In Our House

Hello ÉCKS School Community,

We hope you and your families had a great Thanksgiving weekend.

It is hard to believe that more than a month of the school year is already behind us. September was a busy month and has made our time go by very quickly. It has been an exciting start to the school year as we welcomed both new and returning students to our house.

We are fortunate to have resumed many of our regular activities within our school. Our students spend time outside daily. It's great to see our students playing, laughing, and having fun. While we have been blessed with warm weather, we know what's to come. Please make sure you send your child to school prepared for the outside weather. You can always check out the Weather Network for the most up-to-date weather information.

At ECKS, we take a collaborative approach to achieving success together. Our goal is to work alongside our students, parents, and staff to ensure optimum learning environments while providing high-quality teaching to our students. Staff Collaboration days allow our staff to connect and plan for student success and we are thankful for the time we have.

As communicated in our first newsletter, Mr. Brandt accepted a part-time Division Principal position while still maintaining Co-Principal with ECKS. Effective October 17, 2022, the Division Principal role will become temporarily full-time. Mr. Ramsay will assume the sole responsibility as Principal of our school.

Parents, a reminder that student learning is reported digitally on PowerSchool in real-time so physical report cards will not be distributed this year. Parents can access their child’s academic progress through the PowerSchool parent portal and the phone application. Parents who would like a printed copy of their report card may contact the school with their preference

BRSD has tutorials on our website on how to access the portal and the app. You can access them here.

We encourage parents to contact their child’s teachers if they have questions about their child’s learning. You can find our staff directory here.

On November 8, from 4:00 - 9:00, we will host our fall student-parent-teacher conferences. We will be sending out information in the next couple of weeks through School Messenger on how you can book an interview with your child's teacher. Interviews will be held in person at ECKS. We hope to see you there!

Every year we are required to provide Alberta Education with a signed and dated Student Verification form for each of our students. We also use the form to ensure all of the information we have regarding your child(ren) is correct. This year we have moved to an electronic verification form for this process. In an attempt to streamline our process, the FOIP and Technology Use forms have been incorporated into the Verification form.

To access and complete this form you will need to log into the PowerSchool parent portal via your Web browser (Google Chrome for example. You will not be able to complete this process on the App). If you have not signed into PowerSchool before please click on "Forgot my password" your user name is your first name capitalized -period - last name capitalized ex: John.Smith then enter the email you have provided us with. You will receive an email on how to reset your password and will then be able to access PowerSchool and School Engage. Once logged in Click on the SchoolEngage icon on the left. You will be redirected to the SchoolEngage site where you can select your child’s name. Click on the 2022-2023 Student Verification Form and then on the blue icon in the first column to review the information. Once you’ve completed your verification, click on the green submit button on the bottom of the page.

Hello everyone.

BRSD is conducting a survey that is open to students in Grade 7 to 12, parents and staff, to gather input on next year's school calendar. The survey is open now, and will be available until Friday, October 28.

Here is a link to the survey: https://forms.gle/KAxBfLu63dPskKog9

The Band program is back up and running for the year! Our Grade 7 and Grade 8 musicians have started serenading the hall of the school, and our Grade 6 beginners have selected their instruments, and will begin their musical careers this week!

ECKS Chorus!

There has been a tremendous response to the fledgling ECKS chorus, with over 40 students showing for to the first few rehearsals. The choir meets on Tuesdays at noon.

Here are some dates that have already been scheduled for the music program:

• VIP Meats Fundraiser

(orders due Oct. 20. All proceeds go to band activities and travel opportunities)

• Music Parent Ass’n Annual General Meeting. We hope parents will attend this one hour meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7:00 PM in the ECKS Music Room. Information regarding band trips, concerts, festivals, fundraising, etc.

• Grade 6 “Jump Start” clinic. The Grade 6 beginner band students will have a special beginner clinic on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the school. It will run from 9:00 Am until 12:15 PM. It is hoped that all beginners will attend.

• Grade 8 Band Field Trip:

The Grade 8 band will be traveling to Grant MacEwan to watch the GMU Jazz Band in concert

On Wednesday, Dec. 7.

We are looking forward to another banner year as we continue to rebuild the band music program after the time missed due to Covid!

ECKS Cross Country Runners had a wonderful season!

ECKS had over sixty runners who took part in four races spread out across the division. The team is celebrating fantastic results, including establishing new course records to welcoming first time runners and everything in between. Runners focused on personal improvement and the joy of running, making this season a resounding success!

Thank you and well done everyone!!

The volleyball season is under way for all 5 teams at ECKS. Team White Junior High teams have played 3 league games and 2 tournaments. Team Red Junior High teams have played in 1 tournament, with 2 more to come in October. They will also be playing some home and away games during the week. This information will continuously be updated on our season schedule on our school website. The grade 6 league will begin games vs. OLMP after the Thanksgiving break. A schedule will be available on our school website. Thank you to all our atheletes for bringing their best efforts to games and practices!

ECKS School clothing is available to purchase from our Entripy shop. Please click this link to browse the options available and place your order.

Did you know...

ECKS has three Family School Liaison Workers (Crystal Rapson, Dayna Bartman, and Chantal Heck) who provide free general counseling in the school setting. This year, we will also be providing the option for small groups. Groups will be based on school/classroom needs in areas of student mental health and well-being.

Because students learn best when their mental health is supported, the FSLW's work with students and families to manage challenging events they are facing, focusing on mental wellness for each student's individual needs. The FSLW's also provide ideas for support and resources available outside of the school if needed.

Parents and community service providers can fill out a simple form to refer a student for FSLW service. This form can be found in the FSLW Office Area or by following this link: https://www.brsd.ab.ca/learning/family-school-liaison

Once complete, forward the referral form to fslwreferral@brsd.ab.ca

Please note, anyone aged 13 or younger also requires parental consent to see an FSLW or participate in a group.

If you have any questions, call (780)672-7785, ext. 6945 or email crapson@brsd.ab.ca

At some point in our lives, we have stressful times. Unexpected difficulties, financial pressures, unemployment, or situations such as COVID-19 or the events occurring in Ukraine can affect us.

Support is available from AHS Addiction and Mental Health.

Resources and services, such as Text4Hope and Togetherall to help you or someone you know including free virtual stress management workshops or AHS’ new online Wellness Exchange.

Support is available. Reach out; call the mental health helpline at 1-877-303-2642.

(Text directly from AHS Website)

Click here for more information

Treaty 6 Acknowledgement - We acknowledge that Battle River School Division is located on Treaty 6 territory, and we respect the histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

Email: charliekillam@brsd.ab.ca
Website: https://ckillam.brsd.ab.ca/
Location: École Charlie Killam School, 46 Street, Camrose, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-672-7785
Twitter: @ECKSchool