Westboro Weekly Newsletter

October 28: Early Dismissal

Choir @ 11:30

October 29: Grade 1 In-School Fieldtrip @ 9:30. Grade 2 In School Fieldtrip @ 9:00. Grade 1/2 In-School Fieldtrip @ 1:00

October 30: Halloween parade @ 1:15

Hot lunch

November 3: Creative Minds-Gr 4, 5, 6 @ 12:02

November 4: Early Dismissal

Choir @ 11:30

November 4 and 5: Parent Teacher Conferences from 4:00-7:00

November 6: School Remembrance Day Ceremony @ 10:30

November 9-13: November Break- no school

November 18: Choir 11:30 and early dismissal

November 25: Early Dismissal

December 2:Early Dismissal

Dear Westboro Families,

Strong, meaningful connections between home and school are crucial in promoting our goal of student engagement. We view parents and guardians as essential partners in every student’s learning journey. When schools and families work together, students thrive—research consistently shows that active family engagement boosts student confidence, enhances academic progress, and increases overall enthusiasm for learning.

Our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences offer a dedicated space to celebrate your child’s strengths, discuss their progress, and collaborate on goals for the rest of the term. Wherever your child is in their educational journey, these conversations ensure we are aligned in supporting their individual growth. Here are the links for Parent-Conferences

Nov 4 https://mybookit.app/book/ae88bvg

Nov 5 https://mybookit.app/book/yrbdsgq

Why Attend?

• Gain Insight into Daily Learning: Get a clear picture of how your child is engaging in the classroom, both academically and socially.

• Collaborate on Next Steps: Partner directly with teachers to set personalized goals that encourage your child to reach their full potential.

• Strengthen Communication: Open lines of dialogue make it easier for us to support your child together all year long.

We encourage every family to participate. Your presence sends a powerful message to your child that their education and well-being matter deeply to all of us. We hope you can join us!

Sincerely,

Tracey

If your child is in Cadets, Sparks, Beavers, Brownies, Cubs, Guides, or Scouts, they are encouraged to wear their uniforms on this day. They will play a special role as our Honour Guard entering in with our flags at the beginning of the ceremony.

Westboro School has a long-standing tradition of recognizing Westboro family members who have served or who are currently serving in our Canadian Armed Forces. Please click on the following link for more information. We would love to honour your family member. Submissions are due by Wednesday, October 28th.

With the 2026-27 school year underway, live access to your child’s assessment information is now available through the “Grades and Attendance” tab in your PowerSchool Parent Portal for all Westboro students. Your child's gradebook may only have a few assessments at this time, but additional assessment information will continue to be added throughout the school year. We encourage families to review the gradebook information within the Parent Portal regularly to learn more about what your child is learning this year. More information resources about this assessment information and how to access the PowerSchool Parent Portal is available on the Student Assessment page of the Division website.

If you have any questions about how your child is doing this school year, reach out directly to their teacher or make a note to discuss it at the upcoming school interviews on November 4th and 5th. If you have any issues logging into your Parent Portal Account, reach out to the school office at (780) 467-7751.

We are excited to celebrate Halloween at Westboro on October 30th! Our Halloween festivities will take place in the afternoon and students are welcome to bring a costume to change into after lunch.

To help keep the school day and learning routines as normal as possible, students will remain in their regular clothing during the morning and change into their costumes for the afternoon festivities.

To help ensure a safe and enjoyable celebration for everyone, please make sure costumes are school appropriate:

• No masks
• No weapons or weapon-like accessories
• No gore or excessively scary costumes
• Costumes must allow students to sit comfortably and participate in activities
• Costumes should be easy to wear over regular clothing to make changing quick and easy
• No inflatable costumes

Students will take part in a school-wide costume parade, where they will walk through the hallway route to show off their costumes.

As part of our celebration, students in Grades 2-5 have been learning the Thriller dance and will perform their routine in the gym for students and staff.

We look forward to an afternoon of fun, creativity, and school spirit! 🎃👻🕸️

To help ensure the safety of all students, families, and staff, please remember that parking is not permitted in the bus lane located in front of the school during the following times:

• 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
• 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

These restrictions are in place to allow buses to safely load and unload students and to help maintain smooth traffic flow during our busiest arrival and dismissal times.

Please be aware that law enforcement has identified this area as a priority and will be conducting increased patrols. Vehicles parked in the bus lane during restricted times may be ticketed.

Thank you for your cooperation and for helping keep our school community safe.

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.

As a reminder, we ask that students keep toys and special items at home, including keychains, trinkets, and other accessories attached to backpacks whenever possible. While these items can be fun, they can sometimes become distractions or get lost, damaged, or accidentally taken by another student.

If your child requires an item for the bus ride, it must remain safely stored in their backpack for the entire school day.

Please take a few minutes to have a conversation with your child about bringing special items to school and the importance of keeping personal belongings safe.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

The holiday season is just around the corner, and we are excited to invite you to one of Bev Facey Community High School’s favourite community traditions — our Annual Holiday Market!

Join us on Saturday, November 28, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Bev Facey Community High School for a festive day filled with holiday shopping, local vendors, fun activities, and plenty of community spirit!

Event Details

• Date: Saturday, November 28, 2026
• Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Location: Bev Facey Community High School, Sherwood Park
• Admission: Free! Come out and enjoy a wonderful day of shopping and community connection!

We are happy to share that our student Safety Patrols are officially be on duty starting to help keep our school zone safe, so please be attentive and respectful to their instructions. To maintain safe traffic flow, we kindly remind all parents and drivers that U-turns are strictly prohibited and stopping in the bus lanes during specific times. Local Peace Officers have been actively monitoring the area to ensure compliance and student safety. Thank you for your patience and ongoing cooperation in keeping our school community safe!

Wondering when and how to pay for school fees? School fee information for the 2026-27 school year will be posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal by September 25th. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. NOTE: Additional fees may be added throughout the year—for example, at the beginning of each semester, as your child takes part in various activities, or they may be adjusted by changes in selected optional courses in junior and senior high school. If you’re unable to pay your school fees, you can apply to have certain fees waived. The application deadline is Dec. 15, 2026.

Alternatively, contact Shelagh Pastoor at Westboro at 780 467-7751.

Please communicate your child’s absence, leaving school early or arriving late directly to

general.wbo@eips.ca or click BUTTON BELOW. These emails are both checked regularly by the school office staff. Do not communicate this information to only the teacher. Situations occur when the homeroom teacher is away and your information will not be received by the office staff who are required to maintain an accurate record of attendance for students throughout the day.

While you're away, students are encouraged to keep up with their reading and log their adventures in a travel journal. To let everyone fully enjoy their time off, schoolwork won't be assigned during the trip—students will simply catch up on any missed classwork after they return. Happy travels!