January 13 BUZZ
Happy Monday!
As the warmer weather makes a welcome appearance, even if only for a short time, let’s take a moment to enjoy the sunshine. It’s a perfect opportunity to soak up the warmth and appreciate the little joys this season brings. Here’s to brighter days ahead!
Our next Glen Allan School Council (GASC) meeting will be on Thursday evening. Included in the agenda will be a conversation about 2025/26 school fees. All caregivers are invited to attend at 6:30pm in our library.
It's a great week for a great week!
Please read through the following blog post articles for important Glen Allan information.
Action
- Glen Allan School Council Meeting - Thursday, January 16th @ 6:30 pm
- 2025-26 Fee Consultation Process
- Hot Lunch
Opportunity
- Kindergarten Registration Starts Soon!
- Book Fair and Call for Volunteers
- Regulation Strategies - Twist and Breathe
Information
- EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2023-24
- Digital Well-Being: For Parents and Caregivers of Youth Ages 9 - 14 years
- Move Your Mood - For children currently in Grades 5 and 6
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Information
- New Year Goal Setting
- First Nations, Metis and Inuit Learning
WEEK AT A GLANCE
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ACTION
Glen Allan School Council Meeting - Thursday, January 16th @ 6:30 pm
The Glen Allan School Council is a wonderful way to be involved in your child's school community. We invite all our parents and caregivers to be involved in our Glen Allan School Council.
We would like to welcome and encourage you to join us for our January Glen Allan School Council (GASC) meeting on Thursday, January 16th at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are in-person, in our school library. If you are unable to join us in-person, you can also join us through a Microsoft Teams Meet.
For more information about the Glen Allan School Council, check out the GASC pages on our website for an overview, executive members, meeting dates, agendas and past minutes.
2025-26 Fee Consultation Process
Under Alberta Education’s School Fee Regulation, schools must consult with parents prior to setting school fees for the upcoming school year.
Our next school council meeting will be taking place on January 16, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. During that time, we’ll be sharing information about our current fee structure, posing specific questions about priorities, and asking you to provide your feedback as we plan for the next school year. While many of these activities and services enhance students’ educational experience, we want to ensure these fees aren’t cost prohibitive for families.
Specifically, we will be asking for input on the following:
- Noon hour supervision
- Field trips and associated fees
- Extracurricular activities
- Non-curricular goods and services (for example, student union and yearbooks)
We understand not all families will be available to attend the meeting but it’s still important we get as much input from the school community as possible. Following the meeting, materials will be shared on our website for your review, and an email address provided so you can submit a written response.
School administration will use feedback provided to help determine fees for next year, which will then be shared at the February school council meeting, posted to our website and shared via link through email.
I look forward to hearing from you on January 16.
January Hot Lunch
GASC is hosting hot lunch from Nitza’s pizza on Friday, Jan 24. It is a Kindergarten B day. Please do not order lunch if your child is in Kindergarten A class.
Registration will open on the hot lunch website January 13th and close January 20th at 3:00 p.m.
If your child is absent on the day of hot lunch, please call the school before 11:00 a.m. and let the office know if you will be picking up your child's lunch, sending it home with a sibling, or if it will be donated. If we do not hear from you, hot lunches will be donated. No refunds are issued for hot lunches after the order cut-off date.
Volunteers can meet on January 24 at 11:40 a.m.
OPPORTUNITY
Kindergarten Registration Starts Soon!
Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2025? If so, it’s almost time to register for kindergarten.
Kindergarten registration opens for the 2025-26 school year on Feb. 1, 2025.
To help families prepare, Elk Island Public Schools has put together an online EIPS Kindergarten Tool kit to make the transition as smooth as possible. The kit includes information on registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, how to find your designated school, transportation and more.
Book Fair and Call for Volunteers
From January 27 - February 4, we will have the Scholastic Book Fair happening in our library.
We are in need volunteers for our evening shop times:
- Monday, February 3: 4:00 - 7:00 pm
- Tuesday, February 4: 4:00 - 7:00 pm
Volunteers would be helping students find what they're looking for, restocking items, and being a cashier for purchases. If you are interested in volunteering to help out during Book Fair, please email your availability to Mrs. Brownlee (Assistant Principal) crystal.brownlee@eips.ca
The book fair will be open to parents from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm on both conference evenings, February 3 and 4. This is an opportunity for parents to give the gift of reading!
Thanks you in advance for supporting the Glen Allan Library book fair. This is an important fundraiser for our library program.
Regulation Strategies - Twist and Breathe
Here at Glen Allan we are aimed at enhancing capacity to nurture emotional resilience and well-being among students. We are actively involved in collaborating with our staff to introduce effective regulation strategies and deepen understandings of brain development. We continue to work on integrating these strategies into everyday classroom practices.
This week's regulation strategy is Twist and Breathe. Place your right fingers on your right shoulder and your left fingers on your left shoulder (lift them high so that your elbows are at a 90-degree angle). First shoulder twist to the left and inhale the entire time you are turning left. Next twist and exhale to the right. Try to keep your breathing slow AND remember your inhale should be shorter than your exhale!! Try to repeat this for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
INFORMATION
EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2023-24: Now available!
EIPS’ Annual Education Results Report 2023-24 is now available online. The report details how EIPS is doing relative to Alberta Education’s performance measures; how it’s supporting students to achieve the best possible outcomes; and its successes, challenges and priority strategies moving forward. A brief overview of the report is also available.
Digital Well-Being: For Parents and Caregivers of Youth Ages 9 - 14 years
Learn how to help your teen with the social and technological pressures they face in the world today. Together we will go through research-based ways we can support teens when they are feeling the pressure of their digital lives. Issues addressed include interacting with strangers online, understanding their digital identity, and healthy relationships.
The content of this workshop is geared for parents and caregivers with children between 9-14 years of age.
The presentation is from 6 to 7:30 pm, with an opportunity for Q & A from 7:30 to 8 pm.
Move Your Mood - For children currently in Grades 5 and 6
A research-based program that promotes physical activity and healthy lifestyle practices to improve the mental and physical well-being of participants. The MYM program provides opportunities for participants to experience how to move their bodies, fuel their bodies, practice mindfulness, and build positive coping strategies. The goal is that participants have fun in the program, gain confidence and learn about healthy lifestyle practices to improve both their physical and mental well-being in this 8-week program.
Date: Friday, January 17, 2025
Time: 4:30 – 6pm
Location: 160 Festival Way Sherwood Park
Cost- Free, registered today! Sign Up
FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT INFORMATION
Guest Speakers and Presentations this Week
This week, we had a few guests into the school to teach us more about First Nation, Metis and Inuit culture.
On Wednesday, the grade 4 and 5 classes had the opportunity to learn about the fur trade and its impact on the environment from an engaging presenter. They shared fascinating insights into the history of trapping and how it has affected ecosystems over time. The highlight of the session was the incredible collection of furs they brought along, allowing students to see firsthand, making the learning experience both interactive and memorable.
We’re grateful for this unique opportunity to connect history with environmental awareness!
On Friday, Goota Desmarais presented to our Grade 2 and 3 students about the Inuit. Dressed in a traditional baby carrier, called an amouti, Goota passionately shared her culture through storytelling complemented by authentic Inuit artifacts. She displayed items such as the Qulliq (the Inuit stove), skins of different animals and Inuit art. Goota also brought to the presentation a traditional feast and invited the classes to try traditional bubble gum, arctic char and more. Her interactive and
hands-on teaching style made learning about the Inuit a fun experience.
Fort Saskatchewan Indigenous Storytelling Evening
PHOTO GALLERIES
Glen Allan Highlights
