Blue Jay Bulletin

Dear James Mowat Elementary School Families,

It has been another busy and exciting week at our school! Students have enjoyed volleyball games against Fort Elementary and proudly participated in our annual Halloween Parade. It was wonderful to see the creativity, enthusiasm, and school spirit on display throughout the building. Our volleyball season continues this Saturday with a tournament at Bev Facey Community High School. We wish all of our athletes and coaches the very best of luck as they represent our school.

As we look ahead to next week, we are excited to welcome families into the school for Parent-Teacher Interviews on Monday and Tuesday. These interviews provide an important opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher, celebrate your child’s strengths, and discuss areas for continued growth. The partnership between home and school is essential to student success, and we value the opportunity to work together in support of every learner.

We ask families to arrive 10 minutes before their scheduled interview time. Prior to meeting with your child's teacher, you will have the opportunity to participate in a brief activity with your child to learn about the new Elementary Achievement Standards. For students in Grades 1 through 5, teachers will also be sharing Government of Alberta assessment results during interviews.

While visiting the school, we encourage families to:

• Browse and shop at our Scholastic Book Fair.

• Support our Playground Fundraising Bottle Drive by bringing in refundable bottles and cans.

• Visit the Lost and Found table to check for any missing belongings.

Looking ahead, school swag orders will open on Wednesday, November 4, and remain open until November 18. All orders will be delivered before the Christmas Break, making them great gifts for students and families.

We also invite families to join us for our annual Remembrance Day Ceremony on Friday, November 6, beginning at 10:30 a.m. This meaningful event will be hosted by our Grade 6 students and will include a performance by our Handchime Ensemble, a special presentation from our Grade 3 students, remarks from a member of the Armed Forces, and live music provided by a bagpiper and trumpet player. We look forward to coming together as a school community to honour and remember those who have served our country.

As winter weather begins to arrive, please ensure that students come to school prepared for outdoor play with hats, mitts, boots, and snow pants. Students love spending time outdoors building snow structures and enjoying the winter season. We also recommend that families pack a change of clothes in backpacks, as snow and wet conditions can often lead to damp clothing after recess.

Finally, with Halloween celebrations upon us this weekend, we wish all of our families a safe and enjoyable Halloween. Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy creating special memories together.

Ms. Krista Porter and Mrs. Lana Romanowska

November

2 Parent Teacher Interviews Booking Site Closes at 9 a.m.

2 & 3 Parent Teacher Interviews 4 -7 p.m.

2 & 3 Bottle drive in support of our playground 4 - 7 p.m.

4 School Swag Orders Open

5 Grade 2 - Creative Adventures Caravan In School Field Trip

6 James Mowat Remembrance Day Ceremony at 10:30 a.m.

9 Hot Lunch Orders Due (KFC)

9-13 November Break - No school for staff or students

11 Remembrance Day

16 Parent Council/Parent Advisory Association Meetings at 5:30 p.m.

17 Hot lunch - KFC

17 Dieleman Fundraiser Orders Due

18 School Swag Orders Close

25 Hot lunch orders due (Firehouse subs)

December

1 Purdy's Fundraiser Orders Due

3 Hot Lunch - Firehouse Subs

Book your parent-teacher-student interview time(s) at https://mybookit.app/book/j3kwgd9 by Monday, November 2.

The Bookit booking system makes booking interview times easy, especially for those with multiple children. Simply add all your children on the first page, select your child(ren)’s teacher(s) and choose your time(s). Make sure to press Submit on the summary page to book your interview. You will receive an email booking confirmation.

Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews will be held on November 2nd and 3rd from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Interviews are scheduled for 10 minutes for an individual time with your child’s teacher. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your meeting time.

Our school will be holding a Bottle Drive on November 2 & 3 in support of our playground fundraiser. A truck will be onsite to collect the bottles from 4-7 p.m. during Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews.

Every bottle helps us get a little closer to our goal, and we appreciate the support of our school community!

As Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews approach, we invite families to take a few moments to visit our Lost & Found tables while at the school. A large number of clothing items, water bottles, lunch containers, and other personal belongings have accumulated throughout the fall.

Please stop by and check to see if any items belong to your student. Unclaimed items will be donated on November 6, so we encourage families to claim any missing belongings as soon as possible.

Thank you for helping us reunite lost items with their owners! 🧥🎒👟😊

We're excited to announce that James Mowat Elementary apparel orders will open on November 4 - 18.

