SEPTEMBER 2024

ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE

As we bid farewell to September and welcome October, we can hardly believe a month has already flown by! It’s been a busy start to the school year, and we want to take a moment to celebrate our students’ achievements and share some exciting updates.

Our cross country running team has excelled this season, demonstrating perseverance and teamwork on the trails. As they prepare to wrap up the fall season, we applaud their hard work and dedication. A special thank you to the coaches that make this possible.

Meanwhile, our volleyball teams are in full swing! It’s been inspiring to watch them grow, learn, and succeed on the court. We’re proud of their commitment and the positive spirit they bring to our school.

Looking ahead, our student leadership group is buzzing with activity. They are planning concessions and lunch events, and bringing forward new club ideas. Student voice plays a vital role in cultivating a strong school culture.

Next week, we’ll be reaching out to gather feedback from students, families, and staff regarding our cell phone policy. Your insights are invaluable as we continue to move forward together as a school community. Please watch your emails to take part!

Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement. Here’s to a fantastic October filled with growth and success!

Warm regards,

The School Administration Team

Andrea Gutmann - agutmann@brsd.ab.ca

Donna Elaschuk - delaschuk@brsd.ab.ca

Sabrina Heydorn - sheydorn@brsd.ab.ca

Please join us...

PRINCIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

7pm

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

STUDENT RE-ENROLLMENT & VERIFICATION FORMS ARE PAST DUE!

STUDENT ACCESS TO CHROMEBOOKS AT SCHOOL WILL BE TURNED OFF DURING THIS MONTH IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED THIS FORM!

(Included with the Student Re-Enrollment & Verification form is the Technology Acceptable Use Agreement and the FOIP Consent Notice of Activities.)

The 2024/25 Student Re-Enrollment & Verification(320-1) forms were sent out in August. Every student and parent/guardian must complete this document prior to September 30, 2024 for your Division account and access to continue to be available to you and your student during the remainder of the school year.

Please find the SchoolEngage Parent Instructions on our website under Families } PowerSchool Parent Instructions & Information. Please note, the form must be completed on a web browser on a phone, tablet, or computer. The PowerSchool App does not have form capability. Your username is your Firstname.Lastname.

Every year we are required to provide Alberta Education with a signed and dated Student Verification form for each of our students. We also use the form to ensure all of the information we have regarding your child(ren) is correct. This year we have moved to an electronic verification form for this process. In an attempt to streamline our process, the FOIP and Technology Use forms have been incorporated into the Verification form.

SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE

September 24, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians of BRSD:

It has been a great start to the BRSD school year! September has been filled with excitement and energy, as our schools have come alive with many welcome back activities, barbecues, extracurricular programs, and rich learning opportunities. It's wonderful to see our students, staff, and families reconnecting with our school communities.

This month, our students and staff have engaged in meaningful learning experiences around significant events. As we approach National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, our schools have been involved in activities and discussions to honour and reflect on the history and legacy of residential schools. This is a vital part of our commitment to reconciliation, and we are dedicated to fostering understanding and respect for Indigenous cultures and histories within our school communities.

Additionally, our schools have participated in the Terry Fox Run, continuing the tradition of honoring a courageous Canadian hero whose determination continues to inspire us all. It has been heartening to see our students come together to celebrate Terry's legacy and raise awareness and funds for cancer research. BRSD has raised over $1.06 million during 447 division events.

Our focus remains on our vision, Every Student, Every Day, a Success, while we continue to enact a variety of strategies to support our Three Year Educational Plan. Schools are implementing programs and supporting literacy and numeracy improvement in all grade levels across the division. In addition to this, seventeen BRSD teachers are piloting the new social studies curriculum in our schools. This pre-implementation activity for social studies will enable our teachers to gain experience and develop expertise in the new curriculum which will support student learning this year and in future years.

All of our Kindergarten to Grade 6 classrooms have been equipped with sound field systems. This benefits all students in classrooms, as students will be able to hear more clearly. Our technology team continues with the installation of ViewSonic Interactive ViewBoards. These initiatives are designed to support staff in an engaging student learning environment.

We have already seen great enthusiasm from our students participating in extracurricular activities. This participation plays a vital role in building confidence and teamwork and fosters a sense of belonging. I want to thank our staff coaches, community volunteer coaches, supervisors and referees who make this possible.

