Westboro Weekly Newsletter

December 15-18: Food Drive for the Strathcona County Food Bank

December 17: Winter Wonderland Wednesday

December 17: Early Dismissal - Students will be dismissed one hour early at 2:16 p.m.

December 18: Westboro Parent's Society delivers a special treat to Kindergarten

December 18: Hot lunch Booster Juice

December 18: Kindergarten PJ Day

December 18: Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews 4-7 p.m.

December 18: Bottle Drive 4-7 p.m.

December 19: PJ Day

December 19: Westboro Parent's Society delivers a special treat students

December 19: Last day of classes before Christmas Break

December 20 - January 4: Christmas Break

January 5: Classes Resume

Looking ahead:

January 7: Early Dismissal - Students will be dismissed one hour early at 2:16 p.m.

January 13: Parent Council Meeting 6:30 p.m.

January 14: Early Dismissal - Students will be dismissed one hour early at 2:16 p.m.

January 21: Early Dismissal - Students will be dismissed one hour early at 2:16 p.m.

January 22: Pre-Kindergarten Program Virtual Information Session #1 10:00 a.m.

January 22: Pre-Kindergarten Program Virtual Information Session #2 6:00 p.m.

January 28: Professional Learning Day: no school for students

January 28: Report Cards

We are looking for a few wonderful volunteers to help spread some holiday cheer! On Friday, December 19, we will be handing out Christmas treats to our students, and we would love your support.

If you are available from 9:30–10:30 a.m., please consider joining us for this fun and festive hour. Your help ensures every student receives a warm holiday greeting and a special treat to enjoy.

Thank you for considering volunteering your time—our school community is stronger because of you!

If you’re able to help, please email westboroparents@gmail.com

As a friendly reminder, we ask families to please keep pets a safe distance away from school walkways and entrances during drop-off and pick-up times. Some students and adults have allergies, and others may feel uncomfortable or nervous around animals.

Your help in keeping our school environment safe and welcoming for everyone is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

This holiday season, our school is embracing the spirit of giving with a special tradition: The Mitten Tree. Located in the school lobby we hope to have the tree adorned with mittens and gloves donated by our wonderful school community.

The Mitten Tree is more than just a festive decoration; it’s a symbol of kindness and care. All donations collected will be distributed to the local organization, A Safe Place, to help ensure everyone stays warm during the chilly winter months.

How You Can Help:

We invite students, parents/guardians, and staff to contribute by donating new mittens and gloves. Simply bring your items to school and hang them on the tree. Donations will be accepted through Friday, December 19, 2025 at noon.

Let’s work together to fill our Mitten Tree and spread warmth, one mitten at a time. Thank you for helping us make a difference!

Support Westboro Elementary by bringing in your bags of bottles to the Student/Parent/Teacher conferences on December18 from 4-7 p.m.

If you don't have any bottles but would like to contribute to this fundraiser, you can donate online at skipthedepot.com.

Elk Island Public Schools is proud to offer a variety of pre-kindergarten programming and locations across the Division. EIPS offers two different pre-kindergarten options:

*NEW* Early Learners in Motion (ELM)

ELM is a fun, inclusive pre-kindergarten program for all learners, aged four to five years old, that blends early literacy, movement, music and play-based learning. The ELM approach encourages curiosity, creativity and social-emotional growth through hands-on, joyful experiences.

Play and Learn at School (PALS)

PALS is a pre-kindergarten program for children who qualify for Program Unit Funding (PUF), such as those with communication delays, autism or social-emotional challenges. PALS pre-kindergarten offers a fun, play-based environment where kids can learn and develop skills for future success.

Interested in learning more about EIPS pre-kindergarten programs? Refer to the EIPS pre-kindergarten page. Are you ready to submit your intake form for either ELM or PALS pre-kindergarten? Submit the 2026-27 Pre-Kindergarten Intake form, and the EIPS team will get back to you with next steps.

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.

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed since the start of the year? Westboro Elementary 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-=467-7751.

Our School Council and Parent's Society are wonderful ways to stay connected, support our school community, and make a meaningful difference. If you’ve ever thought about getting involved, now is the perfect time—you can ease into a role and receive great mentorship from our experienced volunteers.

Our current Vice Chair is completing her final year, and we are looking for someone to step into this supportive role next year. The Vice Chair helps with various in-school commitments—most recently, coordinating the in-school portion of hot lunch on hot lunch days.

We are also seeking a Hot Lunch Coordinator for next year. This is an essential role; without someone to take it on, we will be unable to continue offering hot lunch to our students and staff. Hot lunch days are something many families look forward to, and we’d love to keep this program running with your help.

If you have any questions or would like more information about these opportunities, please reach out to westboroparents@gmail.com—we are happy to answer any questions as needed.

Thank you for considering getting involved. Your time and energy make a tremendous difference!

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 NOW
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.