Elements December Newsletter

We’re excited to celebrate the season with our Kindergarten to Grade 6 Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 11 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Each family will receive 2 blue tickets for the afternoon show and 2 yellow tickets for the evening show.
• Tickets will be sent home with your youngest child one week before the concert.

Not using your tickets? Please return them to the school so we can share them with families requesting extras.

To request additional tickets, email general.fse@eips.ca and let us know your name, your child's name, and your child's class. We’ll do our best to accommodate requests on a first-come, first-served basis, but please note that every person—including infants—must have a ticket for safety reasons.

Extra Festive Details:

• We’ll be collecting food bank donations at the door.
• Doors open 20 minutes before each show so students can get to their classrooms and families can find seats.

Let’s come together to make this holiday season magical! ✨

I want to extend warm holiday wishes to all students, staff and families on behalf of the Elk Island Public Schools Board of Trustees.

As busy as we know the holiday season can be, it’s nice to take a moment to look back with gratitude on the past year. We are grateful for the incredible parents and caregivers in the communities we serve, who consistently step up to support students, educators and staff—day in and day out. We appreciate our staff members, in schools and at Central Administration, for their dedication to excellence in learning. And we celebrate students across the Division, who work so hard and make us incredibly proud.

We hope you enjoy all the wonderful concerts, shows and festivities happening at your school and that you get a chance for rest and reflection during the break. To all of you—have a joyous holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year.

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Jan. 5, 2026.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

Colleen Holowaychuk EIPS Board Chair

Mark your calendars for December 5th from 2:00 - 6:00 because the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP detachment has got something magical planned!

Children will help transform a police car into a holiday masterpiece for the Santa Parade—think bright colors, and tons of creativity!

But that’s not all…
☕ Warm up at our Hot Chocolate Station (with cookies, of course!)
🎨 Create your own holiday magic at the Ornament Decorating Station
🦎 Meet our adorable pet axolotls—they LOVE making new friends!

It’s going to be a day full of fun, laughter, and holiday cheer. Don’t miss it!

Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2026? If so, it’s almost time to register for kindergarten.

Kindergarten registration for the 2026-27 school year opens on Feb. 1, 2026.

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.

Our Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School Council and Parent Society play a vital role in supporting our students and school community. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend meetings, whether in person at the school or virtually using a link sent out via School Messenger. Attendees can vote on key issues and help shape school policies and initiatives.

The Parent Society, our fundraising arm, helps fund important school projects and events. We encourage families to participate in fundraisers that work best for them. We are always looking for volunteers to help with school events and hot lunches. Every contribution makes a difference!

Want to get involved or learn more? Email us at fseparentsociety@gmail.com. We’d love to see new faces at our next meeting because many hands make light work!

Our next school council meeting with be on January 15, 2026 @ 6:00 pm at Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School. We hope to see you there!

With the winter season almost here, the school has a few reminders for families:

• Ensure students have clothing appropriate for expected weather conditions.
• If weather conditions are bad enough to impact student transportation, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) advises families directly, and posts updates on social media and eips.ca.
• Decisions regarding bus cancellations are guided by an EIPS administrative procedure that states, “school bus service may be suspended…when there is a forecast or current temperature of -40 C, including wind chill factor, in one or more regions.” Other reasons for suspending or delaying school bus services include adverse weather and poor road conditions.
• When school bus services are suspended, schools remain open to students.

For more information, contact EIPS Student Transportation at 780-417-8151.

Here’s how it works:

We earn $6 from every kit sold!

A fun easy way to support – and dinner’s taken care too!

Thanks for helping — one slice at a time!

1. Visit www.PizzaKit.ca

2. Enter the Fundraiser ID: 470058 and click Confirm Fundraiser.

3. If you’re a returning customer, log in on the left. If you’re new, create your account and log in on the right to get started.

4. Add your favorite items from Pizza & Specialty Kits or Cookie Dough, then proceed to Checkout when finished.

5. At checkout, enter the student’s name you’re supporting in the “Seller Name” field.

Orders are due December 3, 2025. Late orders cannot be accepted.

