ÉCKS NEWSLETTER

ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE

Dear ÉCKS Families,

We are excited to introduce a new feature in our monthly newsletter: Cougar Tracks! Each month, we’ll be highlighting some of our school-wide goals and important initiatives. Be sure to check it out for updates on what’s happening at ÉCKS and how we’re working together to support our students' growth.

As we head into cooler weather, please remember to dress your child appropriately for the season. Layering up for the temperatures and sending hats, gloves, and warm jackets will ensure everyone stays comfortable during outdoor activities.

Also, we’d like to remind all families about the importance of keeping our parking lots clear. Please be mindful of our accessible parking spaces and keep them available for those who need them. Additionally, please be aware of the designated space for the arrival of our Handivan each day, ensuring safe access for our students.

Check out more details on these topics in this month’s newsletter. Thank you for your continued support!

Warm regards,
The ÉCKS Administration Team

Andrea Gutmann - agutmann@brsd.ab.ca

Donna Elaschuk - delaschuk@brsd.ab.ca

Sabrina Heydorn - sheydorn@brsd.ab.ca

Please join us at the next...

PRINCIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

7pm

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE

November 26, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians of BRSD:

Subject: AERR Student Highlights

Approaching the end of the calendar year presents an opportunity to share positive highlights from our Assurance Report. I am also extending warm gratitude for your ongoing support.

BRSD is proud to report that 86.8 per cent of teachers, parents and students are satisfied with their overall quality of basic education, and that 83.4 per cent of our teachers, parents and students agree that their learning environments are welcoming, caring, respectful and safe. Another noteworthy achievement is BRSD’s significant increase in three-year high school completion rates. Nearly eight per cent (from 75.6 to 83.5) was gained in just one year.

These commendable results reflect the diligence of students and staff in a collective effort to improve student academic goals in an inclusive, positive learning environment. This achievement, in alignment with our values, is a demonstration of exceptional effort and collaboration that makes BRSD so proud!

BRSD is excited to continue building relationships among our BRSD school family and communities, while continuing to support and strengthen student engagement and well-being.

BRSD offers students a variety of off-campus programs, expanding our partnerships with local industries to provide students with more hands-on learning experiences. Currently, 172 students participate in the Work Experience program, and 14 students are enrolled in the Green Certificate Program, developing agricultural skills while earning high school credits.

The Registered Apprenticeship Program is supporting 33 high school students in beginning trades apprenticeships so they can get a head start on their careers, including welding, heavy equipment technology and carpentry. Two female students have broken new ground by completing apprenticeships in these fields. Additionally, 18 students are enrolled in Dual Credit courses, earning both high school and post-secondary credits in fields such as accounting, sports management, and veterinary technical assistance.

These achievements reflect the strength of our community and our shared commitment to preparing students for success. Your involvement is appreciated, and the partnership we share in working together on child's education is invaluable and will make a lasting impact.

I wish you a joyful start to the holiday season.

Rhae-Ann Holoien
Superintendent of Schools

MAKING TRACTION TOWARDS OUR SCHOOL GOALS

Each month we will be highlighting ÉCKS goals and how we are working towards them. This month our feature goal is around the division priority Learning Success for All.

ÉCKS Goal:

Students in Grades 6-8 will demonstrate measurable growth in their literacy skills and proficiency in the use of intervention strategies to support their reading and writing development.

What We Are Doing at ÉCKS:

• Focus on Targeted Interventions: Implement targeted reading and writing interventions for students struggling with literacy.

• Embed Literacy Across the Curriculum: Integrate literacy strategies into all subject areas (e.g., reading comprehension, academic writing, vocabulary development) to reinforce skills and allow students to apply their literacy learning in varied contexts.

• Utilize Data for Differentiation: Regularly assess literacy skills using literacy screeners to identify gaps and adjust instructional practices accordingly, ensuring differentiated learning paths for students.
  

  
  

How Can You Help At Home

• Encouraging reading at home - books, recipes, articles, audiobooks
• Give Literacy Games a try - New York Times Games have lots of quick literacy based games

OUT OF SCHOOL SOCIAL MEDIA USE

We want to bring your attention to growing concerns regarding social media use, particularly TikTok, following some recent reports. As per BRSD Admin Procedure 135 students are unable to access these platforms during the school day, however actions online after school hours can impact our learning environments when the content is hurtful or harmful to others. It’s essential to stay informed about the potential impacts these platforms can have on your child’s well-being, safety, and development.

