Eckville Elementary News - Parents

This is the monthly Principal's message and newsletter. It is a way to keep parents engaged and informed with what is happening at Eckville Elementary. It is sent out each month via email and is available on our website.

From our team here at EES to all our families, welcome back to Eckville Elementary! We are eagerly anticipating the start of another great school year at EES.

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy some rest and relaxation over the summer and that you are as excited as we are to have your kids back in school. For most of who may not know me, my name is Jay Cottell and I am the new principal here at Eckville Elementary. I am looking forward to seeing all of our students' smiling faces and hopefully getting a chance to see/meet you all throughout this year.

At the beginning of each month I will be emailing out a newsletter, like this one. In order to ensure you receive this email please make sure you have the correct email address set up for your Parent Portal account (more information below) and make sure it is not getting sent to the spam folder. This will also be posted to the school website (where the most up to date information about the school and school happenings can be found), as well as our school's Facebook page.

I connected with many of you in the last week or so and look forward to meeting you in person! I invite you to check out our updated school website, where the Parents page has links to everything you need!

There are lots of updates further down so please read on and reach out if you have any questions.

- Mr. Jay Cottell

A reminder that Tuesday, September 3rd, is the first day back, however, we have a staggered entry for our students, as outlined below. Staggered entry started during COVID for our Gr. 1-6, but we have found that it has been very helpful in ensuring students have a successful start to the year with smaller groups of students on the first couple of days.

• Students whose last names start with A-L will be in class on September 3rd.
• Students whose last names start with M-Z will be in class on September 4th.
• ALL Gr. 1-6 Students attend on Thursday, September 5th.

Kindergarten and Bright Futures Play Academy Staggered Entry - September 3-11. Your child's teacher will contact you with your child's staggered entry days.

The Parent Handbook is also included in our school agendas for the younger grades.

You may have noticed some new signage, curb and road paint, barricades and directions for increased student drop off/pick up safety. Earlier in the summer I met with town CAO - Jack Ramsden, deputy CAO - Darcy Webb, and Wolf Creek Public Schools Facilities Manager, Kevin Henderson; to address safety concerns with student drop off, bussing and parent parking.

Bus drop off will now be directly in front of the school with this zone being for school buses only in the morning from 8:00-8:45 AM and in the afternoon from 3:00-3:45 PM. Parents will enter the school zone and loop around the bus barn, dropping their students off at the end of the sidewalk by the visitor parking lot; then exit out the same way they entered.

The school bus zone is painted white and accessible for visitors during the school day but vehicles must be moved before the buses arrive at 3:00 PM. Handicap and visitor parking is still located in the Staff parking lot and will be accessible throughout the day as well.

Thank you for making note of these changes to help promote student safety for all!

The Parent Portal is a one stop shop for information on student achievement, paying fees, signing consent and paying for field trips, signing up and paying for hot lunches, and the very important demographic form updates. Please make sure you know how to log into your Parent Portal and keep your log in information in a safe place. If you are not able to log into your Parent Portal please don't hesitate to contact the office so we can help you out.

School fees will be added to the Parent Portal in September. These fees include: supply fees (K-6), technology access fee (K-6), and student agendas (Gr. 1-3).

Fees for additional programming such as Options (Gr. 4-6), Field Trips, and Extra Curricular Sports are added as they arise. Fees can be paid online through the Parent Portal or in the office. Unpaid fees may result in your child not being able to participate in some non-core curriculum events/activities. If there are any issues or barriers with having school fees paid promptly, please contact the school to discuss alternate arrangements.

Morning entrance bell - 8:20 am (this is a bell to let students know they can head to their doors to enter the school (Gr. 1-6).

School Starts - 8:30 am

School End/Dismissal - 3:20 pm

Students arriving before 8:30 am can enter through their respective door ways. Any students arriving after 8:30 must enter through the main office doors.

**We have supervisors on the playground starting at 8:10 am. As we don't have supervisors out before that time, we strongly encourage students to arrive after 8:10 am. After school supervision is until 3:25 pm.

Students who arrive before 8:10 am and/or are on the school grounds after 3:25 pm do so at their own risk and without any supervision by the school.

August 30th - 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Office hours when school is in is from 8:15 am - 3:30 pm

If you have left messages and/or emailed the school you can expect a response during these days/times.

Demographic forms need to be reviewed and updated for each child by September 15, 2024. These forms are available School Engage (bottom left hand corner when you are in your Parent Portal) now. These forms confirm your child's enrollment at EES, and contain important information for the school to ensure your child's safety and well-being. If you are unsure how to access your Parent Portal and/or Demographic form please call the office.

Demographic forms are easiest to access and fill out on a computer rather than a phone/tablet. Since the demographic forms include waiver documents and technology acceptable use agreements, any incomplete demographic forms after September 15th, will result in your child not able to participate in Phys. Ed, Field Trips, and/or access to technology. If you need any assistance in completing these forms please contact the office.

• Monday, September 2 - STAT - Labour Day
  
• Tuesday, September 3 - Staggered Entry Surnames A-L - Students First Day
• Wednesday, September 4 - Staggered Entry Surnames M-Z - Students First Day
• Wednesday, September 18 - Terry Fox Day
• Friday, September 20 - PD Day - No School - Educational Support Workers Day
• Wednesday, September 25 - School Council AGM - 7:00 pm
• Friday, September 27 - Orange Shirt Day
• Monday, September 30 - STAT - National Day for Truth & Reconciliation