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The Bears' Blog... June 9-2024
Pine Street Elementary School
Bottle Drive Fundraiser
Thank you for the overwhelming support from parents, staff, and students with this year’s bottle drive. We were able to raise over $3,000 to go towards next year’s fitness program!
The draw was completed at the school yesterday. We had 4 winners as a parent donated 2 gift baskets as extra prizes. Thank you, Janelle!
Congratulations to our winners - Alison, Adeline, Easton and Anastasia.
On behalf of the fundraising team and parent council, thank you for all your support.
First Nations' Fridays
Kayaks are very quick and maneuverable. They serve as very effective hunting vehicles. An umiak is much like the kayak in construction, but not in shape. The umiak is a large boat with a wood or bone frame, covered with animal skins and measures about nine to 10 metres in length, two metres in width and one metre in depth. This large boat was the primary mode of transportation and carries up to 30 people or several tonnes of goods. The umiak translates as "women's boat" because it was the women who paddled this boat when carrying family members or moving from one hunting ground to another.
Reminder: 2023-24 School Fees
School fees for the 2023-24 school year are posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. Throughout the year, fees are often added to cover the costs for various activities, such as field trips, extracurricular activities, and late, damaged or lost textbooks.
To access your fee information, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” There you can view fees and pay them online using a Mastercard or Visa credit or debit card. Make sure to monitor your child’s account on an ongoing basis.
For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit eips.ca/schools/fees. And, if you have questions, think there is an error or need help creating a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, contact your child’s school directly before the summer break. NOTE: Pursuant to Board Policy 23: School Fees and Administrative Procedure 505: School and Administrative Fees, EIPS will forward any unpaid 2023-24 fee amounts to a collection agency. To prevent this from happening, remember to pay your fees before Aug. 31, 2024.
Lost & Found
Yearbook for 2023-24
The cost for the 2023-24 Pine Street Yearbook is $26USD. To order you will need to go online to www.treering.com/validate and use our unique school code (1014762959353462). From here, you will follow the prompts to create an account and link to your student(s), which should already be loaded in the system. If you created an account last year, you simply log in and select this year. Please note that when entering your child’s name, use only his/her FIRST and LAST Names (no middle names or initials).
The cut-off date to complete your customized pages and order is July 31, 2024
Updating your contact information
Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed? Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) encourages families to review their information the Division has on file to ensure it’s up to date. Using the Student Information Update available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, families can review their information on file for each student—including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, parent and guardian information, emergency contacts, medical details and other related information—and submit any updates needed.
NOTE: Only submit updates for the changes that have already taken place. If you’re moving this summer, you’ll submit the necessary updates through the Student Information Update after you’ve moved at the start of next school year. The form is open—for current-year updates—until June 14 at noon. It will reopen for families at the start of next school year.
Important Dates
Sunday, June 9 - Last day to order hot lunch for Friday, June 14
Monday, June 10 - No PALS classes today (staff planning day)
- Gr. 6 Hopkins to the Alberta Aviation Museum
Friday, June 14 - Hot Lunch
- KB to Strathcona Wilderness Centre
- Grade 6 Celebration of Learning in the gym 2 p.m.
Monday, June 17 - KA to the Strathcona Wilderness Centre
Wednesday, June 19 -Grade 6 Social Studies P.A.T. 9a.m.
Thursday, June 20 - Last day of PALS - Year end PALS Party!
- Grade 6 Science P.A.T.
- Kindergarten year end celebration (KB) 2:15 p.m.
Friday, June 21 - Theme Day - Picnic day!
- Kindergarten KA year end celebration 2:15 p.m.
- National Indigenous Peoples Day
Wednesday, June 26 - Grade 3 Bowling 9:30 a.m.
- Gr. 3-6 to Kinsmen Pool 1:30 p.m.
- Last day of school! Report cards published 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 27 - Operational day for staff
Grade 6 Celebration of Learning
The Grade 6 Celebration of Learning will be held in the school gymnasium on Friday, June 14 from 2-3p.m.
Families are welcome to attend and help celebrate our amazing grade 6 students!
There will be a slide show, students will walk across the stage and then pose for a class photo.
Please remember this is a grade 6 celebration and students should be dressed appropriately.
PALS
Did you know?
EIPS is collectively committed to ensuring all members of the school community are provided with welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environments that respect diversity and foster a sense of belonging.
