Mustang Memo - August 30, 2024

Welcome home, Mustangs!

We're back and we couldn't been happier!

Kids are here, smiling, laughing and telling us tales of summer adventures. The school feels like a school again with the halls filled with little people. 

Thank you to all the families who came to our Meet the Teacher evening the night before school. We had a record turn out and much positive feedback about how this opportunity helped to ease those first day jitters.

Our next opportunity to connect as a school community takes place on September 12 at 6 p.m. for our first ever Family Wellness Night! Read more about it in the article below. 

Enjoy the long weekend!

Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson

Principal & Assistant Principal

Table of Contents

Week At a Glance

Action

• Check Out the School Handbook
• Download These Bus Apps for a Successful Ride!
• Update your PowerSchool information
• Pay School Fees Online

Opportunity 

• Family Wellness Night
• Upcoming Parent Meetings
• Sync the school calendar to your calendar

Information

• Security and Door Locking within Elk Island Public Schools
• Mustang Mentions
• Who's Who in the Office?
• Division Code of Conduct
• Video Surveillance at schools and on buses

WEEK AT A GLANCE

ACTION

Check Out the School Handbook

Did you know that we have a school handbook? The handbook is full of information that can help you and your family become familiar with our policies and procedures. Click here to get reading!

Download these bus apps for a successful ride!

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.

Update your PowerSchool information

The EIPS Correction and Verification Form is available online through your PowerSchool Parent Portal—at the top of the left-hand menu. Use the form to access and update your child’s records information—including address, parent and guardian information, emergency contacts and medical information. Reviewing the form and submitting updates ensures the school has the most up-to-date information regarding your child.

When reviewing the form, pay close attention to all listed phone numbers, email addresses and emergency contact information. Also, if you recently moved, now is the time to ensure the Division has your updated address. Throughout the year, the Division and school use the listed information to communicate with families about important information, including updates, the latest news and events.

PowerSchool Correction and Verification Form
Review and update the form by Sept. 25, 2024

If you have questions about the form or your Parent Portal account, contact the school office at 780-467-5557.

Pay School Fees Online!

Wondering when and how to pay for school fees? School fee information for the 2024-25 school year will be posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal in late September. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. NOTE: Additional fees may be added throughout the year—for example, at the beginning of each semester, as your child takes part in various activities, or they may be adjusted by changes in selected optional courses in junior and senior high school. If you’re unable to pay your school fees, you can apply to have certain fees waived. The application deadline is Dec. 16, 2024.

For more information, visit the fees information on the school website. Alternatively, contact Christa Gawron, Business Manager at Davidson Creek Elementary at 780-467-5557.

OPPORTUNITY

Family Wellness Night - September 12

Do you like feeling healthy? Do want to experience what it's like to be Spiderman? Join us on September 12, 2024 at 6 p.m. for our first Family Wellness Night.

As part of our focus on building mental health and wellness skills for students, staff and families, we will be hosting a wellness extravaganza for families.

Run through the FitSet Ninja giant obstacle course or learn about wellness from a variety of wellness professionals such as our Mental Health Capacity Builder, our counsellors, a nutritionist and other wellness activities!

It will be a great night of fun! Bring a water bottle and your running shoes to have fun being active as a family!

Upcoming Meetings for Parent Groups

It's almost time for our first school council and Davidson Creek Fundraising Society (DCFS) meetings of the year! Join us on September 17, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. for the school council meeting followed by our DCFS meeting at 7:30 p.m.

School council is our parent group that provides feedback to the school. We share great information in these meetings such as our budget, school results, and upcoming initiatives such as when and where you can volunteer! It's a great place to meet other parents in the community and to lend your voice to the future of our school! You can also help us to decide on fundraising initiatives!

Come get involved! We have cookies!!

Lynn and Robyn 

School council chair and DCFS president

Sync the School Calendar to your calendar

Did you know you can sync the school calendar to your own calendar? Simply, visit our calendar page 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 Davidson Creek Elementary’s important dates including holidays, school-closures days, planned activities, events and more.

