January 6 BUZZ
Happy Monday and Happy New Year!!
Welcome back, everyone! We hope you had a fantastic winter break filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments. As we dive back into the school routine, let's carry the warmth of the holidays with us, especially with the frosty temperatures that are coming. Here's to a successful and exciting start to the new year together!
As mentioned previously, Lana Lastiwka will be joining Glen Allan as principal. She will officially start on Monday January 13. In the meantime, Crystal Brownlee will be Acting Principal. We look forward to welcoming Lana to our Glen Allan family.
It's a great week for a great week!
Please read through the following blog post articles for important Glen Allan information.
Action
Opportunity
- Digital Well-Being Workshop: For Parents and Caregivers of Youth Ages 9 - 14 years
- Kindergarten Registration Starts Soon!
- Regulation Strategies - Clench and Release
Information
- Did You Know - Attendance
- Inclement Weather
- EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2023-24: Now available!
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Information
WEEK AT A GLANCE
|
Monday |
|
|
Tuesday |
|
|
Wednesday |
|
|
Thursday |
|
|
Friday |
|
Upcoming Important Dates and Events
- January 6: Happy New Year! Welcome Back!
- January 7: Grades 4 & 5 Fur Trade Presentations
- January 8: Early dismissal 2:08pm
- January 10: Grades 2 & 3 Inuit Presentations
- January 16: GASC Meeting 6:30 – 8:00pm
- January 17: FitKids
- January 17: EA Appreciation Day
- January 20: Self-identified students smudging
- January 27 – February 5: Book Fair
- January 29: No School for students (PL Day)
- January 31: FitKids
ACTION
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.
OPPORTUNITY
Digital Well-Being Parent and Caregiver Workshop
Wes Hosford will be hosting a workshop on Digital Wellness on January 30th with the Strathcona Family Resource Network.
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.
- Thursday, January 30, 2025, 6 – 7:30pm
- The presentation is from 6 to 7:30 pm, with an opportunity for Q & A from 7:30 to 8 pm.
- Location: Wes Hosford Elementary School
- Cost: Free
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.
Regulation Strategies - Clench and Release
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 Clench and Release. Start from the top of your body, clenching your face, hands and abdomen and hold for 10 seconds (try to hold your breath as well). Release after the 10 seconds and breathe out. Try this again 3 times (10 seconds in between each clench and release). Here is what you should look like! This is an example of a body grounding activity. Body grounding activities are beneficial for students as they help reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance emotional regulation.
INFORMATION
Did you know?
If your child misses just two days a month for any reason for ten of their school years, they’ll have missed the equivalent of one entire year of school. Students who frequently miss school, even as early as kindergarten, are also more likely to have difficulty in school, at post-secondary and in their career. As every family has unique circumstances, EIPS uses a multi-tiered approach to re-engage students with chronic absenteeism. In addition, the Division promotes strategies to support and encourage regular attendance for all students. If you’re concerned about consistent student attendance for your child or youth, contact the school for support. An informative video is also available.
Inclement Weather
With the winter season in full effect, we have a few reminders for families:
- Ensure students have clothing appropriate for expected weather conditions.
- If weather conditions are bad enough to impact student transportation, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) advises families directly, as well as posting on social media and ca as early as possible.
- Decisions regarding bus cancellations are guided by an EIPS administrative procedure that states, “school bus service may be suspended…when there is a forecast or current temperature of -40 C, including wind chill factor, in one or more regions.”
- Other reasons for suspending or delaying school bus services include adverse weather and poor road conditions.
- When school bus services are suspended, schools remain open to students.
For more information, contact EIPS Student Transportation at 780-417-8151.
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.