Westboro Weekly Newsletter

September 2: Labour Day - No school for staff or students

September 3: Staggered start for kindergarten

September 4: Early dismissal - Students dismissed 1 hour early at 2:12 p.m.

September 5: First full day of kindergarten

September 5: Welcome back assembly

Dear Westboro Families,

I hope everyone had a fun-filled, safe summer! My name is Shelby Labrecque and I have the honour and privilege of being the new principal at Westboro Elementary. I have been an educator for over twenty years and an administrator for nine of those years. I would like to start by welcoming all our students and their families to this school year. On behalf of all the staff at Westboro (WBO), we are all so excited to have everyone in our building and are looking forward to an amazing year ahead, working collaboratively together to support all our students!

I would like to thank our custodial staff who completed the summer cleaning routines so we could come back to a shiny, clean school environment and continue their diligent cleaning schedules to keep everyone as safe as possible. Thank you as well to our IT Department for ensuring our technology was ready to go on day one, as well as our Facilities staff who spent the summer working behind the scenes doing building maintenance and repairs!

On August 27 & 28 staff took part in some professional learning around mental health and regulation strategies. As well, they attended meetings and worked in collaborative teams to prepare for the upcoming school year. These days were both productive and enjoyable and allowed us time to ensure the year got off to a great start.

It was heart-warming to see all the families and students who were able to attend our ‘Meet the Staff’ night on August 28! This was a new initiative meant to help ease the anxious feelings that can happen around the beginning of the school year, as well as to make that first day a little easier!

Did you know every parent/guardian is a member of our Westboro School Council? It’s true! The WBO School Council is a great way to stay connected with what is happening at school as well as contribute your thoughts and ideas about what you might like to see happening at school. We hope you can make it to our School Council meetings as we value our parents/guardians as partners! However, we understand how busy life is, so if you do have questions or comments, please reach out to the WBO School Council (westboroparents@gmail.com).

September is a very busy month so be sure to stay ‘in the know’ by reading the communications coming from your child’s classroom teacher and by checking the school website at www.westboroelementary.ca.

Looking forward to a successful year!

Kind regards,

Shelby Labrecque, M.Ed.

Principal

Westboro Elementary School

OFFICE

Principal: Mrs. Shelby Labrecque

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Tracey Prouse

Secretary: Mrs. Billie Jean Mepham

Secretary: Mrs. Melanie Pinto

Counsellor: Mrs. Dianna Graziano

Librarian: Mrs. Shelly White

Music Mrs. Courtney Richard

TEACHERS

Mrs. Cindy Wheeler Kindergarten

Mrs. Marina Gilmore 1G

Mrs. Sherry Cameron/Ms. Kayla Reivonen 2C

Mrs. Margo Komant 3K

Ms. Rhonda Lee 4Lee

Mrs. Tanya Gottstein 5G

Mrs. Erin Desautels 5D

Mrs. Amberly Witzke 6W

Mr. Chris Krysler STEPS

Ms. Shelbi White STEPS

Mrs. Andrea Perrotta PLACE

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANTS

Mrs. Christie Meier Kindergarten

Mrs. Wendy Oake 4Lee

Mrs. Shawna Resalat Division 2

Mrs. Karen Stocks STEPS

Mrs. Dawn Sutton STEPS

Mrs. Cheryle Kristensen STEPS

Mrs. Corinne Bennefeld STEPS

Mrs. Kesina Martyn STEPS

Mrs. Jennifer Matyjanka PLACE

Mrs. Michele Norton PLACE

Ms. Paige Tomashewsky STEPS

Mrs. Adrianne Shepard PLACE

Mrs. Amy Churchill STEPS

Ms. Candace Reichl STEPS

Our Westboro bell schedule has been adjusted slightly for the 2024-25 school year. This was done to ensure we are providing staff with their lunch breaks, while also ensuring our supervision needs are being met. We continue to have a 15-minute morning recess break as well as 6 periods in the morning and 4 periods in the afternoon. All periods are 32 minutes long. The lunch recess will be 30 minutes long. There is also a wellness body break scheduled in the afternoon. However, staff continue to have the flexibility to adjust this time so that should students need a break sooner or more often they can accommodate specific classroom needs. Legislated instructional minutes continue to be maintained.

Please see the welcome back letter linked below from our Westboro School Council and Parents' Society.

To improve safety and security in schools, the Division is announcing a new initiative to keep student safety and learning a top priority. Effective for the start of the 2024-25 school year, all school exterior doors, including the front door, will remain locked during operation hours, and opened for student access during specific school entry times.

Learn more about the new building security and door locking initiative.

Please communicate your child’s absence, leaving school early or arriving late directly to

general.wbo@eips.ca or click BUTTON BELOW. These emails are both checked regularly by the school office staff. Do not communicate this information to only the teacher. Situations occur when the homeroom teacher is away and your information will not be received by the office staff who are required to maintain an accurate record of attendance for students throughout the day.

If medication is to be administered to your child at school a form must be completed by the parent/guardian. The medication must be brought to school in the original container with legible label. Please click the link button to complete the form online through Permission Click.

Forms must be completed on a yearly basis.

