Elements February Newsletter

I am excited to share some great news! Our school won the Jamuary Reading Challenge set out by the Fort Saskatchewan Library and Twice But Nice! Because of all the reading our students and families did, we will soon receive the Golden Jam Jar Trophy. Thank you for taking time to record your home reading minutes. Your support helped us reach our goal. Thanks to the challenge, Twice But Nice is donating $500 to the Nourishment Centre to purchase jam, so our reading is helping our whole community. Thank you for being part of this success!

I also want to thank all the families who joined us for our Kindergarten Open House. It was wonderful to meet new families and share what makes our school a great place to learn. Kindergarten registration opens on February 1, and we look forward to welcoming our newest students.

February Events

February is a busy month at our school! We will be learning about and celebrating:

Black History Month
Valentine's Day Carnival
Random Acts of Kindness Week
Family Day
Pink Shirt Day

These special days help us learn about kindness, respect, and the importance of caring for others.

No School February 6–7

Please remember there is no school on February 6 and 7 because of Teachers’ Convention.

Thank you for your continued support and for being an important part of our school community.

We kindly ask all parents and caregivers to help us keep our students safe by avoiding parking in the alley or in the Fort High student parking lot during drop‑off and pick‑up times. We have received reports of students darting between parked cars to catch their ride, creating a dangerous situation for both students and drivers.

We understand that the area around the school becomes busy and congested, especially during peak times. However, student safety must remain our top priority. Thank you for being thoughtful neighbours and helping keep all students safe!

Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2026? If so, it’s time to register for kindergarten.

Kindergarten registration for the 2026-27 school year is now open!

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.

Library fine notices were sent home recently. Families can pay any outstanding fines through the Parent Portal. If the missing book is found, simply return it to the school and the fee will be removed. Please remember that library books should be returned or renewed each week to help keep our collection circulating for all students.

To help our office run smoothly, we kindly ask parents to avoid sending food delivery services or external hot lunch drop‑offs on School Council hot lunch days.

Our office is already a very busy place, and hot lunch days bring even more activity. Additional deliveries create extra strain on our staff and interrupt their ability to complete their regular duties.

If your child is not participating in the School Council hot lunch program, please ensure they bring a lunch from home on those days.

If you have ordered hot lunch through School Council and your child is absent, you may arrange to pick up the lunch from the office. To do so, please notify the office by 10:30. Pick up time for hot lunches is 12:45. Any lunches not claimed or arranged for pick up by 10:30 am will be donated to a child in need of a lunch.

Thank you for supporting our staff and helping keep our school day running efficiently!

To help students and their families make informed decisions about next school year, schools across the Division will host open houses and information sessions throughout the upcoming registration season to share information about specific courses, alternative programming and extracurricular opportunities available. Refer to the open house listing for more information or contact the school you’re interested in directly.

The Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) returning student registration process for 2026-27 takes place Feb. 9-23, 2026. Through the online form, families will confirm the school and program their child will attend next year or advise the Division if they aren’t returning. For students who want to attend a non-designated school next year, these requests must be submitted through the returning student registration process—acceptance is based on available space.

On February 9, the parent/guardian on file in PowerSchool identified as the Permission Click contact for each student will receive an email through Permission Click with a link to the form. If your family hasn’t received any Permission Click forms this school year, contact the school office so we can investigate any technical issues before registration season.

Our Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School Council and Parent Society play a vital role in supporting our students and school community. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend meetings in person at the school. Attendees can vote on key issues and help shape school policies and initiatives.

The Parent Society, our fundraising arm, helps fund important school projects and events. We encourage families to participate in fundraisers that work best for them. We are always looking for volunteers to help with school events and hot lunches. Every contribution makes a difference!

Want to get involved or learn more? Email us at fseparentsociety@gmail.com. We’d love to see new faces at our next meeting because many hands make light work!

Our next school council meeting with be on February 26, 2026 @ 6:00 pm at Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School. We hope to see you there!

Report cards are now available for viewing on the Parent Portal. At this time, 38% of families have accessed their child's report card. Thank you to those who have already taken the time to review this important document.

Your child’s report card provides meaningful insight into their strengths, areas where additional support or enrichment may help, and their overall learning progress. Reviewing it together can spark positive conversations about school, allowing you to celebrate achievements and help you set goals for the months ahead.

Parent involvement plays a vital role in student success, and staying informed is one of the simplest and most impactful ways to support your child's learning.

If you need assistance accessing the Parent Portal or viewing the report card, please contact the school office. We are happy to help!

The Alberta Education and Childcare Assurance (AECA) annual survey for students and their parents or guardians is available now. The AECA survey gathers feedback on the quality of education provided by school authorities and their schools. Schools and school authorities use this information to understand how they should plan for the future. The survey is intended for parents of students in grades 4, 7 and 10. In some schools, all parents of students in Grade 4 and above will be surveyed.

The survey is open until March 6. Schools will provide the random-access code applicable families will need to complete the survey. If you have more than one student in the grades being surveyed, you’ll receive a survey package and separate random-access code for each student

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.

Thank you for providing feedback on our current school fees. We had an excellent response from our school community, and we appreciate your engagement. Your input will help inform the fee decisions for next year.

We will share the proposed fee information at the School Council meeting on February 26 at 6:00 p.m. Once the fees have been approved by EIPS, we will post them on our website and share them via email.

School fee reminder letters have been sent out to families who have yet to pay their school fees. Please check your email for more information. To access your fee information, log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” Once there you can view your fees and pay them online. We can also accept cash at the school.

If circumstances exist where you’re unable to pay your fees, you can apply to have certain fees waived by applying for fee waiver, found at www.eips.ca/schools/fees/waiver-of-fees. The application deadline has been extended to February. 13, 2026.

This year, we are charging for all field trips up front for the entire school year. Paying fees upfront means that you do not have to pay per field trip. That is why the permission form does not have a fee per field trip.

For more information, visit Fort Saskatchewan Elementary's website. Alternatively, contact Kalli Valette, Business Secretary or Tami Richert, Principal at Fort Saskatchewan Elementary at 780-998-7771.

This year, we will be using the platform Healthy Hunger for our hot lunch program. Simply register for an account at healthyhunger.ca to register your child(ren) and place your order.

Important information:

Cut off for orders is 7 days before lunch date.
Full payment is required before order will be placed. If you do not make a payment, no meal will be delivered.
We will alternate to ensure both Kinder A and Kinder B classes are included.

Should you have any questions please contact School Council directly at fseparentsociety@gmail.com.

Our next hot lunch is with Mary Brown's Chicken on February 27.