In Our House

Hello ÉCKS School Community,

It is hard to believe that more than 2 months of the school year is already behind us. October was a busy month and has made our time go by very quickly. There have been a lot of activities that have finally returned to our school, and it is a joy to watch students engaging in various ways.

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for us here at ECKS, but we are extremely grateful to all the community members, parents, and students for all of their support. It is extremely heartwarming to see how strong Our House is!

Finally, just a reminder that Fall Break starts on November 9th and goes until the 15th. Enjoy the break everyone!

As the weather drops in temperature and we find ourselves ankle deep in snow we would like to remind you to dress for the weather. Winter boots, jackets, mitts and tuques keep us warm and dry during the chilly season!

You can always check out the Weather Network for the most up-to-date weather information.

Next parent council meeting is November 29th, 2022! The meeting will be taking place at ECKS starting at 7pm. All are welcome! An online format is also available, if you are interested in this, please contact the school!

Our first round of Parent teacher interviews is finally here! The date for Parent Teacher Interviews is November 8th, 2022 from 4-9PM!

We are very excited to share a new process for booking parent teacher interviews this year. By following the link attached to this message, you can book a scheduled time to meet with your child's teacher. Interviews will be in person this year, and we look forward to welcoming you into our house!

Link: https://www.schoolinterviews.ca/code/g3zay

The yearly book fair is happening right now!

It's perfect timing for Christmas shopping. Students have the possibility to buy books, posters and little gadgets during school days until November 8. Families are also welcome to our book fair in person, on the evening of November 8 during the Parent-Teacher interviews! Raffles and fun prizes will await you.

The Scholastic Book Fair can also be accessed virtually through this link: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5179492

The Scholastic Book Fair is an important fundraiser for our school. It helps us keep our books and classroom materials up to date. Thank you for your support!

Thank you for your support!

Åsa Bouck

Parents, a reminder that student learning is reported digitally on PowerSchool in real-time so physical report cards will not be distributed this year. Parents can access their child’s academic progress through the PowerSchool parent portal and the phone application. Parents who would like a printed copy of their report card may contact the school with their preference

BRSD has tutorials on our website on how to access the portal and the app. You can access them here.

We encourage parents to contact their child’s teachers if they have questions about their child’s learning. You can find our staff directory here.

On November 8, from 4:00 - 9:00, we will host our fall student-parent-teacher conferences. We will be sending out information in the next couple of weeks through School Messenger on how you can book an interview with your child's teacher. Interviews will be held in person at ECKS. We hope to see you there!

Every year we are required to provide Alberta Education with a signed and dated Student Verification form for each of our students. We also use the form to ensure all of the information we have regarding your child(ren) is correct. This year we have moved to an electronic verification form for this process. In an attempt to streamline our process, the FOIP and Technology Use forms have been incorporated into the Verification form.

To access and complete this form you will need to log into the PowerSchool parent portal via your Web browser (Google Chrome for example. You will not be able to complete this process on the App). If you have not signed into PowerSchool before please click on "Forgot my password" your user name is your first name capitalized -period - last name capitalized ex: John.Smith then enter the email you have provided us with. You will receive an email on how to reset your password and will then be able to access PowerSchool and School Engage. Once logged in Click on the SchoolEngage icon on the left. You will be redirected to the SchoolEngage site where you can select your child’s name. Click on the 2022-2023 Student Verification Form and then on the blue icon in the first column to review the information. Once you’ve completed your verification, click on the green submit button on the bottom of the page.

Our volleyball season has finally finished and both boys and girls teams did exceptionally well winning multiple tournaments! Both team white volleyball teams made it to the divisional playoffs but came up short. Great season, Cougars!

Basketball tryouts are under way as well! Both boys and girls tryouts have started and we look forward to another season of Cougars basketball!

The Leadership class has been working on fun ideas for School Spirit days.

October flew by with lots of fun:

• Monday Oct 24 - School Colours
• Tuesday Oct 25 - Twin Day
• Wednesday Oct 26 - Wacky Hair Day
• Thursday Oct 27 - Pajama Day
• Fri Oct 28 - Tacky Tourist Day

Coming in November are the following:

• Friday November 4 - Jersey Day
• Monday November 7 - Cougar Market at lunch
• Tuesday November 8 - Cougar Market at lunch and during Parent Teacher interviews from 4pm to 6pm
• Friday November 25 - Character Day

Did you know...

ECKS has three Family School Liaison Workers (Crystal Rapson, Dayna Bartman, and Chantal Heck) who provide free general counseling in the school setting. This year, we will also be providing the option for small groups. Groups will be based on school/classroom needs in areas of student mental health and well-being.

Because students learn best when their mental health is supported, the FSLW's work with students and families to manage challenging events they are facing, focusing on mental wellness for each student's individual needs. The FSLW's also provide ideas for support and resources available outside of the school if needed.

Parents and community service providers can fill out a simple form to refer a student for FSLW service. This form can be found in the FSLW Office Area or by following this link: https://www.brsd.ab.ca/learning/family-school-liaison

Once complete, forward the referral form to fslwreferral@brsd.ab.ca

Please note, anyone aged 13 or younger also requires parental consent to see an FSLW or participate in a group.

If you have any questions, call (780)672-7785, ext. 6945 or email crapson@brsd.ab.ca

At some point in our lives, we have stressful times. Unexpected difficulties, financial pressures, unemployment, or situations such as COVID-19 or the events occurring in Ukraine can affect us.

Support is available from AHS Addiction and Mental Health.

Resources and services, such as Text4Hope and Togetherall to help you or someone you know including free virtual stress management workshops or AHS’ new online Wellness Exchange.

Support is available. Reach out; call the mental health helpline at 1-877-303-2642.

(Text directly from AHS Website)

Click here for more information

Treaty 6 Acknowledgement - We acknowledge that Battle River School Division is located on Treaty 6 territory, and we respect the histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

Email: charliekillam@brsd.ab.ca
Website: https://ckillam.brsd.ab.ca/
Location: École Charlie Killam School, 46 Street, Camrose, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-672-7785
Twitter: @ECKSchool