March 2 - 8, 2026

www.ecoleparc.ca

It's monthly assembly time again! We're extra excited as this time as Mme Boswell and I will have Gr. 6 leaders helping us to run the assembly! We're always trying to find creative leadership opportunities for our students! Our assembly will be on Thursday, Mar. 5 at 9:00 a.m. Class 52 will be dazzling us with the recorder and class 32 will be teaching us about the virtue or Honestly. Please come join us, if you can!

Urgent Volunteer Request: Our Outdoor Carnaval is on Monday, March 9. Our teachers ran the Indoor Winter Carnaval for our families on Feb. 12, this time we're reaching out to our amazing parents to ask that you help us out to make this event as great as possible for our students. If you can volunteer from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday, March 9 we'd love it! We run stations such as hot chocolate, Bonhomme toss, toboggan races, and so much more! We're your winter gear and come share some laughs with our students and staff! Please email: shelley.boswell@eips.ca if you can come join the fun!

Don't forget: Wednesday is jersey day and Friday, Mar. 6 there is no school as it is a professional learning day for staff.

We wish everyone a fantastic week!

Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2026?

Kindergarten registration for the 2026-27 school year opened 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.

Additional information regarding Ecole Parc’s kindergarten program is available at https://www.ecoleparc.ca/home/news.

Alberta Education and Childcare Assurance Survey 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 (EIPS) wants to hear from you. Every year, EIPS conducts a feedback survey to gauge its progress toward meeting the goals and priorities outlined in its Four-Year Education Plan. Collectively, the Division uses the survey feedback to help guide future planning, decision-making and strategies—all aimed at enhancing student learning and better serving the wider community.

Complete the 2025-26 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For Parents and Caregivers by March 20.

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.

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.

Click here

What's happening this week at École Parc:

March 2

• Hot Lunch: Canadian Brewhouse
• Class of the week: 11
• Grade 6 Field Trip: Vertically Inclined
• Battle of the books: Grade 4

March 3

• Battle of the books: Grade 6
• Smudging

March 4

• Early out: classes dismissed at 2:12 pm
• Sports Jersey Day
• Battle of the books practice: Grade 5

March 5

• Monthly Assembly 9:00 am

March 6

• Professional Learning Day: No school

Upcoming dates:

March 9

• Class of the week: ECS A
• Battle of the books: Grade 4
• Carnaval 12:30 pm - 12:30 pm

March 10

• Battle of the books in Ardrossan 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

March 11

• Early out: classes dismissed at 2:12 pm
• School Council Meeting 6:00 pm

March 16

• Hot Lunch: Booster Juice
• Class of the week: ECS E

March 18

• Early out: classes dismissed at 2:12 pm
• Shelter in place drill
• Lunch with the principal: February winners

March 23 - March 27

• Spring break: No school

March 30

• PALS classes resume
• Kindergarten In school Field Trip: Puppet Theatre
• Hot Lunch: Panago
• Class of the week: Quest

EIPS Welomes all First Nations and Inuit Families and their allies to the Family Métis Kitchen Party!

If circumstances exist where you’re unable to pay school or transportation fees, you can apply to have fees waived by submitting an Application for a Waiver of Fees. The application deadline is Feb. 13, 2026. If you’re new to the Division, the deadline is the latter of Feb. 13, 2026, or 45 days after registration.

To access your fee information, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” There you can view your fees and pay them online using Visa or MasterCard. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted.

Don’t forget to also log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal regularly throughout the year. Fees are often added to your child’s account to cover the cost of various school activities such as field trips, class projects, extracurricular activities and more.

For more information about school fees, waivers and payment deadlines, visit www.eips.ca/schools/fees and https://www.ecoleparc.ca/about/fees. Alternatively, contact Sherri Prince, Senior Administrative Assistant at Ecole Parc at 780-998-3741.

Hello Grizzly families,

Hot lunch will be offered on the following days

Feb 17th Cobs

Mar 2nd Canadian Brewhouse

Mar 16th Booster Juice

Mar 30th Panago

Apr 13th Tim Horton

Apr 27th Cobs

May 11th Canadian Brewhouse

May 25th Booster Juice

Jun 8th Panago

Hot Lunch is ordered through Munchalunch. I have included a document with steps to complete this account. If you need to create an account check out this info:

Munchalunch https://munchalunch.com/schools/parc to create your account

For any other questions, please reach out to EPESchoolcouncil@gmail.com.

Please cancel any future orders you have purchased with Lunchbox. Follow the attached instructions to do so.

Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed since the start of the year? École Parc 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 780-998-3741.

