Bienvenue à tous!

As we begin this new school year, we're excited to welcome everyone back to our school community. This year brings many new faces—both students and staff—and we’re all looking forward to continuing to build our school community together. Mme Weber comes back to EMBM as our new Principal and joins Mme Poitras, our Vice-Principal. Together, we believe in the strength of a French immersion education rooted in Catholic values. Our school is a place where learning, faith, and community come together. We’re committed to making sure every student feels at home here and is supported in their learning journey. Whether you’re new or returning, together we will create a positive and enriching environment for our students. We’re excited to see the growth and achievements that this year will bring.

Thank you for being part of our community. We are looking forward to seeing you all and having a wonderful year ahead.

Mme Weber & Mme Poitras

Please advise the school if your child will be absent from classes. Absences and future absences can be entered by parents directly into EDSBY. If parents do not confirm student absences by 10:00

a.m., we will call to ensure student safety. PLEASE NOTE that we will follow up on habitual absences and chronic late arrival. The goal will be to find solutions as regular student attendance is directly related to student success. We want to see students' smiling faces in our classrooms!

Attendance counts!!

DID YOU KNOW?

EMBM is one of the few single track or “milieu” French immersion schools in the province, meaning that there isn’t a parallel English stream in our school. This affords our students and staff the unique opportunity to live in French not just during class time, but throughout the whole school day. How fortunate are we!!

Students who walk home after school will be dismissed at 3:20 and if you pick your child up , please arrive for 3:25 p.m. and load in the lot beside the pavement, on 16th Avenue or the parent pickup lane next to the school and instruct your child to meet you there. Also, please remember to stop when school buses have stop arms out and signals flashing, and that speed in school zones is 30 km/hr.

*Students who ride the bus will be dismissed at 3:30.

In order to maximize instructional time and minimize classroom interruptions, please call our office secretary or message the classroom teacher AND school secretary through Edsby. If you come to the school during the day, please ring the doorbell, and you will be buzzed in. Please come to the office upon entry. If you are coming to pick up your child, please call in, and we will have your child come to meet you. For safety reasons, we will not have students wait outside unsupervised.

At EMBM we take all concerns seriously and are committed to working proactively with you toward their satisfactory resolution. Please bring any concerns to our attention as they occur. It is our preference to hear about these concerns as they arise before they reach a point of frustration for you and your child.

If your concern is related to the classroom, please contact your child's teacher prior to contacting the office.

If your concerns are of a general nature or are related to busing, please contact the office directly. We are committed to providing a safe and positive educational experience for your child at EMBM!

Please note the following alerts regarding allergies at EMBM. Please understand that these substances are restricted for serious safety reasons. In addition to the above alerts, there may be other classroom considerations of which your child’s classroom teacher will make you aware. Avoiding cross-contamination of food is an important strategy in ensuring that affected students do not accidentally come into contact with or ingest these foods. We ask that students never share their lunches with other students. As well, please check with your child's teacher before sending treats to school. When treats are sent to school, please provide a complete list of ingredients. Thank you. If your child has severe allergies or other health considerations that require that school personnel administer medication, it is of critical importance that we have medical documentation provided to us as well as the appropriate medication. The forms are available at the office. We are not able to give any medication to students without doctor signed forms.

Thank you for your cooperation in making EMBM a safe place for all our students.

All policies regarding personal devices, student safety and expectations can be found in our EMBM School Manual on the Edsby site. EMBM's detailed bullying policy is also available. Please let us know if you need help finding these.

At EMBM school, we understand that kids face behaviour challenges occasionally, and we use Behavior Zones and Glasser's Choice Theory to help them through it. This approach teaches children that making mistakes is a normal part of growing up. We guide them in making better choices by focusing on problem-solving and self-regulation, helping them develop the skills to handle situations constructively and grow positively.

We are thrilled to warmly welcome our new parish priest, Father Tai Le, who joins us from the Diocese of Prince Albert. Father Tai brings a wealth of talents and enthusiasm to our community. Not only is he tech-savvy and energetic, but he is also learning to speak in French and will deliver masses in French and English.

As a French immersion school, we are especially excited about his ability to connect with our students in their language of learning. Father Tai will be a familiar and friendly presence around our school, visiting classrooms and engaging with staff and students alike.

We look forward to the positive impact he will undoubtedly make in our school community.

Please join us in welcoming Father Tai Le with open hearts and eager spirits!

Weekend Mass Schedule at St. Joseph Parish:

Saturdays @ 7:30 p.m.

Sundays @ 10:00 a.m.

Are you interested in joining the Catholic Church? Please contact Father Tai or Karen at the parish office at (306) 446-1695.

BORROWING BOOKS. Fines will not be charged for late books. However, books are to be brought to the library each week to be renewed or returned. Students may renew a book as many times as needed to finish, however, books will be considered lost if still missing after 4 weeks. The student is responsible for reimbursement at current replacement value. The school will supply plastic zip bags for the students to transport their library books in for safe keeping. This will help to protect the books in case of an accident with a water bottle or lunch ingredient while in their backpack.

DAMAGED BOOKS. Books that are damaged to the point that they can no longer be circulated must be reimbursed at current replacement value before students may check out another book. Please encourage your child to enjoy and take care of our library material and return it each week for more.

We are excited to be offering twice monthly optional hot lunches this year starting in October. These hot lunches are used as fundraisers for our grade 6 and 7 year-end class trips. More information will be coming about our first hot lunch dates in the coming weeks.

