Dear Parents & Guardians:
In this post you will find information for the following:
· Important Dates
· Principal’s Message
· Morning Supervision & Student Safety
· School Council Elections – Sept. 19 (1:30-3:00)
· Fall Fair – Sept. 20 (4:30-6:30 p.m.)
· Recess – Loose Parts Play
· Web Calendar Coming Soon
· Fundraising Update
· Volunteer Opportunities
· Cell Phone & Apple Watch Policy
Important Dates –
· Sept 13 – Terry Fox Assembly & Run
· Sept 19 – School Council Meeting (1:30-3:00)
· Sept 20 – Fall Fair
· Sept 26 – LifeTouch Picture Day
· Sept 27 – Organizational Day (No School)
· Sept 30 – Truth & Reconciliation Day (No School)
Principal’s Message
Thank you to all of our parents who attended our Meet the Teacher presentation last night. We were able to explain how we have made changes to our student schedule that allow us to prioritize small class sizes and straight-grade instruction for core subjects such as literacy for each of Grade 1 and 2, and mathematics for Grades 5 and 6. Our engagement process in the spring also identified having more opportunities for students within one grade to have some classes together and that is also happening to some degree including in Physical Education. The challenge in making a timetable in our school is the limited number of classroom spaces do not allow for straight-grade homerooms throughout the day.
We hope that you found the night informative and we would like to remind you to please reach out to your teachers or the office if you have any questions. We have updated our staff contact webpage linked here.
Morning Supervision & Student Safety
We have teachers and administrators on student supervision every morning at 8:00 a.m. on our school grounds and at our crosswalks directly in front of the school and on Sifton Boulevard behind our school at the bridge. There are parent volunteers who assist with crossing Elbow Drive from the east side on 38 Avenue. We have noticed some students arriving at school around 7:50 a.m. and just wanted to let parents know they are unsupervised at that time.
We had a student assembly last Wednesday and shared with parents last night that our parking lots are off-limits for student drop-off and that both parents and students should not be walking through the middle of the parking lot at entry- or dismissal-time. We do have support staff and substitute teachers who may be arriving and/or leaving at the same time students are outside. Please ensure that your children know to not walk through the parking lot at any time.
Also, we would like to remind all children that while riding on bicycles and rollerblades, that the City of Calgary has a helmet bylaw. We also ask that students walk up our sidewalks that come to our front doors to avoid collisions with younger children and parents with strollers.
School Council Elections – Sept. 19, 2024 (1:30-3:00)
Our first School Council Meeting will take place on Thursday September 19, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. We are currently operating without an executive as our members last school year had their terms run-out or they graduated out of our school. For general information about please visit our School Council webpage.
As such, this is our Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) and elections will be held for 2024/2025 School Council. Pursuant to our By-Laws, the business of the AGM shall include the election of any proposed representatives and amendments to Bylaws. All parents/guardians of current students may attend and are eligible to vote at the AGM. This meeting requires a quorum of 9 current parents. All parents or guardians of students enrolled in EPS are members of Council and are thus eligible to be elected as officers and vote.
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. Accordingly, 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.
If you are interested in running for a role on Council or have any questions regarding the roles or time commitment, please do not hesitate to reach out to Principal Fech. You can attend this meeting in-person in the Learning Commons at the school or online through MS Teams. A link will be provided the week of the meeting.
Thank you for your consideration and support.
Fall Fair Carnival – Sept. 20 (4:30-6:30)
Come one, come all to the EPS Fall Fair at Elbow Park School!
EPS school grounds, Friday, September, 20th 4:30-6:30PM.
Get ready for face painting, food, drinks, mini golf, photo booth, balloon animals, hula hooping and ice cream provided by Marble Slab. This is the perfect opportunity to connect with the community and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. Don't miss out on this amazing event!
Please sign up to bring bake sale items and volunteering! In order to ensure the success of this event, each family attending is requested to fulfill at least one volunteer shift.
This is a weather permitting event. We cannot offer refunds in the event we are required to cancel due to inclement weather.
To attend this event you must have a current Elbow Park School student.
See you there!
Recess – Loose Parts Play
Our school has been using some “loose parts” for creative play on the east side of our school. Loose Parts Play involves providing students with a variety of movable objects that they can manipulate, redesign, control, and change within their play. These objects, often referred to as "loose parts," can be natural or synthetic items such as stones, sticks, wood planks and blocks, car tires, leaves, boxes, kitchen implements, and other materials. This type of play fosters creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills by allowing students the freedom to explore and experiment.
