VCHS Prowler

• December 9- EIPS Métis Kitchen Party @ 5:30-7:30 PM @ Salisbury Composite
• December 12- Gingerbread decorating and movie after school (Grads Only)
• December 16- Deadline for school fees waiver
• Christmas Attire Day
• December 17- VCHS annual Holiday Dinner for staff and students
• Formal Day
• December 18- Christmas in July
• December 19- Christmas Character Day
• December 20- PJ and Hot Chocolate Day
• Christmas Bake Sale order pick-up @ 3PM
• December 23-January 3- Christmas Break
• January 6- Classes resume
• January 8- Early Dismissal
• January 9- Grad Photo retakes
• January 15- Social 30-1 & 30-2 Diploma Part A
• January 16- Last day of Sr. High Classes
• January 17-Math 30-1 & 30-2 Diploma
• Bottle Drive deadline
• January 21- Social 30-1 &30-2 Diploma Part B
• January 22- Biology Diploma
• January 28- Last day of Quarter 2
• January 29- PD Day- No school
• January 30- Second semester begins
• First day of Quarter 3

Each student is allowed to enter their name ONCE for the prize that they would like to win. Good Luck!

Follow our social media pages all next week for some holiday song lyrics. First student to come to the office and name that tune will win a prize!

Cougar Council will be running our Annual Holiday Food Drive from December 2-13. All items can be dropped off in the main office and will be delivered to the Vegreville Food Bank for the holidays.

Our annual fundraiser cards will be here shortly. Perfect stocking stuffers this holiday season!

Cards can be purchased for $20.00 each, with support going towards the Grad class of 2025.

If circumstances exist where you’re unable to pay school or transportation fees, you can apply to have fees waived by submitting an Application for a Waiver of Fees. The application deadline is Dec. 16, 2024. If you’re new to the Division, the deadline is the latter of Dec. 16, 2024, or 45 days after registration. To access your fee information, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” There you can view your fees and pay them online using Visa or MasterCard. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted.

Don’t forget to also log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal regularly throughout the year. Fees are often added to your child’s account to cover the cost of various school activities such as field trips, class projects, extracurricular activities and more.

For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit www.eips.ca/schools/fees. Alternatively, contact Business Manager, Marie Andruchow at Vegreville Composite at 780-632-3341.

We're on Christmas break for two weeks- be sure to clean out your lockers before the end of the day Friday, December 20!

Driving to school? All student vehicles must be registered and display a student parking pass while using the student parking lot. Register yours today!

Help support our athletics program! Save all your empties over the holiday season and donate them to our Athletics bottle drive. Deadline to drop off any donations is Friday, January 17.

check out www.kisport.ca/alberta to learn more and start your application process

The Mental Health Capacity Building (MHCB) in Schools Initiative works to promote positive mental health in children, youth, families and support individuals in the community who interact with children and youth. The MHCB initiative is based on research and best practice literature that demonstrates that mental and emotional well being can be developed, nurtured and supported through promotion and prevention efforts.

Alberta Health Services information

MHCB Vegreville

MHCB Coordinator

Carlin Adams is our Family School Liaison Worker (FSLW). She is available to

help support students create positive change through setting goals and planning

strategies, helping connect families with external supports and advocating for

students and families within the school and community. Her office is in our school

library.

Her contact information is:

December 12

Gingerbread decorating and movie after school

January 9:

Grad photo re-takes

January 15:

Social 30-1 & 30-2 Diploma Part A

January 17:

Math 30-1 & 30-2 Diploma

January 21:

Social 30-1 & 30-2 Diploma Part B

January 22:

Biology 30 Diploma

May 24:

Grad

Registration for the January 2025 Diploma Exam Prep courses will open on October 28. These courses prepare students to write their Grade 12 diploma examinations. Courses run for one or two weekend days and will take place at Salisbury Composite High in Sherwood Park. Students can only register for one session each weekend. The cost is $125 per course—except Science 30 at $75. Registration closes on January 8 for English language arts (ELA), social studies and math sessions. Registration for science sessions closes on January 15. For more information, contact nextstep@eips.ca or call 780-464-1899.

