Jan 29 - Feb 2, 2024

And here we are, January is almost over!

At our most recent School Council meeting we discussed our school fees for the 2024/25 school year. I'm happy to report that we will not have an increase to any of our fees for next school year. Here is a fee survey, if you'd like to share feedback with us regarding our school fees.

This last week one of our division consultants, Mrs. Hardt - Mardi Macaroni to the students - came to work with our grades 1 to 6 classes. She taught us all about our brains; the parts and their functions. In particular we learned about the brain stem, the amygdala and the cortex. Students learned strategies to help our brains when we are feeling anxious, stress or dysregulated. What great learning it was for us! Please, ask your child to share their learning!

Would you like to recognize a dedicated educator or support staff who has gone above and beyond? Fill in the form below and EPE school council will present the EPE staff member with your message and a treat on your behalf! We all know that the staff at École Parc Élémentaire are second to none and we want to offer a way to celebrate all those little acts of greatness that can sometimes go unnoticed. Thank you for your participation in this initiative to spread kindness and appreciation within our school community!

• Please follow this link to watch our announcement: Le 29 janvier

What's happening this week at École Parc:

Jan 31 - Professional Learning Day: No school for students

Feb 1 - Kindergarten registration 2024/25 opens at

Feb 1 - Monthly Assembly(KB) 9:30 am

Upcoming Dates to be aware of

Feb 5 - Class of the week 4/5H

Feb 7 - Early Dismissal

Feb 7 - Dream job day

Feb 8 and 9 - Teacher Convention: No school for students

Feb 12 - Class of the week 4I

Feb 12 - Jump Rope for Heart begins

Feb 14 - School Council and Fundraising Meeting 7:00

Feb 15 - Shelter in Place Drill

Feb 19 - Class of the week 3T

Feb 19 - Family Day: No school for students

Feb 20 - Hot Lunch Panago

Feb 21 - Hot Lunch Panago

Feb 22 - Parent-Teacher interviews: ECS to grade 6 4:00-7:00pm

Feb 26 - Class of the week 3JT

Feb 26 - ECS A In school field trip: Puppet Tree House

Feb 27 - Parent-Teacher interviews: PALS, ECS, Grade 1 to grade 6 4:00-7:00pm,

Feb 27 - Parent-Teacher interviews: Kindergarten Transitions from 12:30 to 3:30pm

Feb 27 - ECS B In school field trip: Puppet Tree House

Feb 28 - Pink shirt day

Feb 28 - Parent-Teacher Interviews: PALS ONLY 4:00-7:00 pm

At Ecole Parc, we continue to build positive citizenship through the guiding principles of the Seven Sacred Teachings. Each month, we encourage students to focus on one principle or teaching. Our teachers are looking for students who display great examples of this teaching in the classroom and throughout their day. These students may be recognized by earning the Citizenship award for their class. During the month of January, we are focused on the teaching of Courage

For over 40 years, Jump Rope for Heart has been committed to enhancing the heart and brain health of children throughout Canada. This initiative not only instills the importance of physical activity and healthy habits in kids for a robust life but also actively engages them in fundraising endeavors. All proceeds from these activities directly contribute to supporting crucial research for heart diseases, benefiting the Heart and Stroke Foundation and saving lives.

Mark your calendars! The campaign dates for Jump Rope for Heart are set from February 12 to March 6, 2023, providing a dedicated period for participants to make a positive impact on heart health and contribute to this noble cause.

Great work École Parc! Our school won the golden jam jar! Look for it on display in the entry way in February. Over 30,000 reading minutes were logged for our school. Our students read, on average, for 100 minutes each during the week. The staff also recorded their reading minutes but we managed to read for 150 minutes each. You’ll be able to see some staff members dressing down this week as their reward for ‘out reading’ the students. Thanks to everyone for participating and bringing back their JAMuary reading forms.

Jennifer Milanovic

Library Technician

If your student is absent, being picked up early or will be arriving late, we ask that you please email our attendance email at EPEAttendance@eips.ca or call the school at 780-998-3741. Please send any DQ permissions to this email as well.

If your child requires any medication, please click here to access the form. Please note we have 2 medical forms. We have a Personal Care Plan and an Administering of Medication Form. Please do not send medication with your child for safety reasons.

School fee information for the 2023-24 school year will be posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal in late September. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. 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 online using a credit card.

