Dear Parents & Guardians:
In this post you will find information for the following:
· Important Dates
· School Council Vacant Positions
· Lost & Found – New Items Arriving Daily!
· Intent to Return to EPS Next Year
· School Calendar – Download or Subscribe
Important Dates –
· June 10th Alien Inline Skating PE Residency – WEAR SOCKS & Helmet
· June 14 Next Year Kindergarten Student Orientation (9-10 a.m.)
· June 19 – GR. 6 PAT Social Studies Exam
· June 20 – GR. 6 PAT Science Exam
· June 21:
o Indigenous People’s Day
o Activity Day (10:00-12:00) Volunteers Needed Please
o Fun Lunch BBQ & Marble Slab Ice cream (11:00-noon)
· Mon., June 24 – Gr.6 Leadership to James Short Mem. School
· Tues., June 25 – Student Variety Show (1:30-3:00) Parents Welcome!
· Wed., June 26 – Grade 6 Farewell Ceremony whole school – (1:30-3:00)
· June 27 – Early Dismissal (noon) Last Day of Classes
· June 27 – Report Cards Available Online (until July 31)
· June 28 – Appeals Day (8:30 – noon)
School Council Vacant Positions
On May 23, we held a very well attended School Council and Parent Society meeting. As this was our Annual General Meeting, we were to hold elections of the executive including a Chair, Co-Chair and Secretary. No one put their names forward to fill those positions and accordingly, we do not have a functional Council for next school year. Anyone interested in finding out more about our Council may reach out to Principal Fech (jwfech@cbe.ab.ca) or outgoing Chair, Katie Clayton at elbowparkschoolcouncil@gmail.com
Under the current bylaws the terms of office on Council are for two-years based on an overlapping model. Current Council members have either been serving the school community for two years or more and are not eligible to stand for re-election, or have decided not to stand for re-election.
More information about School Councils and the roles of executive can be found in the CBE School Council Handbook available on the CBE School Councils website and information about our Council exists on our EPS Council webpage.
Through the Education Act, Alberta Education defines school councils as a collective association of parents, secondary students, the principal, teachers, and community representative(s) whose purpose is to advise the principal and the Board of Trustees respecting matters related to the school. Every CBE school community is required to establish a school council. Working in collaboration with the principal and school community, school councils can help foster a supportive learning environment and create valuable opportunities for students to meet the standards of education set by the minister.
Vacant Positions
The following positions on Council need to be filled for the 2024/25 school year:
Council President:
- works in partnership with the Principal and is responsible for planning the agenda for meetings, facilitating the meetings, and acting as spokesperson for the council, generally supervising the council and contributing to the school newsletter;
-serves as the Board of Trustees’ Council of School Councils representative and ensures the school board receives an annual report from the school council;
- oversees the development of an annual budget and plan of activities for presentation at the AGM;
-assumes responsibility in consultation with the school council, for communicating with the fundraising society.
The Vice-President
- assists the chair with duties, as assigned, and in the absence of the President, assumes the duties of the President.
The Secretary
-keeps accurate minutes and records of school council meetings, documents and files all correspondence and communications.
How School Councils Differ from Other Parent Groups:
School councils exist to advise the principal and the Board of Trustees on school matters. The school principal and at least one teacher at the school must be members of the school council.
Parent societies are a formal group of parents, incorporated under the Societies Act for the purpose of raising funds for the school. A society is a separate legal entity from the school council. The school principal is not a member of this group, but may participate in the meetings.
The next Elbow Park School Council Meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 6:30 pm. You can attend in person in the Learning Commons at the school or online through MS Teams.
Lost & Found
We now have a hanging rack in our office with hoodies and jackets. We had some new arrivals come in this week, with more styles and sizes arriving daily! Please come by the office to claim them.
Intent to Return to EPS Next Year
As we begin to plan our class configurations for next school year and respective teacher staffing levels, it is important for us to have accurate student counts for September.
If you have not already, please email elbowpark@cbe.ab.ca if you know that your child will not be attending our school for 2024-25 school year. Please indicate:
- Child(ren’s) Name
- Current Grade/Teacher
- What school will you be attending?
School Calendar – Download or Subscribe
Calendar subscriptions allow users to easily subscribe to a curated list of events on their devices. Parents and students can now subscribe to the school calendar with the option to choose all categories or a specific one, giving them access to events anytime. Using a calendar subscription offers several benefits for both parents and schools:
- Convenience: A subscription keeps your calendar automatically updated for parents, eliminating the need for manual entries or updates.
- Real-time Updates: Any changes or additions to events are instantly reflected in your calendar, ensuring your parents have the latest information.
- Timesaving: Subscriptions save you and your parents time by streamlining the process of adding and managing events, reducing the manual effort involved.
- Consistency: It helps maintain consistency across multiple devices, ensuring that your school calendar data is synchronized and accessible from various platforms.
- Automatic Reminders: Many calendar subscriptions come with built-in reminder features, helping your parents stay organized and on top of your school schedule effortlessly.
On the Calendar page, scroll down to the bottom left to find the link to subscribe to the school calendar on Mac, Android and desktop devices.