May 2024

One piece of staffing information that we will share with you is that Mr. Ramsay will be leaving at the end of this school year. He has accepted an administrator position in Black Gold School Division to be closer to home and his family.

I have often given the advice to my staff and students to look after themselves and their families, so after 6 years of driving every day to work for over an hour and the many late nights supporting the wonderful work we do in this building, I have finally taken my own advice. I want to thank all of you for working with me this year and supporting this wonderful school and the people in it. This has been one of the best schools I have been a part of and I will truly miss all of you!

Mr. Chad Ramsay

Principal

We use our ROAR every day.

We do our best in every way.

We make strong choices.

We respect all voices.

We strive for more.

Here we ROAR!

May 16 Pow Wow field trip to ECCHS

May 22 Grade 2 go to Miquelon Provincial Park

May 20 Victoria Day schools closed

May 21 Parent council meeting at 7:00pm

May 27-31 Eat The Rainbow

May 29 Mme Bird, Mme Lowe and Mrs Kelly Classes are off to Telus World of Science

May 31 Track & Field Day

M/W Kindergarten / Maternelle (Mrs. Skoglund & Mme Urkow)

May 10

May 24

T/Th Maternelle (Mme Urkow)

Don't forget about our school home page and calendar that has a complete and up to date list of important dates and information. https://sifton.brsd.ab.ca/

Success Starts Early! Battle River School Division is accepting registrations for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten as of Feb. 1, 2024. Register your Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten student early to start school with BRSD for the 2024-25 school year.

Register your Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten Student here.

BRSD Transportation is pleased to announce that bus registration for the 2024/25 school year opened at 9 a.m. on April 17, 2024, and will close at 4 p.m. on June 27, 2024.

The change in the registration window will allow for more timely notification of student bus assignments. This change also allows for better communication between schools, families and transportation department staff. Earlier route assignments help bus drivers to be fully prepared for the upcoming school year and adjust to any route changes that may occur.

Students from the City of Camrose and the Town of Tofield must register annually. For all other locations, students need to register only if this is the first time they have ridden a BRSD school bus, such as new students beginning Kindergarten.

Additionally, students that have had changes to their contact information, such as physical address or school of attendance, are required to register. If there are no changes to student contact information, rural students will automatically be included in the route plans for the upcoming school year, and there will be no need for them to register.

Applications for school of choice/cross boundary transportation will be available at 9 a.m. on May 1, 2024.

For more details and eligibility information, please visit www.brsd.ab.ca/families/transportation.

2023-2024 yearbooks are on sale. To purchase a yearbook please fill out this form. We will only be accepting orders through this form and will not be ordering any extra yearbooks.

Orders are being accepted until MAY 31.

Yearbooks will be $23.00 each. By filling out and submitting the google form you are agreeing to the school adding the yearbook fee to your online school payment account, to be paid by May 31.

Yearbooks will be delivered at the end of June 2024. Don't miss your opportunity and order your yearbook today!

Please remember the all field trip permission forms must be filled out online. Watch for messaging coming home from the school when forms are posted.

Field trip forms can be found in the parent portal https://www.studentquickpay.com/brsd/

*Please note these are the field trips booked so far. More may be added. Watch for information coming home:

May 16 - Pow Wow grades 1-5

May 22 - Grade 2 Miquelon Lake

May 29 - Grade 1 to TELUS world of Science

June 7- Grade 4 to Water Treatment Plant

June 11 - 5J Wetlands

June 12 - Grade 5 Meeting Creek

Reminder to complete the School Verification form on SchoolEngage . Here parents can confirm contact numbers and ensure information for students is up to date and accurate.

All grade 1 to 5 students will be attending a Pow Wow event on May 16th at Ecole Camrose Composite High. Please watch for messaging coming home about the exact time. Students will be bused over and will require a signed permission form to attend. Permission forms will be in your online parent portal account. We will send a notification out when they are posted and ready to be signed.

Ecole Sifton School, along with Sparling School and Ecole Charlie Killiam School, are excited to announce that Sifton will be the location for a Tepee raising on Battle River School Division Property.

