viernes 6 de septiembre, 2024
Estimadas familias,
Last year our school was invited to participate in a year-long residency with Ever Active Schools, which was led by our grade 4 students. This was prompted by ongoing traffic volume and safety concerns around the school. We are not alone! This is a common problem across our city. Our aim through working with Ever Active was to first examine what might be the root cause of our concerns and then see if we could find ways to make improvements as well as educate our students and community about “Active and Safe Routes to School”.
Through this residency, our students learned about:
- Making real-time observations through traffic studies
- Comparing traffic study data over time
- Planning and hosting a school-wide active living events (winter walk to school, walk/bike/roll)
- Creating school-wide communication plans about active living
Our administrative team also met with key members of CBE Transportation & Planning, The City of Calgary, Haysboro community representatives as well as our Board Trustee to walk around the school site to experience first-hand the pressures that we face at dismissal time.
The residency also provided us with a small amount of funding to create visuals that would help us spread the message around embedding active movement into transportation to school and also, to help families utilize the designated spaces around our school.
This week we received several banners which showcased the work of last year’s grade 4 and grade 5 students as well as new “Hug and Go’ signs for our drop off and pick-up zone. While we may no long have an active residency with Ever Active Schools, our work continues. It is our goal to continue to promote and educate about active and safe movement around our school.
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.
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 (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. More details 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
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.
