Welcome Back to School

Welcome back to a brand-new school year! We are so excited to open our doors, welcome returning families, and greet new students joining our school community.

Here are a few quick reminders to help get the school year off to a smooth start:

• Daily Routines & Arrival: Please check our schedules for morning entry times and dismissal times.

• School Safety & Visitors: To keep our learning environment safe, all visitors and volunteers must check in at the main office upon arrival.

• Communication: Keep an eye out for regular newsletters sent to your inbox every Sunday with important info and upcoming dates and always check our website alhorton.ca or the division website eips.ca for answers to many questions you may have throughout the year.

We are looking forward to a safe, positive, and inspiring year ahead filled with learning and growth. Welcome back and See you Monday, August 31 !!

Parent involvement plays an integral role in a child’s learning. There will be many opportunities this year for you to be involved at the school and we look forward to having you in the building. If you are unable to make time at the school, parents can support their child’s learning at home by showing interest in their academics and supporting the school in its efforts to educate your child.

For the safety of the children, to go past the office, visitors will need to have the Volunteer Form filled out. Parents and volunteers are allowed at the school if they have a purpose to be there. For example, this could be for volunteering in the classroom or simply dropping off a forgotten lunch in the classroom. Therefore, it is highly recommended to fill out the Parent Volunteer Form as soon as possible to make things easier for you upon arrival. This can be done here through Permission Click. Note: parents only need to fill in one volunteer form if you add multiple children to the single form. All visitors are required to sign in at the office.

At A.L. Horton Elementary, when students are ‘caught being great’ by a staff member, students will be sent to the office for recognition and receive a choice of A.L. Horton branded merchandise. Therefore, if your child mentions they were in the office for a visit, hopefully this is the reason. After just two days, we have already had numerous students in the office for doing great things!

In the unfortunate circumstance your child is in the office for a major disciplinary concern, the parent/guardian will receive a phone call home from the school, either by the teacher or administration. A major disciplinary concern consists of either a single major infraction or numerous minor infractions.

For minor infractions, each day, students will be given a reminder followed by a firm reminder. If the student requires a third reminder, the student will be moved to a different location in the classroom to assist the student with their behaviour. If a fourth reminder is required during the school day, these minor concerns will become a major concern. A ‘Student Referral Form’ or ‘Blue Slip’ (because the Student Referral Form is blue), will be sent home for you to sign and return to the school. This form and phone call helps students take accountability for their actions and is a way for the the school to communicate with parents to know about the situation and any consequences. Minor concerns will be dealt with at the school, usually in the moment by a staff member, and may not receive a form or phone call home.

For further information on EIPS’ Administrative Procedure 311: Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning Environments, click here.

For further information on EIPS’ Administrative Procedure 350: Student Code of Conduct click here.

For further information on EIPS’ Administrative Procedure 355 Suspension or Expulsion of Students click here.

For further information on EIPS’ Administrative Procedure 351: Student Conduct on School Buses click here.

A.L. Horton Elementary and Elk Island Public Schools are committed to quality learning assessment. For further information on how learning assessment is conducted at A.L. Horton Elementary and Elk Island Public Schools, please click here for Administrative Procedure 360: Learning and Assessment.

EIPS Administrative Procedure 538: Building Security and Door Locking is in effect at A.L. Horton Elementary. For further information on the procedures which Elk Island Public Schools and A.L. Horton Elementary follow, click here.

Students are not permitted to use cell phones at A.L. Horton Elementary. If you need to reach your child while they are at school, call the office. This is the fastest and best way to ensure your message has been received. The school’s phone number is 780-632-3113. For non-urgent matters, you can also reach the school by email at general.alh@eips.ca

Thank you to everyone who attended Meet the Staff. It was outstanding to see so many families and students before the first day of classes. If you have any feedback to provide about the event, please let us know at general.alh@eips.ca

Every morning, the school’s main doors will open at 8:15 a.m. Students in grades 1 to 6 will all enter the main front doors. This is a change from last year. Kindergarten, PALS, and LINKS will use the doors near the staff parking lot for entry. Teachers will greet them at the door.

At dismissal, students will be able to depart from other doors, helping to limit congestion at the end of the school day. Teachers should have notified you and their students which doors they will be exiting from to help with pickup at the end of the day. If needed, reach out to your child’s teacher.

If your child is late for school, they must enter from the front doors. Since the doors will be locked, they will need to press the button on the far right side near the door to be paged in. The only door that will unlock is the far right door. They should then check in with the office.

If parents need to enter the school during school hours, they should follow the same protocol as the students.

• September 5 - Correction Verification Forms open in PowerSchool
• Monday, September 7 – Labour Day NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, September 2, 9, 16 ,23 – Early Dismissal at 1:55 p.m.
• Thursday, September 10 – Vegreville Fall Community Information Night at the Vegreville Social Centre between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, September 25 - Terry Fox Walk Wear red/white
• Tuesday, September 29- Orange Shirt Day
• Wednesday, September 30 - Truth and Reconciliation Day NO SCHOOL
• School Council Meeting Date and Time TBA
• October 7 & 8 - Picture Days