Mustang Memo - April 4, 2025

April Fools' Day, popcorn snack days and a Retro 80s dance party - what else do we need for a fun week!

Thank you to our parents who spent time popping popcorn and spinning cotton candy for our school! We saw you working hard with the candy floss in your hair! You make our school special, thank you!

Tonight we hosted a well-attended 80s dance party in the gym. Thank you to our dance parent organizer who set up the gym, organized the photo booth and even made the Rubik's cube and Etch-a-sketch prop from scratch! Thanks to our fabulous DJ who played the best of the 80s so that Mr. Robertson and I could feel old watching our childhoods become "retro"!

Thanks to all for coming out! We truly have an incredible community at DCE!

Party on! 

Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson

Principal & Assistant Principal

You belong here!

Table of Contents

Week At a Glance

Action

• Get ready for Kindergarten
• Volunteer Appreciation Event - Save the Date!

Opportunity 

• Pre-kindergarten Programming at EIPS

Information

• Junior High Information Nights: Running April and May
• EIPS Annual Education Results Report
• A Big Thank you to EIPS Volunteers
• Parents Make the Difference

WEEK AT A GLANCE

ACTION

Get ready for Kindergarten

Do you have a child registered in kindergarten next year? If so, make sure to attend Davidson Creek's upcoming Kindergarten Information Night on April 29. You’ll get to:

• tour the school;
• meet the teachers;
• gain insight on play-based learning; and
• see what a typical day looks like.

Kindergarten Information Night 2025:

Date: Tuesday, April 29

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Davidson Creek Library

To make the transition to school as smooth as possible, Elk Island Public Schools has put together a toolkit for families. The kit includes information about registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, finding your designated school, transportation and more. Find it at: Welcome to EIPS Kindergarten.

Additional information about Davidson Creek’s kindergarten program is available on the school website by clicking here.

Volunteer Appreciation Event - Save the Date!

April is the Volunteer Appreciation month and we want to thank our incredible parents and guardians for all they do to make our school such a special place!

To our hot lunch volunteers, parents who run our school council and fundraising committees, parents who come to school to cut out and laminate classroom materials, parents who attend field trips, make cotton candy or pop popcorn - we want to properly thank you!

We will be hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Event on April 24, 2025 @ 11 a.m. in our foyer. We will have some small gifts, refreshments and short program which includes presentations from our kindergarten students! 

Please click here to view the invitation!

OPPORTUNITY

Pre-kindergarten Programming at EIPS

Is there a preschooler in your life experiencing identified developmental delays or challenges with speech-language—big or small? If so, Elk Island Public School’s Play And Learn at School (PALS) program could help.

Early learning lays the foundation for success in primary grades and beyond. As such, EIPS offers the pre-kindergarten PALS program in five of its elementary school locations. Applications are now open for free speech-language assessments for those interested in registering in the PALS program this fall. The assessment helps determine if PALS is appropriate for your child.

If you know a preschooler, born in 2021 or 2022, who could benefit from pre-kindergarten programming or want to book an assessment, fill out the PALS Program Request Form or call 780-417-8219. For more information, visit eips.ca.

INFORMATION

Junior High Information Nights: Running April and May

Junior high schools across EIPS are hosting information nights for all Grade 6 students and their families—taking place in April and May. Make sure to attend to learn everything you need to know about the junior high programs at your child’s school. Those who attend will also have a chance to:

• meet the teachers;
• tour the school and classrooms;
• learn about the upcoming curriculum; and
• ask questions.

For specific dates and times, see: EIPS Junior High Information Sessions 2025

EIPS Annual Education Results Report

Every year, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) publishes an Annual Education Results Report, which outlines the Division’s Four-Year Education Plan, growth opportunities and how it supports students in achieving the best possible outcomes. Read through this year’s EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2023-24 and discover how EIPS fosters learning environments for all students to learn, grow and thrive—and why it matters.

April Spotlight: cultivating high-quality learning environments and experiences

• Raising the Bar: Evidence-based practices that are enhancing teaching and learning in EIPS
• Power of Kindness: Creating welcoming, inclusive, respectful and safe learning environments in schools
• Building Blocks: How effective planning, management and infrastructure are supporting learning

RELATED INFORMATION
EIPS Four-Year Education Plan: 2022-26
EIPS Three-Year Capital Plan: 2025-28

A big THANK YOU to EIPS Volunteers

National Volunteer Week takes place April 27 to May 4. On behalf of the Board of Trustees at Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS), I want to say a giant thank you to all EIPS volunteers. This year’s theme is Volunteers Make Waves, and that’s certainly true in our Division. No matter whether you’ve chaperoned a field trip, helped out at a hot lunch day or provided support in a classroom—every time you’ve stepped in a school—you’ve made a ripple effect that washes over your community. These waves of positivity, hard work and dedication build up and make a momentous impact on a student’s experience at school.

So, thank you again for being a part of our ocean at EIPS. The waves you’ve made—and will continue to create—all contribute to our collective goals of ensuring learning and working environments sustain student learning and amplifying the importance of public education in our province. This National Volunteer Week, I encourage everyone to celebrate the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of hours put into supporting student growth and achievement at schools across the Division.

Cathy Allen
Chair, EIPS Board of Trustees

Parents make the difference

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

Try these effective strategies to encourage respectful behavior

A positive and respectful learning environment is linked to higher academic achievement and better overall school performance. To instill a strong sense of respect in your child:

• Set an example. Seeing you treat others with respect—from the teacher to the homeless person on the street—teaches your child the proper way to behave.
• Name it when you see it. When you see other people behaving in respectful ways, make a positive comment. “Did you see how that man gave up his seat so that elderly woman could sit down? What a respectful thing to do.” No lecture is necessary. Your
  child will get the message.
• Praise it when your child demonstrates it. “I felt very proud of you when you held the door for Mrs. Jones. I know she appreciated that respectful gesture.”
• Correct it. If your child slips up, suggest a course correction. In private, say something like, “Remember what we said about how to greet guests?”
• Report what you hear. If someone tells you that your child greeted them politely, pass on the compliment to your child and say how proud it makes you.

Reprinted with permission from the April 2025 issue of Parents make the difference!^®  (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2025 The Parent Institute^®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.