The Bears' Blog...August 27-2023

Dear families, welcome to Pine Street Elementary!

My name is Mr. Arbuthnott, and I am the school principal. A little bit about myself to give you a feel for who I am and what I stand for. This will be my 28th year in the teaching profession, with 23 of that being as a school administrator. The last 13 years I have been a principal with Elk Island Public Schools. I started my teaching career with Edmonton Public then moved to Elk Island Public where I have spent the last 17 years. I have an extensive amount of education with a Master’s in Educational Leadership, Bachelor’s of Education, Bachelor’s of Science and even a Diploma of Law Enforcement. I was also served as a Professional Development Instructor with the Alberta Teachers’ Association, where I taught teachers across the province effective teaching practices. I even served several years as the Vice President of the Edmonton Teacher Local. Although I have had a lot of education behind me, I have also spent time in the trades apprenticing as an electrician, working in refineries, and working with TransAlta Utilities as well.

My passion is improving student achievement through research based teaching practices and promoting higher levels of critical thinking in our students. Although academics are important, I also believe in a liberal arts approach, giving students experiences they can use throughout their lives to be successful. I have a broad range of experiences and that may also be why I believe a broad liberal arts education is so important. For the last 3 years at Pine Street Elementary we have survived COVID, increased our student achievement on the PATs and STAR measures, as well as making numerous facility improvements along the way. We have also opened and expanded our Connections program for autistic students and grown our PALS three to five year old early intervention program.

It has been a very busy and rewarding last few years and I am looking forward to the new growth and the future of Pine Street School and our family of learners.

On Wednesday, August 30, our teachers will phone families to introduce themselves so students will know who their teacher will be.

Our first day back to school is on Thursday, August 31. We will be having a meet the teacher night on Thursday, August 31 from 3:30-5:30 pm.

School supply lists

Bell Schedule

EIPS Calendar for 2023-24

EIPS Kindergarten Calendar for 2023-24

EIPS PALS Calendar 2023-24

Classroom & Entrance Map

Year at a glance calendar

Kindergarten small-group orientation sessions for students will be August 31, September 1, September 5 and 6). Please contact Lisa Leitch if you did not receive your orientation date and time.

Student Transportation can be reached at 780-417-8171 or by email at st@eips.ca

Practicing emergency drills is an integral part of school safety and being properly prepared for emergencies. As the school year begins, we will begin our emergency drills to ensure all students and staff are safe in the event an incident happens at or near the school. Over the next couple of weeks and months, we will practice the Emergency Evacuation (Fire), Bus Evacuation, Shelter-in-Place, On Alert, Hold and Secure, and Lockdown drills. Therefore, it is likely your child will come home from school explaining they rehearsed some important emergency drills. Staff and students will be notified these drills are in fact drills and not a real situation. In the event an actual emergency occurs, you will be contacted by the school. If you have any questions about the drills, please feel free to contact Mr. Murray Howell, assistant principal.

Wednesday, August 30 - Operation day for staff

Thursday, August 31 - First day of school!

• Meet the teacher 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 14 - School Advisory Council Meeting 6p.m. at school

Thursday, September 21 - School bus evacuation drills

Friday, September 22 - Terry Fox Run

September 27 & 28 - School picture day

Friday, September 29 - Orange shirt day

Saturday, September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Bear Wear is back for the 23/24 school year! The online store will open on September 7. Orders can be placed directly using the link below. Order cut off for the first orders of the school year is October 5. Orders will be processed and delivered to the school three to four weeks after the orders close (early November). If you have any questions regarding Bear Wear please feel free to contact Mrs. Waselenkoff in the school office.

https://pinestreetstudent2023.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Did you know each EIPS bus is equipped with video surveillance?

Video surveillance and equipment help:

· ensure the safety of all students, drivers and property; and

· discourage destructive acts.

On a regular basis, EIPS Student Transportation reviews the video recordings, in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. The recordings assist the department with monitoring student and driver conduct and may be used as evidence in a disciplinary matter.

EIPS buses are also equipped with Tyler Drive tablets. The goal: To enhance safety, improve communication, increase efficiency and provide oversight. These tablets allow bus drivers to stay on time with turn-by-turn route directions and show student pictures and information when bus drivers get to stop locations. To ensure students get where they need to go, there are now two distinct audible tones when students scan their bus pass boarding or leaving the bus. One tone indicates they’re getting on the correct bus or at the correct stop, and the other tone indicates they’re on the incorrect bus or leaving at the incorrect stop. By using live information, Tyler Drive tablets provide more accuracy than paper schedules.

For more information about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, contact the EIPS FOIP Co-ordinator at 780-464-3477.

The Traversa Ride 360 website and app enable parents and students to access their own secure data for bus stop location, route and pickup time. With Division buses equipped with GPS hardware, Ride 360 uses GPS geolocation to let users know when to expect their bus each day. Parents and students log in with their own information to access their specific routing information and details.

Ride 360 will be updated in the coming year. Families are encouraged to download the current Ride 360 app from the App Store or Google Play for the start of the school year and set up their account. When the update takes place, login information will seamlessly roll over to the updated app.

Refer to additional instructions and the tutorial video on the Division website for more details about setting up your Ride 360 profile.

For more information about transportation services, refer to the Student Transportation section of the EIPS website.

Email: general.pne@eips.ca
Website: www.pinestreet.ca
Location: 133 Pine Street, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-467-2246
Twitter: @PNESchool