Bison Tales

Happy Halloween Week! 🎃🧡

Wishing everyone a spooktacular week filled with smiles, laughter, and a little Halloween magic! It’s always great to see the creativity and excitement this time of year brings to our school. We encourage all families to join us for our Halloween Parade on Friday, October 30, with Kindergarten to Grade 3 parading at 1:00 p.m. and Grades 4–6 at 1:30 p.m. Come see our students show off their creative costumes and celebrate the Halloween spirit!

As we head into the final days of October, the weather is certainly changing! With the ground getting wetter and muddier, please ensure your child has appropriate footwear for outdoor play. As temperatures begin to dip below zero, a warm, dry jacket, gloves, and a toque are also essential to keeping our Bison warm and comfortable during recess. We want everyone to enjoy their time outside, no matter what Mother Nature throws our way!

Have a wonderful week filled with Halloween fun!

Mrs. Candler & Mr. Michaud

Saturday, October 24

• Grade 6 Volleyball Teams @ PEAK Tournament

Monday, October 26

• Grade 6 Field Trip (Kinsmen Swimming)

Wednesday, October 28

• Bison Pride Day - Pajama Day!
• Early Dismissal @ 2:16 pm

Thursday, October 29

• Halloween Carnival hosted by Grade 6 students

• Grade 6 AJS Cafeteria Visit

• Halloween Parade (Grades K-3 1:00pm, Grades 4-6 1:30pm)

Monday, November 2 - Picture Retake Day

Tuesday, November 3 - Parent Teacher Conferences @ 4:00 - 7:00 pm

Tuesday, November 3 - Scholastic Book Fair @ 4:00 - 7:00pm

Wednesday, November 4 - Early Dismissal @ 2:16pm

Wednesday, November 4 - Parent Teacher Conferences @ 3:30 - 6:30 pm

Wednesday, November 4 - Scholastic Book Fait @ 3:30 - 6:30pm

Friday, November 6 - Remembrance Day Ceremony @ 10:30 - 11:30 am
Friday, November 6 - Grade 6 Volleyball Tournament PM & AEPSA Concession

Monday, November 9 - Friday, November 13 - Fall Break (No School)

Wednesday, November 11 - Remembrance Day

Tuesday, November 17 - School Council & AEPSA Meeting

Parent / Teacher Conferences are being held November 3 & 4, 2026. The booking is now open thru November 1.

Booking Site for Kindergarten

Booking Site for Grades 1-6

Booking Site for 5A Madame Edoa (October 28)

As part of our Remembrance Day Ceremony on Friday, November 6, from 10:30–11:30 a.m., we would like to honour our uniformed guests by providing reserved seating.

If you are a current or former member of the military or a uniformed service and plan to attend in uniform, please contact Mme Lisa at lisa.solamillo@eips.ca in advance so we can make the appropriate arrangements.

We will also be selecting three uniformed guests to serve as wreath bearers, alongside their accompanying students, as part of our ceremony.

We look forward to coming together as a school community to honour those who have served and continue to serve.

We will once again be honouring our Bison Family Heroes with a special photo tribute at our Remembrance Day Ceremony. We invite families to submit photos of loved ones who have served or are currently serving in the military so we can recognize and honour their service.

If you have submitted a photo in previous years, there is no need to resubmit it. Your photo will continue to be included in our tribute. All new photo submissions must be received by November 1.

Please email photos or any questions to Mme Lisa at lisa.solamillo@eips.ca. We look forward to honouring the heroes who are part of our Bison family!

Here is the link to submit your photo.

It may only be October, but preparations are already beginning for our Ardrossan Elementary Christmas Concerts!

Please mark your calendars for the following dates and times:

Grade 1 & 2 – December 8
Dress Rehearsal: 1:00 p.m.
Evening Performance: 5:45 p.m.

Grade 3 & 4 – December 8
Dress Rehearsal: 1:00 p.m.
Evening Performance: 7:00 p.m.

Kindergarten – December 9
Evening Performance: 5:45 p.m.
Please note: There will be no dress rehearsal for Kindergarten.

Grade 5 & 6 – December 9
Dress Rehearsal: 1:00 p.m.
Evening Performance: 7:00 p.m.

Grade 6 Actor Auditions

Auditions for Grade 6 students interested in acting roles in the Grade 5/6 Christmas Musical will take place October 5–8 during lunch recess in the Music Room.

We Need Your Help!

We are also looking for a few costumes and props to help bring our Grade 5/6 Christmas Musical to life. If you have any of the following items that you would be willing to lend or donate, we would greatly appreciate it. If you would like an item returned, please make sure it is clearly labelled with your name.

• 1 Puss in Boots costume
• 3 pig costumes – a decorated pink toque/hat and pink T-shirt would work
• 3 Elf on the Shelf costumes – elf names should be displayed in large letters on the shirts; paper signs are fine
• 1 frog costume – a frog hat and green T-shirt would work
• 1 wolf costume – a hat and T-shirt are fine
• 1 long string of fake ivy or other green leafy foliage
• 6 lengths of cord or rope, approximately 15 feet each
• 1 stuffed apple – no real apples, please
• 16 iPhone-sized boxes to create pretend phones – no real phones, please
• 1 child-sized tool belt
• 1 extendable selfie stick

Thank you for helping us prepare for what promises to be a fun and festive couple of days at AEL. We look forward to seeing our Bisons take the stage!

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.

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.

Did you know you can sync the school calendar to your own calendar? Simply, visit https://www.ardrossanelementary.ca/about/calendar click on “Subscribe to Calendar” and follow the instructions. Within seconds, your calendar will contain all Ardrossan Elementary School’s important dates including holidays, school-closures days, planned activities and events, and it will remain synced with all the latest updates throughout the school year.

Please review the map attached to assist with picking and dropping off. We thank you for keeping our students safe! Do not forget about our new accessible parking. Changes were made to our drive-thru pick-up lane and the drive lane to the south of the school. We added accessible parking stalls to better support families and guests who require easier access to the building.

We kindly ask that parents do not stop or park in these lanes unless your child or guest has accessibility needs. Keeping these spaces available helps ensure those who need them most are able to access the school safely and conveniently.

School fees for 2026-27 are now posted to the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. To help make fee payment as convenient as possible, EIPS offers several payment options, including a brand-new option this year—Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments, also known as E-Cheque. EFT payments allow you to pay directly from your bank account with no added fees, giving you added flexibility beyond credit or debit card payments.

When you log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal, click the “Student Fees” icon and proceed to checkout. You’ll now see EFT (E-Cheque) listed as a payment option. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to complete your payment.

To make checkout even faster, you can save EFT to your account for future use.

1. Log in to your PowerSchool Parent Portal account

2. Click on the “Student Fees” icon

3. Open the menu in the top-right corner

4. Select Manage Payment Methods

5. Add and save your EFT (E-Cheque) details

Once saved, you can select EFT at checkout without re-entering your information each time.

For more information, visit the https://www.ardrossanelementary.ca/about/fees. Alternatively, contact Mrs. Marcoux-Jones at Ardrossan Elementary at 780-922-2066.

Families experiencing financial hardship may apply for a waiver of certain transportation or school fees by completing a Fee Waiver Application.

The application deadline is Dec. 15, 2026.

Application instructions are available here.

Do you know a staff member who has gone above and beyond? Take a moment to recognize their hard work and dedication! Submit a nomination to give them a well-deserved Bison Bravo shout-out and help us celebrate the amazing things happening in our school community!

Bison Bravo Staff Nomination Form