To help families prepare, Elk Island Public Schools has put together an online EIPS Kindergarten Tool kit to make the transition as smooth as possible. The kit includes information on registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, how to find your designated school, transportation and more.

Additional information regarding Ecole Parc’s kindergarten program is available at www.ecoleparc.ca.

Mark your calendars! Returning student registration for the 2024-25 school year will take place Feb. 8-21, 2024.

Families of all current students—with the exception of graduating Grade 12 students—must complete the process to confirm the school their child plans to attend in the 2024-25 school year or advise the Division of their plans not to return to EIPS. Additionally, students who want to attend a non-designated school need to make that request through the returning student registration process—acceptance is based on available space. Watch for more details in the new year.

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed? EIPS 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. Your review is especially important as the Division prepares for 2024-25 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 780-998-3741.

With the winter season almost here, we want to remind families to dress children appropriately for the weather when getting ready for school or the bus. The weather often changes unexpectedly throughout the day, so please select suitable outerwear and ensure your child is prepared for changing conditions.

If inclement weather conditions occur, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) advises families of any bus cancellations using various communications tools—automated-telephone messages, email, SMS, alerts posted on eips.ca and school websites, Twitter, Facebook, local radio stations, and notification through both the Bus Status and the Ride 360 apps. Morning bus cancellations are posted on eips.ca by 6:30 a.m.

Decisions regarding bus cancellations are guided by EIPS administrative procedures that state, “school bus service may be suspended…when there is a forecast or current temperature of -40 C, including wind chill factor, in one or more regions.” Other reasons for suspending or delaying school bus services include adverse weather and poor road conditions. When school bus services are suspended, schools remain open to students. EIPS believes families have the right and responsibility to make choices for their children based on their beliefs and perceptions of safety during times of inclement weather.

For more information, contact EIPS Student Transportation at 780-417-8151.

The health and safety of staff, students and visitors is a top priority. Continue to reinforce the following hygiene habits to protect staff and students from spreading respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.

• Stay home if you’re feeling sick.
• Wash or sanitize your hands often.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces regularly.
• Wear a mask if you get sick or develop symptoms while at school or work.

As per Alberta Health guidelines, staff, students, contractors and visitors who have symptoms of respiratory Illness or test positive for COVID, should stay home until:

• symptoms have improved,
• they feel well enough to resume normal activities, and
• they have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications.

For anyone who has a respiratory illness or has tested positive for COVID, it is recommended that they wear a mask for a total of 10 days from the onset of symptoms—even if the symptoms have resolved or improved—when in indoor settings with other individuals.

The Education Act requires every public school division in the province to have a Board of Trustees. The Board is made up of elected representatives who are accountable to you, the families, and to the community members of a school division who have elected each trustee. For EIPS, the Board provides overall direction and leadership, accepting responsibility for the Division’s policies and procedures. You can view all current policies and procedures on the EIPS website.

Next meeting: Feb 14 at 7:00

January/February 2024

The Ecole Parc Fundraising Society has been granted a Casino May 20 & 21.

This is the BIGGEST fundraiser for the fundraising society to support our school and it only comes every few years. These funds help to bring in things like new Library books, sports equipment, classroom supplies and playground equipment.

We need Volunteers! Please consider helping our school by signing up for a shift or two.

If you are able to help, please reach out to our Casino Coordinator, Melanie Redfearn at melhoines@hotmail.com.

Next Hot Lunch!

Panago!

Feb 20/21 2024

https://www.epeschoolcouncil.com/hotlunch

During the 2022/23 school year staff identified that the playground structures were not meeting the needs of all the students, both in type of structure, and space available for students to play. When the playground structure was first built in 2013 there were 180 students in the school. We now have 326. The population has doubled and we have a larger group of students in the PALS and Division 1 (K-3) age group. The existing play structure is designed for ages 5-12. We need an additional play area that meets the needs of students aged 4-8. The goal is to have the project completed within 3 years.

We are excited to hit the ground running with this and officially kick things off this year. We are always looking for more volunteers to join the committee. We meet once a month, time commitment is flexible and there is always lots to do and input needed.

If you are interested in joining the committee or would like more information please feel free to email us at ecoleparcplaygroundexpansion@gmail.com.

To register: Groups, Programs, and Workshops