Our school start-up has been fast, furious and fun. Here is a media release that sums up September. As we advance into the school year, we are excited about endless learning opportunities for our students. Thank you for your ongoing support and trust in our division. Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!

Rhae-Ann Holoien
Superintendent of Schools

Friday, October 11, 2024

NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Staff Collaboration Day)

Monday, October 14, 2024

NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Day)

Thursday, October 24, 2024

WOK BOX Hot Lunch

(For those that pre-ordered prior to 8am on Oct 17 on their Rycor account.)

Friday, November 1, 2024

NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Staff Collaboration Day)

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

PICTURE RETAKE DAY (AM only)

Monday, November 11 - Friday, November 15, 2024

NO SCHOOL (Fall Break)

ATTENDANCE

Being "on time" for class is directly linked to student academic success.

Our doors open at 8:30am for students. A complete bell schedule can be found on our website under About } Bell Schedule.

ATTENDANCE IS TAKEN FOR EVERY PERIOD THROUGHOUT THE DAY

This is new for some of our students. Please remind your student the importance of being on time to each individual class. Students that are not present more than half of a period are marked absent for that block. Guardians will receive phone communication once in the morning if their student has been marked absent for the start of the day. Guardians may view their students attendance breakdown on PowerSchool.

ABSENT OR LATE STUDENTS

Please inform the office if your student will be absent by either calling (780) 672-7785 , emailing cksgenvm@brsd.ab.ca or filling out the form on our website under Contacts.

Students must check-in at the office if they are late and must check-out at the office if they are leaving early for the day.

CLASSROOM DISRUPTIONS - SCHOOL DAY PICK-UPS

We are kindly asking parents to respect class time. With close to 500 students in our building we attempt to keep class time interruptions minimal. We understand that emergencies can happen and you may be required to pick-up your child with short or no notice, we will kindly assist you. However, please provide the school with advanced notification when possible when needing to pick up your student early or provide a phone message. We thank you in advance for your assistance in keeping classroom disruptions low.

PARKING LOT

We kindly request that parents and guardians refrain from entering the staff parking lot unless they need to visit the school. We attempt to keep the parking lot clear for accessibility reasons and our Handivan. Thank you for your assistance in keeping our school safe!

RYCOR

ÉCKS is a fully digital school. All payments and field trip forms must be completed online.

Options fees will be uploaded beginning next week.

To create or access your Rycor account go to the link below or go to the ÉCKS website. At the bottom of the home screen click on the large red button titled “Online Payments & Ordering”.

Use the "create account" option.

Once you have created an account, you will need to add your child as a student. You will use their student number which can be found on PowerSchool or an Alberta Report Card.

Once your student is attached, you will click on their name to access the fees. Fees you wish to pay need to be added to cart. Check out and make the payment. You may make a partial payment on the payment screen. Edit the amount, and proceed.

Permission Forms - An email will be sent out if it is just a permission form, with the Rycor link, identifying which icon to use, and the details of the field trip (who, where, when, etc). Please pay attention to the deadline! This will also be how you are notified if there is a fee associated with the activity.

Access the form and the fee by clicking on the appropriate icon on the bottom of your student's page. This will open the form. Fill in the 3 fields that are blank and hit “submit” in the bottom right corner of the form. This will put the form in the cart. Once the form is in the cart, you will need to submit it again by clicking on the "confirm" button on the checkout page of your cart. Without this step, the form has not been submitted. If you have successfully submitted the form, you will be able to see it in the completed form sections in your account.

Please note that if there is a fee with the form, the fee has to be submitted and the form has to be completed (signed) and confirmed before your child will be registered for the trip.

Also please note that the forms can have an expiration date. This is so that we can pay for tickets, plan transportation, arrange subs for students not attending, etc.

Ordering - Hot Lunch must be ordered through Rycor. Email reminders are not sent out for these. Please read the school newsletters and have your child pay attention to morning announcements for deadlines.

Deadlines - THE FORM WILL DISAPPEAR AFTER THE DEADLINE AND YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO SUBMIT THE PERMISSION FORM, ORDER HOT LUNCH OR PAY THE FEE.

