Dear Parents & Guardians:

In this post you will find information for the following:

·       Important Dates

·       Principal Fech Returns

·       School Council Meeting (Wed., Jan. 17)

·       JSM Winter Clothing Update

·       Dance PE Residency & Parent Showcase

·       Elboya School Open House – Gr.5-6 French Language Programming

·       Kindergarten Registration & Parent Info Night

·       Rideau Park School Tours for Grade 6

Important Dates –

·       Jan 15 – Organizational Day (No Classes)

·       Jan 15 – Kindergarten Online Registration begins

·       Jan 17 – School Council Meeting (1:30-3:00)

·       Jan 22-26 – Pulse Hip Hop Dance PE Residency

·       Jan 24 – Fun Lunch (A&W)

·       Jan 26 – Dance Showcase for parents (11:00 – noon)

·       Jan 29 – AGM for Elbow Park Parent Society (Glencoe Club, 8:00 p.m.)

·       Jan 30 – Report Cards available in MyCBE/PowerSchool for printing

·       Feb 1 – Parent Info Night: Next Year Kindergarten Registration (6:00-7:00)

Good to be Back – Mr. Fech - Principal

Hello Elbow Park Families. It is great to be back as the Principal of Elbow Park School. For those of you who did not know, I took a leave of absence through the Fall to complete four Graduate level courses. I completed three courses on instructional design and one course on conflict management. I found this work to be very relevant as we work towards the implementation of a new curriculum in Alberta.

My inquiry projects all focused on the creation of a series of professional development seminars to share with our teachers. Currently there is much interest and discussion in education around inquiry approaches to learning and in nurturing creativity and innovation as 21^st Century thinking skills required in the workforce. The goal is to show how teachers can plan curriculum for deep understanding through a sustained inquiry approach. A secondary goal is to explore the role of creativity and innovation across grades and disciplines to find opportunities to infuse critical, creative and collaborative thinking across the curriculum.

School Council Meeting

Our upcoming School Council meeting is on Wednesday, January 17 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. The meeting is in-person in the Learning Commons and we also provide a MS Teams link for individuals who prefer to participate virtually. All current EPS parents are welcome to attend.

Please visit our School Council webpage for future meeting dates and agendas and meeting minutes.

Our upcoming agenda will include the following – watch for agenda early next week:

·       Report card format updates

·       Review of AB Ed Assurance Parent Survey Results and upcoming survey details

·       Staffing updates

·       Upcoming parent working sessions re: class configurations for next school year (evenings of Feb. 8, 12, 26)

James Short School Winter Clothing Update

Thank you so much for the speedy response in donating snowpants and mitts to families at JSM! They are now fully stocked and do not require any further winter-wear.

They are however in need again of regular pants for children aged 4-12. Mrs. Hodgson acquired 60 pairs in the Fall and they have gone through them all. If anyone has any pants to donate, please bring them to the school office and we will arrange a delivery.

Dance PE Residency & Parent Showcase

We are excited to host Pulse Dance Studios as a Physical Education residency funded by the Elbow Park Parent Society (EPPS).

All K-6 classes will be participating every day next week. Classes will be performing in a showcase assembly on Friday, Jan. 26 at 11:00 a.m. Parents are welcome to attend. Please arrive by 10:50 to be seated in the gymnasium.

Elboya School Open House – Gr. 5-6 French Language Programming

Staff from Elboya will be meeting with our Grade 5 and 6 students next Thursday morning to explain the French program.

The Open House for Elboya School will take place from 6:00-7:30 pm on Thursday, February 1, 2024. If you are interested in learning more about the following programs, we encourage you to attend with your child. Click here for more details. Student representatives, teachers, and administration will be available to answer your questions:

·       Regular English Program (Kindergarten - Grade 9)

·       Late French Immersion Program (Grade 7)

·       Continuing French Immersion Program (Grades 5-9)

·       Intensive French (Grade 6)

Kindergarten Registration

Registration opens for the 2024-25 school year on January 15, 2024. To help interested parents/guardians prepare for registration time, please see the guide posted at this link: Kindergarten Registration Guide

We will be having an in-person information session for parents on Thurs., February 1 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Rideau Park School Tour for Grade 6

On Tuesday, Feb. 13 (9:15-11:45), our Grade 6 students will be walking to Rideau Park School for a tour. This tour will familiarize students with the school’s programs and showcase their complementary courses, which will assist students when making course choices for their Grade 7 year.