Mustang Memo - December 20, 2024
What a week! There were all kinds of holiday shenanigans happening from finding Jingle Jangle the elf to guessing the Christmas carol contest. We had daily visits from our DCE holiday friends, Carl the Christmas Cow and Freddi the Yeti who were hiding in classrooms all over the school and sending us videos for the announcements.
We finished off the week with caroling in the gym in our pajamas. We sang about the Grinch and hippopotamuses to name a few tunes. Have you ever heard a gym full of kids belting out "Let it Go" altogether? It was a sight to see!
We know that the holiday season brings much joy, love and excitement. We also know it can be a hard time for some families. Whatever the season looks like for you, we hope that you have a chance to spend time with those you love most and that you are able to find some peace and rest.
We will see you on January 6, 2025!
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!
Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson
Principal & Assistant Principal
You belong here!
Table of Contents
Week At a Glance
Action
- Being Good Neighbours
- Drop Off Lane
Opportunity
- 2024-25 School Fees Consultation
Information
- Counsellor's Corner
- Strathcona Food Bank Update
- Christmas Break
- Parents Make the Difference
WEEK AT A GLANCE - January 8-12
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ACTION
Being Good Neighbours
We are lucky to find ourselves in a beautiful street full of friendly neighbours. Let's do our part to show our neighbours that Mustangs are respectful at all times! We know it can be easy to quickly pull into someone's driveway for a quick drop off or to turn the car around. Let's take a minute to think about how that makes our neighbours feel. Would you like it if people drove up your driveway or parked in a way that blocked your vehicle? Let's be good role models for our students and respect the property of the houses that line our street. We teach the students that Mustangs are kind and that kindness starts with us! Go, Mustangs!
Drop off Lane Etiquette
With colder weather, more people are using the drop off lane. We have a few reminders to help make it work as smoothly as possible:
Drive to the farthest open spot (closest to the kindergarten doors)
Yes, we know that sometimes you want to be closer to the front doors. The problem is that it blocks people from driving into the drop off lane and cars cannot get to the open spots available farther inside.
Stay in your car
I know that you might be tempted to walk your child all the way to their door or wait with them there. If you leave your car, you stop people from dropping off their kids and increase the danger of an accident as people have to drive around your car to use the drop off lane. If you have to get out, park in a visitor stall or on the street.
Don't park your car near the exit of the drop off lane (in front of the stop sign)
We have two lanes of moving traffic at the exit. When you park up to the stop sign, it forces all traffic to use the left lane. This means that people wanting to turn right are stuck behind the people turning left. The left lane gets backed up by the two sets of crosswalks in front of the school and leads to a complete gridlock of all cars. It is illegal to block a moving traffic lane with your car.
Be patient - plan for extra time
We have 670 students at our school which means that there will be a large volume of people using the drop off lane. Sometimes, even when everyone is doing the right thing, the drop off lane will be full and people may have to wait a moment or two. If you come with this in mind, it will help to reduce frustration. Listen to some good music, sing along to a song or drink a warm coffee while you wait. Everyone is doing their best and every child here deserves to get to school safely.
Avoid the staff parking lot
With almost 50 staff members as well as guest staff or other Elk Island employees who work at the school, we do not have enough room for visitors to park in our staff parking lot - even for a quick drop off.
Did you know that one of our students uses a specialized mobility bus that uses the entrance of the staff parking lot for drop off? When parents use that area for drop off, it puts that child's safety at risk and it also makes that bus late in dropping off the other passengers at different schools.
Thank you for being the role models of kind, safe, and respectful behaviour for all of our students! If the adults demonstrate that we sometimes have to make room for the needs of others and that in life we have to be patient and take our turn, it will help them do the same when they are at school. Win - win!
Together, we can make DCE a place where everyone belongs!
OPPORTUNITY
2025-26 School Fees Consultation
Dear Davidson Creek Elementary families,
Under Alberta Education’s School Fee Regulation, schools must consult with parents prior to setting school fees for the upcoming school year.
Our next school council meeting will be taking place on January 21, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. During that time, I’ll be sharing information about our current fee structure, posing specific questions about priorities, and asking you to provide your feedback as we plan for the 2025-26 school year. While many of these activities and services enhance students’ educational experience, we want to ensure these fees aren’t cost prohibitive for families.