POWERSCHOOL LIVE DIGITAL REPORTING & REPORT CARDS

École Charlie Killam School is a live reporting school. You can access your students' schedule, academic progress and attendance through the PowerSchool Parent Portal and the phone application in real-time. Student assessments will be reported digitally on PowerSchool so physical report cards will not be distributed. There is a new feature in the Parent Portal for parents to be able to generate a PDF of a Report Card. To access this new Report Card feature you must be signed in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal through a web browser (Chrome, Firefox etc.) you can not view it from the app.

For more information and instructions for parents regarding PowerSchool please go to our website under Families } PowerSchool Parent Instructions & Information.

TRANSPORTATION

ÉCKS does not organize daily transportation for students. For more information please click on the button below to go to the Battle River School Division Transportation webpage.

RESPONSIBILITY OF STUDENTS

Cutlery and water bottles are not provided in our school.

Please be sure your student brings whatever they require to have a successful day!

We also ask that your student please dress for the weather.

At some point during the school day every student goes outside.

COUGAR MARKET

The ÉCKS Cougar Market will be taking place on Thursday, November 7! If your child is interested in being a vendor, they must complete an application form and hand it into Mrs. Ellert by October 16.

CONCESSIONS

Thursday, October 10 - grade 7 concession

Thursday, October 17 - grade 6 concession

The corresponding grade is welcome to to join in the commons area during both parts of lunch. There will be a concession selling items like cup of noodles, milk, chips, pizza pops, etc.

HOT LUNCH

Thursday, October 24 - Wok Box Hot Lunch

(For those that pre-ordered prior to 10pm on Oct 16 on their Rycor account.)

HALLOWEEN BOO BASH

The Halloween Boo Bash will be taking place in homerooms in the afternoon of October 31. There will prizes, games and a cash only concession in the afternoon.

LEARNING LEGENDS

ÉCKS Learning Legends, our peer tutoring program, will begin after Thanksgiving on Mondays and Thursdays during lunchtime from 11:53 AM to 12:33 PM. This is a supportive space where students can seek academic assistance from their peers and catch up on any incomplete assignments.

For questions or concerns please contact Mme Dorna at dsadeghi@brsd.ab.ca.

VOLLEYBALL

Our season schedule is available on our website. Is is posted on our website under Programs & Services } Extracurricular Athletics } Volleyball. If you have not already, please sign the online permission form for your child ASAP on Rycor. An email was sent to parents as a reminder to pay fees and sign the permission form. Our home Red volleyball tournament is October 25 & 26. Our home White volleyball tournament will be November 1 & 2. Family is welcome to come cheer on our teams at all events. A tournament schedule for all teams will be sent home with the athletes over the next week and will also be available on our school website.

We have a large grade 6 program which has been running since September 16. This involves around 40 students, which is outstanding! Practices for grade 6 are at lunch break during recess time. Games will occur this month, once other schools are ready. A schedule will be sent out then. We are very proud as a school to be including so many of our student athletes. Great work Cougars!

CROSS COUNTRY

This is our last week of cross country. It has been a great season so far! This Thursday will be the Regional Championships and last race. We will also have a pizza party wrap up in a few weeks. Details regarding the party will be on the morning announcements, please remind your student to pay attention to them!

Go Cougars Go!

Beginner Band Jump Start

The Grade 6 beginners recently held their annual Jump Start Clinic. Over 110 students attended this event on Saturday, October 5. The kids had fun and learned a lot as they took their first steps in learning an instrument. The next step is to set a regular home practice time! A big thanks to those parents who came and helped with student supervision!

ÉCKS Chorus

There has been a good response to this year’s edition of the ÉCKS chorus, with over 50 students showing up for the first few rehearsals. The choir meets one noon hour per week, on Wednesdays. Students will participate in concerts as well as some local events such as singing for Sr. homes. Please encourage your child to attend all rehearsals, as we need their commitment to the group.

ÉCKS Jazz Band

The Jazz Band practices at noon hours on Tuesday and Thursdays. We have approximately 25 students in the Jazz band. Our first event for the year will be a field trip to Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton to see their band in concert. This will take place on Thursday, December 5. More information will be forthcoming.

ÉCKS Music Parent Association

Our Annual General Meeting was held on September 25. We had a good turnout, and we have filled our executive positions. This year, our executive consists of:

President: Jason Silbernagel

Vice president: Michelle Broekhuizen

Secretary: Chelsey Isbister

Treasurer: Crystal Clinton

Committee members: Delaney Caouette, Jen Chornohos and Danica Tobin.

