JSS Newsletter

By Jack Stuart School Administration

Mr. Todd Sieben, Principal

Ms. Erica Easton, Assistant Principal

#Jaguar Pride

2 months down already in this 2024/25 school year. Where has the time gone?

We have completed our first month of the grade 5 AMA safety patrol. We want to thank our grade 5 student patrollers for helping everyone arrive and leave Jack Stuart School safely each day. Our patrollers want to remind everyone of their three cues … Point, Double Check, and Proceed.

Also, we have completed our second month with our grade 5 PM break (from 12:11 to 12:51 pm) Office Helpers. They have done a wonderful job welcoming parents/guardians and guests, helping students and staff, and taking care of many tasks that are required in the office during the lunch break.

Again this school year, we dedicate 15 minutes right after lunch each day in our homerooms to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) during our Jaguar “What I Need” (WIN) Time. SEL is the process of learning skills and attitudes to develop a healthy identity, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, show and feel empathy to others, build and maintain positive relationships, and make good decisions in life. SEL is part of the Alberta Education curriculum.

Winter has arrived. November has brought a change to the weather. Please remind your child to wear her/his toque, gloves, jacket, boots and snow pants. Don’t forget, clocks fall back 1 hour on November 3, 2024.

This month we pause in remembrance of the many who have and continue to fight for the freedoms we enjoy in Canada today. We remember the families who experienced the loss of loved ones, or the loss of time with those family members. We remember those who came back, and the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice and did not make it home. Lest We Forget. Our JSS Remembrance Day Ceremony is scheduled for Friday, November 8 @ 10:30 am in the Jaguar Dome (Gymnasium).

We wish everyone a restful and rejuvenating fall break from Monday, November 11 to Friday, November 15 (BRSD Schools Closed). See you back on Monday, November 18.

At JSS, we value our strong sense of school community, and continue to find ways to nurture and enjoy it. Based on parent/guardian and staff surveys in the fall of 2023, we set out to try and meet the needs of all our 206 student families, 32 staff members, and current educational realities. As a result of that stakeholder engagement, and as communicated several ways and times this past spring, JSS decided to host a traditional Christmas Concert in December 2023 and then try an event with a different format in December 2024. This decision was made after multiple discussions with our School (Parent) Council and Staff throughout the first half of the 2023/24 school year. As a group, we decided to try both events and then make future decisions (for December 2025 and beyond) based on student, parent/guardian and staff survey feedback regarding both events. This year our event may look a little different, but it will provide a wonderful opportunity to enjoy our school community, build memories, have fun and celebrate the season together. We recognize that change can be exciting for some and unnerving for others, but in education, change is the one thing that is constant. Thank you in advance for your support and willingness to try something new this year! Mark your calendars…our JSS Jaguar Jingle Jubilee holiday event will take place on Thursday, December 19, 2024 from 6 to 7:30 pm.

At JSS, we continue to recognize students who say and do the right thing, especially when no one is looking. When our students get “Caught in the Matrix” by taking care of themselves, others and our house, they are presented with “Jaguar Cards”. Students are excited to submit their jaguar cards to the office “Jaguar Draw Box’. Each week two student jaguar cards are randomly selected from the draw box and receive various prizes provided by our local community. In September 2024, 219 student jaguar cards were submitted into the jaguar draw box in the office, and an additional 308 student jaguar cards were counted in October 2024, for a total of 527 so far this school year. Great work JSS students and staff, and thanks to the local businesses and our entire community for supporting this program.

Thank you to …

• Mr. Nelson and Mrs. Steil for coaching our JSS Cross Country Running team.

• Mrs. J. Raynard and Ms. Bileski for their hard work in making breakfast possible at Jack Stuart School this year.

October Superintendent Letter to Parents and Guardians (https://www.brsd.ab.ca/our-division/senior-leadership)

Upcoming Hot lunch dates:

Nov. 20 - East Side Mario's

Dec. 4 - Fat Burger

Grades 1 - 5 can order and pay online through the school website.

Go to the Quick Link at the top, then to Online payments/ordering.

JSS Hot Lunch Volunteers needed for November 20. If you can help for about 40 minutes to sort and hand out lunch, please call or text Kara at 780-281-1173.

by Kimberly Olsen, Chair: jackstuartparentadvisory@gmail.com

JSS Council & Parents’ Society

Jack Stuart Parents’ Society and School Council have been hard at work. Thank you to all who participated in the DFS fundraiser. We raised $2,466 which will cover most of the discretionary fund donated to the school.

Playground update: We are very close to having a design that we can afford and work is scheduled to begin May 2025! Unfortunately, there are not enough funds to cover a swing set as we had hoped, but we haven’t given up yet! Plans are in the works to add money to the Playground Fund, including an Alberta Crowd funding program, as well as requests to the Camrose Kinsmen, Elks, Masons and Legion to support this project. We will keep you updated.

The HOT LUNCH schedule has been set for the remainder of the year and are available to order (please watch for the due dates). Last year we saw several double orders when the menu was put out early. If you’re like me, you ordered and then saw the deadline reminder and ordered again! To avoid this, you can check what’s been ordered in the past by viewing your transactions on Student QuickPay. Click on Menu and then Statements. Volunteers are always needed for organizing and distribution on hot lunch days. Please text Kara at (780)281-1173 if you can help.

As always if you shop at Save-On-Foods, you can donate your receipt to Jack Stuart School. We receive 5% back. Our last check was $268, the little bits add up.

Join us at our next Parent Council meeting, followed immediately by the Parents' Society Meeting on Tues., Dec. 10 at 5:30 pm.

Jack Stuart School Council has a Facebook page, LIKE and FOLLOW to get regular updates.

Thank you to all the parents, caregivers, grandparents, family members and friends who supported our annual Terry Fox Run fundraiser. Our students play a big part in continuing Terry’s legacy for generations to come. This year JSS students raised $3,240!

Nov. 1 - Staff Meeting PD Day - No School for Students

Nov. 6 - Hot Lunch - Domino's

Nov. 11-15 - Fall Break - No School

Nov. 20 - Hot Lunch - East Side Mario's

Coming Soon in Dec.:

Dec. 4 - Hot Lunch - Fat Burger

Dec. 6 - Staff Meeting PD Day - No School for Students

Dec. 10 - School Council and Parents' Society Meeting - 5:30 pm

Follow us …

Website: http://jstuart.brsd.ab.ca

Twitter: @jstuartschool

Instagram: jackstuartschoolbrsd

Facebook: Jack Stuart School

Email: jackstuart@brsd.ab.ca
Website: https://jstuart.brsd.ab.ca
Location: 200 Mount Pleasant Drive, Camrose, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-672-0880
Facebook: facebook.com/JackStuartSchool
Twitter: @jstuartschool