Specifically, the Division believes that all individuals within EIPS have the right to learn in settings that promote equality of opportunity, dignity and respect regardless of race, age, ancestry, place of origin, colour, religious beliefs, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, marital status, family status, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation. Learn more: · Board Policy 19: Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning and Working Environments · Administrative Procedure 170: Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning and Working Environments for Staff · Administrative Procedure 311: Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning Environments for Students
Little Elk Island Adventure: Registration
Elk Island Public Schools is once again planning to run the Little Elk Island Adventure, a fun and informative program for first-time school bus riders.
Annually, Student Transportation offers the Little Elk Island Adventure to new riders and their parents. The program’s aim: To help introduce families to busing so they feel comfortable and at ease before even starting school. Through a series of activities, riders learn about school bus safety, danger zones, tips on boarding and how to sit properly on the bus. After that, both the children and parents hop on the bus to practice what they’ve learned by venturing out on a short ride.
The Little Elk Island Adventure is for first-time school bus riders entering the 2024-25 school year. The tentative session dates and times are as follows:
Location Date Time
EIPS Central Services August 12 5 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 12 6:30 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 14 5 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 16 2 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 16 5 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 19 2 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 19 5 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 20 5 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 20 6:30 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 21 5 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 21 6:30 p.m.
EIPS Central Services August 14 2 p.m.
* Special Education session for PALS and Project Unit Funding students only.
EIPS Central Services is located at 683 Wye Rd., Sherwood Park
Space is limited and pre-registration is required.
More information about busing for kindergarten children is available at: eips.ca/transportation/kindergarten-busing-faq.
Bus for 2024-25
Student Transportation (ST) has sent tentative busing schedules and invoices to all families who requested busing for their children for the 2024-25 school year. Transportation fees for the upcoming year are due by June 30, 2024. Students with fees paid prior to this deadline will receive their bus pass and busing information in the mail in August. Any fees paid after June 30, will be subject to a $25 additional fee. For more information, see the Transportation Registration and Transportation Fees 2024-25 pages on the EIPS website.
Please contact Student Transportation at st@eips.ca or 780-417-8151. Student Transportation uses an answering service at the end of August because of the high volume of calls, and while we strive to return calls promptly, there may be a 24- to 48-hour delay in setting up busing arrangements for families.
On Wednesday, August 28, teachers will phone families to introduce themselves so students will know who their teacher will be. We will be having a meet the teacher night on the first day of school, Thursday, August 29 from 3:30 - 5 p.m. Please click the links below for helpful information about the 2024-25 school year.
Parent parking and student drop-off zones
Kindergarten small-group orientation sessions will be held on August 29 & 30 and September 3 & 4. Please contact Lisa Leitch if you did not receive your orientation date and time.
Student Transportation can be reached at 780-417-8151 or by email at st@eips.ca Guardians of pre-registered students are not able to access a PowerSchool Parent Portal account until after the new school year begins. To pay transportation fees for a pre-registered student, please use the EIPS Student Quick Pay System.
EIPS Annual Education Results Report
Every year, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) publishes an Annual Education Results Report, which outlines the Division’s Four-Year Education Plan, opportunities for growth and how it’s supporting students to achieve the best possible outcomes. Read through this year’s EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23 and discover how EIPS fosters learning environments for all students to learn, grow and thrive—and why it matters.
June Spotlight: EIPS Four-Year Education Plan: 2022-26 (Year 3), which details the Division’s priorities, goals and outcomes over a four-year period.
· Priority 1: To promote the growth and success of all students.
· Priority 2: To enhance high-quality learning and working environments.
· Priority 3: To enhance public education through effective engagement.
The plan also outlines the performance measures and strategies the Division will use to meet each priority, goal and outcome in the 2024-25 school year.
RELATED INFORMATION EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23 EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23: Overview EIPS Three-Year Capital Plan: 2025-28
Pre-Kindergarten Programming at EIPS
Is there a preschooler in your life experiencing developmental delays or challenges with speech-language or motor-skill development—big or small? If so, Elk Island Public School’s Play And Learn at School (PALS) program could help.
Early learning lays the foundation for success in primary grades and beyond. As such, EIPS offers the pre-kindergarten PALS program in five of its elementary school locations—including Pine Street Elementary. Applications are still open for free speech-language assessments for those interested in registering in the PALS program this fall. The assessment helps determine if PALS is appropriate for your child.
If you know a preschooler, born in 2020 or 2021, who could benefit from pre-kindergarten programming or want to book an assessment, fill out the PALS Program Request Form or call 780-417-8219. For more information, visit eips.ca.
Attendance Email: pneattendance@eips.ca
General Email: general.pne@eips.ca