Specifically, we will be asking for input on the following:
- Optional courses and associated fees
- Noon hour supervision
- Field trips and associated fees
- Extracurricular activities
- Non-curricular travel (for example, ski trips and band camps)
- Non-curricular goods and services (for example, student union and yearbooks)
I understand not all families will be available to attend the meeting but it’s still important we get as much input from the school community as possible. Following the meeting, materials will be shared on our website for your review, and a survey will sent out so that you can submit a written response.
School administration will use feedback provided to help determine fees for 2025-26, which will then be shared at the February school council meeting, posted to our website and shared via link through email.
I look forward to hearing from you on January 21.
Sincerely,
Helene Hewitt, Principal
Davidson Creek Elementary
INFORMATION
Counsellor's Corner
Mental Health Help
We know that the holidays also bring some unique challenges and for some can be a challenging time of year for mental health. If you, your child or someone you know needs immediate help please use these telephone resources:
- If you’re thinking about suicide, 9-8-8 is here to help. Call or text 9-8-8 toll-free, anytime.
- Talk Suicide Canada: (833) 456-4566
- Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1 (877) 303-2642
- Alberta Addictions Helpline: 1 (866) 332-2322
- Distress Line (Edmonton and area): (780) 482-4357
- First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1 (855) 242-3310
- Kids Help Phone: 1 (800) 668-6868
- Rural Distress Line: 1 (800) 232-7288
- For 2SLGBTQI+ support, please visit our 2SLGBTQI+ resources page.
- 211 is here to help you find the right community and social services. You can dial 2-1-1 to speak to an Information & Referral Specialist, or search the online community resource directory, or chat online with them from 12-8pm MT daily.
- Crisis Text Line - Text CONNECT to 741741
- Family Violence – Find Supports – 310-1818 (call/text, online chat)
- Income Supports – 1-866-644-5135
Support for Cost of Medications
Raising school-aged children can be both rewarding and challenging, especially when it comes to managing healthcare costs. We wanted to share some valuable programs from the Government of Alberta (GOA) that may help cover prescription drug costs for both youth and adults in families experiencing financial hardship.
Alberta Adult Health Benefit
The Alberta Adult Health Benefit program provides financial assistance to families facing economic challenges to help cover costs related to health services, including prescription medications, dental care, optical care, and more. Learn more and apply here: Alberta Adult Health Benefit | Alberta.ca
Alberta Child Health Benefit
The Alberta Child Health Benefit helps parents cover healthcare expenses for their children, including prescription drugs, dental and optical care, and essential medical supplies. Find out more and apply here: Alberta Child Health Benefit | Alberta.ca
What’s Covered?
To see the full list of prescription drugs covered under these programs, visit the GOA's official site here: Drug Benefit List and Review Process: Drug benefit list and drug review process | Alberta.ca
We are wishing you all a restful winter break!
Madison Bashaw & Kelley Mitchell
DCE Counselling Team
Strathcona Food Bank 12 Days of Donations!
Wow! Our school did an incredible job of collection items for the food bank over the last 12 days! Our donation weighed 2267 pounds of food! That is a HUGE increase from last year's donations of 1374 pounds. We are so impressed with the generosity of this community! Way to show kindness and citizenship, Mustangs!
Christmas Break
Davidson Creek Elementary will close for the Christmas break at the end of the day on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. The school will reopen on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. During this time, if you have any school-related questions or concerns, contact Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) Central Services at 780-464-3477.
EIPS Central Services Christmas Break Hours
Closed Dec. 25, 2024 to Jan. 1, 2025
Open Jan. 2, 2025; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
*for location and contact information visit www.eips.ca.
From everyone at Elk Island Public Schools, we wish all of you a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year.
Parents make the difference
Here is this week's article with helpful tips for families:
Ask three questions to ensure your expectations are realistic
High expectations are linked to high accomplishment. But how can you tell if your expectations for your child are also realistic? After all, you want to motivate your child.
When setting expectations, ask yourself these questions:
- Are they important? Make sure you choose expectations that focus on the behaviors you want your child to develop. Then, set expectations that promote those outcomes.
- Are they appropriate? Take your child’s development into consideration. In addition to age, think about personality and maturity. Goals shouldn’t be too easy or too difficult for your child to reach.
- Are they easy to understand? State expectations in simple and clear terms, “I expect you to start your reading by 4:00 each day.”
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.