Dec 2- Dec 8, 2024

www.ecoleparc.ca

The month of December is always a highlight in our school year! So much joy and excitement enters our building on a daily basis. While of course we're busy working on lots of learning, we also make sure to do lots of fun activities in our classes too during this special time of the year!

Our monthly assembly to celebrate November's award winners is tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 2 at 9:00 a.m. in our gym. If you'd like to attend, we'd love to see you!

As the countdown to Christmas is on, members of our Grizzly community have been asking how they can support our fellow Grizzlies during the holiday season. We have been in contact with some of our families to see how we can help over the holiday season. If your family would like to contribute, please use the link 2024 Grizzly Christmas Cheer to sign up to bring an item.

We kindly ask that families who are choosing to contribute, please bring the item that you have signed up for to the office by Wednesday, December 19th. Please wrap the gift and put a post-it note with the corresponding letter identifier on the present indicating who the gift is for. Thank you in advance, the generosity of the school community warms my heart!

I want to start getting the word out early that OLA and Ecole Parc will be hosting concerts on the same nights this year. With both schools celebrating similar seasonal holidays and with the concert season being pretty short, this sometimes happens. I noticed that when both our schools had our Halloween dances on the same evening that parking got pretty tight in our neighbourhood. To alleviate some parking pressure you may want to consider attending the afternoon concert matinees (French Immersion only), carpool options, or just be aware that you may have to park a bit further away from the school. With that said, please know that our Winter Concerts are fast approaching. Our PALS classes will host their concert on Tuesday, Dec. 10, our ECS group A and grades 1 to 3 will be on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and our ECS group B and grades 4 to 6 will be on Thursday, December 12. For the French Immersion concerts we will run a matinee showing at 1:15 p.m. in the gym, and then the evening showing will be at 5:30 p.m. Typically our concerts run an hour.

The government of Alberta has created a "Personal Mobile Device" policy that will come into effect in Alberta school on January 1, 2025. Please know that at the elementary level, students with personal mobile devices (cellphones, tablets, smartwarchs, etc.) are not permitted to have them in our classrooms. If students are bringing such devices to school they must be stored in their backpacks/lockers for the entirety of the school day. Please see the attached Personal Mobile Device Plan for our school for more information.

Our amazing School Council purchased some French/English dictionaries for our Kindergarten families. If you would like one, please stop by the office and Mme Sherri can help you out!

Please follow this link to watch our announcement: Le 2 decembre

If you haven't picked up your items already, please click here to see lost and found items sent to families on November 19th, 2024. Items not picked up by Dec 4, 2024, will be donated.

Please contact the office if these belong to your family.

An email went out from School Messenger on Friday morning. We are beginning to receive picture orders at the school. If you ordered pictures and you want to pick them up from the office, please email General.epe@eips.ca by DECEMBER 1st , otherwise, we will send them home with your child as we receive the orders.

Thank you.

We have received our new Grizz toques! The cost is $22.50. We have 3 options to choose from: grey, black and cream. Please contact the office if you would like to purchase. No cash please. We will add the fee to your parent portal account. Thank you.

What's happening this week at École Parc:

Dec 2

• Class of the week Quest
• Monthly Assembly 9:00 AM
• Hot Lunch

Dec 3

• Hot lunch

Dec 4

• Early out
• Dress up Day: Tie Dye Day

UPCOMING DATES:

Dec 9

• Class of the Week PALS AM

Dec 10

• Winter Concert PALS 5:30 pm

Dec 11

• Winter Concert ECS A, Gr 1-3: 1:15 pm and 5:30 pm

Dec 12

• Winter Concert ECS B, Gr 4-6: 1:15 pm and 5:30 pm

Dec 16

• Class of the Week PALS PM
• Hot Lunch

Dec 17

• Hot Lunch

Dec 23-Jan 3

• Christmas Break

Jan 6

• Classes resume

The EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team is hosting a Métis Kitchen Party for all EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and their allies. The evening will include food, fiddles, dancing and activities—featuring music by Brianna Lizotte and Ethan Graves. All ages welcome.

Monday, December 9
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Salisbury Composite High
RSVP by December 6
See the full invitation

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

We’re grateful to have school communities full of hard-working families committed to the success of their children. Education doesn’t just happen in school, it happens at home too—in every homework assignment completed, every textbook chapter read and every test reviewed. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to cultivate learning at home, so that students are eager to strive for their best at school the next day. We also appreciate the countless hours school councils put into planning events and appreciate all the people who volunteer at and attend them. Your support is invaluable.