Did you know?

January 4, 2026 marked the fourth annual National Ribbon Skirt Day.

This day celebrates ribbon skirts as a symbol of Indigenous pride and cultural identity. Rupertsland Institute staff were encouraged to wear ribbon skirts in honour of this day, and in recognition of what they represent every day. I encourage families to read about the Ribbon Skirt at What is a Ribbon Skirt? — The Ribbon Skirt Project

If your child loses a library or home reading book, please contact the school. If the book is not found within 30 days, the cost of the resource will be assigned to the “Fees” section of your PowerSchool account. Please note, if the book is found within 30 days, a refund will be granted. However, if the book is found after 30 days, a refund will not be granted as we will have purchased a replacement for the library’s collection.

Please click here.

If your student is absent, being picked up early or will be arriving late, we ask that you please email our attendance email at EPEAttendance@eips.ca or call the school at 780-998-3741.

**NEW**

Please email any DQ permissions(Grade 5 and 6 only) to EPEAttendance@eips.ca by 11:00 am on the day you wish your student to go to DQ. Please do not send paper notes or write in the agenda.

We ask that you contact us ahead of time for early pickups so that we may have your student ready on time. We understand that there may be last minute situations. Thank you.

Wondering when and how to pay for school fees? School fee information for the 2025-26 school year will be posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal in late September. 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, 2025.

For more information, visit the Fees page on the school website. Alternatively, contact Sherri Prince, Business Manager at École Parc at 780-998-3741.

For the safety of our students, a reminder that this lane is for QUICK student drop off only. There is to be no parking for any reason in the express lane. Please park on the street if you need to walk with your student into the school.

2025-26 student assessment updates

In managing the necessary shift in learning following the labour disruption, the following changes in student assessments and supports have been made for the 2025-26 school year:

· For elementary and junior high schools, there will be only two report cards—to be issued January 28 and June 23.

· Parent-Teacher-Student interviews will take place December 1 and December 3.
· All common exams for grades 7, 8, 10 and 11 are cancelled for semester 1.
· Kindergarten developmental screeners will be issued twice this year—in mid-December and again in June.
· For students with an Instructional Support Plan, schools will be reaching out in late-November or early-December (rather than earlier in November) to finalize these plans for the year.

On October 31, Alberta Education and Childcare cancelled the January 2026 diploma examinations and Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs). Students may opt to write January diploma exams in April or June 2026, on a voluntary basis.

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.

EIPS’ Annual Education Results Report 2024-25 is now available online. The report details how EIPS is doing relative to Alberta Education and Childcare’s performance measures; how it’s supporting students to achieve the best possible outcomes; and its successes, challenges and priority strategies moving forward. A brief overview of the report is also available.

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.

The Guide to Reporting Student Achievement (GRSA) and School Education Plan (SEP) for the 2025-26 school year are now available! The GRSA explains how the school assesses student achievement, determines grades and more. The SEP details the school’s priorities and goals for the year—with key strategies and measures in achieving these outcomes. You can access Ecole Parc’s GRSA and SEP through the two corresponding home page tiles.

Is your child riding the bus this year? If yes, download the My Ride and Bus Status apps to stay in the know about your child’s bus stop location, route, pickup time and whether their bus is running on schedule.

Did you know you can sync the school calendar to your own calendar? Simply, visit the schools calendar, click on “Subscribe to Calendar” and follow the instructions. Within seconds, your calendar will contain all École Parc’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.

EIPS has three administrative procedures (APs) that address the Division’s code of conduct:

· AP 311: Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning Environments for Students

· AP 350: Student Code of Conduct

· AP 351: Student Conduct on School Buses

The Division, and École Parc Élémentaire, are committed to ensuring all members of the school community are provided with welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environments that respect diversity and foster a sense of belonging. EIPS encourages all students, staff and families to review the procedures to understand and practice the conduct expected throughout the Division.

Did you know each EIPS bus is equipped with video surveillance, and many school sites have video monitoring equipment?

Video surveillance and equipment help:

· ensure the safety of all students, staff, drivers and property; and

· discourage destructive acts.

As needed, EIPS school administration and Student Transportation staff review video recordings, in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. The recordings assist schools and the Division with monitoring student and driver conduct and may be used as evidence in a disciplinary matter.

For more information about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, contact the EIPS FOIP Co-ordinator at 780-464-3477.

Check out our Grizz Toques! The cost is $22.50. We have 3 options to choose from: grey, black and cream. Please contact the office if you would like to purchase. No cash please. We will add the fee to your parent portal account. Thank you.