Benefits of Loose Parts Play include: Enhances Creativity and Imagination, Promotes Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking, Supports Physical Development, Encourages Social Interaction and Collaboration, Fosters Independence and Confidence.
We are in the process of expanding our "Loose Parts" play area and are reaching out to our wonderful parent community for donations of various items. We are kindly asking for donations of the following items:
• Muffin tins
• Pots and pans
• Ladles / Spatulas
• Buckets and sand toys
• Large diameter PVC pipes and elbow connectors
If you have any of these items at home that you no longer need or use, we would greatly appreciate your donation. Please reply to this email to speak with Principal Fech about your donation. Thank you in advance for your support.
Web Calendar Coming Soon
Your opening package included a paper copy of school events. Our website is currently being updated with this information and will be available for download soon. Stay tuned for more information.
Fundraising Update
As was mentioned at our Meet the Teacher meeting last night, some of our fundraising will occur through Education Matters. This organization facilitates issuing tax receipts for donations and parents can make donations using online payment.
Some parents have noticed that there is no form in the opening package for our Birthday Book campaign. We are in the process of creating this as an online campaign using Education Matters. Please stay-tuned for more information. Another online campaign will be the Elbow Park Parent Society (EPPS) membership/cheque-writing campaign.
We appreciate your support – to see what your donations are used for, please visit our Fundraising webpage and our Parent Society webpage.
Volunteer Opportunities!
Parent volunteers are an essential part of our school community. Please consider contributing some time to help provide a fantastic year for our children. Volunteering is a fun and rewarding way to become involved in the school. Time commitments vary from a few days per year to more regular involvement. We hope the 2024-2025 school year allows us to continue the social activities that have created fond memories for our students.
All parent volunteers are required to complete a yearly school volunteer form as well as a Police Information Check. Police Information Checks are valid for 5 years. Checks must be completed before you can volunteer in any capacity within the school or on school outings (including field trips). You are encouraged to sign up as a volunteer, even while you wait for your Security Check clearance. Instructions for receiving clearance are available on the link provided below.
Our 2024 - 2025 Volunteer Form has moved online this year. Please use the following link to sign up and help out our learning community: https://forms.gle/EnMR8sgcEtBErTsy8
Cell Phones & Apple Watch Policy
As you may have already heard, CBE is implementing restrictions on Personal Mobile Device & Social Media Use in Schools effective Aug. 29. This policy will comply with the Ministerial Order provided by the Government of Alberta this past June based on survey feedback provided by families.
CBE cares about the mental health and well-being of students. Restricting access to personal mobile devices and social media is expected to improve student achievement and learning outcomes. CBE strongly recommends students simply leave their devices at home, because in most cases, personal mobile devices are not needed to support student learning.
For students in kindergarten to Grade 9, CBE will use ‘away for the day’ guidelines similar to what many schools have been using in recent years. Personal mobile devices brought to school including cell phones, tablets, gaming devices, laptops, smart watches, Bluetooth speakers/headphones or any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate with or access the internet must be powered off or set in silent mode and stored out of sight in student lockers, backpacks or other designated area for the duration of the school day.
If a student is found to be using a personal mobile device in class without permission from the teacher, the teacher will work with the student to ensure the rules are understood. We rely on good communication and other existing processes to ensure students know what is expected. When necessary, schools will use a progressive student discipline approach in working with students.
These new rules will apply to all students, with exceptions for students using devices for health and medical needs, to support specialized learning needs and for educational purposes as directed by the teacher.
For students who require access to a personal mobile device for health and medical needs, it is advised that parents complete and submit a Student Health Plan as soon as possible or contact.
For students who require access to a personal mobile device to support an identified educational need, families should contact the school to discuss this being included as an accommodation or support in the student’s individual program plan (IPP).
Also, aligned with the Ministerial Order, the CBE will restrict student access to all known social media platforms on the CBE network.
This policy will be in place for the first day of school. However, it is set to be reviewed in December, 2024. At that time, any feedback from schools will be considered before the Administrative Regulation is finalized as of Jan. 1, 2025.
Thank you for helping us to make this transition successful. If you need to contact your student during the school day (including lunch hour) please contact the school office at 403-817-3408 (extension 0).
For further resources, please view additional information on our website.
If there is anything you need to discuss about your child, please call the office.
Sincerely,
Jason Fech
Principal