We hope you enjoy all the holiday concerts and festivities happening at your schools, and that you get some well-deserved rest during the break. To each and every person, have a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year.

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Jan. 8, 2024.

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.

Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2025? If so, it’s almost time to register for kindergarten.

Kindergarten registration for the 2025-26 school year opens on Feb. 1, 2025.

To help families prepare, Elk Island Public Schools has put together an online EIPS Kindergarten Tool kit to make the transition as smooth as possible. The kit includes information on registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, how to find your designated school, transportation and more.

School fees

All fees were due as of October 31, 2024. Fees can be paid on the PowerSchool Parent Portal .

If you have not paid your fees, please contact the office to make payment arrangements.

Fee Waiver Application Deadline

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.

For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit www.eips.ca/schools/fees or visit the school website at https://www.ecoleparc.ca/about/fees. Alternatively, contact Sherri Prince at École Parc Élémentaire at 780-998-3741.

For the safety of our students, a reminder that this lane is for QUICK student drop off only. Please park on the street if you need to walk with your student into the school.

A reminder to our families that please avoid sending nut products to school with your student as we have some very severe allergies. We appreciate your support in keeping all our students safe!

If your student is absent, being picked up early or will be arriving late, we ask that you please email our attendance email at EPEAttendance@eips.ca or call the school at 780-998-3741. Please send any DQ permissions to this email as well. We ask that you contact us ahead of time for early pickups so that we may have your student ready on time. We understand that there may be last minute situations. Thank you.

At École Parc, we continue to build positive citizenship through the guiding principles of the Seven Sacred Teachings. This month, our school focus will be on the teachings of love. According to the teachings, the eagle teaches love. Our teachers are looking for students who show love to their friends, classmates, staff and visitors . These students may be recognized by earning the Citizenship award for their class. Big shout out to Mme Irmanì`s class who's Seven Sacred Teachings Eagles adorn the hallways.

If you'd like to know more about the 7 Sacred Teachings, I encourage families to watch the 7 Sacred Teachings video clip .

If your child requires any medication, please click here to access the form. Please note we have two medical forms. We have a Personal Care Plan and an Administering of Medication Form. Please do not send medication with your child for safety reasons.

If your child loses a library or home reading book, please contact the school. If the book is not found within 30 days, the cost of the resource will be assigned to the “Fees” section of your PowerSchool account. Please note, if the book is found within 30 days, a refund will be granted. However, if the book is found after 30 days, a refund will not be granted as we will have purchased a replacement for the library’s collection.

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.

How to Order Hot Lunch at EPE this School Year!

École Parc School Council and Fundraising is using a new platform for ordering hot lunches this year! We will have a rotating schedule of local vendors and the lunches will be offered approximately twice/month on BOTH the Monday and Tuesday of the hot lunch week. Therefore, you can choose to order hot lunch for your child(ren) either or both days if you wish. As well, this will provide the opportunity for both Kindergarten classes to be included.

Please head to www.lunchboxorders.net to create an account and add students you wish to order hot lunch for.

Link for how to add a student to the account: How to add a student to your Lunchbox Account (vidyard.com) Ensure you select "Fort Saskatchewan" and "Ecole Parc Elementaire" when adding your family members.

Please contact lunchboxorders.net support with any questions or help during your account setup and ordering process.

For any other questions, please reach out to EPESchoolcouncil@gmail.com.

Families may pre-order lunches one at a time or as far in advance as you like, ensuring orders are in 1 week prior. We will continue to post reminders for deadlines on our Ecole Parc Elementaire Parents facebook group, as well as our EPE school council website.

Thank you,

École Parc School Council and Fundraising

• Oct 15/16
• Oct 28/29
• Nov 18/19
• Dec 2/3
• Dec 16/17

The EPE school council and fundraising society is looking to build a resource library to help parents support their children in French literacy. With the support of the Alberta School Council Engagement Grant, we have purchased 21 French/English dictionaries. In addition to having both languages, they are illustrated and are a great tool for parents, particularly those learning French with their children. The dictionaries are free on a first come first serve basis and can be collected at the office.