• January 11 and 12: ELA 30-1, Social Studies 30-1, Math 30-1 and Math 30-2
• January 18 and 19: Biology 30, Chemistry 30 and Physics 30
• January 25: Science 30

Curious about Alberta High School Diploma Requirements

Diploma Requirements:

• 15 credits in senior English
• 15 credits in senior Social Studies
• 10 credits in Math (minimum Math 20-3)
• 10 credits Science (minimum Science 24)
• 3/5 credits in CALM 20
• 3 credits in Physical Education
• 10 other credits at the 30 level
• 38 other credits
• Minimum 100 total credits

Certificate of Achievement Requirements:

• English 20-2 or 30-4
• Social 20-2 or 20-4
• Math 24 or 20-4
• Science 24 or 20-4
• Physical Education 10
• Career and Life Management
• 10 credits Work Experience or RAP or Green Certificate
• Minimum 80 total credits

If you have any concerns regarding your graduation progress, please contact Ms. Sydor for more information.

Diploma Exam result statements are now available through myPass

Students will now need to retrieve their exam results through myPass—a self‑service website for high school students. Result statements for Diploma Exams are now be available exclusively online using myPass. Printed results statements will no longer be mailed.

How to use myPass (youtube.com)

In addition, the Statement of Courses and Marks has been replaced with the Detailed Academic Report (DAR), which is also available exclusively online using myPass.

myPass enables high school students to:

• access their Results Statement;
• view their demographic information;
• view their DAR;
• view their progress toward their diploma or certificate; and
• order and pay for a transcript.

Specific information on how to sign up for myPass will be provided to all students who write diploma examinations.

For more information visit: https://education.alberta.ca/students/transcripts/online.aspx

Alberta Education allocates funds to school boards to fulfill their delegated responsibilities of providing education programs for students in kindergarten to Grade 12. As part of Elk Island Public Schools’ (EIPS) commitment to stakeholder engagement and to continue allocating resources according to local priorities, the Division conducts an annual budget planning survey to seek input from staff, families Grade 12 students and community partners.

The survey is voluntary, anonymous and takes about five to 10 minutes to complete. The survey questions suggest possible budget areas for EIPS to focus its resources, which align with the Division’s current Four-Year Education Plan. If you believe there are other areas where the Division should concentrate its resources, you can also indicate what these are. EIPS will consider all budget planning input to guide future decision-making.

COMPLETE THE SURVEY NOW Survey closes Dec 18, 2024 Grade 12 students will complete the survey at school.

Thank you for sharing your input to help inform Division planning.

I wish to extend warm holiday wishes to all students, staff and families on behalf of the Elk Island Public Schools Board of Trustees.

As busy as we know this time can be, it’s nice to take a moment to look back with gratitude on the past year. We are thankful for the incredible parents and caregivers in the communities we serve, who consistently step up to support both students and educators—day in and day out. We appreciate our staff members, in schools and at Central Administration, for their commitment to excellence in learning. And we celebrate students across the Division, who work so hard and make us proud.

We hope you enjoy all the wonderful concerts, shows and festivities happening at your school, and that you get a chance for rest and reflection during the break. To all of you—have a joyous holiday season, and a healthy and happy New Year.

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Jan. 6, 2025.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays,

Cathy Allen EIPS Board Chair

Do you know someone who may be interested in part-time, flexible work as a substitute educational assistant or substitute teacher in the specialty areas of French Immersion or CTS/CTF? Elk Island Public Schools is hiring. Spread the word!

Substitute teaching and non-teaching staff are critical to filling planning and unexpected vacancies when Division staff are away. Substitutes are needed to fill various positions at all school locations until the end of the school year. Upcoming application deadlines are December 12 and 13. If you know someone who’d be great in this role, encourage them to apply today.

