Welcome back to the coldest week of the year! Students did an amazing job keeping it together through so many indoor recesses and excessively cold temperatures.

I wanted to introduce myself briefly as the new Principal at Lakeland Ridge. I was born and raised in Sherwood Park. After starting my career in Southern Alberta, my wife and I decided it was time to move back home to raise our kids and be closer to our friends and family. This is my second tenure as a Principal (4 years at Woodbridge Farms) along with another decade of experience an assistant principal. For the past two years, I've been working as a consultant with Specialized Supports out of Central office, so I have a wide variety of experiences in education.

I was absolutely thrilled to get the opportunity to be the Principal of Lakeland Ridge School. I have always felt welcome anytime I came here in the past and knew how strong of a culture the school community has along with incredibly skilled and dedicated staff. I'm looking forward to getting to know the students and families much better over the coming years and working together to provide the best possible educational environment for everyone.

Please stop by anytime to introduce yourself or come in to have a chat. My door is always open.

Andy Cunningham

Principal

Jan. 16 - School Council Meeting 6:30 pm

Jan. 16 - Gr. 4 Field Trip TWOS

Jan. 24 - Bell Let's Talk Day
Jan. 25 - Gr 4-7 Sunridge Ski Trip
Jan. 26 - Jr. High Honors Applications Closes
Jan. 29 - Kinder Field Trip - Strathcona Wilderness Centre
Jan. 30 - Kinder Field Trip - Strathcona Wilderness Centre
Jan. 31 - PL Day - No School

FEBRUARY
Feb. 1 - Semester 2 Begins

Our next School Council meeting will be on Tuesday, January 16 at 6:30pm in the school library.

During the meeting, school administration will be sharing information about our current fee structure, posing specific questions about priorities, and asking you to provide your feedback as we plan for the 2024-25 school year. While many of these activities and services enhance students’ educational experience, we want to ensure these fees aren’t cost prohibitive for families.

Specifically, we will be asking for input on the following:

• Optional courses and associated fees
• Noon hour supervision
• Field trips and associated fees
• Extracurricular activities
• Non-curricular travel (for example, ski trips)
• Non-curricular goods and services (for example, yearbooks)

We understand not all families will be available to attend the meeting but it’s still important we get as much input from the school community as possible.

Following the meeting, materials will be shared on our website (https://www.lakelandridge.ca/) for your review, and an email address provided so you can submit a written response. School administration will use feedback provided to help determine fees for 2024-25, which will then be shared at the March school council meeting, posted to our website, and shared via link through email.

We hope to see you next week!

The cold weather is finally upon us. Because temperatures will be in the extremely cold range, we wanted to remind families that supervision of students starts at 8:15am. To ensure the safety of all students, please do not drop off your children any earlier than 8:15am, so that staff are present and doors are unlocked. When temperatures are lower than -22, students will be allowed into the building at 8:15am. During warmer temperatures, students will remain outside until our Entrance Bell at 8:25am.

LLR Bell Schedule

EIPS Inclement Weather policy

On January 15, 2024, EIPS will send the Junior High Honours application to all grade 7 and 8 families via email. The criteria for EIPS honours program will be outlined in the email. Applications close on January 26 and decisions regarding which school will be hosting the program will occur after this time. Conditional acceptance will be communicated to families of students who applied, qualified and are accepted to the program prior to February 2, 2024. More information will be available on our school website after January 15.

In addition to the general high school information, each EIPS senior high school is hosting an open house. The high school open houses provide Grade 9 students and families an opportunity to meet the staff; tour the school; learn about the curriculum, course offerings and alternative programming available; discuss diploma requirements and various career paths; and more. Dates and times for each high school open house are below.

Is your child turning five on or before December 31, 2024? If so, it’s almost time to register for kindergarten.

Kindergarten registration opens for the 2024-25 school year on February 1, 2024.

To help families prepare, Elk Island Public Schools has put together an online EIPS Kindergarten Tool kit to make the transition as smooth as possible. The kit includes information on registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, how to find your designated school, transportation and more.

Additional information regarding Lakeland Ridge’s kindergarten program is available at Lakelandridge.ca.

Mark your calendars! Returning student registration for the 2024-25 school year will take place February 8-21, 2024.

Families of all current students—with the exception of graduating Grade 12 students—must complete the process to confirm the school their child plans to attend in the 2024-25 school year or advise the Division of their plans not to return to EIPS. Additionally, students who want to attend a non-designated school need to make that request through the returning student registration process—acceptance is based on available space. Watch for more details in the new year.

Summer School 2024 registration opens March 15 - see pamphlet or visit https://www.eipsnextstep.ca/ regarding updated information, registration, and programming. There are more course offerings than in the past to create more opportunities for students and families. Students can take up to 10 credits in Summer School.

Attendance

(Please specify if absence is due to Illness or Parent Excused)

Office Hours

Bell Schedule