Bison Tales March 2, 2023

Happy Thursday Ardrossan families, 

Today's Carnaval was an amazing event at our school.  Our students had a great time sleigh riding, and participating in all of the great games and activities. Thank you so much to all of our parent and Grade 9 AJS volunteers who planned, set-up, and ran Carnaval at our school today. Without your help we would not have been able to provide this experience to our students. We appreciate your hard work so much! 

Tomorrow is Professional Learning day, so we will see everyone on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Lana Lastiwka and Tandy Atchison 

Principal and Assistant Principal

WEEK AT A GLANCE

March 6 - 10, 2023

Upcoming Dates

• March 15 - Spirit Day - Hockey Jersey Day
• March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - Wear Green
• March 17 - Report Cards Posted to the Parent Portal
• March 20 - School Council and AEPSA - 6:30 p.m.
• March 23 - Last Day of Classes Before Spring Break
• March 24 - 31 - Spring Break - Schools Closed
• April 3 - School resumes

AEPSA Fundraiser - NEW and YUMMY

Our parent group is having a Wilhauk fundraiser, lots of yummy things to order from beef jerky to pulled pork.

Wilhauk Beef Jerky School Fundraising Form

This amazing fundraiser will open on March 2 and run until March 23.  Orders will be available for pick up from Ardrossan school on April 5 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Each order will be pre packed in a box or bag for each family depending on the size of the order.

You will be able to log into the www.aeslunchbox.com where you order lunches, and e-transfer or PayPal your orders in.  

The form is for you to keep track of your orders, it does not need to be submitted.

Bison Bravo a Staff Member

Did you know that the Ardrossan Elementary Parent Support Association has started a staff bravo initiative?  As you might know, Ardrossan staff regularly give out Bison Bravos to students to acknowledge acts of citizenship, kindness or excellence.  

AEPSA is offering the chance for students and families to Bravo a staff member!  All you have to do is click on the the Bravo a Staff Member box on the right side of the school webpage to fill out an electronic Bravo form.  Then our amazing AEPSA parents write you message on a note which is delivered to that staff member along with a sweet treat!  

Have your say! EIPS’ 2023 Annual Feedback Survey Opens March 1-23

Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) wants to hear from you. Make sure to complete the 2023 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For parents and caregivers—open from March 1-23.

Every year, EIPS conducts the feedback survey to gauge its progress toward meeting the goals and priorities outlined in its Four-Year Education Plan. Families are asked a series of questions about their experiences with EIPS and the school their child attends, the overall performance of the Division, the quality of education being provided to students and areas for improvement. The survey input helps the Division develop new strategies to better serve students and the wider community. VISIT EIPS.CA TO TAKE THE SURVEY: March 1-23

NOTE: The survey is anonymous and only takes a few minutes to complete. If you want to share the experience of more than one child attending an EIPS school, simply complete the survey again.

Measuring Success: Grade 4 Parents Complete this Year’s Alberta Education Assurance Survey

Deadline extended to March 17, 2023.

Once again, Alberta Education is surveying teachers, students and families through its annual Alberta Education Assurance (AEA) Survey. The survey acts as an annual check-up on the province’s education system. Every year, Alberta Education conducts the survey to gather information about the quality of education provided by Alberta schools and school authorities. The survey looks at various measures such as education quality, citizenship, family involvement, engagement levels, school climate and student wellness.

The AEA survey is sent to

· Small schools (fewer than 120 students in grades 4-12)—based on jurisdiction requests for more reportable survey data at the school level, the survey is expanded to include all students in grades 4 and above and their parents and guardians.

· Large schools (120 or more students in grades 4-12)—only students in grades 4, 7 and 10 and their parents and guardians are included in the survey. These grades are considered to be a reasonably representative sample of students.

Throughout February, Grade four students at Ardrossan Elementary are completing the survey online at the school. Student participation is voluntary and completely anonymous. Students are assigned a random username and password to ensure survey responses aren’t linked to any individual student. The survey doesn’t take long to complete and is done within the school day during regular class time.

Additionally, parents and guardians of students in these grades are also asked to take a survey, either online or by mail. Alberta Education will send families information about the survey directly. As with the student and teacher survey, it’s anonymous and asks questions about your school experiences. If you have a child in these grades, we encourage you to participate. The survey deadline is March 17, 2023.

Results from the AEA Survey are provided to Elk Island Public Schools each spring. The Division then uses the data to inform its four-year education plan, school education plans and strategies for continuous improvement. Each fall, the results are also shared with EIPS families and school communities in the Division’s Annual Education Results Report.

Kindergarten Registration is Now Open!

Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2023? If so, it’s now time to register for kindergarten. To register, simply complete the online registration form at eips.ca/kindergarten.

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.

Pre-kindergarten Programming at EIPS

Is there a preschooler in your life experiencing developmental delays or challenges with speech-language or motor-skill development—big or small? If so, Elk Island Public School’s Play And Learn at School (PALS) program could help.

Early learning lays the foundation for success in primary grades and beyond. As such, EIPS offers the pre-kindergarten PALS program in five of its elementary school locations—including Ardrossan Elementary. In fact, EIPS is now accepting applications for free speech-language assessments for those interested in registering in the PALS program this fall. The assessment helps determine if PALS is appropriate for your child.

If you know a preschooler, born in 2019 or 2020, who could benefit from pre-kindergarten programming or want to book an assessment, fill out the PALS Program Request Form or call 780-417-8219. For more information, visit eips.ca.

Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health Newsletter

The March edition of the Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health Newsletter focuses on sleep. Newsletter

Themes include:

• What is sleep hygiene?
• Promote a good bedtime routine
• Tips for a good night’s sleep
• Ways to support your child’s sleep

Parents Make the Difference

Each month we will include some articles with some great tips and strategies for parents. Here is this week's featured article:

March weather activities can teach your child science skills

According to the old saying, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Is this true where you live?

In many parts of the country, March brings changeable weather—which makes it a great time to enjoy science and other weather-related activities. With your child:

• Keep a temperature graph. Have your child record and graph the temperature each day for a month. Or, use the online weather report for your area. Record whether the day was sunny, cloudy or rainy.
• Measure the rain. You’ll need a plastic jar with straight sides and a flat bottom, a ruler and a marker. On the outside of the jar, use the ruler and marker to mark off each quarter inch. Have your child keep track of the amount of rainfall.
• Make wind chimes. You’ll need four clean, empty cans, some string and a coat hanger. Make sure the edges of the cans are not sharp. Help your child punch a hole in the bottom of each can. Tie a knot in one end of the string and thread the string through a can. Then tie the other end to your hanger. Repeat with each can. Each time the wind blows, the cans will make music!

You and your child can also go online to learn more about weather. Check out these fun, age-appropriate websites:

• Weather Wiz Kids, www.weatherwizkids.com.
• The Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids, www.almanac4kids.com/weather.
• NASA’s Climate Kids, climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/weather-and-climate.

Reprinted with permission from the March 2023 issue of Parents make the difference!^®  (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2023 The Parent Institute^®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.