Mustang Memo - November 29, 2024

This week ended with sporty fun! Our Grade 6 students are practicing hard for our DCE volleyball tournament taking place tomorrow. In order to show that they are in tip top shape, our school teams challenged our staff at an informal game at the end of the day. Those Grade 6 students gave our staff a run for their money!

Did you know that we sent several of our Grade 6 volleyball teams to compete at a Bev Facey volleyball tournament last month? One of our teams won gold and another took fourth place! Thanks to Mr. Brouwer and Ms. Kotronis for giving up their time to coach our students in both tournaments.  We were so proud of all of our teams!

This week also marked the first day of our 12 Days of Christmas Food Drive. How does it work? 

The Strathcona County Food Bank has asked us to collect particular items that they need the most. We will announce a different item each day for 12 days and families are encouraged to check their pantries to see if they might have one of those kicking around that they could send to school. You can send items on multiple days or you can pick one item on one day. We are also accepting cash donations in the office. We know groceries are super expensive and so any little thing that you can afford to send is greatly appreciated! You can see the item of the day on our school calendar and in the Week at a Glance section of the Memo.

Enjoy the weekend and stay warm!

Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson 

Principal & Assistant Principal

You belong here!

Table of Contents

Week At a Glance

Action

• Report Cards are Online Today!
• Fee waiver application deadline

Opportunity 

• WOW Wednesday is Coming
• Share Your Thoughts on Budget Planning for 2025-26
• Spread the Word: EIPS is Hiring!
• Join us for an EIPS Métis Kitchen Party

Information

• Don't Forget the Buddy Bench
• Christmas Concert - Save the Date
• Parents Make the Difference

WEEK AT A GLANCE

ACTION

Report Cards are Here!

Term 1 report cards are now posted online and can be accessed through Parent Portal! We encourage all families to check them out so that you are staying current on student progress so far. Forget your login? Can't remember how to find it? Call the office and we'll walk you through it!

As always, if you have questions about the report card or any other topics related to your child's education, reach out to your classroom teacher. All staff emails follow the pattern: first.last@eips.ca 

Teachers are happy to set up a phone call or a meeting. Student success is a team effort! 

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.

Don’t forget to also log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal regularly throughout the year. Fees are often added to your child’s account to cover the cost of various school activities such as field trips, class projects, extracurricular activities and more.

For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit www.eips.ca/schools/fees and on our website here. Alternatively, contact Christa Gawron, Business Manager at Davidson Creek Elementary at 780-467-5557.

Has your contact information recently changed?

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed since the start of the year? Davidson Creek Elementary encourages families to review the information the Division has on file to ensure it’s up to date. Using the Student Information Update available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, families can review the current information on file for each student—including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, parent and guardian information, emergency contacts, medical details and other related information—and submit any updates needed.

Reviewing and updating the form ensures the school and Division have the most up-to-date information regarding your child. Updates completed by December 10 are especially helpful as the Division prepares for 2025-26 registration processes beginning in the new year.

NOTE: Only submit updates for the changes that have already taken place. If you’re moving later this school year, you’ll submit the necessary updates to your information through the Student Information Update after you’ve moved.

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

OPPORTUNITY

WOW Wednesday Is Coming

It's WOW Wednesday on December 4th!

December 4th is our next WOW Wednesday so bundle up and use this opportunity to walk (even part of the way to school!). If Wednesday ends up being a little cold, parking your cars just a little further away from the school and walking the short distance inside still counts! We will tally the number of walkers for each class and they will earn more points towards the end of the year WOW Wednesday class prize!

Getting out in the fresh air and sunshine, even if it's just for a few minutes, does so much for our physical and mental health! As the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing! So make sure you're dressed for the weather and walk even part of the way to school on Wednesday! Students who bus to school can run two laps around the back field and this will count towards WOW Wednesday too!

Share Your Thoughts on Budget Planning for 2025-26

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.

Spread the Word: EIPS is Hiring!

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.

Join EIPS for a Métis Kitchen Party!

The Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team invites you to the upcoming Métis Kitchen Party. The evening will include food, fiddle, dancing and activities. All EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and their allies are welcome to attend.
     Monday, December 9; 5:30-7:30 p.m.
     Salisbury Composite High, 20 Festival Way, Sherwood Park
     With special guests, Métis fiddlers Brianna Lizotte and Ethan Graves

Refer to the invitation for more details. RSVP by December 6.

If you have any questions about the upcoming gathering, or the ongoing First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education work within EIPS, reach out to the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education lead at Davidson Creek Elementary, Mandy Kellough at mandy.kellough@eips.ca

INFORMATION

Don't forget the Buddy Bench!

Recess can feel really lonely if you're looking for a friend to play with but can't find one. That's one of the reasons DCE's Wellness Committee installed a buddy bench at the DCE playground more than a few years ago now. 

Let your child know that if they're looking for a friend to enjoy recess with, sitting on the Buddy Bench will let other students on the playground know they'd like to join in and play with others. Also, let your kids know that if they see a child sitting on the Buddy Bench, go on over and ask that child if they'd like to play with them!

Everyone feels good making new friends. Let's help our children and our DCE community continue to make connections with each other!

Christmas Concert - Save the Date!

Mrs. Allen and her merry band of students are hard at working preparing Christmas concert to take place in our gymnasium. We cannot wait for our students to have a chance to perform in front of a live audience! There is nothing like the rush of adrenaline from a great performance!

Since our school is rather large, we will be splitting the event into two concerts. Like last year, students will arrive at their appointed time and meet in the music room. Parents will take student coats and belongings with them to the gym.

Audience members will enter the gym through the main doors and find their seats. Siblings can sit with their parents and families are welcome to stay in their seats if they need to attend the next performance.

When the performance is over, the parents will exit by the exterior gym doors and meet students at the drop off lane so that the next batch of audience members can enter through the main gym doors in the foyer. With a little friendly cooperation, we'll have a smooth traffic flow of happy people!

Here are the details of who is performing when, and what time students meet in the music room:

Concert #1: Tuesday, December 10

Concert #2: Thursday, December 12

Parents make the difference

Here is this week's article with helpful tips for families:

Review your child’s attendance in the first half of the year

The halfway point of the school year is approaching. It’s time for a mid-year checkup on your elementary schooler’s attendance.

When students miss too much school they are at risk academically. Here’s what researchers have found:

• School absences add up. When students aren’t in class, they miss out on valuable learning.
• Missing school becomes a habit. Students who miss a lot of school in kindergarten are still frequently absent in fifth grade.
• There is a clear relationship between early grade attendance and later achievement. Kids who attend classes regularly in the early grades are still doing well in secondary school—and they are more likely to graduate from high school.

How many days of school has your child missed so far this year? If you’re unsure, contact the school to find out. It’s not too late to get back on track so your child can have a successful school year—and school career.

Reprinted with permission from the December 2024 issue of Parents make the difference!^®  (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2024 The Parent Institute^®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc. Source: “Attendance Awareness Campaign,” Attendance Works.