May 27 BUZZ
Happy Monday!
I would like to extend a huge thank you to our Glen Allan School Council executive who gift so much time and support to our school community. At our final GASC meeting of the year last week we extended gratitudes and farewell to Mr. Kris Kasawski who served as GASC secretary this year. Elections were also held during the meeting and we are grateful to welcome back the following executive members:
- Chair: Erin Hamilton
- Budget Vice-Chair: Erin Barrett
- Programs Vice-Chair: Caitlin Burkholder
- Fund Development Committee Chair: Jennifer Campbell
- Treasurer: Rosa Bull
- Secretary: VACANT POSITION
We are also happy to welcome Mrs. Crystal Brownlee to our Glen Allan community. Mrs. Brownlee will join Glen Allan us as our Acting Assistant Principal for the 2024-25 school year. She looks forward to meeting our amazing school community!
Hello! My name is Crystal Brownlee and I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new Assistant Principal of Glen Allan Elementary School. I am honored to join this vibrant and dedicated educational community. With a passion for fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment, I am excited to work alongside the talented staff, engaged parents, and, most importantly, the wonderful students of Glen Allan.
Growing up I knew that education was my passion. I started my career in education with Elk Island Public Schools as a grade 1 teacher. Throughout the years I have taught in both Division 1 and 2, as well being a literacy and numeracy intervention teacher. My experience in leadership began a few years ago as an assistant principal in a K-9 school.
I completed my Masters Degree in Education which has allowed me to continue my passion as a lifelong learner. I am continuing my journey of educational learning as I start my Graduate Certificate of Leadership this summer.
I moved to Sherwood Park over 20 years ago and continue to reside here with my husband, 2 sons and dog named Marty. Our family is actively involved in many community sports. You will usually find me at an arena on the weekends cheering on my sons in hockey or lacrosse and volunteering in the community.
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, watching movies, walking my dog, cheering for the Oilers and camping.
My commitment to student success and well-being drives my dedication to ensure that Glen Allan continues to be a place where every child feels valued, inspired, and empowered to reach their full potential.
I look forward to meeting you all and embarking on this exciting journey together.
Warm regards,
Crystal Brownlee
It's a great week for a great week!
Please read through the following blog post articles for important Glen Allan information.
Upcoming Events and Important Dates
Action
- Student Transportation: 2024-25 registration
- Little Elk Island Adventure: Registration
- REMINDER: 2023-24 school fees
- Updating Your Contact Information
Opportunity
Information
- 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey Results Report
- Class Placements and Configurations
- Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health Newsletter
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Information
- Fun Times at Glen Allan
- Grade 6 Evidence and Investigation
- Art Gallery and Aviation Museum Field Trips - Grade 6
WEEK AT A GLANCE - May 27 - May 31
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Upcoming Events and Important Dates
- May 28: Red Shirt Day (recognizing this a day early due to Class Photos)
- May 29: Class Photos for all Grades
- June: National Indigenous History Month
- June 5: Early dismissal
- June 7: Glen Allan Sports Day (AM)
- June 10-14: BOGO Scholastic Book Fair
- June 11: Grade 5 DARE Grad
- June 14: All library books due back
- June 19: Grade 6 Social Studies PAT
- June 19: Kindergarten Celebration
- June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day
- June 21: Lunch on the Land Family Picnic
- June 25: Grade 6 Farewell
- June 26: Last day of classes
- June 26: Report Cards Published
- June 27: Operational Day (schools closed to students)
ACTION
Student Transportation: 2024-25 registration
Planning to use Student Transportation in the 2024-25 school year? If so, make sure your child is registered so Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) can plan routes and send your child a bus pass before the first day of school.
All students who indicated needing transportation services through the returning student or new student registration processes are now registered. Those families have also received tentative route schedules and invoices—fees are due June 30, 2024.
For those students who did not indicate needing transportation services during the registration process and want to now register, contact EIPS’ Student Transportation office at 780-417-8151.
For more information about EIPS Student Transportation, visit www.eips.ca/transportation.
NOTE: Families can pay fees online using the PowerSchool Parent Portal. To pay in-person, visit the EIPS Student Transportation building during its office hours—Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on non-school days.
Little Elk Island Adventure: Registration
Elk Island Public Schools is once again planning to run the Little Elk Island Adventure, a fun and informative program for first-time school bus riders.
Annually, Student Transportation offers the Little Elk Island Adventure to new riders and their parents. The program’s aim: To help introduce families to busing so they feel comfortable and at ease before even starting school. Through a series of activities, riders learn about school bus safety, danger zones, tips on boarding and how to sit properly on the bus. After that, both the children and parents hop on the bus to practice what they’ve learned by venturing out on a short ride.
The Little Elk Island Adventure is for first-time school bus riders entering the 2024-25 school year. The tentative session dates and times are as follows:
Location Date Time
- EIPS Central Services August 12 5 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 12 6:30 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 14 5 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 16 2 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 16 5 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 19 2 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 19 5 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 20 5 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 20 6:30 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 21 5 p.m.
- EIPS Central Services August 21 6:30 p.m.
*EIPS Central Services is located at 683 Wye Rd., Sherwood Park
Space is limited and pre-registration is required.
More information about busing for kindergarten children is available at: eips.ca/transportation/kindergarten-busing-faq.
REMINDER: 2023-24 school fees
School fees for the 2023-24 school year are posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. Throughout the year, fees are often added to cover the costs for various activities, such as field trips, extracurricular activities, and late, damaged or lost textbooks.