Our school zone is a very busy place before and after school. Ensuring our students safety is our first priority. Parents are reminded of the speed zone in the area in front of the school, as well as be reminded that there are no U-turns allowed anywhere within the school boundaries. Please note that there is no parking or stopping in front of the school during drop off and pick-up times. That area is designated for buses only. There is also no parking in the STAFF PARKING lots on the east and west sides of the school. The staff parking stalls are ALL spoken for and any quick drop offs or pick ups can cause great disruptions for our staff. There is parking available in the mall parking lot across from the school, in the middle and outer (closest to Broadmoor Blvd.) rows ONLY. Please obey all the cross walk markings during the busy times in the mornings and afternoons. Students will continue patrolling the crosswalk areas, please respect their requests as they assist Mrs. Labrecque and Mrs. Prouse in supervising the arrival and departure of our students.

In June, the Government of Alberta released Ministerial Order: Standards for the Use of Personal Mobile Devices and Social Media in Schools. The Division is currently reviewing administrative procedures and guidelines to align with these new standards. Effective for the 2024-25 school year, students will not have access to social media platforms on student devices or any devices connected to the guest network. The fully updated procedures will be shared with families as soon as they are finalized, but no later than Jan. 1, 2025.

Your child’s school and the Division use SchoolMessenger for communicating with families—through phone and email. You can directly manage your phone and email subscription preferences through your SchoolMessenger account.

Learn more about SchoolMessenger, manage your preferences and download the app.

The PowerSchool Parent Portal is an interactive web-based platform where parents and guardians can access attendance, grades and fee information for all students registered in the Division, as well as provide updates to family contact information as needed. One account provides access to the information about all students in your family.

Learn more about PowerSchool and how to set up your Parent Portal account if you’re new to EIPS.

EIPS uses the online Permission Click platform for many school and Division forms. The system makes the form submission process for families simple and straightforward, and forms are easily fillable from your mobile device.

Learn more about Permission Click and who these forms are sent to.

Is your child riding the bus this year? If yes, download the My Ride and Bus Status apps to stay in the know about your child’s bus stop location, route, pickup time and whether their bus is running on schedule.

The EIPS Correction and Verification Form is available online through your PowerSchool Parent Portal—at the top of the left-hand menu. Use the form to access and update your child’s records information—including address, parent and guardian information, emergency contacts and medical information. Reviewing the form and submitting updates ensures the school has the most up-to-date information regarding your child.

When reviewing the form, pay close attention to all listed phone numbers, email addresses and emergency contact information. Also, if you recently moved, now is the time to ensure the Division has your updated address. Throughout the year, the Division and school use the listed information to communicate with families about important information, including updates, the latest news and events.

PowerSchool Correction and Verification Form

Review and update the form by Sept. 25, 2024

If you have questions about the form or your Parent Portal account, contact the school office at 780-467-7751.

Did you know you can sync the school calendar to your own calendar? Simply, visit www.westboroelementary.ca and click on the applicable subscription option:

· Download to iCal

· Add to Google Calendar

· Subscribe to Calendar

NOTE: Options are located above the calendar.

Once you click on the desired subscription option, follow the instructions. Within seconds, your calendar will contain all Westboro Elementary’s important dates including holidays, school-closures days, planned activities, events and more.

EIPS has three administrative procedures (APs) that address the Division’s code of conduct:

· AP 311: Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning Environments for Students

· AP 350: Student Code of Conduct

· AP 351: Student Conduct on School Buses

The Division, and Westboro Elementary, are committed to ensuring all members of the school community are provided with welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environments that respect diversity and foster a sense of belonging. EIPS encourages all students, staff and families to review the procedures to understand and practice the conduct expected throughout the Division.

Wondering when and how to pay for school fees? School fee information for the 2024-25 school year will be posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal in late September. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. NOTE: Additional fees may be added throughout the year—for example, at the beginning of each semester, as your child takes part in various activities, or they may be adjusted by changes in selected optional courses in junior and senior high school. If you’re unable to pay your school fees, you can apply to have certain fees waived. The application deadline is Dec. 16, 2024.

For more information, visit the fees on the school website. Alternatively, contact Billie Jean Mepham at Westboro Elementary at 780-467-7751.

Did you know each EIPS bus is equipped with video surveillance, and many school sites have video monitoring equipment?

Video surveillance and equipment help:

· ensure the safety of all students, staff, drivers and property; and

· discourage destructive acts.

As needed, EIPS school administration and Student Transportation staff review video recordings, in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. The recordings assist schools and the Division with monitoring student and driver conduct and may be used as evidence in a disciplinary matter.

For more information about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, contact the EIPS FOIP Co-ordinator at 780-464-3477.

The Board of Trustees meets throughout the school year to discuss and make decisions regarding matters important to students, families, schools, communities and public education overall. Community members are encouraged and welcome to attend in person or to tune into the public livestream on the EIPS YouTube channel. For 2024-25 Board Meeting dates, visit the EIPS website and subscribe to the Division calendar.

Alberta Health Services offers free online programming for parents and caregivers of children and youth. Sessions are offered through Zoom. The list of September 2024 sessions is now available.