We’re thrilled to kick off another exciting year filled with opportunities for students to explore their interests and develop new skills through our diverse sports teams and clubs.

Sports Teams (gr. 6-7): From basketball to soccer and volleyball, our sports teams provide a great way for students to stay active, make friends, and learn the value of teamwork. Whether your child is an experienced athlete or trying something new, there's a team for everyone!

Clubs(various grades): Our clubs offer something for every interest, from art and music to science and drama. Encourage your child to join a club to explore their passions and discover new ones. It’s a fantastic way to build confidence and make lasting memories.

Stay tuned for more information on sign-ups and schedules. Let’s make this year memorable with fun, friendship, and growth!

Go Bisons!

At EMBM, we are committed to nurturing the unique strengths of every student. This year, we’re enhancing our focus by engaging all students and staff in more activities and discussions that highlight their personal strengths.

Kids may come home excited to share their unique strengths—please encourage these conversations! If you’d like to know more about these discussions, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher.

Thank you for supporting our students in becoming the best versions of themselves!

Students are provided with a locker for their coats, school bags, and lunches. These are often shared between 2 students. Students should not keep valuables in their lockers at any time as locks are not permitted. Students should also keep lockers sticker free.

Our school is equipped with water bottle filling stations. Students must have their own bottle or cup to fill at the stations, otherwise the water fountain function is also in operation.

We need YOU!! There will be an election for the position of President on the School Community Council. Nomination forms are available from the office and you can self-nominate. The School Community Council meets a minimum of 5 times per school year for approximately an hour each time. The role of the SCC is to provide support to the school Learning Improvement Plan, give parents another opportunity to have a voice in our school community and fosters connections amongst parents in our school. This takes the form of hosting family events such as the beginning of the year Mug 'n Muffin and the family bingo evenings which were new last year. The SCC also engages in fundraising projects to support school initiatives and provides guidance around school policies.

If you have any questions about the School Community Council please contact Mme Weber by email or phone.

If you are interested in volunteering at EMBM or with your child's class for classroom activities and excursions, please reach out to your child's teacher or give the school a call for more information.

There are many ways that you can volunteer. EMBM has a number of events and initiatives that could use your help. Here are just a few...

• Shelving library books
• Reading with students- French (K-7) and English (4-7)
• Staff luncheons that requires replacement supervisors
• Christmas Co-Op Lunch
• Class fundraising activities in-school
• SCC fundraising activities
• Group activities outside for Physical education (teacher discretion)
• Class excursions
• Help with clubs or sports
• and much, much more!

All volunteers must have a current Criminal Record Check (6 months) to work as a volunteer with our students, as well as complete a Confidentiality form for the School Division. Please see Carey in the office for forms so that you may receive some reimbursement.

Join Us for Mug n Muffin!

We’re excited to welcome all families to our "Mug n Muffin" meet the teacher morning on September 6th from 8:15 to 8:45 AM. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with teachers and start the school year off on a positive note.

• Enjoy a selection of delicious muffins , coffee and juice.
• Meet your child’s teacher(s) and explore their classrooms. Teachers will be stationed on each floor, ready to greet you.
• Discover what the new school year has in store.

We look forward to seeing you there and building a strong community together!

School pictures will occur on Thursday, September 12th and Friday, September 13th. Please see the schedule for your child's class.

Our Terry Fox walk Is scheduled for Friday, September 27th at 9:15 a.m. You are welcome to join us!.We meet on the playground pavement before heading out for a short walk around Kinsmen park and Holy Family School.

**Be sure to send weather appropriate clothing to school with your child on a daily basis.

If your child is arriving after 9:00 – please have them use the front door and ring the doorbell upon arrival to school as all doors remain locked.**

NEW EMBM Bell times:

(8:55) ARRIVAL

9:00 Period 1

9:30 Period 2

10:00 Period 3

(10:30-10:45) RECESS

10:45 Period 4

11:15 Period 5

11:45 (LUNCH)

(12:10-12:30) RECESS

12:30 Period 6

1:00 Period 7

1:30 Period 8

(2:00-2:15) RECESS

2:15 Period 9

2:45 Period 10

(3:20-3:30) DISMISSAL

**NO parking in staff parking lot including the bus loading zone. Please note that the parent pickup lane on 16th Avenue is a student loading zone and not a parking zone.

Students will be dismissed at 2:00 p.m. on the Early Dismissal Wednesdays noted in the calendar. Buses will be running on these days.

*PLEASE NOTE: Our last day before Christmas

holidays is also an early dismissal day. Friday,

December 20th dismissal is at 2:30 p.m. Buses will be

running this day

School fees will be coming home soon. We encourage you to pay fees through the portal - School Cash Online. If you are unable to process online payment, you may come to school to pay the fees or send exact payment in cash or a cheque with your child (no change will be given). Please make all cheques payable to EMBM. If required, please contact the school to make alternate payment arrangements.

The programs are a registration based, fee-for-service program provided in-school by BGC of the Battlefords. The before school program runs from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and the after-school program runs from class dismissal until 5: 30 p.m. Monday-Friday during the school year. BGC offers full time, part time, casual contracts and drop-ins. BGC is given a designated location within EMBM School to operate the program. For further information, please contact the BGC of the Battlefords at 306-445-0002 or visit the website.

Our Light of Christ Catholic Schools board office is open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (closed over the noon hour from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.) They are located at 10211 12th Avenue.