Elements' Weekly Update

Thank you to all the families that joined us for our Remembrance Day ceremony. The students in 3M and 3/4L have been working hard the past couple of weeks and did an amazing job leading and performing during the ceremony.

Fall Break is upon us! This year, our break will begin on November 11, with classes resuming on November 18. We hope this time provides your family with a chance to relax, recharge, and enjoy some quality time together. Whether it’s a quick getaway, exploring the outdoors, or simply unwinding at home, we encourage everyone to take this time to pause and refresh.

It is with mixed emotions that we share, Ms. Marcoux-Jones, our business manager, has taken another position at Ardrossan Elementary. While we are excited for Ms. Marcoux-Jones as she embarks on this next chapter in her career, we will certainly miss her presence, knowledge, and the skills she brought to our school community. Ms. Marcoux-Jones has been an invaluable member of our team, helping to keep everything running smoothly and providing excellent support to our students, families, and staff. We are grateful for her hard work and dedication during her time here.

Mrs. Pearn and Mrs. Zapesocki

• November 10 - 16 - Metis Week
• November 11 - 15 - Fall Break!
• November 13 - World Kindness Day
• November 18 - Classes Resume
• November 18 - 22 - Bullying Awareness Week
• November 19 - School Council & Parent Society Meeting, 6:00PM
• November 22 - Hot Lunch

The Guide to Reporting Student Achievement (GRSA) and School Education Plan (SEP) for the 2024-25 school year are available now! The GRSA explains how we assess student achievement, how we determine grades and more. The SEP details our school goals for the year—with key strategies and measures in achieving these outcomes. You can access our GRSA and SEP through the two corresponding home page tiles at https://www.fortelem.ca/.

During the week of November 18 - 22, staff will lead students through a variety of activities to promote an awareness and understanding of bullying and its impacts. Students will learn the definition of bullying, ways to spread kindness and how to connect with others. A variety of books will be shared with students who will write and share kindness pledges and use them to create a whole school kindness quilt.

Why play math games at home?

• Provide purposeful practice of number facts
• Meaningful opportunities to think strategically
• Develop critical thinking skills

Social-Emotional Connections

• Taking turns
• Working with others
• Communicating clearly
• Follow expectations/rules

Games such as Yahtzee, Pig, and Crib are highly engaging and easy to play!

Need a new game? Try Garbage! Garbage is an exciting card game that is a fun way to recognize and practice numbers in a ten frames. See who can organize their Trash the fastest!

Research shows sustained, collaborative and job-embedded professional learning significantly enhances teacher efficacy and student achievement. Simply put, the more times teachers get to learn from one another during the year, the better it is for student success. Professional learning doesn’t mean a day off for staff—they improve upon their knowledge using time dedicated for collaboration, growth and relationship-building. This ensures students continue to receive high-quality education throughout the school year.

With the winter season almost here, we have a few reminders for families:

· Ensure students have clothing appropriate for expected weather conditions.

· If weather conditions are bad enough to impact student transportation, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) advises families directly, as well as posting on social media and eips.ca as early as possible. · Decisions regarding bus cancellations are guided by an EIPS administrative procedure that states, “school bus service may be suspended…when there is a forecast or current temperature of -40 C, including wind chill factor, in one or more regions.”

· Other reasons for suspending or delaying school bus services include adverse weather and poor road conditions.

· When school bus services are suspended, schools remain open to students.

For more information, contact EIPS Student Transportation at 780-417-8151.

FSE Parent Society has set up a 50/50 Raffle! Proceeds raised will be used to update the projector screen in the gymnasium. Click below for more information and to purchase tickets!

FSE Parent Society 50/50 Raffle

Did you know that the City of Fort Saskatchewan offers a variety of workshops and programs? The Brain Architecture Game is a tabletop game experience that builds understanding of the powerful role of experiences on early brain development – what promotes it, what derails it, with what consequences for society. Since 2009, thousands of people in groups around the world have played the Brain Architecture Game, gaining a memorable, compelling perspective on the lifelong impact of early childhood experiences. Come and play the Brain Architecture game and learn with us.

This workshop takes place on November 29, from 1:00 - 4:00pm. Check out the website for more information and to register.

FCSS Workshops

Did you know that the Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School Council and Parent Society is a great way to be involved in your child's school community and find out all the exciting things happening in the school? We invite all our parents and caregivers to join us for our next FSE School Council Meeting on November 19 at 6:00PM in the school library!

Join your family and friends with Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School at Rogers Place to watch the Edmonton Oil Kings take on Prince Albert. Tickets are $25 per ticket, plus fees, and $5 from each ticket sold will go back to FSE! Game day is Friday, January 10 at 7:00PM. Use the QR code for more information and to purchase tickets. We hope to see you there!