The set up of the Tepee will occur on June 10th in the front yard of the school. This set up takes multiple hours and will commence in the afternoon. There will be dancing outside with indigenous dancers and there will be drumming inside the Tepee. Sparling, Charlie Killiam and Sifton will have assigned times for their students to go through the stations of dancers performing and drumming in the Tepee.

The Tepee will be taken down on the afternoon of the 12th.

Mrs. Barclay has organized Girls Walking Club for grades 4 and 5 girls, after school on Thursdays. The Girls Walking Club started on April 25 and goes to June 20 from 3:30 to 4:00.

To join the walking club your child will need a signed permission for. It can be found in the parent portal online, If you are looking for one to sign for your child and don't see it available in your account, please contact the office.

Mental Health Week starts on May 6, and on MAY 8 everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in Hats On! For Mental Health Day. Join BRSD by wearing a hat on May 8!

Dear Sifton Families,

You are cordially invited to the Grade 5 Reading Fair 2024.

Our Reading Fair provides Grade 5 students with the opportunity to share one of their favourite books through a storyboard display. It is therefore an excellent opportunity to learn about books you never knew existed and make your summer reading list! You will also have the opportunity to vote on your favourite displays: Most Creative, Best Layout, Best Content, and Best Overall.

This celebration will take place on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 from 9:15-10:45 and 11:45-12:45 in the front foyer of the school.

Together in literacy,

The Grade 5 Reading Team

Our SWAT (Sifton Wellness Action Team) will be organizing EAT THE RAINBOW from May 27 - 31.

this event will help highlight how important and fun it is to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. We will be encouraging students to bring a fruit or vegetable everyday based on the colour of the day.

Monday, May 27 - Red fruit/vegetable

Tuesday, May 28 - Orange fruit/vegetable

Wednesday, May 29 - Yellow fruit/vegetable

Thursday, May 30 - Green fruit/vegetable

Friday, May 31 - Blue/Purple fruit/vegetable

On Thursday, May 30 the whole school will receive a Booster Juice for participating in this event.

The last week for kindergarten/maternelle students to take out books is the week of May 27-May 31.

The last week for students in grades 1-5 to take out books is the week of June 3-7.

All library books are due back by Friday, June 14.

Plant pick up will happen on May 7 & 8 from 3-5 pm.

Thank you for supporting this fundraiser.

We are on a mission to make our garden space at Ecole Sifton School something that is useful and educational for all of our students, teachers, and families connected to our school. We want an area where students can learn, in all seasons, how to care for the soil, plant food to nourish, and understand native plant species and how to make use of them. We want it to be an outdoor classroom where students can decompress from the pressures of a traditional classroom, notice changes in seasons, and understand the benefits of being in nature. We want the workplace satisfaction of our teachers to increase as they too get time in nature (sunlight, fresh air, emotionally regulated students etc.) We want our school families to have a space to come and learn about how to grow their own food and connect to our school in a positive way.

We currently have 6 raised garden beds that require a lot of care. Our goal for the next couple of years is to heal the soil with high quality compost, set up a sustainable watering system for the plants, and have an indigenous elder advise us on native species we could plant. We would also love to add natural seating options for students, mulch paths, and some trees.

A reminder that an account has been opened at the bottle depot where families can drop off bottles any time, and the funds can go towards the school. Ask to donate them to "Sifton School Parent Council" when you drop them off.

Hot Lunch is available to order for students in Grades 1 - 5.

If you have ordered hot lunch and you child is absent, their lunch will be donated unless you contact the school by 12:00pm to make other arrangements. Unfortunately we can not offer refunds for any reason. Thank you for your understanding.

Ordering for May hot lunch was open from April 15 - 26, and is now closed.

Ordering for June hot lunch will be open online from May 15 - 26

June 7 - Boston Pizza

June 21 - Panago Pizza

Please place your ordering using our online payment system : https://www.studentquickpay.com/brsd/

Without parent volunteers we would not be able to have hot lunch.

If you would like to help distribute hot lunch please sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/9bbr3YJ8G6bDUHGg7

Thank you for your support!