Dear Parents & Guardians:
In this post you will find information for the following:
· Important Dates
· Principal’s Message
· CBE Child Care Tax Receipts – Lunch Supervision
· Birthday Book Fundraiser
· Action - Alberta Education Parent Survey (only 12 have completed this) – Due March 6
· Download/Print Your Online Report Cards – Feb. 24
· Calgary Opera Residency – Volunteers Needed
· Fun Lunches (details on our Lunchtime webpage)
Important Dates –
· Mar 2-6 – Decidedly Jazz PE Dance Residency
· Mar 6 – Dance Presentation – Parents Welcome (10:00 a.m.)
· Mar 12 – School Council & EPPS Society Meeting (1:30 – 3:00 p.m.)
· Mar 17 – Irish Dancers Assembly – Parents Welcome (9:00-10:00 a.m.)
· Mar 18 – Fun Lunch: Edo of Japan
· Mar 23-29 – Spring Break – No School
· Mar 30 – Classes Resume
· Mar 30-Apr 2 – Flag Football PE Residency
· Subscribe to our updated Web Calendar (link on bottom left)
Principal’s Message
This past month, students learned about Black History Month, Chinese Lunar New Year, Pink Shirt Day and we have begun a unit in our Wellness classes that address racism. Over the course of this school year, our Grade 1–6 students will explore the topic of racism through age-appropriate lessons that build on one another across the grades. These lessons are designed to help students understand key ideas such as fairness, kindness, bias, microaggressions, and what it means to stand up for others. Through homeroom conversations and story-based learning, students will be encouraged to think critically, ask questions, and develop empathy as they learn how to be upstanders—not bystanders—in their communities.
Children naturally notice differences, including race, and it's important they have a safe space to talk about what they see and feel. Our goal is to nurture open-mindedness, curiosity, and kindness in a way that celebrates diversity and helps every student feel seen, respected, and valued. We invite you, as parents and guardians, to continue these conversations at home. Below are some of the high-quality resources we’re drawing from in classrooms—many of which are available online through the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, various children’s books that explore related topics, and Sesame Street’s workshop about race, ethnicity and culture:
- Explaining Race with Elmo and Wes, Sesame Street
- Sesame Street: What is Racism?
- Being Upstanders (Grade 1-2)
- Standing Up for Social Justice (Grades 3-6)
Picture Books (available as YouTube read-alouds):
- Introduce the idea of racism: making assumptions, being hateful, or treating someone differently than others based on their race because you believe your race is better:
- I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët. This book helps introduce the idea that treating others unfairly based on differences, including race, is never okay. While it’s often read as a story about bullying, it can open the door to important conversations about inclusion.
- Say Something!, by Peter H. Reynolds. This story introduces the concept of activism and encourages students to use their voices for good. An activist is someone who takes action when they see social injustice, in this case, racism.
Our staff meeting this afternoon was spent planning the production components of our upcoming Centennial Opera. We had three parent volunteers join us with Calgary Opera to help understand the scope of this event. Please watch your emails for further information about auditions and volunteer committee work to assist with set and costume design.
Child Care Tax Receipts – Lunch Supervision
- Child Care Tax Receipts for CBE Noon Supervision from January 2025 to December 2025 are now available through MyCBE/PowerSchool for download. MyCBE > Fees, Waivers & Service Registrations > Menu (three lines) > Tax Receipts
- Families must download and print the online receipt to include in their 2025 tax return.
Birthday Book Library Donations
We just recently handed out our first round of birthday books to students. They were very excited to be the first to sign out their book and select a special bookmark to go with it.
The Birthday Book campaign is an annual campaign that helps keep our Learning Commons up-to-date and expands the literacy materials available to our students. EPS families can choose to participate in the campaign by donating $25 per student. These funds are used to purchase brand new books. Participating students get to select which book they would like to designate as donated by them and they are the first to bring their donated book home to read, then the book enters the EPS library circulation for other students to enjoy for years to come.
Please visit our Elbow Park Fundraisers & Donations page for more information.
Action - Alberta Education Parent Survey – Due March 6
Every school year, Alberta Education and Childcare surveys students, parents, and teachers to gather feedback on school experiences. This input helps identify what is working well and highlights areas where improvement is needed.
To date, we have had ten (12) parents access this survey. As a small school, the Alberta Education and Childcare Assurance Survey (AECAS) invites students at Elbow Park in grades 4-6, along with their parents, to share their perspectives, experiences, and feelings about school. This is an important opportunity to have your voice heard! Last year we only had 16 parents complete the survey.
Usually, Alberta Education uses Canada Post to send out random access codes to access the survey. We are excited to announce that this year, CBE School Improvement will email parents and guardians a unique, single-use access code to enter the survey.
- Families with more than one eligible student will receive a separate single-use access code for each child
- Paper copies and translated versions are available upon request through your child’s school principal
- Participation is voluntary and questions may be skipped/survey can be exited at any time. As noted in the instructions for the survey, if a question is not applicable or if the respondent does not feel comfortable answering, they should leave the response blank, or answer “N/A”. A blank response does not count towards the total number of responses
Once you receive your access code, visit the AECAS webpage to complete the confidential online survey.
Students are surveyed during the same period as their parents or guardians, Jan. 26 – Mar. 6, however students typically complete the survey at school. Further details are available in the Parent Notification Letter.
If you have any questions or would like a paper copy of the survey, please contact the principal of your child’s school after Jan. 26.
By participating in the AECAS, you are helping to shape the future of education in Alberta
Download/Print Report Cards
Please view/print report cards in your MyCBE account. You must use a computer to login to view the PDF version of this report card – you are not able to view it in the App.
Report Cards are only available to parents for download during the current school year (until July 2026).
Calgary Opera Residency
We have begun our residency with Calgary Opera which will create our centennial themed performances on June 4 and 5.
We will require some parent volunteers to assist with elements of the production including set design and costuming. If you are interested, please contact Mr. Fech: jwfech@cbe.ab.ca
Fun Lunches
Did you know that our Fun Lunch program is a school fundraiser?
Did you know that you can sign up for all future Fun Lunches in one sitting and not miss any?
Please sign up now and end the invasion of Uber Eats in our office 😊
Sign up on our Lunchtime webpage.
Our fun lunch dates are:
· Mar. 18 - Edo
· Apr. 15 - Opa
· May 20 - McDonald’s