Mar 11 - 17, 2024

When driving through our school zone please be extremely mindful of the pedestrian crosswalk, near the alleyway, by our school. We are working with the City of Fort Saskatchewan to get better signage, pylons or indicator lights placed in that area. Please watch out for our Grizzly and community students accessing that crosswalk on a daily basis. If ever you'd like to report an issue with the City of Fort Saskatchewan, you can submit a ticket on their Report It website.

We have an action packed week coming our way! This week our Grizzlies will be busy with:

• The Week of Inspirational Math - K to 6 classes will be doing various activities to stretch their math thinking
• Our annual Battle of the Books competition (for grades 4 - 6) will take place on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. in the gym
• Carnaval! K to 6 Students will be participating in winter festivities throughout the afternoon on Friday, March 15th. Please ensure you child has proper winter attire as they will be outside for the entirety of the afternoon.
• Report cards are available on PowerSchool at 4:00 p.m.

With St. Patrick's Day being on a Sunday this year, we are inviting students to wear green on Friday, March 15th.

Have a great week everyone!

Next Hot Lunch:

Panago!

March 20 - Kinder A

March 21 - Kinder B - Gr 6

Ordering closes: March 13th at noon!

https://www.epeschoolcouncil.com/hotlunch

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.

• Please follow this link to watch our announcement: Le 11 mars

What's happening this week at École Parc:

Mar 11 - Class of the week 2G

Mar 12 - Fire Drill

Mar 13 - School Council and PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m

Mar 14 - Battle of the Books 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Grades 3 to 6

Mar 14 - Grade 4/5 Skating Field Trip 1-2:30

Mar 15 - Carnaval

Mar 17 - St Patrick's Day

Upcoming Dates to be aware of:

Mar 18 - Class of the week 1A

Mar 19 - Vertically inclined Field Trip Mme Ince/Mme Hodder

Mar 20 - Panago Hot Lunch Kinder A

Mar 21 - Vertically inclined Field Trip Mme Choucair/M Ayuen

Mar 22 - 28 Spring Break School Closure

Mar 29 - Good Friday School Closure

April 1 - Easter Monday School Closure

Apr 2 - Classes resume

Time to spring ahead one hour!

The Battle of the Books competition will be held March 14 at 9 AM. We will start with the grade 4 battle, followed by the grade 5 battle and ending with the grade 6 battle. Medals will be awarded after each battle as well. Each battle should take about half an hour to complete but that depends on how many tie breakers etc. that we may have. Also, there are a lot of grade five students competing so their battle may take longer. Feel free to come watch the battle!

For those of you unfamiliar with the competition, let me tell you about it. The students have all read six books which are different for each grade level. They are asked a series of 20 questions, most of which are quotes from the books, and they must identify which book they came from. This is actually a very difficult thing to do. We have been meeting weekly since September when they started to read their books and have been doing practice questions since January. Attendance at these meetings has been optional. Each student who participates in the battle will receive a book as a prize and the top three will receive medals.

Good luck to all the participants!

Thank you all very much for supporting our book fair! We sold (after they took the tax off the prices) $4789.47 which means we got $2394.74 worth of Scholastic dollars. We ended up keeping $980 worth of books for the library and using an additional $290 to buy books for the monthly literacy prizes. You purchased 29 books for our classrooms as well. Thank you – you are all amazing!! We have some plans for the extra money: some extra chairs for our classrooms.

Jennifer Milanovic

Library Technician

If your child loses a library or home reading book, please contact the school. If the book is not found within 30 days, the cost of the resource will be assigned to the “Fees” section of your PowerSchool account. Please note, if the book is found within 30 days, a refund will be granted. However, if the book is found after 30 days, a refund will not be granted as we will have purchased a replacement for the library’s collection.

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 March, we are focused on the teaching of Humility.

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.

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.

Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) wants to hear from you. Make sure to complete the 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For parents and caregivers—open from March 1-21.

Every year, EIPS conducts the feedback survey to gauge its progress toward meeting the goals and priorities outlined in its Four-Year Education Plan. Families are asked a series of questions about:

· their experiences with EIPS and the specific school their child attends;

· the quality of education being provided to students;

· areas for improvement; and

· new this year, the survey includes an additional series of questions—focused on stakeholder confidence in EIPS’ priorities and strategic direction as a whole.

Collectively, the Division uses the survey feedback to help guide future planning, decision-making and strategies—all aimed at enhancing student learning and better serving the wider community.

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW!
open March 1-21

To preview the questions before completing the survey, see Question Preview - 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For parents and caregivers.

NOTE: To share the experiences of more than one child, or if you have a child who attends classes at more than one EIPS school—such as Next Step and an EIPS senior high school—simply complete the survey again.

The survey is anonymous and only takes roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. EIPS will share the survey results in next year’s Annual Education Results Report 2023-24.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23
EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23: Overview

EIPS Four Year Education Plan: 2022-26

The background links are also provided throughout the survey, which you can use to help inform your survey answers.

Is there a preschooler in your life experiencing developmental delays or challenges with speech-language or motor-skill development—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—including Ecole Parc. 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 2020 or 2021, 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.

Kindergarten Registration is Now Open!

Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2024? If so, it’s now time to register for kindergarten. To register, simply complete the online registration form at eips.ca/kindergarten.

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.

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.

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.

Within EIPS, schools consistently offer a broad range of educational choices for students of varied backgrounds and interests—from specialized language and faith-based programs to advanced academic opportunities and competitive sports to specialized supports and continuing education. Through this, students are then able push their limits and find meaningful ways to contribute to and enhance their communities. Learn more about Division programs and services on the EIPS website.

Alberta Education provides funding to EIPS. The provincial government’s funding framework allocates funding directly to the Division, who then allocates funding to individual schools. Every year, EIPS prepares a budget in the spring based on projected enrolment, funding and student-focused initiatives directed by the Board of Trustees. Learn more about K-12 Education Funding in Alberta and the EIPS Budget.

Every year, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) publishes an Annual Education Results Report, which outlines the Division’s Four-Year Education Plan, opportunities for growth and how it’s supporting students to achieve the best possible outcomes. Read through this year’s EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23 and discover how EIPS fosters learning environments for all students to learn, grow and thrive—and why it matters.

March Spotlight: cultivating high-quality learning environments and experiences

· Power of Kindness: Creates welcoming, inclusive, respectful, and safe learning environments in schools

· Building Blocks: How effective planning, management and infrastructure is supporting learning

· Raising the bar: Evidence-based practices that are enhancing teaching and learning in EIPS

RELATED INFORMATION
EIPS Four-Year Education Plan: 2022-26
EIPS Three-Year Capital Plan: 2024-27

Remember, be aware of thin ice this time of year. Depending on changing temperatures, ice can form and melt to varying degrees on outdoor bodies of water. Try to remind your child about the dangers of thin ice, obey all posted signs, take proper care and remain a safe distance from the ice.

For more information about ice safety, visit the Canadian Red Cross.

Did you know?

The colour of ice may be an indication of its strength. Clear blue ice is the strongest. White opaque is half as strong as blue ice. And, grey ice is unsafe—greyness indicates the presence of water.

To register: Groups, Programs, and Workshops