Show your school spirit with a variety of apparel options for students, families, and staff. Every purchase helps support our school, as a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to James Mowat Elementary through this fundraising opportunity. All orders will be delivered before the Christmas Break, making them great gifts for students and families.

Order Link:Jamesmowatt.deco-apparel.com

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing our James Mowat community proudly wearing their school gear!💙

Hot lunch ordering is open for November, and December!

Please review the attached flyer for ordering instructions, important dates, and additional information.

We encourage families to place their orders before the ordering deadlines to ensure their student(s) can participate.

If you have any questions, please contact Chantal at jamesmowatlunch@gmail.com

Volunteer sign-ups are also available.

We are requesting 6 volunteers for each day. Please sign up using the links below.

November 17 https://volunteersignup.org/MLFFC

December 3 https://volunteersignup.org/37P9R

December 15 https://volunteersignup.org/4BHDH

Meet the books coming to our school's fair! The book fair will be open during Parent-Teacher-Interviews on November 2 and from 4-7 p.m.

Browse upcoming books, watch trailers, and help your reader discover their new favourites with the NEW Fair Showcase!

Get Started

With students back in school, Municipal Enforcement would like to welcome families to another school year and share a few friendly safety reminders. These reminders help keep students, parents, school staff, pedestrians, and drivers safe during busy drop-off and pick-up times.

Families are asked to please follow all posted parking and traffic regulations when dropping off or picking up students. Doing so helps support safe movement around the school and keeps traffic flowing smoothly for everyone.

Students and families are required to use marked crosswalks whenever crossing the street. At lighted crosswalks, please remember to activate the flashing lights and wait until it is safe before proceeding.

It is wonderful to see many students choosing active transportation, such as walking, biking, or using a scooter, to get to school. As a reminder, e-scooters are not permitted and should not be used for travel to and from school.

Families dropping off or picking up students are also reminded to be mindful of posted school zone speed limits. School zones are 30 km/h between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., helping create a safer environment for students and families during the busiest parts of the day.

Municipal Enforcement officers will also be present in school zones to support safety, encourage positive driving behaviours, and help ensure everyone can arrive and leave safely.

Thank you for helping make our school zones safer and more welcoming for everyone.

As the temperatures begin to drop and the weather becomes cooler, we kindly ask families to ensure students come to school dressed appropriately for the outdoors.

Students go outside for recess and lunch breaks whenever possible, so warm clothing helps them stay comfortable and enjoy their time outdoors. Please send your child with weather-appropriate outerwear, including a warm coat, hat, mittens or gloves, and appropriate footwear. As we move into the colder months, snow pants and boots may also be needed depending on daily conditions.

A reminder to label all clothing items with your child's name whenever possible. This makes it much easier to return misplaced items to their owners.

Thank you for helping your child stay warm, safe, and ready to learn throughout the changing season! ❄️

Alberta Health Services is hosting a series of virtual caregiver information sessions focused on ways to support students’ mental health. The sessions are free and geared toward parents, caregivers, teachers and community members who want to learn more about challenges impacting children and adolescents. This November’s sessions are focused on understanding anxiety.

Visit Caregiver Education to see the monthly caregiver sessions.

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.

Friendships build kids' confidence, resilience, and sense of belonging. Try these tips to help your child with friendships.

Parenting comes with new challenges at every stage. This fall, we are pleased to offer a variety of free workshops for parents and caregivers. Everyone is welcome.

Registration is now open: FCSS Workshops

October

October-November (Virtual, On-Demand)

Surviving the Teen Years

The Institute of Child Psychology is currently offering Surviving the Teen Years as a free, virtual, self‑paced session. This is an excellent resource for anyone parenting teens, preparing for the teen years, or working with youth. It covers brain development, the changes teens experience, and how understanding these shifts can help us better support them.

This session is free until November 2nd, and you can watch it as many times as you’d like before then. Link: https://vimeo.com/1232130972 Password: Teens

November

November 4 | 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Raising Financially Fit Kids
Presented by Credit Counselling Society
💻 Virtual

November 5 | 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Supporting Boys' Mental Health
Presented by Recovery Alberta
📍 Location TBD

November 19 | 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Guiding Your Child Through Life Transitions
Presented by Autism Edmonton

December

December 3 | 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Neurodivergent Youth and Mental Health
Presented by PCN