We encourage you to review some of the resources available which provide helpful guides on managing screen time and online safety.

2025-2026 SCHOOL CALENDAR FEEDBACK SURVEY

BRSD is asking for feedback to support the development of the 2025-26 school calendar. The survey will remain open until Friday, December 20, 2024. Thanks for your participation!

RESPONSIBILITY OF STUDENTS

Please ensure your student dresses appropriately for the weather.

At some point during the school day every student goes outside.

Cutlery and water bottles are not provided in our school.

It is important that students bring whatever they require to have a successful day!

PHONE NUMBERS

PARKING LOT

We kindly request that parents and guardians refrain from entering the staff parking lot unless they need to visit the school. We attempt to keep the parking lot clear for accessibility reasons and our Handivan. Thank you for your assistance in keeping our school safe!

LOST & FOUND

Our Lost & Found is overflowing AGAIN!

Please remind your student to check for lost items.

All items will be donated prior to Winter Break.

ATTENDANCE

Being "on time" for class is directly linked to student academic success.

Our doors open at 8:30am for students. Cougar Time attendance is taken around 8:40am and during each period throughout the day. A complete bell schedule can be found on our website under About > Bell Schedule.

ATTENDANCE IS TAKEN FOR EVERY PERIOD THROUGHOUT THE DAY

This is new for some of our students. Please remind your student the importance of being on time to each individual class. Students that are not present more than half of a period are marked absent for that block. Guardians will receive phone communication once in the morning if their student has been marked absent for the start of the day. Guardians may view their students attendance breakdown on PowerSchool.

ABSENT OR LATE STUDENTS

Please inform the office if your student will be absent. The office is responsible for daily attendance, so please be sure to contact us by either calling (780) 672-7785 , emailing cksgenvm@brsd.ab.ca or filling out the website contact us form.

Students must check-in at the office if they are late and must check-out at the office if they are leaving early for the day.

CLASSROOM DISRUPTIONS - SCHOOL DAY PICK-UPS

We are kindly asking parents to respect class time. With close to 500 students in our building we attempt to keep class time interruptions minimal. We understand that emergencies can happen and you may be required to pick-up your child with short or no notice, we will kindly assist you. However, please contact the office with advanced notification when possible when needing to pick up your student early or provide a phone message. We thank you in advance for your assistance in keeping classroom disruptions low.

POWERSCHOOL PARENT PORTAL

Please take a few minutes to log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal to view your child’s most up-to-date grades and comments. Our Real-Time Reporting system allows you to stay connected to your child’s learning progress throughout the year, providing insights into their achievements and areas for growth. By regularly checking PowerSchool, you can support your child’s learning journey and celebrate their progress together. Thank you for partnering with us to foster a positive and collaborative learning experience.

For more information and instructions for parents regarding PowerSchool please go to our website under Families } PowerSchool Parent Instructions & Information.

RYCOR

ÉCKS is a fully digital school. All payments and field trip forms must be completed online.

Just a few of the items that are on Rycor at Newsletter Publication time:

Grade 8's & RISE - SONIC 3 - Thursday, December 19

Current field trip information is shared daily with students on the announcements!

To create or access your Rycor account go to the link below or go to the ÉCKS website. At the bottom of the home screen click on the large red button titled “Online Payments & Ordering”.

Use the "create account" option.

Once you have created an account, you will need to add your child as a student. You will use their student number which can be found on PowerSchool or an Alberta Report Card.

Once your student is attached, you will click on their name to access the fees. Fees you wish to pay need to be added to cart. Check out and make the payment. You may make a partial payment on the payment screen. Edit the amount, and proceed.

Permission Forms - An email will be sent out if it is just a permission form, with the Rycor link, identifying which icon to use, and the details of the field trip (who, where, when, etc). Please pay attention to the deadline! This will also be how you are notified if there is a fee associated with the activity.

Access the form and the fee by clicking on the appropriate icon on the bottom of your student's page. This will open the form. Fill in the 3 fields that are blank and hit “submit” in the bottom right corner of the form. This will put the form in the cart. Once the form is in the cart, you will need to submit it again by clicking on the "confirm" button on the checkout page of your cart. Without this step, the form has not been submitted. If you have successfully submitted the form, you will be able to see it in the completed form sections in your account.

Please note that if there is a fee with the form, the fee has to be submitted and the form has to be completed (signed) and confirmed before your child will be registered for the trip.

