Mustang Memo - February 14, 2025
Happy Valentine's Day!
This holiday make us think about the people we love and all of the reasons why they matter. When I think about our school, there is so much to love.
We have incredible kids. They are kind, fun and excited about learning. They help each other and they say nice things to one another and above all else, they are good human beings.
We also have amazing parents. Our DCE parents show up by helping with hot lunch, running meetings and most importantly, sending us their most precious little people each day without fail.
Finally, our staff are incredible too! They are passionate about making every child feel special, valued and successful. They care deeply about making sure that every child knows they belong at our school.
Over the upcoming Family Day weekend, we hope that you get a moment to stop and notice the people who bring you joy in your life. We hope that you are able to lean into each other and build those memories that will keep you going in the years to come.
Have a wonderful long weekend!
Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson
Principal & Assistant Principal
You belong here!
Table of Contents
Week At a Glance
Action
- DCE Mid-Point Review
- Don't Forget to Register Your Child for Next Year!
Opportunity
- Counsellor's Corner
- Upcoming Parent Meetings
Information
- 100 Day Mustang Style
- Parents Make the Difference
WEEK AT A GLANCE
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| Tuesday |
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| Thursday |
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| Friday |
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ACTION
Mid-Point Review - DCE is Out of This World!
February is the time of the year where we pause and look back at all we have accomplished in the first half of the school year. As a school community, we have done some AMAZING things!
Did you know that:
- we raised 2267 pounds of food for the Food Bank?
- our staff are currently doing two staff book studies?
- our student absenteeism rates are lower than the division average?
Learn about this and more in our DCE Mid-Point Review!
Complete your Returning Student Registration: February 10-24
Elk Island Public Schools’ (EIPS) returning student registration process is now open. All current students, except Grade 12, must complete the online Returning Student Registration Form to confirm their enrolment in a school and program for the upcoming 2025-26 school year. Additionally, students who want to attend a non-designated school or program need to make that request through the returning student registration process—acceptance is based on available space. All current EIPS students are required to complete the form by Feb. 24, 2025.
To complete your child’s returning student registration, refer to the Returning Student Registration Form email you received from Elk Island Public Schools through Permission Click on February 10. Families will receive one email for each student. No log in is required to complete the form.
For more information, contact the school directly.
RELATED INFORMATION:
Returning Student Registration Process
Frequently Asked Questions
EIPS School Boundary Maps
Closed Boundaries 2025-26
Find my designated school
Applying to a non-designated school
OPPORTUNITY
Counsellor's Corner
Letter Reversal Practice at Home
Letter b and d reversals: Many students struggle with reversing letters early on in their learning journeys, but did you know that b and d reversals can be corrected with practice drills?
Check out this link to learn more about how you can practice at home to help your child “re-wire” their brain to eliminate reversals.
Letter p and q reversals: You’ll find more specific letter reversal information in this post on reversing letter p and q.
Looking for donations!
Are you a crafter with lots of extra scrap yarn you don’t know what to do with? The DCE crochet club is looking for donations of scrap yarn. This club is for students in grades 5-6 who are interested in learning to crochet. Our club had garnered a lot of enthusiasm from students, and we have burned through our supply of yarn faster than expected. Students in this club work on small projects, so any lengths are yarn are helpful! Thank you in advance for any donations you can share.
~ Madison Bashaw, DCE School Counsellor
Upcoming Parent Meetings
It's almost time for our next School Council meeting!
We will be sharing information from our DCE School Fee Survey and how it informed our recommendation for fees for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.
We also just have a lot of fun! We hope to see you there on Tuesday, February 18 at 6 p.m.!
INFORMATION
100 Day Mustang Style
Today was 100 Day in Grade 1!
Students were mixed across three classrooms as they celebrated the number 100 with 100 themed art activities, math games and even deciding how they would spend $100 of Monopoly money. My personal favourite was someone who suggested they could buy 100 chocolate bars! Yum!
Thank you to all of the parents who helped their littles represent 100 items on presentation boards! We had so much fun walking around to see all the ways your can show 100!
Parents make the difference
Here is this week's article with helpful tips for families:
Reinforce responsibility to boost academic success
Responsible students work hard, behave appropriately—and do better in school. And the lessons children learn about responsibility at home carry over to school.
To instill responsibility:
- Trust your child with meaningful tasks. School-age children are capable of picking up their rooms, packing lunches, taking out the recycling and putting clean laundry away.
- Talk about financial responsibility. Teach your chid about budgeting, spending, saving and giving. Help your child practice with money from an allowance or gifts.
- Find ways to help others. Discuss what it means to be a responsible member of a community. Talk about different ways your family can contribute, such as by helping a neighbor or volunteering your time for an important cause.
- Let your child make decisions, such as which assignment to tackle first. Being responsible for making decisions builds confidence.
- Enforce a few age-appropriate rules and consequences. State them clearly so your child knows exactly what you expect—and what will happen if the rules are broken. (See next article for more tips on setting rules.)
- Adjust responsibilities as your child gets older. As children mature, their abilities will change. Perhaps your child can take on more grown-up chores or make new and exciting decisions. Talk to your elementary schooler about how great it feels to be responsible.
Reprinted with permission from the February 2025 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2025 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.