To access your fee information, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” There you can view fees and pay them online using a Mastercard or Visa credit or debit card. Make sure to monitor your child’s account on an ongoing basis.
For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit eips.ca/schools/fees. And, if you have questions, think there is an error or need help creating a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, contact your child’s school directly before the summer break.
NOTE: Pursuant to Board Policy 23: School Fees and Administrative Procedure 505: School and Administrative Fees, EIPS will forward any unpaid 2023-24 fee amounts to a collection agency. To prevent this from happening, remember to pay your fees before Aug. 31, 2024.
Updating Your Contact Information
Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed? Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) encourages families to review their information the Division has on file to ensure it’s up to date. Using the Student Information Update available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, families can review their information on file for each student—including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, parent and guardian information, emergency contacts, medical details and other related information—and submit any updates needed.
NOTE: Only submit updates for the changes that have already taken place. If you’re moving this summer, you’ll submit the necessary updates through the Student Information Update after you’ve moved at the start of next school year. The form is open—for current-year updates—until June 14 at noon. It will reopen for families at the start of next school year.
OPPORTUNITY
Book Fair Volunteers
We will be hosting a BOGO Scholastic Book Fair the week of June 10-14. The Book Fair runs much smoother when we have 1-2 parent volunteers helping out. This time around, there will be no evening shopping times, so we're looking for parents who can help during the school day.
Shopping days will be Wednesday, June 12 from 9am-12pm and 1-2pm and Thursday June 13 from 9am-11am. If you are able to help out, please email Mrs. Appleby to let her know which day(s) and time(s) would work best for you.
INFORMATION
2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey Results Report
The results are now available for the 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For Parents and Caregivers conducted in March. Thank you to all families who took the time to share their feedback with the Division. The survey included a series of questions related to the three priorities outlined in the EIPS Four-Year Education Plan: 2022-26 (Year 2).
- Priority 1: Promote growth and success for all students
- Priority 2: Enhance high-quality learning and working environments
- Priority 3: Enhance public education through effective engagement
The overall Division results represent close to 1,900 responses from parents and caregivers across the Division.
The survey results for Glen Allan Elementary have helped us identify the following areas of strength and opportunities for growth.
Areas of strength:
- Growth in literacy and numeracy
- Understanding of First Nations, Metis and Inuit culture and history
- Student citizenship and safe and caring schools
- Parent involvement and communication
Opportunities for growth:
- Meeting student needs and access to resources
- Overall quality of education
**We are looking for feedback from families who responded to the survey specifically if there was an area where dissatisfaction was indicated. While we can infer the reasons for dissatisfaction, we do not want to miss an element that is within our school's locus of control. If you are willing to share reasons for your response, please send your feedback via email to Jen Ference.
The feedback gathered in the survey will help our school and the Division measure its progress toward meeting the priorities and goals outlined in the EIPS Four-Year Education Plan and develop strategies to better serve students and the wider community moving forward.
Annual Feedback Survey Results: Division
Annual Feedback Survey Results for Parents and Caregivers: Glen Allan Elementary
Class Placements and Configurations
As our survey results indicate, Glen Allan Elementary is genuinely concerned for the welfare and success of your children.
Our teachers collaborate with the administration and counsellor to develop balanced class lists as a team. They consider several factors such as academic needs, behavioural needs, friendship/social groupings, access to support staff, matching personalities between teacher/student and a balance of genders. Teachers submit a checklist with each draft class list that addresses these considerations, including ensuring at least one friend for each student. As you can imagine, creating class lists is a complicated task.
It is our goal to create balanced classes that provide an excellent educational experience for each child. We appreciate your trust in our professionalism and our desire to do right by all students while balancing the various needs of each family. It is for that reason that we do not entertain requests for classroom placements. If there is an extenuating circumstance that will have a significant impact on your child or family that you feel we need to consider, you can share that information in writing via email to the principal, Jennifer Ference, by May 31, 2024.
Below are next year's class configurations, based on our 2024-25 enrolment numbers. If new students enroll between now and September, these configurations could change.
- 2 classes of Kindergarten
- One class of Grade 1
- One class of Grade 2
- One class of combined Grade 2 and 3
- One class of Grade 3
- Two classes of Grade 4
- One class of Grade 5
- Two classes of Grade 6
Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health Newsletter
The June edition of the Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health Newsletter focuses on the 40 Developmental Assets. Newsletter
Themes include:
- What are the 40 Developmental Assets?
- Ways to be intentional about asset building (Part 1)
- Ways to be intentional about asset building (Part 2)
- Ways to show your kids you care
FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT INFORMATION
"Indigenous people use weaving to make many great things. For instance, the Iroquois weave corn leaves to make sacred masks and the Haida weave spruce roots to make baskets and cedar bark to make hats. Other well-known articles are also made by weaving or braiding, such as Inuit or First Nations snowshoes or the traditional Métis sash.
By using the weaving technique, you too could make beautiful things such as bracelets, headbands, belts, or decorations. If you persevere, you'll pick up the technique and your weaving will become increasingly beautiful.
For this activity, you'll need four strands of embroidery thread in different colours, each strand about 1m long. Rank the colours in whatever order appeals to you. For your first attempt, however, we suggest you stay with the order in the example, yellow, blue, green, and red."
For instructions, please click here.
For information and more activities, please visit the Government of Canada website.
PHOTO GALLERIES
Fun Times at Glen Allan
Art Gallery and Aviation Museum Field Trip - Grade 6
Grade 6 Evidence and Investigation