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed since the start of the year? Vegreville Composite encourages families to review the 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 the current 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.

Reviewing and updating the form ensures the school and Division have the most up-to-date information regarding your child. Updates completed by December 10 are especially helpful as the Division prepares for 2025-26 registration processes beginning in the new year.

NOTE: Only submit updates for the changes that have already taken place. If you’re moving later this school year, you’ll submit the necessary updates to your information through the Student Information Update after you’ve moved.

If you have questions about the form or any trouble with your Parent Portal account, contact the school office at 780-632-9807.

Alberta’s publicly funded systems—public, Catholic and francophone—serve the educational interests of almost 720,000 kindergarten to Grade 12 students across the province. Funding diverted to alternative educational institutions, both for infrastructure and programming, negatively impacts the public system’s ability to provide comprehensive, equitable, accessible and mandated programming for 90 per cent of the province’s students.

Want reminders and news about EIPS? You can now follow the Division on Instagram @elkislandpublicschools. Stay in the know about what’s going on, from divisionwide celebrations to reminders about important dates and deadlines. You can also connect with EIPS on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and the EIPS website.

Interested in school-specific updates? Follow Vegreville Composite on instagram: @vegcomp, Facebook: Vegreville Composite High School or vegcomp.ca

VCHS and the Division use the SchoolMessenger platform for communicating with families—through both phone and email. Be sure to add communications@eips.ca and general.vjs@eips.ca to your safe sender list to avoid having important messages funneled into your junk mail folder.

You can directly manage your phone and email subscription preferences through SchoolMessenger. Simply log in to your account—or create one if you don’t already have one—and select the message types you’d like to receive to each phone number and email address on file.

The easiest way to stay connected is to download the SchoolMessenger app. Get the latest updates direct to your mobile device and enable push notifications to never miss a message. Families can also check back on past messages—for up to 30 days—directly in the app rather than searching to find an old message buried in your inbox. Download the SchoolMessenger app from the App Store or Google Play today.

The Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team invites you to the upcoming Métis Kitchen Party. The evening will include food, fiddle, dancing and activities. All EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and their allies are welcome to attend.

Monday, December 9; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Salisbury Composite High, 20 Festival Way, Sherwood Park With special guests, Métis fiddlers Brianna Lizotte and Ethan Graves Refer to the invitation for more details. RSVP by December 6.

If you have any questions about the upcoming gathering, or the ongoing First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education work within EIPS, reach out to the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education lead at Vegreville Composite, Mrs. Christina Gieringer , 780-632-3341.

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.

The student transportation routing and planning software used by the Division is getting an app update! The new My Ride K-12 app, which is replacing Ride 360, helps families stay up to date on your child’s bus schedules, route times and scans.

For more information, visit www.eips.ca/transportation/apps. If you have any questions, contact Student Transportation at st@eips.ca or 780-417-8151

The health and safety of staff, students and visitors is a top priority. Please continue to follow these good hygiene habits from spreading respiratory illnesses including COVID-19.

• Stay home if you are feeling sick.
• Wash or sanitize your hands often.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces regularly.
• Wear a mask if you get sick or develop symptoms while at school or work.
• 
  

As per Alberta Health guidelines, staff, students, contractors, and visitors who have symptoms of respiratory Illness or test positive for COVID, should stay home until:

• symptoms have improved,
• they feel well enough to resume normal activities, and
• they have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications.

For anyone who has a respiratory illness or has tested positive for COVID, Alberta Health recommends a mask be worn for a total of 10 days from the onset of symptoms (even if the symptoms have resolved or improved) when in indoor settings with other individuals. EIPS will support those who choose to wear masks.

Click here to sign up for Dual Credit

Career Pathways

Career Pathways Information Board

Career Pathways student Opportunity Board

Email: General.VJS@eips.ca
Website: www.vegcomp.ca
Location: Vegreville, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-632-3341
Facebook: facebook.com/vegcomp