Also please note that the forms can have an expiration date. This is so that we can pay for tickets, plan transportation, arrange subs for students not attending, etc.

Ordering - Hot Lunch must be ordered through Rycor. Email reminders are not sent out for these. Please read the school newsletters and have your child pay attention to morning announcements for deadlines.

Deadlines - THE FORM WILL DISAPPEAR AFTER THE DEADLINE AND YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO SUBMIT THE PERMISSION FORM, ORDER HOT LUNCH OR PAY THE FEE.

Friday, December 6, 2024

NO SCHOOL (Staff Meeting)

Friday, December 20, 2024

Last day of classes prior to Winter Break

Monday, December 23, 2024 - Friday, January 3, 2025

NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)

Monday, January 6, 2025

School Resumes (Post Winter Break)

December 5

Grade 7 Concession

December 10 & 11

Holiday Candy Grams are being sold

(to be delivered on December 18)

December 11 - 18

Homeroom Door Decorating Competition

(to be judged on December 19)

December 12

Grade 6 Concession

December 13

Grade 7 & 8 Winter Wonderland Dance

(periods 7 & 8 for grade 7 & 8)

December 16 & 17

Gingerbread Showdown Competition at lunch

(no sign up required)

December 16-20

Spirit Week

December 19

Grade 8 Field Trip to the Movie Theatre

VOLLEYBALL

A shout out to the amazing Team White Girls Volleyball team for an amazing season and a job well done! Thank you Coach Throndson and Coach Dayna!

Also to end the season, Team White girls joined in with the Augustana Women’s Volleyball team for a training session. ÉCKS girls trained alongside the female college athletes on drills for hitting, passing and learned new tips to improve their technique. Thank you to Steve and the Augustana team for partnering with us for this great experience!

BASKETBALL

Grade 7 & 8 rosters have been posted outside of the gym. It is students responsibility to check the board. We do not have a copy of the lists in the office. At this time, practices are scheduled as listed below:

Boys Team Red - Mondays after school until 5:00

Girls Team Red - Tuesdays after school until 5:00

Boys Team White - Mondays 7:30 - 8:30 A.M. and Wednesdays after school until 5:00

Girls Team White - Wednesdays 7:30 - 8:30 A.M. and Thursdays after school until 5:00

Please check the website calendar for schedule changes. Once the schedule has been finalized it will be posted on the website under Programs & Services > Extracurricular Athletics > Basketball

Go Cougars Go!

TAKE NOTE! ÉCKS BAND CONCERT CHANGE!

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have had to reschedule our ÉCKS

Band Concert from December 18 to Wednesday January 22. This will involve all ÉCKS

performing groups! We hope to see you there.

ÉCKS Chorus

The choir meets at noon on Wednesdays. A huge thanks to Mrs. Van Hyfte for assisting with the choir, and to Mrs. Carolyn Olson for her piano accompaniment.

Dec. 17: The choir will be performing Christmas carols for the Probus Club meeting at The Norsemen Inn, followed by an afternoon concert for Rosehaven residents. We will be going for a pizza lunch at Boston Pizza in between the two concerts. Permission and fees are posted on RYCOR.

ÉCKS Jazz Band

The Jazz Band currently practices on Wednesday mornings at 8:00 am., with sectional practices on Thursdays during lunch breaks alternating weeks between saxophones and brass/rhythm sections. We have approximately 25 students in the group.

Our first event for the year will be a field trip to Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton to see their Big Band Jazz group in concert. This will take place on Thursday December 5. The group will stay after school for a rehearsal, and then depart at 4:30 pm. The concert will run late, so we will likely not arrive back at ÉCKS until about 11:00 pm. (Note that there is no school for students the next day)

ÉCKS Music Parent Association

A big thanks to all parents who have assisted with our Music Parent Association this year. Our executive consists of:

President: Jason Silbernagel

Vice president: Michelle Broekhuizen

Secretary: Chelsey Isbister

Treasurer: Crystal Clinton

Committee members: Vanessa Gaviotakis, Rachelle Posein, Delaney Caouette, Jen Chornohos, Danica Tobin

Sincere apologies for missing Vanessa and Rachelle on last month’s school newsletter. The contributions and support of all members are truly appreciated!

The Music Parent Association is an active group that helps Mr. Bailey offer a quality music program, and allows our students to participate in many activities through advocacy, fundraising and trip planning.