The Music Parent Association is an active group that helps Mr. Bailey offer a quality music program, and allows our students to participate in many activities through advocacy, fundraising and trip planning.

Grade 7/8 Band Shirts

Over the next week, our Junior High band members will be fitted for their band shirts, which we use as uniforms for concerts and festivals. These are good quality polo type shirts, with an ÉCKS Band logo. Grade 8 students who were in band last year will already have one, but we ask that you notify us if your child has outgrown their shirt. New grade 8 band students, and all grade 7 band students will need a shirt. The cost for these shirts is approximately $25. (Grade 6 band members do not require the band shirts)

Fundraising

Band BBQ at Save on Foods: Our year kicked off with a BBQ at Save-On-Foods. It was a great success, and we raised about $1000. Thanks to students and parents who assisted at this event! Also a big thanks to Save-On for their support.

Our annual VIP Meats fundraising sales campaign is running from October 7-28 . Students will receive an order form from which they can sell various food products. (Items come in bulk, similar to a Costco. VIP Meats has been a popular fundraiser for us for many years.)

NOTE: Please be sure to submit the paper orders only, do not do any online orders. Students may bring their orders to school any time before October 28. Parents, please submit the matching payment by e-transfer to ckmusicparents@gmail.com. Also please indicate the student name in the notes of your e-transfer.

*You must submit one payment for your entire order, please do not have your customers e-transfer individually.

We would ask that you carefully compare your total money transfer to your paper order form to ensure that they match.

BAND DATES FOR THE YEAR!

Please note these dates and make every effort to attend all events. Band is like a team, and we need all of our members to be present for concerts, festivals, etc.

Monday, October 28, 2024

VIP Meats orders are due

Monday, November 4, 2024

VIP Meats delivery to school

Friday, November 8, 2024 (Tentative)

Remembrance Day Assembly at ÉCKS (Grade 8 band)

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

ÉCKS Band Concert (all groups)

January 29 & 30, 2025

Grade 7 Band Camp at Camp Nakamun

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Grade 6 Symphony field trip to Edmonton

Friday, February 21, 2025 (Tentative)

Jazz Band retreat

April 7-11, 2025

Camrose Music Festival Week (performance days TBA)

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Grade 7 Band at Red Deer Provincials

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Grade 8 Band at Provincial Band Festival in Red Deer

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Grade 8 Honour Band at Provincial Festival in Red Deer

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Final Concert (all groups) at Lougheed Centre

June 4-7, 2025

Grade 8 Band Tour to Banff and Jasper

Please feel free to contact Mr. Bailey at bbailey@brsd.ab.ca

if you have any music related questions.

LOST & FOUND

Our Lost & Found is overflowing! Please remind your student to check the table outside of the office as all items will be donated prior to Thanksgiving long weekend.

Stay tuned for more information regarding the Spring French and Late Immersion trip to Quebec in the following weeks!

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

In-person at ÉCKS

Thursday, November 7, 2024

4pm - 8:30 pm

Please use this School Interview Booking Link https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/pt56b to book your in person interview. Each appointment is 10 minutes in length. The smooth running of our event relies on all parents keeping to their 10 minute appointment. Please consider other parents and end on time. If you need more time with a particular teacher, please arrange a separate meeting or phone call.

Please check your students PowerSchool Parent Portal for a list of their current teachers, current marks, missing assignments and attendance. Reporting with our school is live via PowerSchool. Paper report cards are no longer mailed home.

Here is the link to the PowerSchool Parent Portal https://brsd.powerschool.com/public/home.html

Instructions for signing into PowerSchool can be found on our website https://ckillam.brsd.ab.ca/families/powerschool-tutorials

Teacher and staff emails can also be found on our website https://ckillam.brsd.ab.ca/about/staff-directory

ASEBP SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

Did you know that ASEBP offers free information for Parents and Guardians?

If you have any questions that haven’t been answered here, please be in touch with us.

We will do our best to continue to provide updates throughout the year and will keep you informed around school related activities. Please continue to check our website at www.ckillam.brsd.ab.ca

and the Battle River School Website at www.brsd.ab.ca.

École Charlie Killam School

4809 - 46 Street

Camrose, AB T4V 1G8

Phone: 780-672-7785

cksgenvm@brsd.ab.ca

"Achieving Success Together! Réussir Ensemble!"