship is over? Encourage your child to consider the rest of their relationship with the person they’re in conflict with, and remind them that one behavior doesn’t define the entire person.
• Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. “You want to really work on acknowledging what the other person is saying,” says Werley. “even if you don’t totally understand why they’re feeling that way or don’t agree with the way that they’re describing the situation.” Imagining what the other person is feeling is a great way to help kids develop empathy. Depending on the situation, it might also make sense for your child to talk over the issue with the other person and make a point of listening actively — without interrupting. Practicing these skills can help kids resolve conflicts in the short term and become more empathetic in the long term.
• Consider the context. The time and place of the conflict will often dictate how kids respond to it, as will the nature of their relationship to the other person. In particular, Dr. Lee notes that it’s important for kids to know that conflicts with adults will often look different from conflicts with other kids. For example, a child who gets angry with a teacher during class might have to sit with those feelings until it’s possible to set up a private meeting with the teacher. Taking a step back to consider all the dynamics of a situation will set kids up to navigate the conflict more successfully.”

Reading aloud is one of the most valuable ways caregivers can support their child's development. There are many ways to make it an interactive and fun experience. Reading aloud supports and enhances many reading skills, such as learning new vocabulary, hearing fluent reading, and developing phonemic awarenes. Check out more information on the importance of reading aloud and strategies on building reading skills from Reading Rockets.

Every year in the winter, parents/caregivers of Grade 4, 7, and 10 students receive a letter with a survey and/or a random access code to share information with Alberta Education about the quality of education in your child's school and school division.

Sample survey questions/statements can be found online and include some of the following:

• My child finds school interesting.
• My child is safe at school.
• My child is learning useful literacy skills.
• My child is learning important numeracy skills.
• Music, physical education, art, and drama opportunities are available at my child's school.
• Specialized supports to help my child are available at my child's school.
• My child is learning about Indigenous people and cultures at school.
• I have opportunities to be involved in decisions at my child's school.

Families, your survey responses help us to know where we're doing well and where we need to improve. Survey responses are anonymous and results are shared with the school and the EIPS Board of Trustees each spring.

Elk Island Public Schools’ (EIPS) returning student registration process is now open. All current students, except Grade 12, must complete the online Returning Student Registration Form to confirm their enrolment in a school and program for the upcoming 2025-26 school year. Additionally, students who want to attend a non-designated school or program need to make that request through the returning student registration process—acceptance is based on available space. All current EIPS students are required to complete the form by Feb. 24, 2025.

To complete your child’s returning student registration, refer to the Returning Student Registration Form email you received from Elk Island Public Schools through Permission Click on February 10. Families will receive one email for each student. No log in is required to complete the form.

For more information, contact the school directly.

RELATED INFORMATION:
Returning Student Registration Process
Frequently Asked Questions
EIPS School Boundary Maps
Closed Boundaries 2025-26
Find my designated school
Applying to a non-designated school

As we work to create engaging and enriching indoor recess experiences for our students, we are seeking donations of board games and puzzles to use in classrooms. These activities help foster teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity while providing a fun break during the school day.

If you have any gently used or new board games and puzzles that your family no longer needs, we would greatly appreciate your donations. Items can be sent with your child or dropped off at the school office.

Thank you for your generosity and support!

There are many ways to get involved and support our school community!

Library – If you’re interested in helping with book check-ins and reshelving, we’d love your support. Email general.fse@eips.ca

Hot Lunch – We need volunteers on hot lunch days to help organize food items and deliver them to classrooms.

Email fseparentsociety@gmail.com

Did you know that FSE is a Mental Health Flagship School and is implementing leading edge

strategies to strengthen relationships and manage day-to-day anxiety and worries.

Want to learn more?

You are invited to a discussion and planning hour:

MARCH 11, 2025

Lakeland Ridge School

101 Crimson Drive, Sherwood Park

6:30 TO 7:30 PM

Discussion topics: What can adults do to help children and youth regulate their emotions and behaviour for greater success? How can we use specific relational strategies such as affective statements and family agreements to support brain development, learning and optimal wellbeing?

RSVP here

Childcare provided on site, participants must request when completing the RSVP

Snacks an beverages provided!