Colts Connection For Parents

Earlier this year, Alberta Education conducted their annual survey. That survey was given to parents of Grade 4 students. In conjunction with the Alberta Education survey, Wolf Creek Public Schools is conducting a similar survey that is open to all parents of Ponoka Elementary. This survey was sent out via email to all parents/guardians of Ponoka Elementary School the morning of April 30th. We would greatly appreciate it if all parents would complete this survey. The information from this survey is used to help us plan, as a school, for the upcoming school year. If you did not receive the survey via email, please click here to fill out the survey now. You can have your name entered in a draw to win a night out at the movies (for a family of 4), bowling for a family of 4 and a variety of gift cards. The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to fill out.

We thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback and help us continue to work with our parent(s)/guardian(s) to provide safe and caring environment and high quality education to our students.

We know pick up and drop off times are high traffic times around our school. If you are dropping off or picking up your child, please do not pull into or park in the Emergency access lane in front of the school, in either of the staff parking lots. We have had a few situations where parents are parking in the staff parking lot on the west side of the building and have had some near misses with students as parents are backing up or turning around. The staff parking lot is a route for our Grade 3-6 students to get around to the front of the school and we want to ensure that is a safe way for students to walk. Parents are asked to park along the outside boulevard or anywhere along 48th avenue to pick up and/or drop off students. Along those same lines, please do not block the Emergency Access lane in front of the school.

After School Badminton has been running for the last few weeks and will continue on into mid-May. This provides students an opportunity for some extra playing time with support in coaching from Miss Johnson. A big thank you to Miss Kendra Johnson for volunteering her time to make this opportunity possible for students.

Miss Nesdoly and Miss MacLean have been running an after-school Jump Rope Club. We have a good group of students who have been participating and receiving coaching from Miss Nesdoly, who coaches competitive jump rope at the provincial, national, and international levels. Thank you to Miss Autumn Nesdoly and Miss Cheryl MacLean for volunteering their time to make this possible.

May 1 and 2 is our Kindergarten orientation for students who are registered in Kindergarten for the 2025/26 school year. Students must be registered to attend orientation. Due to Kindergarten orientation there is no Tues/Thurs Kindergarten on Thursday, May 1st.

Teachers are finalizing end of the year Field Trips. They will be added to Parent Portal as they are finalized and ready to go. Please keep an eye out for the forms and fees being added to your Parent Portal.

We started using Edge Imaging last year for our individual and class photos. As a part of this is shift we have changed when we do our whole class pictures as Edge likes to try and do them outside. As a result we will be doing class photos on May 26 and 27th.

Every year our Grade 6 students write Provincial Achievement Tests. These tests are intended to see how well our students understand the content they have been taught throughout their time at Ponoka Elementary School. They also help us as teachers to understand areas of growth for us to focus on in the future to support our students. Typically, these tests are in Math (two parts), Language Arts (two parts), Science, and Social Studies. However, because the Science curriculum is new to Grade 6 this year our students will only be writing Math, Language Arts, and Social Studies. All dates for the tests are on our School Calendar. Language Arts Part A is May with the rest of the tests are in late June. If you have any questions about the Provincial Achievement Tests, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Mrs. Mares' Grade 5 class wanted to send a shout out/"Thank you" to School Council. Mrs. Mares' class was randomly selected as the winning class from March Book Madness. Each student in Mrs. Mares' class received a copy of the March Book Madness Winner - "Freddie the Flyer" courtesy of School Council. The students were super excited to receive their copy this past month.

On April 14 members from the Indigenous Education and Reconciliation team, along with Paula Wilkins (the Indigenous Literacy Intervention teacher) hosted a Nitohtawin Gathering for our Grade 5 students. Nitohtawin means “listen to me” in Cree. The morning was spent with students moving through 4 different stations where they had the opportunity to share about how PES can best meet their needs spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally. The morning was a great success and wrapped up with the students enjoying soup and bannock. All of the information shared on this day will be collated and used to help support our students.

BGC Wolf Creek is bringing a child/youth online safety presentation to Ponoka which will be presented by ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team) and ICE (Internet Child Exploitation). With the consistent increase of risk that our children and youth are being exposed to daily, we feel it is vital that we all be informed to know how to protect them and help them walk through this! The presentation is on May 7th at 6:30 pm in the Pink Building by PES (south entrance).

Trauma Informed Care Strategies for Parents and Caregivers

The first virtual educational webinar is designed to inform and equip parents and caregivers

with essential trauma-informed care strategies.

This informative session is especially helpful for those caring for children who have experienced

trauma, including those in the foster care system. However, the strategies provided are

beneficial to all caregivers.

Webinar topics will include:

✅ Understanding trauma’s impact on child development and behavior

✅ Creating a safe and predictable environment that promotes healing

✅ Recognizing and responding to trauma triggers

✅ Developing effective de-escalation techniques for challenging behaviors

From Triggers to Teaching Moments: Navigating Normal Child Behaviours

The second virtual educational webinar offers parents practical insights into understanding

and responding to typical childhood behaviors that, while sometimes challenging, are

actually normal developmental milestones. We'll explore the underlying needs and

developmental stages behind common behaviours that may test a parent’s patience,

equipping them with strategies to respond effectively rather than react emotionally. By the

end of this session, the parent/caregiver will gain a fresh perspective on their child's actions,

learn techniques to navigate difficult moments with confidence, and develop a deeper

connection with their child through understanding rather than frustration.

Click her to register - https://crossroadsfs.ca/foster-care/webinars/

May 1 and 2 - Kindergarten Orientation

May 1 -- Subway lunch orders due

May 1 to 6 - Bobtail Nursery fundraiser orders picked up at Bobtail Nursery.

May 7 - Hats on for Mental Health

May 8 - Bobtail Nursery fundraiser orders picked up at Ponoka Elementary (3:30-5:30 pm)

May 8 - Beach Day

May 12 - Grade 1 Landmark/Library Field Trip

May 13 - Subway Hot Lunch

May 14 - Celebration of Learning Evening

May 16 - Professional Development Day - No school for students

May 19 - Victoria Day - No school

May 20 - Parent-Teacher Interview in-lieu day - No school for students

May 22 - Book Character Day

May 22 - Boston Pizza Hot Lunch orders due

May 22 - Grade 6 Immunizations

May 26 - Class Photos (PreK, K, Grades 1-4

May 27 - Class Photos (PreK, K, Grades 5-6)

May 27 - Cosmic Pizza hot lunch orders due

May 28 - Grade 6 Provincial Achievement Test - Language Arts Part A

May 28 - May Assembly

May 29 - Grade 6 Celebration Feast

May 30 - Last day of Options