INFORMATION

Building Security and Door Locking within Elk Island Public Schools

The safety of students and staff is of paramount importance to Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS). To improve safety and security in schools, the Division has implemented a new initiative to keep student safety and learning a top priority. For some schools, this new division wide process aligns with current practice, for other schools it will be something new.

Effective for the start of the 2024-25 school year, all school exterior doors, including the front door, will remain locked during operation hours, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., and opened for student access during specific school entry times.

Students will enter and exit the school using their designated doors, and parents/caregivers will continue to meet their children outside their dismissal doors.

Students who arrive after the entry bell—as well as parents/caregivers, volunteers, school visitors and other guests—will be welcomed into the office through the front door after ringing the front doorbell/video-monitored intercom entry system. The visitor sign-in protocol at schools remains the same as it has been in the past: upon arrival, all visitors must report to the school office and sign in.

The video-monitored intercom entry system will enable office personnel to determine who’s at the door and admit arrivals without having to leave the front desk. The video camera will display the individual’s image on a screen in the office, and once admitted, the individual will sign in at the office as they have in the past. This new procedure enables staff to know who’s in the building and helps prevent trespassers from entering the premises. Students will continue to come and go from the school at the start and end of the day and at recess and lunch as they have in the past. Parents, caregivers and volunteers are still welcome and appreciated for your visits to and involvement with the school.

We ask that families please assist school staff with reminding your children, for safety reasons, not to open any locked doors for individuals attempting to enter the school. When the doors are locked, all individuals must approach the front door and follow the new procedures. For any food service deliveries throughout the school day, parents/caregivers or students must inform the school office staff in advance, so staff know to expect the applicable delivery at a specified time, and all deliveries will come through the main school entrance. 

For extracurricular, after-hours or community use, one designated door will be unlocked for the applicable times as specified in the agreement when the space is booked.

Refer to the new Administrative Procedure 538: Building Security and Door Locking on the Division website for more information. These changes are one more step EIPS is taking to support the ongoing safety and wellbeing of everyone in Division schools. If you have any questions about the new procedure, contact the school directly at 780-476-5557.

Who's Who in the Office?

With a few changes to the office team, we imagine you might be wondering who's who in our office!

Mrs. Pratch is our registrar. She is the person you see at the front desk who can help with registration, Parent Portal, and attendance as well as answering the phones and directing traffic. She loves to chat with students and help them to pick out prizes from the Mustang Mention draw. She is excellent in pinning on Birthday ribbons and in giving out ice packs!

Mrs. Gawron (or Mrs. G) is our business manager. She is the money lady who helps with fees, ordering materials for our school and tracking our bottom line. She is also an incredible helper for students when they need help with first aid. You might see her in the front office area when Mrs. Pratch is away on a break or nestled away in her corner office. Mrs. G is an expert in preparing the Week at a Glance Memo posted on t Facebook page!

Mrs. Bashaw and Ms. Mitchell are our school counsellors. They help students to learn skills for developing healthy friendships, managing emotions, and having self-control. They assist us in setting a path for mental health and they also coordinate our student support plans and team meetings. They have a ton of experience as school counsellors and as teachers. Make sure to say hello! 

Ms. Julia Knudsen is our new Mental Health Capacity Builder as part our our Mental Health project with Family Community Services and Alberta Health. She can be found in her cozy space upstairs where she will be running small groups. She will also be providing lessons to every class in the school about how our brains work and ways we can stay healthy.

Mr. Robertson is our assistant principal. You may see him outside at recess or during supervision before or after school in an orange vest. He helps out when students have problems and need someone to sort it out. He is teaching Grade 6 math in Mrs. Kotronis' class when he is not busy talking about his favourite team, the Oilers!

Mrs. Hewitt is our principal. She is also outside in a pink vest before and after school. She loves helping kids to solve problems and she can often be found chitchatting with people outside. She loves all things K-pop (don't ask or she'll go on and on!) and runs the Daebak dance club. She is teaching FSL in Mrs. Kellough's class when she is not talking about Pokémon. 

Division Code of Conduct

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 Davidson Creek Elementary school, 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.

Video surveillance at schools and on buses

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.

Did you know?

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.