Estimadas familias,
With the first 2 days of school now behind us, we would like to take a moment to express our thanks to all of our families for contributing to a smooth and successful entry to school. Each year we do our best to share back to school plans with our families. This really does help to maintain a sense of calm through a period of great change for our young learners. Even so, inevitably there are little blips that can occur. We are grateful to you for being patient and flexible as we work to refine our processes and welcome over 380 students across K-5 to our program!
Communication – It’s reciprocal!
We strongly believe that open and transparent communication is an essential component of student success and feeling a sense of belonging. School staff is available to support you with your questions and concerns. We communicate in a variety of ways:
· Classroom Teacher – This is your first line of contact regarding learning, classroom activities, questions or concerns. Please let your child’s teacher know about any situation that emerges that can impact learning.
· Office Staff – The office team (Sylvia and Tami) are our organizational
backbone at school. Please let the team know about absences or early pick- ups (please cc their classroom teacher with an e-mail). It is important to leave a message on our absence line (403 777-8511, ext 1) as e-mails to the general inbox are not always caught right away. The office team can also provide support with questions around bussing, fees and general inquiries. Please note, that most basic information is available on our website (calendars).
· School Administration (Principal and Assistant Principal) – We strive to be available to support all members of our school community at any time. Generally, if you have a specific concern or question that you feel cannot be addressed by other staff, please send us an e-mail. If a meeting is required, we can then arrange for a phone call or in-person meeting. Our admin team also engages in learning support conversation with parents/guardians, such as individual program planning, alongside teachers. In addition to communication available on the website and flowing from classrooms, Sra. Riquelme and Sra. Jackie manage weekly messages on behalf of the whole school to reinforce key dates, celebrate activities and keep you informed about matters of importance to our school community.
This newsletter is one of the ways that we share information with you. Our teachers are also encouraged to share snapshots of learning through Instagram as well as regularly share exemplars of student learning home. Sra. Riquelme also maintains an active “Principal” Instagram account to celebrate our program and share system- level reminders. “Escuela Eugene Coste” has its own Instagram and Facebook page as well. This, in addition to regular classroom communication, weekly school-wide newsletter/messages and our website provides you with many options to be informed.
Student Supplies and Personal Mobile Devices (REMINDER)
The school provides supplies for learning; items such as pencils and notebooks do not need to be purchased in advance. We kindly ask that students refrain from bringing personal items to school as these are often lost, misplaced or create disruption. If an item is a supportive tool (i.e. fidget) please discuss this beforehand with your child’s teacher. We also have a supply of fidget items that can be given to a child along with coaching about appropriate use.
Student Personal Mobile Devices fall under our system-wide “away for the day” policy. Please reach out to your child’s teacher and school administration if a device is required for health or learning.
FOOD ALLERGY AWARE
Please do NOT bring these products into the classroom or this location
Individuals within our community, both students and staff who are allergic to specific food items, inform us about these sensitives so that we can take preventative measures to limit exposure and respond accordingly. This year, we are welcoming a student to our community who has severe anaphylactic allergies, primarily around peanuts. Due to the severity of this allergy, we are implementing “peanut free” zones across all kindergarten classrooms and request that no peanut products are included in student lunches. We also ask that everyone takes the extra step before coming to school in the morning to keep hands, faces and clothes free of any peanut products.
Please know that all staff receive mandatory annual training on the use of Epipens. If we have to administer an Epipen to anyone, this is considered a medical emergency and 911 will be called. Thank you again for your support in keeping all of our staff, students and visitors safe.
Birthdays and Treats from Home
Birthdays are an exciting time for many of us! We will continue to kindly ask families to refrain from sending food treats to school in order to prioritize learning and protect the dietary requirements for all students. If you wish, you may send a small celebratory token (such as fun pencils or stickers) to share with all members of the class.
Accessing the School During School Hours
For the safety of all staff and students, all doors remain locked during the day. Please access the school by coming to the main office door and buzzing in. If you ask to “sneak in” through another door during drop-off or pick-up time, staff will gently redirect you to the main office door.
Parents are asked to not visit classrooms when dropping students off as this can create disruption. If you need to drop an item off, please leave it at the offfice and we will bring it to the classroom. If you need to communicate with your child, we can bring them down to the office to connect with you.
School Council and Enrichment Society – Save the dates!
A Welcome Back to School event will happen simultaneously with evening conferences on September 26 will feature family friendly activities. More details coming soon!
School Council and EC Enrichment Society Meetings for 2024-2025 online through TEAMS.
School Council: 6:15pm – 7:30pm
EC Enrichment Society: 7:30pm – 8:30pm
September 19, 2024
October 17, 2024
November 21, 2024
January 23, 2025
February 20, 2025
March 18, 2025
April 24, 2025
May 22, 2025
My Child Takes the Bus
Please continue to remind your child of expected bus behaviour to support a safe ride home (stay in your assigned seat, stay seated at all times, appropriate volume of voice, be kind).
As we have done in previous years, if your child normally takes the bus home but you will be picking them up, please meet us at the bus zone so that we can check in with you to confirm attendance. If you are picking up early or if there is a regular pick-up schedule at the bus, please call our office before 2:30pm so that we can add that information to our bus lists and avoid after school confusion.
Parking!Parking!Parking!
Our community is very busy as we share limited parking with neighbours and another school. Our bus zone is especially congested as the road is narrow and has to accommodate a lot more traffic than was planned for our community over 60 years ago.
Respectful driving and parking behaviour is appreciated by all. Please remember the following:
What if I still have questions?
The start-up of a school year is a very busy and dynamic time. We will do our best to respond to your questions as quickly as possible and thank you for your patience and understanding as we focus on our journey of teaching and learning together.