In addition to school newsletter and emails, we have a Music Parent web page (see link below). We also have a Facebook page.

ECKS Music Parents Association

Grade 7/8 Band Shirts

Our Junior High band members have been fitted for their band shirts, which we use as uniforms for concerts and festivals. The shirts are now here, and need to be paid before our first concert in January. These are good quality polo type shirts, with an ÉCKS Band logo. Any grade 8 band students who are new this year, and all grade 7 band students will need a shirt. The cost for these shirts is $27. We ask all parents to please e-transfer the payment to ckmusicparents@gmail.com. Please do so as soon as possible. (Grade 6 band members do not require the band shirts)

Grade 7 Band Camp

The Grade 7 Band will be participating in their annual “Band Camp” on January 29-30. We will travel to Camp Nakamun (near Barrhead) for two days of intensive rehearsal time and fun team building activities. Information regarding supplies, itinerary, fee, and permission forms will be coming soon!

Grade 7-8 Jazz Band Retreat

The ÉCKS Jazz Band will travel to Battle Lake 4-H Camp for their annual Jazz Band Retreat. Dates are February 26-27. Information regarding supplies, itinerary, fee, and permission to follow soon!

Fundraising

1. VIP meats: Our annual VIP meats fundraising sales campaign wrapped up on October 28, and was a huge success. Thanks to all who supported the music program by purchasing meat items.

2. Our next fundraiser for the band program is our annual cookie dough fundraiser, likely to run around Valentines Day. Information will follow soon.

BAND DATES FOR THE YEAR!

Please note these dates and make every effort to attend all events. Band is like a team, and we need all of our members to be present for concerts, festivals, etc.

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

ÉCKS Band Concert (all groups)

January 29 & 30, 2025

Grade 7 Band Camp at Camp Nakamun

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Grade 6 Symphony field trip to Edmonton

February 26-27, 2025 (Tentative)

Jazz Band retreat

April 7-11, 2025

Camrose Music Festival Week (performance days TBA)

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Grade 7 Band at Red Deer Provincials

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Grade 8 Band at Provincial Band Festival in Red Deer

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Grade 8 Honour Band at Provincial Festival in Red Deer

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Final Concert (all groups) at Lougheed Centre

June 4-7, 2025

Grade 8 Band Tour to Banff and Jasper

Please feel free to contact Mr. Bailey at bbailey@brsd.ab.ca

if you have any music related questions.

*NEW* CASA CLASSROOM COMING TO BRSD

In partnership with the Government of Alberta, community partners and school divisions, CASA Mental Health has committed to delivering mental health care in classrooms. CASA Classrooms address the need for services closer to students by bridging a child’s mental health and school needs. In CASA Classrooms, students receive individual and group therapy, psychiatric care, medication and schooling according to individual student needs.

This February, a new CASA Classroom will open at Daysland School in the Battle River School Division, available to students in grades 7-10 through an application process.

A mental health team and a teacher will work together to support students during their regular school day. For more information, contact your school administrator or visit the CASA Mental Health Website. CASA also hosts information sessions on the first Tuesday and last Thursday of each month; information on these sessions is also available on the website.

WINTER SESSION (2025):

SESSION TIMINGS:

KIDS WRITE 4 KIDS CREATIVE CHALLENGE

The Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge is officially open for entries. Whether you’re a budding novelist, a poetic soul, or someone who loves to tell tales, this is your platform to shine.

Why You Should Enter? Get Published: Winner becomes a published author. Make an Impact: Book sales proceeds are donated to the winner’s charity of choice. Join the Panel: Winners will become judges for next year’s contest. Display our poster within your school division and help uncover the next wave of storytellers.

Writing Contest Deadline: March 31, 2025

ACCESS BOOKS AND eBOOKS WITH LIBBY

Libby is a free app that allows access to books and audiobooks when you have a library card. Click on the EPL button for more information.

ASEBP SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

Did you know that ASEBP offers free information for Parents and Guardians?

If you have any questions that haven’t been answered here, please be in touch with us.

We will do our best to continue to provide updates throughout the year and will keep you informed around school related activities. Please continue to check our website at www.ckillam.brsd.ab.ca

and the Battle River School Website at www.brsd.ab.ca.

École Charlie Killam School

4809 - 46 Street

Camrose, AB T4V 1G8

Phone: 780-672-7785

cksgenvm@brsd.ab.ca

"Achieving Success Together! Réussir Ensemble!"