You can pay by:

• credit card online for your order by following the instructions attached
• etransfer to fseparentsociety@gmail.com (please include the students name & drop the order form in the Parent Society mailbox in the office)
• cash by dropping the money & order form in the Parent Society mailbox in the office.

Orders will be available for pick up from 3:00 - 5:30pm on December 17th at the school. Products are refrigerated/frozen and we do not have the ability to store orders

If you are unable to pick up during that time, delivery can be arranged in advance, for a $5 fee. Delivery will occur the evening of the 17th.

To arrange for delivery, please etransfer the fee to fseparentsociety@gmail.com and include the students name, the delivery address (Fort Sask area only) and the preferred delivery time.

School Fees:

School fee information for the 2025-2026 school year is now posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. To access your fee information, log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” Once there you can view your fees and pay them online.

If circumstances exist where you’re unable to pay your fees, you can apply to have certain fees waived by submitting an application for fee waiver, found at www.eips.ca/schools/fees/waiver-of-fees. The application deadline is Dec. 15, 2025.

For more information, visit Fort Saskatchewan Elementary's website. Alternatively, contact Kalli Valette, Business Secretary at Fort Saskatchewan Elementary at 780-998-7771.

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed since the start of the year? Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School encourages families to review the 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 the current 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.

Reviewing and updating the form ensures the school and Division have the most up-to-date information regarding your child. Updates completed by December 10 are especially helpful as the Division prepares for 2026-27 registration processes beginning in the new year.

NOTE: Only submit updates for the changes that have already taken place. If you’re moving later this school year, you’ll submit the necessary updates to your information through the Student Information Update after you’ve moved.

If you have questions about the form or any trouble with your Parent Portal account, contact the school office at 780-998-7771.

This year, we will be using the platform Healthy Hunger for our hot lunch program. Simply register for an account at healthyhunger.ca to register your child(ren) and place your order.

Important information:

• Cut off for orders is 7 days before lunch date.
• Full payment is required before order will be placed. If you do not make a payment, no meal will be delivered.
• We will alternate to ensure both Kinder A and Kinder B classes are included.

Should you have any questions please contact School Council directly at fseparentsociety@gmail.com.

Our next hot lunch is with SkyHy Pizza and Donair on December 19.

As part of Elk Island Public Schools’ (EIPS) commitment to stakeholder engagement, the Division regularly seeks input and feedback from staff, families, students and community partners to reflect on the work happening within the Division and its schools and set direction for future growth and improvement.

With planning underway for 2026-27, EIPS is seeking input from stakeholders to develop the budget and priorities for the coming year. The EIPS 2026-27 Planning Survey has two parts:

• Part A: Budget Input – Annually, the Division conducts a budget planning survey. The questions suggest possible budget areas for EIPS to prioritize, which align with the Division’s current Four-Year Education Plan. If you believe there are other areas where EIPS should focus its resources, you can indicate them as well.
• Part B: Four-Year Education Plan Input – Every four years, EIPS requests feedback about the priorities, goals and outcomes that shape the Division’s strategic direction. In fall 2025, the Division welcomed a newly elected Board of Trustees. To help the Board develop a new Four-Year Education Plan—for 2026-30 and beyond—EIPS is seeking your feedback. Your input will help inform and develop EIPS’ priorities, goals and outcomes for future years, and ensure the Division is responsive to student and community needs and focused on continuous improvement.

The survey is voluntary, anonymous and takes about 15 minutes to complete both parts. Collectively, the next priorities, goals and outcomes aligned with budget priorities will set the future direction for the Division, its schools and student learning within EIPS.

COMPLETE THE SURVEY starting, Monday, December 1, 2025.

Survey closes Dec 17, 2025. Grade 12 students will complete the survey at school.

Thank you for sharing your input to help inform Division planning.

December

• 11 - Christmas Concert @ 1:00 and 6:00
• 19 - Hot Lunch
• 19 - Pajama Day and Milk and Cookies for all (Thanks to School Council)

• 22-Jan 2 - Christmas Break - No School

• 5 - Classes Resume
• 15 - School Council and Parent Society Meeting - 6:00 pm at the school
• 28 - Professional Learning Day - No School
• 28 - Report Cards Published to the Parent Portal