Fort High's Weekly Bulletin

Dec 4 - Early Dismissal- No Exam Catch Up this day

Dec 5 - Musical Theatre class presents The Adventures of Dorothy 7:00 pm

Dec 11 - Exam Catch Up

Dec 11 - Family Feast for our Fort High students

Dec 13 - 1st Grad list posted

Dec 23-Jan 3 - Christmas Break (schools closed to staff and students)

Jan 8 - Early Dismissal- No Exam Catch Up this day

Jan 9 - Please note that on January 9 Block 1 in full AM; Block 3 in full PM.

Jan 10 - Please note on January 10 Block 2 in full AM; Block 4 in full PM. (This is to accommodate our Part A Exams in ELA and Social.)

Jan 16 - Last day of classes

Jan 29 - No School for Students - Professional Learning Day

Jan 30 - Semester 2 begins

Our Musical Theatre class presents The Adventures of Dorothy December 5 at 7:00 pm. Click the link below to order your tickets.

https://ww2.ticketpro.ca/search.php?S=the+adventures+of+dorothy&date=TODAY

The Leadership class is putting on an intramural dodgeball tournament starting on Wednesday, December 11th. Organize a team of 6 people and sign your team up through the QR code posted on one of the sign-up sheets around the school. Themed teams are also allowed, with costumes if you like. The sign-up deadline is Wednesday, December 4th.

We have a lot of events happening this holiday season! Our first event starting Monday is the collection of items for our Giving Trees for the Fort Food Bank. If you can, please start bringing in food items to help our less fortunate families in Fort Saskatchewan.

By Alexis Budd

We have early dismissal every Wednesday at 2:15 pm. Our purpose is to focus on student/staff school initiatives during this time. Please note that the first Wednesday of every month is when busses leave at 2:15 pm, for staff meetings across Elk Island Public Schools. For the other Wednesdays, busses will still arrive at 3:15 pm. Students are expected to use this time to catch up on missed academic work. The early out Wednesdays will start on September 4th.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact our new principal Aaron Tuckwood at aaron.tuckwood@eips.ca or Rita Lal at rita.lal@eips.ca

We are excited to offer exam catch up after school, three Wednesday's a month. The first Wednesday each month is reserved for Staff Meetings, where there will be no exams running. Please be sure your children have arranged transportation should they write past bus departure at 3:20 p.m. and please remind them to bring supplies to complete the exam (e.g. calculator, pencil etc.)

It is expected that students communicate with their teachers to make arrangements.

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.

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 and https://www.forthigh.ca/about/fees.

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed since the start of the year? Fort High 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 780-998-3751

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 Fort High, Claudia Bous, 780-998-3751.

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.

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.

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

Support Numbers

Contacting 911

Kids Help Phone

Alberta’s Mental Health Help Line

Alberta’s Children and Mental Health Crisis/Mobile Response Team

Crisis Contact Numbers for Strathcona County

Fort Saskatchewan Community Mental Health Supports and Services

Hope for Wellness Help Line for Indigenous Peoples: 1-855-242-3310

SRO QR code

Please click the link below to view a spreadsheet of the multiple scholarship opportunities available to students.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1InbVu8D_duNEUw7e8kC667MXWXezbMDfXKoUWlxYkLw/edit?usp=sharing

As part of our ongoing commitment to foster a conducive learning environment, we would like to inform you about the updated Personal Mobile Device (PMD) Plan, effective for the 2024-25 school year.

Key Guidelines Overview:

• PMD Usage During Class Sessions: To maintain a focus on educational activities, all PMDs should remain powered off or on silent and out of sight during class time. Exceptions apply only if a teacher grants permission for a specific educational activity or in cases of documented medical or special learning requirements.
• Non-Instructional Period Use: PMDs may be used during non-instructional times, including before and after school, class breaks, lunch, and spare periods. During spares, usage is permitted in the library and foyer areas.
  
• Restricted Areas: To protect everyone's privacy, PMDs are strictly prohibited in examination settings, change rooms, washrooms, and private counselling areas.
• PMD Storage Recommendations: We strongly suggest leaving your PMDs at home. Should you choose to bring them to school, you are solely responsible for their security and integrity. Fort High and Elk Island Public Schools will not be liable for any loss, theft, or damage.

Understanding the Progressive Discipline for PMD Misuse:

1. First Infraction: This will result in a verbal warning from the teacher and a record of the incident.
2. Second Infraction: The PMD will be confiscated and sent to the office, followed by a notification to the parents/guardians.
3. Third Infraction: This will trigger further disciplinary actions with parental/guardian notification.

Communication with Parents:

We'd like to ask parents to avoid contacting their children via PMDs during school hours. For urgent matters, please get in touch with the school office directly at 780-998-3751, and we will ensure your message is relayed promptly.

Your understanding and adherence to these guidelines are critical in helping us maintain a respectful and distraction-free learning environment. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need further clarification.