If you have a suggestion for a parent learning resource or educational opportunity please contact school council at epeschoolcouncil@gmail.com.

This year in attempt to be more accessible we will be trialing various meeting formats including virtual options. Meeting will be held on the following Wednesdays at 7pm

October 9th

November 27

January 15th

February 12th

March 12th

April 9th

May 14th

June 11th

For information about our School Council and Fundraising society, please visit our website at:

https://www.epeschoolcouncil.com/

We are in PHASE 1 - FIND MONEY! Did you know we have to have funding secured for the playground expansion project before we can proceed with the design and approvals?

We are in need of volunteers to assist in writing grants. If you have experience with this we would love your help.

Do you work for a company that would consider supporting the building of a natural playground for your child's school?

Let us know! Email ecoleparcplaygroundexpansion@gmail.com

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.

Communication with our families is important to us. Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) uses SchoolMessenger as one way of sharing information directly with our families by phone and email. Messages may include bus cancellations or delays, inclement weather, upcoming events, last-minute cancellations, parental engagement opportunities, emergency notices and more.

Follow the Link to help manage your subscription: https://www.eips.ca/contact/subscribe

Read our Guide to Reporting Student Achievement and School Education Plan

The Guide to Reporting Student Achievement (GRSA) and School Education Plan (SEP) for the 2024-25 school year are available now! The GRSA explains how we assess student achievement, how we determine grades and more. The SEP details our school goals for the year—with key strategies and measures in achieving these outcomes. You can access our GRSA and SEP through the two corresponding home page tiles at www.ecoleparc.ca.

Research shows sustained, collaborative and job-embedded professional learning significantly enhances teacher efficacy and student achievement. Simply put, the more times teachers get to learn from one another during the year, the better it is for student success. Professional learning doesn’t mean a day off for staff—they improve upon their knowledge using time dedicated for collaboration, growth and relationship-building. This ensures students continue to receive high-quality education throughout the school year.

EIPS is committed to a productive and collaborative relationship with parents and caregivers. As such, the Division has a Committee of School Councils (COSC) comprised of representatives from school councils across EIPS. From October to May, COSC members meet monthly with the Board of Trustees and senior EIPS administration to discuss educational issues and trends, while sharing valuable information with one another to best enhance student success. In recognition of the effort and dedication of EIPS families and staff in engaging with their school communities, the Division was honoured to receive the Division School Council Engagement Award from the Alberta School Councils’ Association last April. To learn more, visit the EIPS website.

The Board of Trustees meets throughout the school year to discuss and make decisions regarding matters important to students, families, schools, communities and public education overall. Community members are encouraged and welcome to attend in person or to tune into the public livestream on the EIPS YouTube channel. For 2024-25 Board Meeting dates, visit the EIPS website and subscribe to the Division calendar.

Elk Island Public Schools is on Instagram!

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 École Parc on Facebook and Instagram.

Is your child riding the bus this year? If yes, download the My Ride and Bus Status apps to stay in the know about your child’s bus stop location, route, pickup time and whether their bus is running on schedule.

Did you know you can sync the school calendar to your own calendar? Simply, visit https://www.ecoleparc.ca and click on the applicable subscription option:

· Download to iCal

· Add to Google Calendar

· Subscribe to Calendar

NOTE: Options are located above the calendar.

Once you click on the desired subscription option, follow the instructions. Within seconds, your calendar will contain all École Parc Élémentaire’s important dates including holidays, school-closures days, planned activities, events and more.

EIPS has three administrative procedures (APs) that address the Division’s code of conduct:

· AP 311: Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning Environments for Students

· AP 350: Student Code of Conduct

· AP 351: Student Conduct on School Buses

The Division, and École Parc Élémentaire, are 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. EIPS encourages all students, staff and families to review the procedures to understand and practice the conduct expected throughout the Division.

Did you know each EIPS bus is equipped with video surveillance, and many school sites have video monitoring equipment?

Video surveillance and equipment help:

· ensure the safety of all students, staff, drivers and property; and

· discourage destructive acts.

As needed, EIPS school administration and Student Transportation staff review video recordings, in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. The recordings assist schools and the Division with monitoring student and driver conduct and may be used as evidence in a disciplinary matter.

For more information about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, contact the EIPS FOIP Co-ordinator at 780-464-3477.

To register: Groups, Programs, and Workshops