viernes 13 de septiembre, 2024
Estimadas familias,
September invites a lot of engagement between home and school. This is an important time to build connection and relationships with each other. One of our key contact points with families is school conferences. At Escuela Eugene Coste, we invite families to participate in conferences throughout the school year:
- September 26-27, 2024: Parent-Led Conferences
o The purpose of these conferences is for parents/guardians to tell us more about your child and for you to have an opportunity to “meet the teacher”. For students receiving support through pre-existing Individual Program Plans, there is additional time allotted to set learning goals for this year.
o All families will receive an e-mail notification to book conferences. You will be able to access the conference manager platform on September 19 at 4:30pm to book a 15-minute time slot. Students on IPPs will be contacted separately for a 30-minute meeting.
- November 28-29, 2024: Teacher-Led Conferences
o At this time teachers will be able to share more detailed exemplars of your child/ren’s learning. We are committed to ongoing communication about student performance and achievement. This is only one piece of that ongoing communication. Teachers will share regular updates outside of formal conference times.
- March 20, 2025: Student-Led Conferences
o Teachers and students will prepare learning centres that capture ongoing projects, literacy/mathematics routines and other opportunities for sharing student work. This is an evening to celebrate student progress and voice.
We love opening our doors to families and celebrating the work we do together during conferences. Children also feel great pride in sharing their school experience with you. Even the “small things” such as showing you the location of their coat hook or where they keep their outdoor shoes are important, especially for our youngest learners. These are all steps towards building independence and confidence!
September 30th is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day, this day is intended to honour the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as to recognize the inter-generational impacts of residential schools on individuals, families, and communities.
As part of our ongoing mission of reconciliation and decolonization, The Confluence will be offering a variety of free programming all day, including:
Free Admission to the Confluence Cultural Centre
Two walking tours 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Blackfoot art exhibition
Film screenings in the Burnswest Theatre all day
A reconciliation letter writing activity
We highly encourage visitors to our site on this day to come wearing an orange shirt or other orange clothing items, such as scarves, hats, buttons, etc. If you are in need of an orange shirt, we recommend purchasing from the Orange Shirt Society, a non- profit organization that aims to create awareness of the generational impacts of Residential Schools through Orange Shirt Day activities.
Spanish For Parents – Level 1 is Back at Escuela Eugene Coste!
Learning Spanish can be both easy and fun. This beginning level course will help parents of bilingual Spanish students learn or refresh their Spanish language skills. Parents will become more comfortable interacting with their children in Spanish, build their network of bilingual parents and become familiar with the school environment. Escuela Eugene Coste is hosting classes Tuesday nights from 6:00pm-8:00pm from Oct 15 – Dec 10 (8 classes total). Fee: $309/person or $429/couple
Here is the link to register: Spanish for Spanish - Level 1
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.
Fundraising Efforts Need Volunteers!
Fundraising projects occur at our school thanks to our EC Enrichment Society and volunteers. This year, our school qualifies for Casino, which is our biggest fundraising opportunity. Please save the date for November 10-11 and consider volunteering for a shift (no CBE clearance required).
Fundraising has allowed us to improve the learning environment at our school. These dollars have paid for artist residencies (which reduces fees for families), sensory tools, classroom flexible seating as well as our newly re-designed Learning Commons which features modular soft seating. Fundraising dollars combined with grants also allowed us to redevelop our playground and sports court. These legacy projects continue to positively impact our community.
Our school is also working towards re-developing our courtyard. This extensive project is currently in early-stage planning with a vision of creating a supportive outdoor learning and well-being space, grounded in the four domains of the Indigenous Education Holistic Lifelong Learning Framework (Spirit, Heart, Body and Mind).
Creating this new legacy requires financial support through fundraising and grants. To help us achieve this goal, our upcoming casino will require a team of volunteers in order to proceed. More information around sign-up will be available in October.
Birthdays and Treats from Home (REMINDER)
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 (REMINDER)
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 Updates
A Welcome Back to School event will happen simultaneously with evening conferences on September 26 and will feature family friendly activities.
Join us from 5:00pm to 7:00pm for a Welcome Back Pizza Party at Escuela Eugene Coste. We will have music and activities. Come play on the playground before or after your student's conference and visit with ECS families! Details on how to order pizza through the Healthy Hunger platform will be coming soon.
School Council and EC Enrichment Society Meetings for 2024-2025 will continue to take place online through TEAMS. Our first meeting for this school year will take place on September 19, 2024.
School Council: 6:15pm – 7:30pm
EC Enrichment Society: 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 251 231 552 79
Passcode: Az7w9k
Future Meeting Dates
October 17, 2024
November 21, 2024
January 23, 2025
February 20, 2025
March 18, 2025
April 24, 2025
May 22, 2025
What date is that again? How do I find that information? WhatsApp Parent Chat Groups
Did you know that School Council has organized Parent-Led, School Council-supported WhatsApp Chat Groups for each grade? These groups are intended to foster connections between families and the school community, share school events and fundraising activities, and remind each other about important school dates.
The chats are not an official school communication channel and teachers and staff will not review the content. Please continue to connect with teachers directly about student-specific concerns.
If you are interested in joining, please send your School Council team an e-mail to ecsschoolcouncil@gmail.com and you will be added to the correct group.
Subject line – WhatsApp Chat E-mail – your name and phone number, your student’s first name and grade.
Please note if your chat group is starting to flood with questions or doubts about anything, that the most direct way to confirm information is by reaching out directly to the school. This can be through checking our website for posted calendars or resources, reviewing our weekly newsletter, e-mailing your child’s teacher or calling the office. We are always available to help and reaffirm communication that has been provided as well as address concerns should the arise.